2017 Year In Review v2.0

I spent some time putting together my annual year in review, happy with the final edit, I was ready to post it to my blog. Maybe the flying Gods smacked me down for so few hours this year, I'm not sure.  Somehow, everything was deleted. I guess this is a reflection of how my flying went this year so I should just deal with it and move on...here we go.

JANUARY

I started this year with a flight on new years day. I was excited to play with my new VIRB camera and the set up process. I hoped to figure out the settings, and if lucky, get some video posted. The video was fine, I needed to hook up the audio cable. Lessons learned.

With my first flight in the log book I was ready to get checked into Peninsula Regional to have my foot surgery taken care of. I should mention that I really do not like hospitals and have a strong tendency to break out when I've had enough. I have a history and have caused hospital floors to be locked down while they look for me, honest, I'm not making this up. Surgery went very well and my Bride was there to provide support and keep me in my room. I was released Sunday and Mary drove me home after a brutal snowstorm swept through the area on Saturday.

FEBRUARY

February started like January ended, more doctor visits and a new cast after staples were removed. The healing process was moving right along and the doctor seemed happy. I was happy just getting out and about even if it was for a doctors appointment. Mary loaded me up and drove Ziva and I to the airport where she could play and I could master the scooter.

I found myself reading more and working on gathering stories for my manuscript. I am finally going to write that book that I have been talking about.

MARCH

I got busy typing away, working on putting my book together and working towards an imaginary deadline for my editor. I spent a lot of time sitting in the office and assembling a time line of sorts for the basic chapter layout. While I was typing away I also took some time to learn about the self publishing process, royalties, printing, shipping and advertising. This was a whole new world to me.

I was also moved to weight bearing status! I lost the last cast and was put in a walking boot, the moon boot, as I liked to call it.

I didn't forget Zero Eight Romeo while playing author, I was still the maintenance chief for my aircraft. The Beech Aero Club had some great deals and I ordered Landing gear shock discs (donuts), new rubber trim and a few other bits and pieces for my inventory.

With the down time I was also able to put together some new buttonolgy posts. I enjoy working through various scenarios and learning new tips and tricks for my avionics.

• When there is no departure procedure
• Missing the miss
• Approach NOTAM's
• Intersecting Points
• Dissect The Approach

APRIL

The month of April was all about weight bearing and trying to push myself to shed the walker and crutches. The Doc had moved my weight bearing status up and I started in late March, he was very happy with the fusion and how it was healing. I was making serious progress toward walking unassisted.

I was shifting gears from maintenance to pilot and the thoughts of shedding rust was now my focus. I reviewed my checklists, the POH and worked with my forflight and Garmin sim to help transition back to the cockpit.

MAY

I returned to flight on May 3rd.

I had butterflies in my gut as I was on the roll but I calmed down once climbing out. The pilot stuff kicks in and we do what we were taught to do, fly the plane.  My first pattern was sloppy, altitude up and down and speeds a bit fast. I made my turn from base to final and I was waaaaay high and fast.  I chopped the power and made it down to 400' before going around, yikes, I am rusty.

I did a few take off and landings and felt back at home, left seat, by the time I was finished.

I had been on the fence about getting a tug but finally decided it would help the repaired foot.  With networking in full force I acquired a tug from my friends Adam and Dave from Wings field.  Dave delivered the tug to me in Ocean City, saving a long drive.  Thanks Dave!

JUNE

June was a busy month. I was back flying and trying to log some time while trying to get my final book edit approved and published.

Time to Spare...Go by Air was available for pre-order. It finally happened, I was published. Now, it wasn't for the money or some wild dreams of crazy sales, I just wanted to cross another item off my bucket list.

My flying was feeling more comfortable each time and Zero Eight Romeo experienced no side effects from three months of down time. Mary and I got back to dog rescue missions and once again worked with the Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue to get Cole to his forever home.

