2024 Year in Review

 

By The Numbers:

Total Time     1588.2
ASEL 2023        28.7

Complex          53.0/315.2

Cross Country     7.1/996.3

IMC                .4/43.4

New Airports:

KSAV - Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Savannah, Georgia

KISO - Kinston Regional Jetport at Stallings Field. Kinston, North Carolina

Flights of Note:

Vero Beach, FL

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.

Savannah, GA

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.