Lunch Run to Kays

08Romeo was out of annual with a clean bill of health so why not make a short hop for lunch.  I called Vince to see if he wanted to fly and he agreed.  Vince's Mom got some shopping time and da' boys are going to go play airplanes. Vince was off from school and I was off work due to the Veterans Day observance. 

I had completed my pre-flight so we saddled up for KCGE.  A short hop but a chance for me to give the CHT's a good once over.  The numbers looked great as we climbed out at 800-1000 feet a minute, temps never climbing above 400^o. I picked up flight following with Dover and enjoyed the ride. Vince was busy with camera in hand taking great shots as always and he handled the iPad.

Traffic was pretty light going into Cambridge so we crossed midfield to enter the left down wind for runway three four. Base to final and a nice landing with a roll out to exit the midfield taxiway.  Kays looked empty, at least for aircraft parking. We were marshaled in and shut down right next to the building. No need for fuel, I had topped off at Wilmington. When Vince and i walked into the restaurant there was hardly a seat open! The locals really fill this place up, no wonder with the great service and food.

Vince had a burger and I had the crab cake sandwich. We each had a mason jar of sweet tea to wash it all down. We didn't hang around long after lunch, we both wanted to get back in the air. We launched off of three four and turned north for home. Once established in level flight I gave Vince a chance to get some stick time. He does a real nice job holding altitude and heading from the right seat. I should have let him do some radio work but I took care of that. We reported a right base for runway niner at Wilmington,as instructed, followed by a short taxi to the ramp. 

VETERANS DAY

History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”


In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Thank-you to those who have served and to those who stand watch today. Thank-You for the very freedom you provide me every day. 

Annual 2010

DAY 1

With November comes the 08Romeo annual.  This is the second annual and should be rather painless, well, painless with regard to over use of the AMU's.   I'm up early with the plan to fly 08Romeo to Cecil Aero at 58M, Cecil County Airport in Elkton Maryland. Winds are gusty this morning and the flight requires a twenty degree crab to maintain heading.  I know this is going to be a fun pattern but winds should be pretty much down the runway.

I announce position and make way to cross midfield entering the left downwind for runway three one. Down wind to base a bit extended but a nice landing and roll out to Cecil Aero. I walked into the office and met Frank who was working on the morning coffee. We needed to swap some planes around in order to get 08Romeo in the shop.  I walked outside into the shop and there sat a gorgeous Stearman. After I drooled all over it we repositioned it and another aircraft outdoors so my Sundowner could get inside. 

Now to the task at hand. Cowlings were first to be removed and a compression check completed.  The numbers looked great on all four cylinders at 76/77/76/77 PSI each.  The plugs were cleaned and replaced along with switching a CHT gasket probe from number one cylinder to number three.  I want to see if the high temp follows the probe.  I had one washer gasket probe break (no. 2 cylinder)so I switched that one to a Bayonet Type probe. I'm sure next annual I will switch out the remaining three or make the swap during the year. I also had a small oil leak under two of the valve cover gaskets, they were just starting to seep, I had all four replaced. The best thing about Cecil Aero is they let you get hands on doing this stuff and really help you understand what makes your plane work.

Keith started the oil change and I managed somehow to remember to ask to get a sample for testing. The oil filter element looked great when it was cut open, no metal, only some small carbon partickes that easily crushed in your fingers.  I worked on getting all the inspection panels open and then moved to the interior. The rear seats are easy to remove and I took up all the floor boards.  The front seats required the removal of a lock pin type gizmo that had a cotter pin.  It was a PITA trying to work in the seat track and free that bugger up.  Once the pins were removed the seats slid back in the track and easily lifted out. The guys in the shop were laughing at me because I was "talking" to the plane.  Once the interior was out I moved to the tail cone and ELT/inspection fuselage side panels to complete the inspection access panel removals.

