08Romeo Annual Day 2

Day two calls for another really hot shower to start my day, the way I ended day one before I went to bed. I'm also going to take an Advil with breakfast so I'm ready for wiggling into any position needed to fasten, inspect or reinstall aircraft parts. I'm soon southbound on Interstate 95 and traffic is moving rather quickly. When I arrived at the shop I found the door was still locked, woo hoo....I beat the guys in! Keith opened up the shop in just a few minutes and I walked in with my travel mug of hot apple cider ready to have at it. No donuts this morning, I was already amped up and sugar would have blown the roof off.

We soon picked up where we had left off at the close of day one. 08Romeo got fresh oil even though I only had 16 hours on the last change. It seems I have an oil screen vs the conventional oil filter, I'm not sure I like that set up. It's four screws that can be a bit hard to reach and the frequency of the change is more often then the filtered models. Anywho,I did want to change to a more appropriate weight oil for our north east temps. In Texas the previous owner was running straight 50 weight oil, I switched to 15W50. Aeroshell 15W50 is a premium multigrade ashless dispersant oil specifically developed for aviation piston engines. Ashless means that the product does not contain any metallic components - this is important because it reduces the formation of harmful metallic ash deposits within the engine. Dispersant means it will hold small particles in suspension if they do not dissolve, allowing these particles to be carried away from critical areas and filtered out. This helps keep the engine clean. The advanced additive package provides excellent protection to engines operating at extreme ambient temperatures. The ashless anti-wear additive package provides exceptional wear protection for camshafts and lifters and other wearing surfaces. I should also mention that 08R has a quick drain oil plug which really made things move quickly.

I moved on to reinstall the inspection plates under each wing and the tail cone since inspection was complete. Frank didn't like the way the tail cone was fastened so we changed the screws and added dimpled washers that sat in the predrilled hole much nicer and provided a much cleaner finished look. With the tail end completed we moved to the fuel system. I was back under the plane removing the gascolater/fuel strainer cover to make ready for removal and inspection. The fuel pump is also located under this inspection plate. While removing the gascolator we noticed some sticky residue and it turns out it was brake fluid. It had been there a good while since it was really more of a slime/sludge consistency. This started the trail to find the source. It seems a master cylinder had very minor leak on the right side rudder/brake pedal evidenced by the same sticky slime. We checked the hoses and cleaned the area and also rebuilt one master cylinder on the pilot side. Was fluid spewing out? No, but why wait for a problem to snowball.

We are still waiting for the ELT battery and the wing tip but for now I continue to button things up. Keith climbed inside to replace two filters behind the panel; the vacuum system filter and a relief valve filter. What I want to know is who designed this thing and placed it in the most out of the way, hard to reach space. Obviously aircraft design Engineers and roadway/bridge Engineers both forget about the field guys. I did get a good look behind the panel and things seemed very orderly. I also checked out the space available for the future panel mounting location for my Garmin 496, plenty of room. While Frank and Keith were hard at it I was assigned the reinstallation of the back seats and rear cover for the battery. I also took the headset plug apart so I could repaint the interior plastic piece that houses the two plugs. They had some scratches that will drive Mary and I nuts so now was the time to clean it up. Since the plane was still on jacks I had to use a step ladder to crawl inside. What a sight, to high to lift the new hip in a tight space so I did the belly crawl to get my butt inside the baggage area, thankfully there were no cameras taping this scary stuff.

Following afternoon break we were ready to hang the bottom cowl. The screws for the cowl were some sort of quick set, by that I mean a quarter turn and they locked, which was a good thing for there were many to address. Next, the left side landing gear was temporarily put back together. A high tensile bolt was placed through the Jo Bolt holes so we could lower the plane and prep for drilling the two new Jo Bolt holes. The Service Instruction (SI) detailed the replacement process. I should mention the Beech Aero Club (BAC) that has a very comprehensive list of Service Bulletins (SB) and SI's. If it's related to Beech aircraft they have it. The membership fee is worth the information available to any Beech owner, not to mention all the fly-in events they schedule and the people you meet.

