Annual Flight, Grounded

It's that time of year when Mary and I make the trek to Wilkes-Barre, PA to take care of my parents grave site. Knowing I am current but not as proficient as I would like to be we closely monitored wx Friday and Saturday.

 Rise and shine this morning and the wx looks good but very windy at Wilmington.  The wx at Wilkes-Barre was scattered with the Skew T showing freezing temps around 5000.  Again very windy conditions for our planned arrival and departure.  I didn't have enough of my own personal comfort factor  for the cloud layer and dropping out underneath if needed having to contend with the mountain terrain, well mountains for out east anyway.

So, this morning I made the call to ground pound it north. I made great time since we left the house at 6:40am and in two hours we were pulling into the store for flowers and mulch. I did note some temps driving down the mountain and temps ranged from 51 on top (1200-1600 ft) to 54 crossing the valley.

It was good to take care of my parents and honor a tradition for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.  Flowers planted, mulch neatly spread and headstone cleaned, our labor of love completed.  We made a stop for some fruit smoothies and hustled the ML320 south for two hours and a safe return home. It cleared up nice here in Wilmington but after watching the gusting winds whip the tress around I decided to watch the final round of the PGA tour event instead of flying.

First Beach Flight 2013

FRIDAY 5/3/13

Mary and I packed up and headed to the airport Friday afternoon.  Yes, I took a half day and decided to head south.  Mary's Friend Jo Ann joined us for the weekend and pulled up to Red Eagle ready to fly at 1pm.

I had taken on some fuel to make my total thirty gallons for the flight.  This was a VFR flight direct KOXB, Ocean City.  The wx was looking great but the winds were blowing. I found the sweet spot right at three thousand and rode along smooth and steady.  I was watching the clouds roll in from the coast and knew I would have to duck under or get a pop up into OXB.  The bottom of the layer was around twenty five hundred feet so I descended to eighteen hundred for the last ten miles making my position calls.  I felt bad, the smooth ride was over and I was know getting pushed with tail slides left or right, not fun for me, or my passengers.

I had the wx at OXB and the winds were zero six zero - zero seven zero around 15 gusting twenty something.  Runway 2-20 is still closed so it will be runway one four for my best shot.  Running through my mind is the fact I flew once in the last month and had logged two, yes two landings. I wasn't ready for the crosswind but knowing I was going to take a shot or run for Salisbury KSBY.

METAR KOXB 031653Z AUTO 06017G23KT 10SM CLR 12/07 A3040

First attempt, not stable, wings rocking and throttle work was keeping me busy. Only a second notch of flaps for this try as I cross the fence with airspeed from 80 down to 60 knots feeling like the bottom falls out then floating. I'm in the flair or what I managed to make resemble the flair when I felt like I didn't have enough throttle to arrest the sink. I was nearing my go around point and went full power hanging in ground effect then getting positive climb before retracting flaps, a notch at a time.  Meanwhile I was listening to the stall horn sing to me like a police siren from Great Britain.

Somewhere in there I mumbled a c'mon baby climb out as I horsed 08Romeo around to the crosswind.  I extended my crabbing downwind a bit and made my base to final turn. Nice and steady, one notch of flaps this attempt and seemingly better control of the gusting conditions. I'm over the fence, left main planted for a short squirrely ride then the right main and nose gear. We're down, now making more aileron corrections to keep me down the middle of the runway. It felt good to taxi off and shut down.

Joe the lineman came out to meet me and help tie down. He said nice second landing, looked like a wild first ride. I acknowledged it was and followed up with no fuel but I'll take that change of shorts, he couldn't stop laughing.

He then told me the jet on the ramp made multiple attempts too so don't feel bad. Yeah, I nodded, and they get paid to do this stuff.

Ready for the C&C in the motor home!

We loaded up the airport car we keep covered in the lot and headed for the motor home. Jo Ann said I bet you need a beer. Beer hell, I'll take that captain and coke when we get there.

SUNDAY 5/5/2013

We had a great time in OCMD. Tried a few new places to eat, cooked clams here at the motor home and cruised around having fun.  I had watched the wx overnight and decided I wanted to be in the air close to 12:30. I had figured on that being the best time for a chance to bug out VFR even though I filed, just in case.

sitting at hold short r/w 32

We were packed up and to the airport just about on time. I took on sixteen gallons to make my fuel total forty.  Joe fueld 08Romeo and told me a Cessna 182 came in after me on Friday and made multiple attempts to land finally coming in and pranging the prop, not good. With fuel complete and tested and a last look at wx I knew I had to contact Washington Clearance Delivery.

METAR KOXB 051653Z AUTO 05013G22KT 10SM BKN016 OVC035 12/07 A3022

We launch off of runway three two with the sock dancing back and forth. When it did swing it looked like it slightly favored three two over one four so off I went.  Washington Clearance returned my call and cleared me as filed; KOXB ATR DQO KILG.  On departure fly runway heading, three thousand expect five thousand in in ten. Frequency for patuxent 127.95 and my squawk code 5612. I switched back to unicom and made my departure call then rolled down the runway. I was off and crabbing/climbing to three and eventually made contact with pax.