Somewhere along the way we took a lunch break and then got right back to it.  I removed a wing tip for access to the left leading edge landing light and for a more detailed wing inspection.  Keith inspected my switching of the CHT probes and asked me to add a few more tie wraps to keep things a bit more secure and that overall it looked neat and orderly. It will be nice to have the new probe to compare CHT numbers and the best part about the bayonet probe is it will not have to come off each time a plug is removed, it has a permanent access on the botttom of the cylinder head.



start of the back plate





preliminary hole cut....now to file



Day 2



A/P roll servo



 Another early morning hot hot shower followed by a tricky set of maneuvers to get dressed, yikes! muscles are sore. Mary drives me to the Wilmington airport to pick up my SUV so I have transportation, you should have seen me crawl into her car. I was too tired and sore last night to stop for my SUV after she had picked me up at Cecil Aero.  I packed a lunch for today, extra chick-fila from last night and a big slice of apple pie Marys Mom had left us.  Mary headed to work and I left for Elkton.  I rolled in around 7:15ish and Frank already had the coffee on, it sure smelled good but I don't drink the stuff.  Hot tea or ice tea for me and I had downed a full travel mug of ice tea in the forty minute ride to the shop.



servo location



Time to get started with the plan for today. I put in a call to Penn Avionics to see about testing the roll servo from the Auto Pilot and they said bring it up.  No sense paying the avionics shop to remove the interior to get to the equipment when annual requires the floor to be opened up. Keith removed the unit noting all the cable connections. I was set to go.

I loaded up the roll servo and grabbed my lunch. Today's lunch was obviously going to be on the road. It takes a good forty-five minutes with traffic to get home and it will take an additional thirty or so to get to Penn Avionics at the Brandywine Airport. I didn't stop at home but had to pass a mile away from it on my way back and forth. Ken at Penn accepted the hand off and said he would get to it as soon as they finished up lunch, this worked out great. I could visit the FBO folks and stop by the flight school too. I guess I could have had that slice of pie but I held off. I walked back to the shop as Ken was coming into the lobby. I got a debrief on the unit, a wiring diagram for the Century I hook up and agreed I would schedule shop time to get the A/P unit checked upon completion of the annual. Oh, the bench test was no charge and the diagram was free too, life is good!

I loaded up and headed south, back to Cecil Aero. I guess I could have called it a day but I really wanted to get back and get a few more hours working on the plane. I enjoyed the apple pie as I made my way south back to the shop. When I returned Keith said he had finished with inspections so I started to button up all the inspection panels. While Keith climbed inside an reinstalled the roll servo and cables I went back to work on the Beech option additional taxi light in the left leading edge.  We brainstormed a bit and came up with an idea to enable an adjustment of sorts to help aim the landing light.  I would fabricate a backing plate that could sandwich the lamp between the retainer ring  and itself yet allow adjuster springs like a car head light or the installation of washers to build out the angle when attached to the lamp mounting bracket. I can't remember the last time I did sheet metal work but suffice it to say it's been uh....many many years.  I found a scrap piece of aluminum about six inches square and took measurements for the task. It was fun laying it all out and using a compass to set up the lamp cut out.  Then the real fun started, I got to use power tools.

I drilled a pilot hole with a multibit,this would allow me to begin to cut the lamp hole out. I started with a hand nibbler until Keith introduced me to the air powered nibbler, yes,this requires a serious Tim the tool man multiple grunt.  Reality check time here....ahhhh Keith you go first so I can see this thing work.  He got a good chuckle and then demonstrated.  Wow, very cool! I gave it a whirl and it sure cut down the time to open up the lamp hole. I switched back to the hand nibbler to clean up my work then went to a file and multiple sand paper/belts to get to a final product. The last step was a coat of flat black paint after a trail fit for the lamp and mounting notch.



broken washer gasket probe

Next up was cutting a hole in the mounting bracket in the left leading edge of my wing. I was a bit nervous knowing if I screwed this up there was no return.  I carefully laid out my work up inside the light cut out in the wing. Space was limited but I went through the same process with the added help of my new plate template. Keith reminded me to trial fit the space for dual trim rings since there would be two lights side by side.  I followed his recommendation on the measure twice and cut once philosophy.  Pictured are various stages along the way and the final result painted in flat black.



Storage area looking towards the tail section

While I was playing fabricator Keith was finishing up the landing gear. Each gear was checked to make sure the jo-bolts were tight, and they were. Wheel bearings were cleaned and repacked, brake cylinders checked and passed, and the right side tire checked for cracking or flat spots. I considered changing it out to match the new tire on the left side but it was still in very good condition with plenty of tread remaining.  I'm sore today but not as bad as yesterday, but trust me, I'm still feeling it.  I told the guys in the shop when I got up this morning my arms were so sore that if I was held up by a thug I couldn't hold my arms up long enough...they would have to just shoot me, which would take care of the sore arms and body.