We are pretty much complete for day two since we are waiting on parts. I will not be able to finish up since I am going back to work on Monday. I'll get a call as soon as the wing tip is completed and I will schedule pick up late next week. I'll have to bum a flight down or have Mary drive me down. I hope 08R is back in time for the North East Flyer's Lancaster lunch run on the 14th.

08Romeo Annual Day 1

An early start to a great day and a day off work to go play with tools and get dirty. I headed to Cecil Aero early and traffic wasn't to bad. I did make my Dunkin Donuts stop so I could walk in with a dozen and a large tea extra sugar for me. When I arrived I found that the plane had already been brought in and the cowl removed the night before. It was good to see everyone and I knew it would be very educational today.

My first job was to remove all the inspection plates under the wings and fuselage of the plane. As many as I have removed over the last 3 years one would think I could tell you how many screws were in each.....I have no clue. I borrowed a battery powered (DeWalt) screw gun from a co-worker for my portion of the annual, all other tools I could use at the shop. Keith was the ground guy today and he started on the landing gear getting things taken apart, cleaned up and bearing packed with fresh grease. Frank was up front at the power plant, Oil was draining and plugs were coming out for a compression check and give the plugs a once over. When I removed all the inspection plate screws (all but one so the plate could spin clear of the hole) I moved on to cleaning the plugs. I got to use the sand blast machine with a dust collector. I had to put my arms in the heavy duty rubber gloves and used a foot pedal to activate the system. I cleaned all the plugs starting with the threads and then carefully cleaning the inside around the insulator tip making sure there was no carbon build up. I was like a kid in a candy store only having to add in a Tim Allen Tool Time grunt to make it complete. I should add I had to keep the top plugs and the bottom plugs separated since we would swap them when we reinstall.

I had the opportunity to check out the JPI probes for EGT and CHT and learned that my CHT was indeed the thermal transfer, for lack of a better description, a washer with a wire attached. I also noticed the new Lycoming power plant had a Reiff preheat system on each cylinder and a stick on heat pad for the oil, this was not listed nor mentioned by the previous owner. I guess those folks in Texas don't give freezing temps a second thought. I could live without that thought too. I headed to the back of the plane to remove the rear seats and the vertical wall panel that hides the battery and other goodies. I also removed the ELT battery panel on the left rear and the opposite side panel for inspection along with the tail cone. There were plenty of little plastic cups with screws strategically placed around the plane where I had been working with the screw gun. The cracked wing tip was removed and a replacement ordered. The shop is going to paint the tip and reinstall. I feel bad, I know it's not intentional and crap happens, at least I didn't do it.

I could not believe how fast time was clicking off. It was lunch break already and it seemed like we just got started. I made a quick run to the local deli for a small mushroom cheese steak and an Orange Crush. Heck, I was ready to get back at it! We sat and talked airplanes and a few folks stopped into visit Roger and the guys. I know my body can't take the physical end of this type of work but I sure could get into this stuff and have fun doing something that really makes you feel like something was accomplished.

Lunch break was complete and we headed back out to the shop. I kind of snooped around watching Keith check brake hoses, complete the reassembly of the left side main and disassemble the right side. The guys are great and answer every question, a true learning experience. I got to inspect the wings for corrosion and the main wing spar right under the cabin. 08Romeo was in great shape and the guys commented that it was probably the cleanest Sundowner they have seen in a good number of years. I got an education on the wings and how the skin is attached since there are not rivets from the leading edge back to about halfway across the wing. I did find two little mud nests maybe the size of my thumb, one in the engine compartment and one just inside the wing tip. I cleaned them both off and treated the one inside the wing tip by hitting it with a Scotch Brite pad and spraying some Corrsion X just to be safe.

