Dinner Hop

Sunset at KMQS

Mike and I swapped a few text messages and agreed to meet at the airport by 6pm for a dinner flight.  Mary wasn't feeling good so once she was settled in I headed to the airport for some flight time.

C17 on the old Boeing ramp

Speaking of flight time, I took a few minutes to review my year to date totals on MyFlightBook.com, I'm not very happy.  So far I managed to squeak out 29 hours, yes, you read that right, just 29 hours.  This has been my least productive year. I'll blame it on the wx and hope that mother nature starts to cooperate so I can get back to my normal accumulation of hours and most important, experience.

Mike walked in just after I got started on the pre-flight having just taken on fuel from Atlantic.  The plan was for a quick hop, KILG-KMQS with a dinner break in between approaches.  I taxied out and flew 08R to New Garden, N57, while helping locate an ELT that was bleeding over the airways.  We reported in with Philly approach but they asked me to stand by. I switched back to Wilmington and gave them an updated report on the signal then continued on towards MQS.

Mike shot the ILS 29 and did a real nice job. Radio calls were hard to make out with the ELT blaring every time someone keyed the mic on the MQS CTAF, 122.7.  We made this a full stop and ate dinner at the Flying Machine Cafe'.

We saddled up for Wilmington and climbed out of Chester County pointing 08R south east. I decided to change my glasses to the clear version and tuck my flying sun shades away. Hmmm, I guess I forgot my clears. I passed on shooting an approach and instead informed Wilmington that I was nine out and inbound full stop with no ATIS info due to the ELT drowning it out. I confirmed the winds and altimeter setting along with acknowledging report three miles right base for two seven.

that's all I can show, it's a family blog!  :)

It was an ok landing at best, felt like I was dropping in from ten feet but managed to arrest the sink rate with some throttle in time to recover. We taxied off and decided to make sure it was not 08Romeos ELT.  In the process of removing the right rear fuselage ELT access panel I was attacked by mosquito's. I came home with eighteen bites just on my back!  No, my ELT was not the problem, at least it didn't change by switching my unit off and on.