We sat in IMC for a short time and then I was cleared to five thousand direct waterloo (ATR). On my way to ATR I was handed off to Dover Approach and a direct to KILG followed.  Wow! that was too easy, maybe all that clean living, ah no.

We finally broke through on top and our friend Jo Ann thought that was the coolest! She has been in the plane with us multiple times but this was her first IMC experience. We were on top to just north of Dover, Delaware when the layer vanished.  Dover stepped us down to four thousand and handed me over to Philly.  I reported in with level four thousand and hotel at KILG. Philly vectored me for the visual runway nine since he was trying to get a Piaggio in ahead of me and in between two other planes.

Final R/W 9  KILG

A super smooth landing and another fun trip is completed. A great first beach run for the season, testing my metal into OXB and getting some IMC on the way home.

Checkout Flight

After a great three days in Ocean City we decided to head north for home so I could get some flight time.  Typically we fly to/from OCMD but we needed to ground pound for one more trip to move some outdoor furniture.

After returning home I swapped text messages with Vince and made arrangements to pick him up.  08Romeo really needs a bath along with a spa day compounding and waxing her back to her beautiful shine.  We finished the pre-flight and saddled up for a short hop wanting to check out traffic and the Garmin 327 operation.

I also had the Collins nav radio freshened up along with one of the digits replaced.  The nav radio looked and worked perfect.  The mic cord was replaced and I had the clock power source moved to work when the master is on instead of always hot.

The 327 switched to altitude reporting as I passed 60 knots and went wheels up.  We climbed out on runway heading pointing to the southeast and Millville airport.  Next up was the traffic  check and the Zaon was squawking  from start up. Each aircraft was displayed on the Zaon screen and with a few changes on the Garmin 496 I could watch targets pass by with the +/- altitudes displayed, traffic finally restored!

A good check out flight and 1.1  hours in the log.  It's been a month since my last flight so  it felt great being back in the air.  Friday we hope to  start flying to the beach.  OCMD has Springfest so while Mary and friends shop I'll get extra flight time in with a possible breakfast flight to Cambridge.

FS Collins Transponder 28v

FOR SALE Yellow Tag (8130) Collins TDR 950 28v Transponder w/tray $400

 

The TDR-950 is a full featured transponder in a compact chassis. In fact, it has the shortest depth of all transponders, making it possible to install where other units simply won't fit. (Approximately 8.5" are required behind the instrument panel.)

 

The TDR-950 offers 250 watts of transmission power, operation up to 62,000 feet, and compatibility with encoders (either an encoding altimeter or a blind encoder).

 

The TDR-950 features:
4096 discrete codes
Mode C compatibility
TSO'd

 

 

She's Ready To Fly!

After almost a month off from flying 08Romeo is ready for a test flight.  The headliner work is completed and Mark from Top Stitch Aviation did an excellent job!  Dale at Red Eagle knocked out my list of things to do, a new Garmin 327 transponder, new WAAS GPS antenna and coax, new mic cord pilot side and reconnect my clock to the master so it's not running all the time.  I'll keep this one short and sweet, here are the pics.

Our Maggie Girl

This evening, Mary and I had to make a decision that ripped our hearts out, we said goodbye to our Maggie Girl, our Italian Mastiff. Having just turned eight in March she suffered from kidney failure following a simple surgery to have her teeth cleaned.

Maggie was admitted to the local Vet hospital in hopes of flushing her system and for lack of a better term "jump start" her kidneys. thirty-six hours later she turned for the worse.

I sit here in tears typing this but in my own way it helps move the grieving process along, at least for me. I know she wouldn't want that, she never did like us being upset.  She was always the class clown with the goofy look or stare into space "not listening" when you wanted her to do something she didn't want to. She didn't approve of the cats occasional fighting and would always get up from her comfy bed and get the boys to neutral corners then return, plop down, and give a big sigh as if to say crisis averted now can I get some sleep.

Maggie has stood by Mary on a daily basis as my Bride battled with her health issues, often never leaving the room until I returned from work. She was faithful and loving and we will miss her everyday.

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.

Take me to where to my needs they'll tend, Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see. 
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do for me.

Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved. Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close -- we three -- these years, Don't let your heart hold any tears.

-- Unknown

Airplane Update

08Romeo's headliner fiber board is repaired and new the new foam installed. The new fabric should be installed tomorrow.

Red Eagle pulled the Collins nav radio out and shipped it for repairs to Stellar Avionics, the same folks I am buying my Garmin 327 transponder from. The old GPS antenna is gone along with the coax, new antenna and coax installed and ready for the Fall 2013 WAAS upgrade to my Garmin 530.