A fun day 1 of the annual adventure without to much damage to the flying account. We will have to contend with the Jo Bolt issue on the right side main gear since one was loose and one was still in good shape (nice and tight). I wanted to print out the Service Instruction I read on the Beech Aero Club forum so we could have some additional info to review. I head out to the car and drag my sore body in. Both shoulders are snapping and the hip is sore along with almost every other joint that touched the concrete floor today. Maybe I should have taken an Advil 'prior' to getting started. I'll be taking one or two with dinner. Day one complete.

08R’s Headed to Annual

Mary and I dragged ourselves out of bed this morning so she could run me to the airport (Wilmington) and then head over to her Mom and Dad’s to meet the movers. It has been a crazy….CRAZY few weeks in our home. Truth be told I am as nervous as can be about the first annual on 08R after we spent so much on the down payment, insurance, tie down location and the list goes on. Mary on the other hand has been busy helping her Mom and Dad get ready for the move to their condo and the sale of their house while taking the time to send out resumes for potential work. I have to give her a lot of credit; I don’t know how she does it.

Some history leading up to this morning....Mary and her cousin Amy went through the condo top to bottom spending Sunday cleaning and Monday putting the kitchen together and getting things set up. I thought the place was pretty darn clean to start but hey, I’m a guy what do I know. I was wide awake Monday morning by 3:30am and now that the day is coming to a close I was really dragging. Mary and I met at the house last night, took care of the zoo then headed to Elkton, MD (58M) Cecil Aero to drop off a car so that I would have transportation to work. Two vehicles making the run, rush hour traffic and I am starting to really feel the effects of very little sleep last night. I was leading the way and somehow managed to find this gem on the back country road and having not been here for a year. A few things I noticed; There is a new terminal building that is really impressive and a new parallel taxi way to access runway three one. We locked up the car and piled in the truck, both dogs in tow. Maggie and Rudder came with us just for a change of pace.

Why does it never seem to take as long going home as it does getting to the destination? One of those mysteries of life I would guess. We made it back to the house around 7:30 and after letting the pups out we went right to bed, we were both dead beat tired. I also started to feel like I was getting a sore throat and the sinus was acting up. I had one pill left from my last antibiotic prescription so I took that and crawled in bed. I managed to drift in and out and did catch the last inning or two of the Philly win over the Yankees. Mary let me know this morning that between me and Maggie girl it’s lucky the house is still standing, we both were snoring pretty badly.

I am up and ready to go around 6am and the dogs are ready to eat. Mary tossed and turned all night reminding me that the little guy, Rudder, walked all over the bed last night and kept her up. I wouldn’t have known if a bomb had dropped. My throat feels better and I’ll call the doc for meds to fight it off. Mary was up, showered and ready to roll by 7am. I drove to the airport and together we uncovered 08R. I ordered fuel from AeroWays since Dassault didn’t answer the phone. 08Romeo took on 21.3 gallons of fuel for her 2.5 hours of work on our last flight. 8.5 gallons per hour burn and I’m just starting to get the hang of the JPI engine monitor.
Mary left for her parents and I got the plane started. I sat for a good bit letting the oil temps come up all the while enjoying the sun as it was warming the cockpit.

I picked up the ATIS info and called ground for taxi instructions. I was directed to taxi to runway one, that’s it, just taxi to runway one. Hmmm…ok, Zero Eight Romeo taxi to runway one. I took my normal path and once at the hold short I completed my run up. Once cleared to take off I gave 08R some throttle and we were off. It was gorgeous this morning, at least around Wilmington. Looking towards the Chesapeake Bay I could see ground fog. When I was nine out of Cecil County I announced my positions and intentions. Winds were out of 240° at 6 knots so I planned to land on runway three one with a crosswind. I was watching the ground fog linger around the bay and hang around Elk Point just of the extended center line of runway one three or as you can guess covering the approach to three one. I decided to buy a bit more time and repositioned for a crosswind entry to three one and I was at pattern altitude of one thousand feet. I turned to the downwind and d had a clean view of the three one approach and had the numbers clearly in sight. As I added a second notch of flaps and turned left base the end of three one was covered by ground fog. Ugghhh….one three was clear to the north so I announced my new intentions to enter the left downwind for one three and give this a try. Down wind was looking good as I watched my airspeed and position to the runway. I was keeping this one tight as I turned base then final now deciding to hold off on the last notch of flaps until I was over the displaced threshold. I was right on it, descent looking great, on center, last notch of flaps added followed by wheel chirp, I was on the ground. Flaps retracted and brake brake brake, there would be no missed this round. I made a turn off at the old terminal and taxied back to Cecil Aero in search of a tie down.