We finished out the month with Mary staying up in Wilmington to help out with her brother after his back surgery. I flew a few missions to provide transportation. I also was finishing up my second book, The Realization of a Boyhood Dream.

JULY

My second book, The Realization of a Boyhood Dream was back from editing, thanks to Melody, and I was ready to self publish. This book felt more polished, more attention to details that made the presentation all the better. I have Melody to thank for all her hard work and the many emails to help me along the process, she's a pro!

July saw multiple trips to Wilmington and a few breakfast flights along the way. One of the most important flights of the year was my flight with Charles form N57. The Swift Kick I Needed got me back on track and wanting to fly. I had been dragging a bit and honestly lost my motivation to fly.

It was a fun day flying with Charles and I can't possibly thank him enough for being my safety pilot. It was also fun to meet up with Bob. I love Ocean City but I miss having my flying friends close to home, it is the reason that flying hasn't been as exciting for me.

Thank-You Charles for the motivation to drag the plane out and go fly. You have kept me focused and reenergized.

AUGUST

August was family trip time. We made a short hop to the Jersey shore to visit Mary's brother and his family. They have a new place in Long Beach Island, Harvey Cedars. A beautiful town with plenty of things to do and see. Mary had a special bonus, she got to visit with her great nephew, Brennan.

Mary and I had a family visit from my niece Katie,and Mike, along with our great niece Brooke. Mike wanted to fly so I was happy to tug out Zero Eight Romeo and do the beach flight up the coast to Lewes and back.

SEPTEMBER
 Mary and I needed a vacation so me made plans for Sint Maarten. We went to Hawaii with our friends Pam and Ted and we all decided on the Island vacation to Sint Maarten. Air travel by way of American Airlines/Piedmont was a royal PITA.

I did get to watch the planes land at Maho beach, that was on my to do list if visiting the island.

When we returned from vacation I got a call from the company I did consulting for last year, they wanted me back. I accepted a position and will be headed back to Lewes, Delaware for DelDOT/DART.

Mary and I finished out September with a trip to New Bedford, Massachusetts to attend the Beech Aero Club BACFest. We had a fun time even though we were forced to drive thanks to hurricane Jose'. 

OCTOBER

A few milestones; we have owned Zero Eight Romeo for eight years, bringing her home from Texas in 2009. Zero Eight Romeo is also celebrating her 37th birthday!

I saw some flight time, making the trip to spend time with my brother after his surgery. I also planned and attended the BAC fly-in to Ocracoke Island.

Zero Eight Romeo survived a couple of months on tie down due to a repaving project that blocked access to the hangars. She's happy to be back in the nest and I gave her a spa day to make her presentable.

NOVEMBER

It's annual time! I repositioned the plane to 58M, Claremont for inspection.  With work and Mary's eye surgery I could only assist one day. The men at Cecil Aero did a great job and Zero Eight Romeo had no issues. I did have a few things done for preventative maintenance.

After annual I repositioned the plane to KILG, Wilmington.  I had an appointment with Red Eagle Avionics for the IFR cert and I added an upgrade while the plane was in the shop.

My panel is now sporting a new PMA7000M BT audio panel and it sounds great. I love the Bluetooth feature and making calls for clearance delivery are unbelievably simple.

I finished up November with a trip to the Dover AFB, Air Mobility Museum with my brother. We had a great time while the ladies shopped, black Friday shopping.

DECEMBER

Zero Eight Romeo is home after her annual, IFR cert and new audio panel install.  I am trying to schedule Ivan from C.A.V.U. for a real spa day.

Here is my year to date by the numbers. I did manage to add two new airports; 31E, Eagles Nest in New Jersey and KOKV, Winchester Regional Airport in Virginia.

ASEL: 58 Landings (58 Day), 6 Approaches	50.8
Approaches - RNAV/GPS:	6
Cross Country:	34.9
IMC:	0.4
Simulated Instrument:	2.3
PIC:	50.8
Total Time:	50.8

Wreaths Across America Day

Mary and I attended the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Delaware Veterans Cemetery in Bear, Delaware. An excellent turn out despite the cold weather. It was something we have been planning to do and this year we made it. We are both looking forward to attending next year.

