My first flight of 2025 had me heading west, just a short hop, to Cambridge MD - KCGE. Today I received a comment on one of my videos, and I have to say it made me feel good knowing I may have helped someone with the Legacy unit Garmin 480. I started the "How-To" 480 series as I worked through various scenarios to help me stay sharp and learn new things about the unit. Buttonology as I like to call it. Maybe this falls under why I make videos, I'm not sure. I do know it feels good to give something back to this hobby. Here is the comment that a subscriber left.
I just realized you were sitting at the table across from me at CGE on Saturday. Wish I'd realized it sooner so i could personally thank you for your GNS-480 series. Without it, my instrument rating might not have happened a few years ago. Beautiful Commander, by the way!
I'm inspired by the gentleman that posted and I look forward to working through even more scenarios on the Garmin 480. Thanks again for sharing your comment on my YouTube video.
I decided to check my fuel quantity and complete a very extensive preflight for my scheduled first flight of 2025 tomorrow afternoon. I did make a short video on a few of the checklist items but then put the camera down and got to the business at hand.
Saturday 1.26.2025
The temps have climbed into my barley comfort zone almost breaking 40F. Yes, it's time to cowboy up and get in the air. I turned on the preheats around midnight last night and today 3 Tango Charlie was warm and toasty. I did an abbreviated video at the hangar yesterday showing some of my preflight, off camera I did an extensive check of the plane, she is good to go.
The original plan was a breakfast run but that changed since Charles G needed to head north after a business meeting here in OC. He then had to drive home, pick up his plane, and fly it south to Cambridge to meet for lunch. He's a better man than me, I would have called it a day after the 2 hour drive north.
I got settled in, set up my cameras then got the fan turning. 3 Tango Charlie seems a bit more difficult to start after an overnight preheat. After a few blades on a second attempt she fired up and sat at idle while I kept a check on oil temps. Once reaching 153 degrees I was ready to taxi to runway one-four. AWOS noted winds variable but the windsock clearly favored one-four this afternoon.
I launched for Cambridge (KCGE) and really enjoyed the view. There is something to be said for exercising your pilot in command duties. The ride was bumpy but not the worst I've experienced. A passed above Salisbury KSBY airspace at three thousand feet and then remained below the Restricted R-4006 airspace of three thousand five hundred feet.
The pattern was busy at Cambridge and I had to turn away to the north then re-enter for the left downwind runway one-six. I made a nice landing and taxied for the terminal.
Saving money on fuel is always a good thing so instead of taking fuel at Ocean City ($6.50 gal) I purchased fuel a Cambridge ($5.88 gal). Sixty two cents a gallon at twenty gallons saved me $12.40!
Charles arrived and we enjoyed lunch at Carrols Kitchen. My menu choice was a BLT with fries and a cup of Vegetable beef soup. Charles had a bowl of Vegetable beef with a turkey club.
Charles and I had to settle our fuel bills before heading out to the planes. The cold air really hit me when I went outside, I think the temps have fallen. We each saddled up and taxied for one six, Charles was first then I pointed down the runway for home.
The ride east for home was very smooth compared to the flight west. I kept feeling a chill of cold air even though I had the heat on, or so I thought. Apparently I had pulled the cabin air vent instead of the cabin heat, Brrr...that wasn't to smart.
With the heat now flowing in the cockpit and my legs once again nice and toasty I set up for my arrival into Ocean City. I had to coordinate with one plane inbound on the RNAV runway one-four with a circle to land three-two. I asked if they were going to do the procedure turn since it looked like he was just going to join final. I advised I would circle to the north for spacing and then land on runway two-zero since the winds were 220 at 9 knots.
I made a nice landing and taxied for the hangar. It felt great getting in the air and I am looking forward to my next flight.
I posted the following in response to an email I received from fellow pilot and YouTube creator Mark at Midlife Flight.
The Question and Set Up
You
are coming from the southwest and have been cleared to SWL as the transition.
Since it's a NoPT transition, if the 480 does the same thing as other
navigators, the HILO at CIRAN will not be included when you load the
approach. If that's not the case - if the hold gets loaded anyway -
no need to go further.
If
that is the case, here's the scenario. While inbound from SWL to CIRAN,
you get "hold as published at CIRAN" from ATC.
In
the other Garmins from the GNS 430/530 onward and in the Avidyne IFD, you
would just reload the approach and choose CIRAN as the transition. The hold at
CIRAN will be there.
Part
2, if that happens, will the flight plan still show you direct CIRAN or do you
have to tell it again?