Tale of the tape for 58M
Runway 13/31 Dimensions: 2987 x 70 ft.
Displaced threshold: Runway 13 is 288 ft - Runway 31 is 602 ft

Roger walked out to meet me and he chocked the plane. I handed over the books for 08R and stood around to chat for a bit. I know he is busy so I told him I would wait for his call so I could take time off work to ‘assist’ (get in the way) for the Sundowners first annual. There will be more posts and lots of pictures to document the process. There is so much to learn about a new plane!

A Day to Play

Mary and I decided that since the rain finally stopped we would take our plane for a joy ride. I don't think we have both been in the plane together since we brought it home. I did fly a few times but it was with the guys. The plan for today was to head south west for seventy miles and invade Kays at the Airport located at Cambridge Dorchester, KCGE. We decided to post on the POA forum just in case we had the chance to meet up with our friends. RonL was a maybe and BobC was a go to meet up. We exchanged phone calls and text messages to confirm departure times.

Mary and I got up around 8am and showered and packed......no wait, we didn't have to pack a thing, everything was in OUR plane!!! I just had to add that, it feels good despite the monthly payment. The dogs quickly caught on that we were leaving but for some reason they thought THEY were going. Buzzzzzz.....wrong answer dear four leg furry children, it's me and Mom solo today, no critters. I went out to start the truck and look for my baseball batting gloves just in case it was a bit nip at the plane, I didn't need them. I did have to carry one item to the plane, a little tiny bag that Garmin supplies for the 496 and my airport print out for KCGE. When I came back in Mary said the dogs were going crazy thinking they were going with us...ah...noway!

We arrived at 08Romeo and quickly uncovered and ordered fuel. Dassault Falcon jet 100 LL price is $3.99 a gallon full service, best deal on the airport. The truck was out at the plane in less then fifteen minutes and we took on a total of 16 gallons to bring us up to 40 total. The final part of the preflight is my fuel sump test and I completed that, stowed the Gatts jar (for fuel testing) and locked the baggage door. Several shots of primer and 08Romeo came to life, the fun may begin.

We were cleared to taxi to runway one, complete run up and contact the tower. Everything checked out just fine and we made the call, Wilmington Tower Sundowner 08R is ready to go fox 1 and 1, 08 Romeo hold short Cessna on final, 08Romeo holding short, and so we waited. Once the Cessna cleared we were given the clear to go and launched out of Wilmington. Left turn on course we were headed to Cambridge. I know I'll get in trouble for this but my lovely Bride was asleep before we crossed the C&D canal, less then 10 minutes in the air. I picked up flight following with Dover Approach as we passed within a mile or two of KEVY, Summit Airport. We were riding along enjoying the view even though it was a tad bumpy. I was on the lookout for jumpers at Ridgely since we would pass directly over their airport. It would not be a good thing to tangle with meat missiles. Dover turned me loose prior to crossing Ridgely so I acknowledged and quickly tuned to their common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) to report my position and get any report on the jumpers. We passed with no problems, no jumpers at Ridgely at that time but we did hear jumpers away at multiple airports on the same frequency as far away as New Jersey and Chambersburg, Pa.

I switched over to Cambridge to listen for traffic and picked up the wx report at 15 out. Winds favored runway 34 with winds 350 at 8 gusting 14. I crossed midfield and entered the left down wind making a good landing with a long taxi to the left turn off. All of the parallel taxiway is freshly paved with new striping, looks and feels real nice. I found a place to park next to a Mooney and shut 08R down. Bob was en route and we figured we would walk in and add our names to the list.