DAY 3



It's another early start to my day and I plan on making a pit stop for donuts for the guys and grabbing a large hot tea, extra sugar for me. Traffic is moving very well at 6:30am, it's a peaceful drive singing along with the oldies. I picked up the donuts and was asked if I wanted to "shoot the dozen", I said, do what?  "Shoot the dozen" the young lady repeated with a chuckle.  Ok, I give, what the heck is shoot the dozen I asked.  Now she is laughing AT me and said you pick them out or it's a random sort from us.  Ok, got it, toss in at least two Boston cremes and the rest have fun, it makes no matter to me. Whew...all that for donuts, I hope my fuel stop is easier.

Fuel was a breeze no tricky phrases just pump the gas and go. I rolled into the shop as Frank was opening up. Today's mission was to get 08Romeo completed. First order was to bring 08Romeo off the jack stands.  Precaution was taken to make sure the wing areas were clear and slowly 08Romeo set her feet down on the shop floor, we're in the home stretch. Keith moved to the interior and got all the floor boards in and refastened the kick plates on each side in front of the rudder pedals along with all the hardware. I  installed the LED landing light and used a flat black paint marker to paint the heads of all eight screws in the light assembly. Next I moved inside to install the four seats and all the belts and reload all my stuff into the baggage area.  The UPS guy came early and my bayonet probe from Aircraft Spuce was on board. I opened the bundle of wires on the pilot side engine compartment and made the swap out.  I neatly packaged the wires and got approval from Keith. Next came the fun part, run up and leak test.  I fired up 08Romeo and we sat at idle until I had some oil temps in the yellow. We varied the rpm's from 1000 to 1700 to 2200. A small adjustment was made to the throttle and mixture. WE also performed the ignition and stand by vac 100 hour AD.  All tests completed, we pushed her back in the shop to finish up. We hung the bottom cowl and I changed out the bracket air filter, man that thing is sticky and dirty. Next up was the top cowling being washed out at hung back on the plane. We were finished!

I did some quick cleaning and we pushed 08Romeo back out front and locked her up. Mary will drive me down in the morning so I can settle up with Roger.  I am also hoping the retaining ring for the taxi light comes in so I can get that installed. I'll do the flight check tomorrow and then do some fun flying in the local area since I have the day off.

The list of extra work activities:

• Replace CHT washer probe with bayonet probe
• R&R Auto Pilot roll servor
• Locate landing light retaining ring and order
• Fuel tank caps new O rings,2 each, each cap
• Oil Change and filter
• Fabricate back plate for landing light and install optional taxi light

LED Landing Light

The only complaint I have with the Sundowner is the lack of lighting for landing or taxi.  I guess I was spoiled by the Archer's nose light that really did a great job.   The Beech Sundowner does provide for an additional light package for the right wing leading edge but I'm not ready to have someone cut into a perfectly good wing. Instead I'll take advantage of the additional light position in my existing left wing leading edge. I would like to have my lights pulse but that will require a bit more investigation and $$.

LED lighting is the ideal technology for aviation applications. Whelen LED lights are time and field-tested for reliability and long-life performance under the tough conditions required by Fire, Emergency, DOT and Law Enforcement professionals around the world.

Parmetheus PAR36 LED lights are a drop-in replacement for outdated Halogen or HID lamps. Lightweight, low-current and moisture resistant, they provide stable light output for thousands of operating hours and they are STC Approved.

I am going to add the LED lamp for my landing light and move my existing light to my taxi light position in the left wing leading edge location.  I hope to provide some pictures of the taxi light relocation and a few pictures to show the difference in the illumination of each lamp.

Fun Flying, MD & DE

I headed to the airport early so I could clean any oil residue off 08Romeo's belly. I have annual coming up the second week in November and wanted to make sure I didn't have to deal with working on a dirty plane. I traded some text messages with Mike B on Friday about flying and the wx is looking great. The only concern is the Presidents TFR in Philly airspace.  Wilmington falls in the outer or 30 mile ring. Wilmington falls under the following Operating Restriction.

B. For operations within the airspace between the 10 nmr and 30 nmr area(s) listed above, known as the outer ring(s): All aircraft operating within the outer ring(s) listed above are limited to aircraft arriving or departing local airfields, and workload permitting, ATC may authorize transit operations. Aircraft may not loiter. All aircraft must be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan with a discrete code assigned by an air traffic control (ATC) facility. Aircraft must be squawking the discrete code prior to departure and at all times while in the TFR and must remain in two-way radio communications with ATC.