The Answer
With the Garmin 480 there are two ways to address the issue. The first is reload the approach selecting CIRAN as the transition and that will plot the PT.
The second way is to select DIRECT then HOLD and enter the following info. Left or Right turns, Inbound heading, and leg length in minutes or nautical miles. Either choice will address the issue.
What's the difference between nautical mile and a statute mile. Good question. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a statute mile and based on Earth's latitude, while a statute mile is a land-measured unit.
Our Vero Beach flight was a bust due to a gear issue just 30 minutes into our flight south. Instead we ground pounded 15 hours to start our vacation. We really enjoy the get-away to Vero. The town is very clean, quiet, and the beach is perfect. The food choices are really good too! It's always fun catching up with my brother while we are in town.
We are looking forward to our annual flight in March, but this time by plane.
Our original plan was to head to Texas and explore Galveston. I was having some serious knee problems so the longer flight was scratched and instead we pointed for Georgia. Savannah has been on our list and we finally got to cross it off as completed. Mary and I really had a fun time exploring the city and it's history.
Recap for 2024:
I lost the opportunity to put at least 12 hours on my totals with the blown Vero Trip. The trip to Saint Simmons Island was weathered out twice. Once in September with Hurricane Helene and then in October with Hurricane Milton. This trip would have added 8 hours to the overall flight time. Last but not least we planned a get-away to St. Augustine to make up for the missed anniversary trip and now my birthday. Of course St. Augustine experienced one of the coldest weeks with highs in the low 60's and overnights at 40 degrees from 12/6 through 12/9. I missed another opportunity to add on 10 hours of fly time. So, with another no-go south we headed north to Wilmington to visit friends and family for the holidays. Did I fly, no. A multiple day stay would cost so much more with car rental so we took Marys SUV and enjoyed the very short get-away. On the flip side we had a new roof put on the house while away. $$
Baltimore FSDO Visit
One additional note to add for 2024. I was contacted by the FAA FSDO Baltimore with regard to my window tint. They say it's not portable meaning it can't be easily removed, thus it's not an approved part on a certified aircraft. This lead to a visit to the hangar and a look at my log books. The FAA grounded my plane. So in order to have my plane returned to service I had to have the material removed under the supervision of an A&P. Another choice was to have the material removed and apply for a ferry permit to fly it to my shop and have an A&P sign off. I decided to have an A&P at my hangar for the inspection. Once the product was removed the A&P provided a log entry approving the process and confirming no damage to the windows.
The Process
Once I tugged 3 Tango Charlie out on the ramp and left her in the sun for maybe 20 minutes the product was easily removed in less then 2 minutes a side. Honestly, this flying stuff isn't as fun as it used to be. I paid the A&P for his travel time, an hour each way, and his time spent supervising the removal. The owner of the company removed the tint at no charge but I gave him gas money for his effort, a two plus hour drive each way. Fly a plane they say, it will be fun they said. Insert eyeroll!
What’s in store for 2025?
For starters we hope the weather allows more fly time for our travels.
On tap for the upcoming year will be Vero, our annual event, so that's always on our list. We would also like to finally explore St. Simmons Island and St. Augustine. We will explore and check out HGTV's Restoring Galveston. The plan is to then head to the Dallas area to visit our friend Sandra (Flights of the Mouse)and catch up with our friends Anita and Dave along with grandbaby dog Daisy.
Mary and I have been talking about our west coast swing. We're not getting any younger so it's time to start planning the south west tour and then explore the west coast. We want to explore California. I'm thinking from a home base in San Diego I would really like to drive the coast north. Planning stops in Los Angeles and the Reagan Library, NAPA Valley winerys, and visiting family. Santa Monica is on the list and maybe to spend a couple of nights then drive back to the plane in San Diego. It's just a plan for now, I'm not sure how long my bride will want to be away from home.
Overall this has been the lowest fly time for me since I started flying back in 2005. I sure hope it will be better times ahead or it might be time to finally ring the bell and hang up the ownership spurs. We shall see.
I decided to get in the air today since it was clear and view unlimited (CAVU). The original plan was to catch up with friend and fellow pilot Charles G. Charles flew into Ocean City last night and I thought I would try and catch up for breakfast this morning. We swapped text messages and he was in a meeting then had to fly back to New Garden N57 for another meeting. I figured I would go shoot an approach or two and then return home for breakfast since my bride was hosting a Women's Club of Ocean Pines luncheon. I call it the "Hen" party, a term of endearment.