We needed to get in line since this place is always busy. We watched a few planes taxi in but no Bob. We gave up our spot twice as we waited and tables were turning over pretty quick, the service is very good. Bob taxied in so we let the ladies working know that our party had arrived. We were seated almost in the middle of the restaurant. As does every seat in the house, we had a good view of the ramp and runway 16 approach. I have read a lot of good reports online about the crab omelets so that's what I wanted, Mary and Bob followed suit. Food and service were very good, as always. I struggled to gulp down the mason jar size serving of sweet tea that I ordered, but I managed. Mary had a monster mug of coffee that I'm sure would keep her wired for the rest of the day.

Bob was going to head back to Wings Field (KLOM) and Mary and I decided to make the hop to Lewes, Delaware. We would land at Georgetown Airport (KGED) and hope they had a courtesy car that we could use. We all left with full tummies and headed out so Bob could check out our new ride. Bob seemed to like the new bird and made mention about trading something for my Garmin 530, no deal! As we checked out the plane the ladies that were sitting next to us walked out on the ramp. Three generations of lovely young ladies out to check out the aircraft. The youngest, Morgan, I think, wanted to see the plane and so I gave her a boost to climb aboard and sit right seat. She seemed to get a kick out of it, and let me tell you she was as cute as could be, and just so polite. Her Mom snapped pictures and Mary talked to her Grandmom as the men went back to the plane. The little cutie stood under the wing and stretched out her arms like she was flying while her Mom took a few more shots, that moment alone was worth the gas to fly to Cambridge.

It was time to say goodbye to Bob and our new found friends. We climbed aboard and got the fan turning so we could bug out for Georgetown. I taxied out and had to hold short for a plane on short final then once they cleared we launched. I saw Bob taking on fuel and acknowledged his wave goodbye with a wag of the wings, we were off. It was short hop to GED but I picked up flight following with Patuxent to check on the R4008 restricted area. The floor of the restricted area is 8,500 and I would be well clear but I always like to check to see if its active (hot) or not (cold). R4008 was cold and I climbed to 3,500 and made way to the east for Georgetown. There were a few planes in the pattern and as you can see by the GPS track turned away from the runway and entered on the down wind, not quite a 45* but more of a midfield bank right and announce. I made an ok landing with a short skip and almost flat, I still need to get used to the new sight picture.

The lineman marshaled us to a parking spot and acknowledged there was a courtesy car available for us to use. Well alrighty!, I'll take that tie down spot and I pulled the mixture to shut down. We walked inside the terminal and the retaurant just inside the door cooking up a storm smelled fantastic. I signed out the courtesy car, the "silver bullet" as she is called and off we went. We headed towards Lewes, Delaware and made our first stop the DRBA Ferry Terminal. I wanted to see a project I had managed but was not able to attend the grand opening due to my hip surgery back in April. It looked great! The granite counter tops really stood out and all the new roll up doors and electrical work really turned this into something nice. It was good to see my co-workers and walk along the water front with Mary.

We walked back to the car and decided to check on the condo for her Aunt & Uncle. It's a short drive from the ferry terminal and it overlooks the Delaware Bay, very nice place. Mary asked if I wanted a peanut buster parfait from Dairy Queen since the place was open but I passed.....that's a first. Next on the list was a stop at a little market in downtown Lewes to pick up Milton Sausage, Mary's Mom and Dad like it and so do her Aunt and Uncle. We picked up sausage for everyone including us and two roasted chickens for dinner. We planned on dropping one off at Mom and Dads so they didn't have to cook either.

