Together Again

Together again, flying in our Commander.  Wow, it sounds strange but it sure felt right, the both of us flying together for the first time since last June.

I had the plane ready to go after yesterdays flight, I just needed to sump fuel. The sump was good and I tugged 3TC out on the ramp.  Now the fun part, climbing aboard. I have worked my way up to climbing aboard without the use of the step stool, always making progress.  Mary made her first attempt since our initial flight with Bill, the previous owner. That first step up is different from the Sundowner, it's much higher. As Mary climbed aboard she bumped her right shin on the flap edge. Sure enough she scraped some skin but it did not deter my bride from a second try. The second try was perfect, not stepping on the flap and extending up on the wing.

I got the fan turning and with calm winds we taxied for runway three-two. With the run up completed I made my call and rolled for take off. 3 Tango Charlie climbed out, and up to five thousand five hundred, to safely cross the Delaware Bay.

I didn't take any video today, I wanted it to be our time together just me and my bride. The flight was smooth, with cool temps at fifty five hundred hovering around sixty three degrees. We shared the moments, taking in the beautiful view of the coastline and being here together, knowing how far we have come....together.

I circled over near the Cape May lighthouse to loose some altitude then pointed for the left down wind runway two-eight. I extended so a Cirrus could land and clear runway one nine and then I followed with a very nice landing.

We enjoyed breakfast at the Flight Deck Dinner located in the terminal.  The excellent food and service made for a fun experience.

Now the fun began, a hot start. I added the procedure to my checklist and followed the instructions. I guess I didn't have the mixture pulled lean enough and it was a no start. I tried in vain a few more times then let 3 Tango Charlie sit, while she cooled, and I calmed down. Maybe try number four or five I realized the mixture wasn't closed, so I reset and tried another start. Finally, 3TC sputtered, started to run, no struggled to run, as I quickly added mixture. It wasn't quite enough as she stumbled along so I flipped on the pump and she caught. Now purring along we sat and idled as I set up for the flight home.

I taxied out to runway two eight and flowed through the run up, expecting maybe a fouled plug or something from all those attempted starts and added fuel. Instead, the mag drops were crisp and bang on the numbers, smooth at 2000 rpm and then just as smooth at idle.

I made my call for departure and pointed 3 TC into the wind. We were off, with a very slight wind vane effect, and climb out to four thousand five hundred. We crossed the Bay and let down for Ocean City, once again enjoying the coastal view. People littered the beach like ants, they were everywhere. I made my position calls at ten and five out,  setting up for a straight in runway two-zero.

It was a short but fun pair of flights as our intro to once again flying together. I have dearly missed my bride being right seat. We are both very excited to start traveling again.

Thanks everyone for following along on our journey. There will be new chapters in our life and our flying adventures, stay tuned!