The pre-heats were turned on at 4am thanks to my SwitcheOn and 3 Tango Charlie was toasty by 8:30. After hooking up the cameras I got the fan turning and taxied for runway three-two. While on the ground I set up my first approach into Delaware Coastal, the RNAV GPS 4. Once in the air I pointed for the Initial Approach Fix (IAF)ZARVI. The first approach was all autopilot, very smooth and on the numbers. This first go was a low approach only followed by a climb out and turn for home.
I did cross paths with Charles as he passed overhead. We switched to another frequency and briefly chatted then he continued north and I set up for the RNAV GPS 14 approach into Ocean City.
This is where proficiency or lack there of reared its ugly head. I could not remember the steps to reprogram the new destination but managed to button push until the light finally came on. Duh, Direct and then Destination will ask for the new airport identifier and then one can select an approach. Rust stinks!
Fortunately it all came back and I made the necessary selections and was soon set up for the approach. This round I flew the approach by hand and felt very comfortable. I coordinated with another plane departing OC and then made a longer then typical landing, arriving a bit faster then normal.
I quickly cleaned up and tucked 3 Tango Charlie in the Hangar, also plugging in the pre-heats for her next mission. I then headed home to a fantastic breakfast. Mary had made quiche and the other ladies brought fresh fruit, hash browns, deviled eggs, salad and banana nut bread. Yes, I made a plate, hid in the office, and started this video edit.
The plan was to get over to the airport this morning and tug 3 Tango Charlie out of the nest for some fly time. Oh my, the temps were just hitting 40 degrees, thankfully I turned on my pre-heats at 3 am this morning.
I quickly set up my tail tie down camera, then climbed aboard to get the fan turning and generating some heat. Our Commander makes very good heat. Once the oil temps were good I taxied out to complete my run up and depart for the short hop to Cambridge, MD (KCGE). My flight was smooth and quiet, perfect to soak up the beautiful view and blank out everything around me.
I let down for Cambridge and coordinated my arrival with a Cessna coming from the North. The Cessna was going to be first to land since he was closer and I advised how I would enter the pattern, number two for the field. I made a nice landing and taxied for the terminal. I flagged down the fuel truck who was servicing the Cessna by motioning with the thumb to my mouth like I was needing a drink. What a sight that must have been.
I took on about twenty gallons and then started to walk towards the terminal to pay for the fuel and grab a quick breakfast. Another pilot walking out to his plane advised the restaurant was closed and that he used the crew car to eat at a local diner. Ok, I'll take a pass and head back home thinking I'll pick up my bride and take her out for brunch. The pilot was out of Doylestown and we chatted a good while about planes, airport restaurants, and flying in general. What a nice guy. I don't remember his name, old folks CRS, but I did find a picture of his Archer.
I did give him a card with the Our Flying Adventures YouTube channel and my info. With that we both saddled up for our respective flights home. Hmmm, I'm missing something. I got fuel, sumpped, but forgot to go in and pay! I opened the door and climbed back out so I could go pay for my fuel. I think the man working got a good chuckle when I told him what I did. He reminded me that I'm there often enough that he figured I would call him with my info. I could have, but the light bulb came on just in time to save further embarrassment.
I taxied out for runway three-four and after completing my run up launched for home. I was thirsty, and hungry. Being well aware of restricted space I was mindful of the R-4006 boundary and Salisbury's airspace.
The ride home was once again smooth and fairly quiet. I coordinated with one aircraft in bound for Ocean City and continued for runway one-four. The pilot said he was going to do the GPS 14 approach then after we swapped position calls a second time advised he was going to do the circle to land one-four. I was confused but I was far enough ahead of him to land and taxi off.
We all enjoy the freedoms our soldiers paid the price for. Let us all remember the families left behind, the lives left unfinished, the future left wanting, those bright minds, and loving hearts that answered the call.
Charles G included me in the text group to see who was interested in a morning flight for breakfast at Cape May, KWWD. Most had plans or meetings, Chris (YouTube Marauder92V)and I are retired and good to go.
The original plan was to meet at 8:30 but we pushed it back to 9:15 so we could preheat. I think we only dropped to 41 degrees here at OCMD but I think Charles said they were in the mid 30's. When I arrived at the hangar It was pretty comfortable inside so I didn't bother to preheat. I completed my preflight including a sump since I could not remember if I did it after fueling for the St. Simmons trip. I had 48 gallons on board and the sump was good on both tanks.
I tugged 3 Tango Charlie out and climbed aboard. It's been a minute as the younger folks say since I last flew. I got the fan turning then set up my video cameras, having forgot my tail tie down camera. I'm so out of practice for taking a small bag with the minimum for set up. 3 Tango Charlie purred along and built up temps as I completed my set up. The oil was now at 121 degrees so I was good for my taxi and run up. Winds were calm so I decided on runway three-two for departure.