I made one more stop to put some fuel in the courtesy car and then headed back to the Airport. We thanked the gentleman at the desk and headed for the plane. As we walked across the ramp it's still sinking in that we own a plane, I guess it will soon be like walking out to the car in the driveway.....nah, not for me. We launched out of KGED and headed due north for home. I picked up flight following with Dover and Mary snapped pictures along the way. We passed right over the Air Force base and got a great look at the mighty C-5's, they are large even from 3,500 feet. I dropped with Dover and flipped over to Wilmington's tower. I had already noted the ATIS report and called in with my position, altitude, intentions and with the current information. I was number three to land and continued in having to report crossing the C&D canal. I tuned in the ILS runway 1 and shot the approach but only peeking inside for my scan of the needles since I was VFR and the only pilot on board. About four miles final a regional jet was cleared to take off with no delay for traffic on final. Heck I had two notches of flaps hanging out there at this point, I couldn't catch him if they paid me. Finally cleared to land I made an ok landing but once again a tad flat, Mary said it was on center. Thanks Hottie. We taxied in to our tie down spot and shut down. Mary took a picture of the plane next to us since we both liked the snoopy decal on the cowl. Once 08R was secure we headed for Mom and Dad's to drop off dinner. It was a fun day flying, a better day spending it with my Bride!

GPS TRACK

NIght Flight 08Romeo

Last night Mike and I flew to KMIV - Millville, NJ to attend the FAAST safety seminar on Icing. The plan was to meet up with Jeff from 33N, have dinner at Dottie's on the airfield and walk over to Big Sky Aviation. I had the pre-flight completed and started up to taxi and meet Mike as he walked through the doors of Atlantic. Mike climbed aboard and I picked up my taxi instructions from Wilmington.

The plan was for me to shoot the ILS 10 approach into Millvile but landing and departing traffic was using runway two eight. Not a problem, Mike dug out the plate for RNAV GPS 28 approach and we were simulating vectors to the Final Approach Fix CROSE. I had briefed the plate and was set up for my missed. Mike role played ATC as we made our way in to the CROSE FAF. I heard Jeff arriving and I think he did a touch and go before making his final pattern loop and landing 93Zulu.

I set 08Romeo down smoothly but left of center and Jeff asked for Center line.....he really keeps me sharp. We taxied in and met Jeff at Dottie's for dinner. Originally we sat outside but I was feeling a bit nip so we all headed inside. Dinner ran a bit longer then planned and we were a tad late for the safety presentation. I had sat through this one before but it's always nice to review. Mike and I decided to head out after break so we said our goodbyes and saddled up for home.

We walked out to 08Romeo and I commented more then once how dark it was, Mike said great night to fly....I think I blurted I'm scarrrred of the dark. We had a good laugh. I checked fuel and did a walk around with a mini mag light, I need to get my big mag in the plane for night pre-flights. I taxied out to runway two eight and announced our departure. I made my climb shallow to keep the CHT's lower. It was really clear tonight and yeah, it was dark, not much of a moon out.

I copied the ATIS at Wilmington and set up to contact Philly Approach. Philly Approach, Sundowner 6708Romeo....Approach Sundowner 08R, 20 south east of ILG, 2500 level would like the ILS runway 1 approach for ILG. I dialed in the squawk code and was ready for vectors. The 530 was set and ready, I was holding fairly level and speed was looking good and on course. I briefed the plate and should have verbalized what I was doing but didn't. I glanced through the missed and Mike reiterated the brief, I needed to be more deliberate. I got maybe three or four turns on course and made my way in. I brain farted and did not configure for a notch of flaps and 90 knots. My final turn to intercept the localizer was upon us and I had just went through GUMPS; Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Pump and Switches/Safety. Philly turned me over to the tower and I announced 6708Romeo ILS 1 for full stop. I was cleared to land as I continued down the glide slope looking not to bust 325 feet. I was pretty good with the on course, correcting for a slight crosswind but I could have been more responsive with the glide slope. As I approached the DH I looked up and made final changes to configure for landing.

Another nice night landing followed with a U turn on the runway and taxi back to our tie down. Once we got to the tie down location we noticed that Atlantic tied a transient Cessna in my spot with my tie down straps (that had my tail number on them). I wasn't to happy! Atlantic didn't respond to my radio calls so I taxied to them. I had to shut down in order to talk to the line guys and then had to hot start and taxi back to my tie down spot. It was along day and I was tired and cranky.

