I decided it's been way too long since I had 3 Tango Charlie in the air, 21 days, so today I got some fly time. The plan was to bug out early, just after sunrise but instead I watched the news then an episode of JAG. It was now just past ten and I needed to get moving.
The airport was busy and that motivated me to get it in gear. I still needed to sump since I last took on fuel two weeks ago. I completed my pre-flight and the fuel check then tugged 3 Tango Charlie into the sunshine. I set up a few video cameras and shortly there after got the fan turning. The air felt good, a welcome relief to the climbing temps.
I taxied for runway two-zero and launched. The density altitude was just over 1400 feet and it took a bit longer on the takeoff roll. Once in the air and noting a positive rate of climb I retracted the gear and flaps. All cleaned up and flying the pattern for my south heading.
Along the coast it was hazy but overall the ride was smooth. I did have some traffic along the way south and then a few more aircraft once pointing north for home. I guess Salisbury (KSBY) was busy.
Overall a fun short hop to shed some rust and enjoy the quiet time in the air. We have a few flights planned for September; Jekyll Island, GA and then on to visit HGTV's Home Town location in Laurel, MS. Stay tuned!
My hangar neighbor and fellow pilot, Chet, added a new plane to his stable. Today he flew in with his new to him 1968 Cessna 182L. What a beautiful plane, and in Flyers orange and black. I only note this since Chet is from New York. I should note Chet still has his Cherokee 180 and it's currently at Republic Airport located in Farmingdale, New York - KFRG.
Avionics include a Garmin 430WAAS and a Garmin GTX 345 Transponder. I didn't note the audio panel. The paint and interior are in very good condition, the plane has been well cared for. I'm looking forward to a flight in the 182 some time soon.
I think I'll find a Flyers decal to pass along. <evil smirk>
Sometimes you just need some flight time. This morning I told my bride I was going to take the plane and fly the coast north then head to Delaware Coastal for one autopilot approach then home. The temps were cool and there was a very nice breeze keeping the humidity lower then it has been the last couple of weeks. 3 Tango Charlie needed her oil to circulate and I surely needed some fly time.
I tugged 3 TC out and hooked up a few video cameras, even added one to the tail tie down. I replaced the ear seals on my Lightspeed headset since they were starting to leave little black specs all over my ears. The swap was easy peasy, and the new ear seals look and feel great!
I taxied out to runway three two and completed my run and pre-take off check lists. There was traffic inbound but I had plenty of time to make my call and roll out for departure. 3 Tango Charlie came off the runway just under sixty knots and smoothly climbed away. I tucked the gear up and retracted the one notch of flaps as I pointed for the coast. I would stay on the Bay side of Ocean City since there was one aircraft shadowing me just off the coastline.
Once the "shadow traffic" was clear I had one more plane come down the coast line. Thanks to ADS-B for the call out, I would not have seen him in the haze.
With a small portion of the coastline tour complete I made my turn for Delaware Coastal. The Garmin 480 was set up for the GPS RNAV RWY 4 direct ZARVI. Enjoying a smooth ride I still had to view the smokey haze covering the area which makes for poor video. At least the temps stayed cool at 65 degrees, cruising along just under two thousand feet.
The STec 60-2 autopilot handled the approach flawlessly. The GPSS was selected for navigation along with the ALT hold for altitude. Once inbound and established I selected NAV and the plane did the rest, I just monitored systems. The localizer was alive and I awaited the glideslope. Once the glideslope was alive I adjusted power to maintain 110 knots. Typically I drop the gear about a half dot above glideslope intercept, but today, I let it ride. I was going to go missed and climb out for home, no sense cycling the gear for no reason. I had one bit of traffic pass me as I pointed for Ocean City, thanks to ADS-B for the heads up.
The remainder of the flight was uneventful, that's always a good thing. I crossed over midfield and repositioned for the left down wind runway three-two and flowed through my GUMPS check multiple times. I ended the day with an ok landing, feeling like I rolled the mains on with a short hop. Reviewing the video it didn't look as bad as it felt.