Tango Charlie climbed away at 800 plus feet per minute, she was ready to work. I'm sure the cool temps helped but my girl made good power and I let her run. I settled in at 4.5 to cross the Delaware Bay and ride just above the clouds. As I crossed the Delaware Bay I could see Cape May and let down through a really nice opening. According to the AWOS the winds were calm at Cape May so I set up for runway one and continued inbound. I pulled the power and had only set approach flaps but made a nice landing.
Chris and Charles were waiting, or were they judging my landing, not sure which. It wasn't to crowded this morning and we were quickly seated. I enjoyed my Creamed Chip Beef over home fries and passed on any meats. Chris had the B52 Bomber breakfast that had pancakes and eggs, it looked good. Charles had an omelette and bacon. We enjoyed a good chat about airplanes and just spent time catching up.
Once we sorted out the bill we headed back out to the ramp. Chris taxied out first, then me, then Charles. I climbed out to cross the Bay and flew over the layer below.
It was a smooth ride along the shore making ground contact along the way home. I eventually let down for Ocean City and announced that I would cross midfield and enter the left down wind for three-two. I called base and final keeping an eye on a Cessna that I watched taxi to the hold short. I never heard a call and as I turned final on a very tight pattern the Cessna rolled on the runway. I was not a happy pilot but made my call going around and that I would step to the right/north. The Cessna answered that would try and get out of my way.
I then turned left/south and entered the downwind for three-two once again. After making a nice landing I taxied for the hangar. I guess I was a bit flustered but the event was good practice of my procedures. I shouldn't have let it get in my head and miss the second notch of flaps. A fun day of flying and I'm anxious to get back in the air again ASAP.
This is our second attempt to vacation in St. Simons Island Georgia. Actually it's strike two, we had previously scheduled a get-away and had to cancel due to wx and now what was looking to be a nice week suddenly is overshadowed by Hurricane Milton.
It's pretty crazy when you make friends with the Hertz car rental guy due to so many potential rentals and cancellations. Mary and I will give this destination another try, maybe in the spring. For now we'll make some plans for our November anniversary a bit farther south, maybe St. Augustine Florida. Maybe we should head south west and finally explore Galveston Texas. So many places we want to visit. Stay tuned!
We heard that the restaurant at Cambridge MD - KCGE has reopened. The new Carol's Kitchen opened on 9/11 so Mary and I decided to make the hop and try it out. Mary hasn't been in the plane since the Wilkes-Barre trip in June. I've been up in the air once more then my bride with a coastline tour in August.
We waited for the low clouds to lift then made our way to the airport. It's a longer process getting back into the preflight and getting things set up. My tail cam was dead, despite knowing I had recently charged it. I did a reset when I got home and it's once again working.
The flight west was fairly smooth, some bumps passing beneath the cloud layer. I made a nice landing into Cambridge and taxied for the ramp, the commander makes three.
The restaurant has changed, not much airplane memorabilia and now a bit more open seating. The register is gone and you now pay at your table, that works for me. The service is excellent the food was ok, scrapple was the best I've had since retiring to the eastern shore. Mary and I will return, its a half hour flight each way and I don't have to cross the Delaware Bay. Besides the eats it's worth the stop just for fuel. Here at Ocean City it's $6.50 a gallon, Cambridge is $5.88, I'll take the 62 cents a gallon savings anyday.
On the return to Ocean City flight we were enjoying the ride and conversation about the restaurant. I had just scanned for traffic and then glanced at the oil temps, pressure, CHT's and EGT's when I spotted a Bald Eagle heading right for us. I banked left the Eagle turned back away from us and went below the right wing. A real oh crap moment! Once we settled back down the remaining flight to OCMD was fine. We did get an alert on our downwind about a fox on the runway. I responded of course since we just missed a Bald Eagle departing Cambridge. Maybe Mr Eagle should meet Mr Fox. As we landed the fox was clearing the runway and running into the infield for cover.
I'm glad to knock out some fly time and I'm excited for vacation in St. Simons Island very soon.
My last flight was six weeks ago returning from annual. I have been really bad about just getting out there and knocking out some flight time. I won't go fly in the high humidity or crap weather just to buzz around locally. I miss having a mission, and my flying friends that live close by that want to get in the air.