Mike and I reviewed and both agreed that I need to get back to the "flow", my approaches are fine. I need to chair fly a bit and maybe work through some online approaches to get back in the rhythm. Once the dust settles of the new plane and I get a few things squared away I'm going to push to get my check ride scheduled.

As a follow up......I called Atlantic Aviation today to review the situation from last night. The lady at the desk was very helpful and stated that she would advise all shifts that 08Romeo is a rented tie down and not to disturb or use my spot for transient aircraft. Great service, top notch operation, now if they just open up a tie down that I can park close to the FBO.

Sundowner Spec's

A reader asked about the Beechcraft Sundowner Specifications so I gathered some info and put this list together.

Beech C 23 Sundowner performance and specifications:
Horsepower: 180
Gross Weight: 2450 lbs
Top Speed: 128 kts
Empty weight 1650 lbs
Useful load 800 lbs
Cruise Speed: 116 kts
Fuel Capacity: 57.00 gal
Stall Speed (dirty): 51 kts
Range: 565 nm

Takeoff/Landing:
Ground Roll: 1130 ft
Ground Roll 703 ft
Over 50 ft obstacle: 1955 ft
Over 50 ft obstacle: 1484 ft
Rate Of Climb: 792 fpm
Ceiling: 12600 ft

I only have maybe eleven hours in our new bird but here are my numbers. On our trip home from Texas I burned 11 gallons an hour. With the new engine (55 hours) I didn't want to run to lean and I tried to keep a close watch on Exhaust Gas Temps(EGT)and Cylinder Head Temps (CHT). The first leg from T31 Aero Country to KHZD, Huntingdon, TN was around 450 miles. Start up to shut down was 4 hours so the simple math says that's an average of 112.5 miles per hour or 100 knots. I fought a head wind for some distance but did see ground speeds of 135-140 knots when we were heading east with the tailwind. The second leg was 465 miles from KHZD to WV62 Windwoood Resort in Davies, WV. This leg, start up to shut down was 3 hours 45 minutes. A quick calculation figures the average speed to be around 124 miles per hour or 110 knots. If you want to dig a bit deeper and knock off 15 minutes for start, taxi out, run up, taxi in and shut down you knock off that 15 minutes. This makes a slight change but maybe more realistic numbers bringing the avg speeds to 110 knots on leg one and 115 knots on leg two which reflects what we were seeing in ground speeds and resembles what I flight plan for at 110 knots.

I have been reading so much about lean of peak, rich of peak that my head is spinning. As I become more familiar with the JPI engine monitor I will save more fuel when I start to feel comfortable with leaning a bit more. For now it's pull back until rough then advance mixture to run smooth.

Night Current Again

Finally night current once again...

It was a beautiful night and I decided it was time to get night current. I want to attend a FAAST seminar in Millville NJ on Wednesday evening and Mary and I decided we would get there early and have dinner. The only catch was I needed to be night current in order to have her travel home with me. So tonight she helped me uncover and get the plane ready for me to get in the air.

I needed to order fuel and Dassault Falcon didn't have enough linemen working so they asked if I could taxi over, well that doesn't work for me. I called Aeroways and they came right out. I had to pay more per gallon but my pre-flight flow was my typical routine. I climbed in while Mary sat in the SUV with both dogs. I taxied out with the current ATIS info and completed my run up at the runway one and fox 1 hold short.