NATIONAL WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA DAY

Observed annually on the 3rd Saturday in December, National Wreaths Across America Day is a movement to cover all Veterans grave markers with a Christmas wreath.
Remember. Honor. Teach. This is the mission of Wreaths Across America.  

By coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at
National Cemetery and other veterans cemeteries around the country Wreaths Across America strives to remember our fallen heroes, honor those who serve and teach our children about the sacrifices made by veterans and their families to preserve our freedoms.

OBSERVE
Volunteer or donate by visiting www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. Use #WreathsAcrossAmericaDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

In 1992 Morrill Worcester and his business Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, had a surplus of wreaths toward the end of the holiday season. Years before as a young boy, Worcester had visited Arlington National Cemetery in our nation’s capital. The experience had reminded him through his life of the sacrifice some had made in order for others, including himself, to succeed and flourish.

Plans were made to lay the wreaths in honor of our Veterans at an older, less visited section of Arlington National Cemetery. Volunteers stepped forward to help deliver and place the wreaths.

In 2007, the Wreaths Across America non-profit group was founded. The event has expanded to all 50 states to lay wreaths at veterans cemeteries to remember our fallen heroes, honor those who serve and teach our children about the sacrifices made by veterans and their families.

Wreaths Across America wreaths will lay wreaths on the third Saturday in December.

Photo Shoot

I was planning on an early flight this morning, maybe even a breakfast run.  Unfortunately, when Mary woke up she had constant pain in her right eye that needed immediate attention. I took a look and didn't see anything but her eye was getting that bloodshot look and the pain was not letting up.  My bride made a call to the doctors office and we headed over to get her eye checked, we were worried it was a problem with her recent cataract surgery. The office waiting room was full so it took an hour to get in, but, she finally saw the doc who did her surgery. Sure enough, the recent surgery didn't heal all the way, typically two percent have this issue.  She needed to get back on the eye drops, a steroid, and stay on them for the next three weeks.  The Doc did put a few drops in the eye to knock out the pain and Mary's stress level seemed to drop.

We headed back to the house so my bride could settle in and relax. I made sure the zoo was ok and that my bride had something to drink. With everything back under control and the pain reduced to a minimum, I headed for the airport.

Cape Henlopen, top center

I ordered fuel and took Zero Eight Romeo up to forty gallons. I did sump out about a teaspoon of water on the right side tank, can't remember the last time that happened. I tugged the plane out and pulled the covers, she was warm and toasty, ready to work.

The Park and Ride, minus one building

I taxied for runway three-two, completed my run up and launched. I did sync up my phone to the new PMA7000M BT, it worked great.  I completed a call to Mary when I first started up and once in the air I brought up the 'TuneIn' radio app to listen to the WIP 94.1 Sports Radio show.  Once the phone was checked out I tried the Garmin 496, the oldies and country hits sounded great. I shot some video but left my audio cable in the baggage compartment so no ATC today just the hum of the Lycoming O-360A4K.

It was a fun quick flight (.9hr) and it got the oil pumping in Zero Eight Romeo. I was happy to get some air time and look forward to catching up with fellow pilot Chet for some approaches maybe Wednesday. 

Zero Eight Romeo, Back in Her Nest

It's been a few days since I last saw Zero Eight Romeo in the hangar, twenty-four days to be exact. Annual went smoothly, without a hitch. The shop (Cecil Aero) performed some additional inspections with a borescope that saved money and time, not to mention cutting new inspection panels in Zero Eight Romeo. After annual I did reposition the plane to Red Eagle Avionics at the Wilmington Airport, KILG.  I needed to have the IFR certification done and I really wanted to replace the old Collins audio panel.

When I lost the Garmin 530 I had to work with Com 2 and it just didn't sound as loud and clear as the Garmin. Old radio, I know, but it was more than that. As previously posted I went with the PMA 7000M BT, great price, excellent functionality.  OK, with that backstory in mind here is todays flights to get my girl home.