Yesterday was perfect, but I had the computer scheduled for service and didn't feel like going out in the afternoon. We did eat dinner really early (4pm) at Higgins Crab House and then watched family Super 8 movies that were put on CD's. Great laughs with my sister Denise and her family. I enjoyed seeing my parents and all the Aunts, uncles and cousins. I really enjoyed all great cars from back in the day. My cousins 69 Roadrunner and another cousins Dodge Swinger, good memories.
I decided that with Mary having a few scheduled Womens club events this morning I would dash out to the airport and get some left seat time with 3 Tango Charlie. No humidity again today and a clear blue sky, that works for me.
I took my time completing my pre-flight, wanting to be very detailed since it has been so long. I had taken on fuel last week sometime so I did restick the tanks and sump. I had 48 on board so I was good to go for any play time in the air.
I did let the fuel pump run a tad longer then normal on prestart and then fired up 3 Tango Charlie. A few blades and she was purring along, obviously missing the fly time too. It was good to be sitting in the plane working through my checklists and pushing buttons.
It was a bit hazy today but overall a very nice day to fly with temps only hitting 70 at altitude. I followed the coast and made the loop around Cape Henlopen then pointed back for home. Just an hour round trip but it felt great to be back in the air.
I know for many years it was an annual event but lately It's been hit or miss. Today was too beautiful a day not to fly, so we loaded up some gardening tools and headed north.
We were at the airport early and headed out to runway two around 8am. I typically go through my emergency brief but with Mary on board decided to keep some of it with the inside voice, only because the thought hit me too late.
The run up was good to go and after waiting for a school cessna and a transient Mooney we were ready to go. I powered up and started my roll, but 3 Tango Charlie felt off, then a slight vibration from the right side. Abort Abort!! I went immediately on the brakes and taxied off. I returned to the hangar and shut down wanting to give everything a look. I could smell brakes on the right/co-pilot side and the new rotor looked like it got hot. Looked as in I saw a slight discoloration on the rotor compared to the right side. I took a bottle of water and poured it over the right side, it was hot. When the steam stopped I did the same to the left side, it was fine.
I decided to do a high speed taxi and give it a test. Everything felt normal and I had good brakes. We agreed to give the take off another go. I was ready to abort if necessary but 3 Tango Charlie made great power and no vibration. The airspeed also looked great. We were in the air!
The flight north was smooth but I had to climb to remain clear of clouds as we made our way north. I climbed to 8.5 and rode along on top until Philly wanted to hand me off. I was VFR decided not to open the IFR flight plan. My choice was New York approach or Allentown but I would have to descend for the Allentown switch.
I took Allentown and descended to 4.5, now not a cloud in the sky. Allentown handed me off to Wilkes Barre Approach and then in turn over to the tower and vectors for runway four. I made a nice landing and taxied for the FBO, Aviation Technologies, Inc.
Mary secured the courtesy car/SUV and I monitored the fueling. The plan was to take the cross valley over to Forty Fort and take care of my parents cemetery plot. We could not find mulch anywhere so I used the remaining soil from the flowers since it was dark and had the fertilizer beads mixed in. Thankfully we remembered water, two gallons, and gave all the flowers a good drink, along with both aunt and uncles buried on either side of my parents.
The cemetery was a mess, branches down and grass topping my knees. Mary met a lady that had hired a husband and wife crew to cut the grass around all her family plots. I got a price and paid the couple to do the three graves that we attended to. I said hello to the lady that had mentioned to MAry she knew my cousin Dom, his parents are buried alongside my parents. I overheard her talking on her phone and she mentioned Louis, so I asked, are you Barbra? These two were sisters that lived just down the road from my cousin and they used to baby sit him. She could not believe it was me nor I her. When we left I gave her a hug and said how good it felt to meet someone from my past, it was heartwarming for sure. We traded numbers and then headed back to the airport.
I filed and opened my flight plan for the ride home. The flight was a bit bumpy until south of Allentown but CAVU all the way. When Allentown handed me off to Philly I got "vectors for traffic" which translated to bug smasher keep clear of my busy Bravo. I made a nice landing back home at Ocean City and tucked 3 Tango Charlie into the hangar.
I promised an update once the 90 degree AN fitting was cut open. Special shout out to Dave A for getting the fitting cut open to reveal the blockage. Thanks, Dave!
First, some explanation on what's blocking the air passage through the fitting. The AN fitting attached to the MP gauge has a restrictor built in to it to keep the flow and MP gauge needle swing dampened. As the restrictor failed it slowed the needle movement, and upon total failure it stuck the needle in place. A change of the fitting has the gauge working normal once again but this fitting does not have the restrictor. More research to find if it's really necessary or not.
Thanks to the Commander Owners Group (COG) for providing the info on the restricted fitting.