I launched into the night and climbed out at seven hundred feet a minute turning crosswind at six hundred feet and climbing to pattern altitude now on down wind. I had the pattern to myself as I reported midfield down wind, as instructed by the tower. Landing one and taxi back uneventful, landing two I try a no flap landing, I was coming in a bit hot but a nice touch down. I made this one a T&G and as I went to full throttle my headset clip unplugged and caught on the yoke. I was drifting left of center and accelerating, more right rudder, yanked the headset plugs clean out with my right hand and continued to fly the plane. Hand back on the throttle, climb out to six hundred or so and turn cross wind. I reached down keeping eyes out and do the hunt and peck for the headset plugs. Ok I have them in hand and decided to turn on my red light head band and make the connections. Time for a left turn to 190 degrees and I'm on the left down wind for runway one, ready to report midfield. Wilmington tower clears me to land runway one as I pull the power back and add in the first notch of flaps. I'm keeping this one real tight. Second notch, left turn on base and roll into final. Speed looks great, runway made and adding the last notch of flaps. Over the numbers holding it off, only a slight stall horn and mains touch down with the nose wheel immediately following. A slow and steady taxi back after a 180 on the runway and right turn off on taxiway delta. I have one to go, I want to make this a good one to end the night. I launch once again turning out for my crosswind and with tight spacing make my down wind turn. I'm at 1100 feet listening to additional traffic joing the pattern also working on night currency. A young lady in a Piper enters from the south and she is number two to land while I extend my down wind leg as instructed. We pass by each other and the tower has yet to call my base so I announce 08Romeo turning left base runway one. I got a thank you.

I followed the Piper in and slowed way down so she could clear the runway. The tower asked if I could slow down and give the other aircraft time to clear. Hello....I'm on it...I was slowing to maybe 80knts and started S turns.....a first for the Sundowner (asked to slow down). I watched the Piper clear after having some trouble finding taxiway delta but I eventually copied my cleared to land from the tower. I was over the fence trying to maintain 70 knots and touched down just past the numbers. I was also directed to make a 180 and taxi back to delta. I stayed on with the tower and taxied back to the Hercules hangar ramp. Mary helped me tie down and get 08Romeo covered. I'm once again current and we're ready for Wednesday night and the FAAST Seminar at Big Sky Aviation (at KMIV). It should be a fun night out for dinner with friends.

FAR Sec. 61.57 - Recent flight experience: Pilot in command.

(a) General experience. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, no person may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers or of an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot flight crewmember unless that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days, and --
(i) The person acted as the sole manipulator of the flight controls; and
(ii) The required takeoffs and landings were performed in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required), and, if the aircraft to be flown is an airplane with a tailwheel, the takeoffs and landings must have been made to a full stop in an airplane with a tailwheel.
(2) For the purpose of meeting the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a person may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft under day VFR or day IFR, provided no persons or property are carried on board the aircraft, other than those necessary for the conduct of the flight.
(3) The takeoffs and landings required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section may be accomplished in a flight simulator or flight training device that is --
(i) Approved by the Administrator for landings; and
(ii) Used in accordance with an approved course conducted by a training center certificated under part 142 of this chapter.
(b) Night takeoff and landing experience. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise, unless within the preceding 90 days that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise, and --
(i) That person acted as sole manipulator of the flight controls; and
(ii) The required takeoffs and landings were performed in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required).

IFR Certification

Questions are often raised about what is an "IFR re-cert", or "why do I need to have my transponder checked when I only fly VFR". ATC Controllers and TCAS Collision avoidance equipment works off of the transponder with the encoder to provide altitude and range information. If the Mode C information that is being sent from the transponder is incorrect, or if the altimeter is different from the Mode-C encoder, then Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) equipped aircraft will receive bogus information which could cause a problem. ATC uses the altitude information to keep aircraft separated.

The Altimeter; The single device that tells a pilot how high the aircraft is, and when to go missed on an instrument approach. There are many things that can cause the altimeter to be out of tolerance, Scale error, baro scale error, friction, case leaks, can give the pilot the "wrong" altitude. These rules have been in place for decades, and they are needed to keep the rest of the aviators in your airspace safe. New technologies are being installed into aircraft to provide a safer level of flying than we have ever known. All of this means that your airplane, and the equipment in it, needs maintenance. That maintenance is every 24 calendar months, or whenever a problem is brought to your attention. FAR 91.411

I picked up 08Romeo at Red Eagle Avionics, she passed with no problems. I got to jump in the plane and taxi around the airport before and after work. I would rather have been flying but any left seat time is fun!