OCMD

I swapped text messages with fellow hangar neighbor, Chet, about availability for a lift to Wilmington. Chet and I have been going back and forth keeping updated on my annual and my avionics upgrade. We were trying to plan the flights and today it all worked out.

Chet at the controls

We decided to meet at his hangar at 8am and head north to ILG. I got to the airport early because I left my spare headset at home, but, walked out with fresh batteries for it...duh.  Instead I grabbed Mary's Bose set and used that for todays flight north. Chet flies a Piper Cherokee 180, very clean plane, and seems so much quieter than Zero Eight Romeo.

8BW panel

We launched for Wilmington off runway three-two and climbed out. Chet pointed us right at his house, seriously, descending right at his house.  There we saw his wife and gave her a wing waggle as she waved at us from the back patio, I hope she saw me waving back. By the way, Chet's home has a beautiful view of the bay and sits just on the shore line, awesome.

Chet handled the flying and I did the radio work.  We picked up flight following with Dover and then as we approached the canal they turned us loose. I switched over to Wilmington and noted the ATIS then made a call ten miles out to advise of our position and that we had information Lima. The tower asked us to keep our speed up for a Baron, number two to land. Chet did a great job and made the first taxiway on Mike.

Delaware Memorial Bridges as we fly the left base for 27

I introduced Chet to Dale and they seemed to hit it off. We talked avionics, planes, my old wiring and the updated changes.  Of course Dale being Dale wanted to show me the old stuff he pulled out, it was ugly and not shielded. Things are squared away now. I did my pre-flight in the hangar and then was tugged out front. Chet was scheduling an appointment to get his Garmin 396 mounted on a gizmo dock while I got ready to fly.  We decided on lunch at Cambridge, yes, Kays, yummy!

The ride was brutal, up and down side to side, got my butt kicked the whole way at three thousand.  The flight of two, that's how I checked in, fought headwinds most of the way with our airspeeds bouncing between 95 and 115 knots. We crossed midfield and entered the left down wind for runway three four.  I landed a bit long to speed up clearing for Chet right behind me. 

On the ramp at Kays

We just missed breakfast.  Instead we had to order lunch, that's ok too, everything at Kays is very good.  I had my mason jar sweet tea, Chet had coffee.  I had a most perfect ruben and Chet had a chicken salad sandwich.  The conversation was great and the food was pretty darn good too. We finished up and headed back to our planes, we were ready to fly. Once again the flight of two climbed out and pointed east for Ocean City.  The ride was a bit smoother and the tailwinds were now giving us some appreciated ground speeds.  I topped at 135 and was all smiles, it was a quick 45 mile hop home. We formed up and took a few pictures then fell in line as we made our way into the pattern. Chet sent me ahead to land first and I once again flew down the runway, just a few feet off the ground, landing long to give him room and use the taxiway close to my hangar. Chet nailed another and easily made the first turn of near the terminal ramp.

A tight formation heading home. Traffic!

A fun day flying and getting to spend it with a new friend/pilot at the home airport. Chet and I are close in age, both love flying and he wants to safety pilot for me. Finally someone that flys out of Ocean City!   Thanks Chet for the lift north, you're a good pilot, I felt safe flying right seat and look forward to safety pilot time.

8BW moving into position

When I got home I immediately called Ivan at CAVU to reschedule my spa day for Zero Eight Romeo. I left a message that I found my missing plane and she is once again home in the hangar awaiting his special treatment.

I should mention that I love the new audio panel. The sound is really clean, the voice operated relay (VOX) is really neat and there is no clipping when you first start to speak. I have to learn about the Bluetooth but I know the music works and I figured out how to shut it off. When Dale offered to walk me through it I told him I'll figure it out. I think Mary will like the Bluetooth for her movies and music. I'll do a more in depth review once I get some time flying with the new panel and get things figured out.