All aircraft must be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan with a discrete code assigned by an air traffic control (ATC) facility. Seems pretty simple yet some people don't get it.  While I was pre-flighting a man came over to ask me if I was doing pattern work,no introduction just a question.  I said my name and asked why. He tried to explain the TFR but clearly did not understand it or check for it before driving to the airport. I explained the inner and outter ring requirements and the time restraints associated with each. What he didn't get is why it reaches to KILG if it's based on the Woodstown VOR.  What? The rings location is defined by the VOR as in the example of Mondays TFR over ILG for our VP.

Area A
Airspace Definition:
Center: DUPONT VORTAC(DQO) (Latitude: 39º40'41"N, Longitude: 75º36'25"W)
Radius: 3 nautical miles
Altitude: From the surface up to but not including 3000 feet AGL
Effective Date(s):
From November 01, 2010 at 1830 UTC (November 01, 2010 at 1430 EDT)
To November 01, 2010 at 2045 UTC (November 01, 2010 at 1645 EDT)
Area B
Airspace Definition:
Center: On the DUPONT VORTAC (DQO) 039 degree radial at 5.5 nautical miles. (Latitude: 39º45'32"N, Longitude: 75º32'58"W)
Radius: 3 nautical miles
Altitude: From the surface up to but not including 3000 feet AGL

At least he wasn't going to fly today and that was a plus, good thing Wilmington has a tower to provide control, at least in this case.

Mike arrived and did his own pre-flight as he gets accustomed to the Sundowner. Mike was flying and I was working radios today. I was going to use only the iPAD today but by the time I copied the clearance the screen was full. I had to erase it to continue and I rather have that info on hand at all times. I instantly went back to the knee board and paper. The normal route to KESN is Radar vectors to V29 ENO Direct ESN. With the TFR today we got the long way around via Baltimore.

C KESN
R RH RV V166 BELAY V378 BAL ->D
A 20/40-10
F 119.75
T 3312

Ok, we are launching off runway two seven and climbing to 2,000. Handed over to Philly Approach and cleared to climb to 3,000 then 4,000.  Handed off to Potomac and a good controller for our ride. We got a short cut and turned south early along with another hand off to another Potomac sector. This controller was not quite up to speed as the first young lady. While his Michael Clarke Duncan like voice commanded respect he was a bit scattered with directions. Mike and I worked on some CRM skills with the radio and GPS which really makes the workload flow. This will be very helpful when in IMC.

The magenta course line is the route assigned, the red would have been a direct flight and the green is the typical route for this flight. Mike set up for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 22 approach into Easton. We had traffic pass close by to us that the potomac controller never advised us of, great job, NOT.  I advised the Easton tower of the traffic that was clearly in their airspace and not talking or obviously squawking.  The one traffic call out from the tower was an aircraft on the right downwind number two to land after us. Mike made a real nice landing with a taxi back to the terminal.

Easton does have a restaurant open again! Sugar Buns bake shop from St. Michaels re-opened the restaurant at the terminal. The food and service were very good. I had the Lobster roll and it was perfect! What could be better than a touch of New England lobster roll downed with a splash of southern sweet tea....life is good.

Mike and I decided to make the short hop to Georgetown, Sussex County (KGED) so we could head into town and check things out.  Actually we were on a mission for 2nd street bakery sticky buns. We didn't file for this hop instead took advantage f the perfect day and enjoyed the flight. We swapped info with an aircraft shooting the GPS 22, planing on going missed so we entered on a left down wind.  We taxied in after a super smooth landing by Mike and arranged for the crew car.

With the mission accomplished we saddled up for home. I was going to fly from the right seat on the way home and attempt my first landing from the right side also.  My on center taxi skills needed some work but I worked that out as I positioned myself for the run up. I launched for home climbing out steady and updating my 'direct to' for KILG. Mike commented that I fly better from the right then the left...not sure if that's a good thing or not. The winds had picked up at Wilmington (210@11with gusts)as I turned base to final and I asked Mike to be ready hands on just in case. My landing was going ok then got kind of squirrely as I side loaded pretty good. I made taxi way M and headed into red eagle, even my parking alignment was off when I shut down.

A fun day flying and adding new layers to my skill set.  I'll need more right seat landings to even consider myself proficient.

Leaf Peep & Flower Run

Mary and I made plans during the week to head to Wilkes-Barre, PA to take care of my parents grave. I gave my sister Denise a call and asked her if she wanted to join us, thinking Dave (brother-in-law) was riding the motorcycle on Saturday. The scheduling worked out since Denise and Dave were off at the beach all week and Dave did plan on attending a run Saturday.

Friday night and Mary gets a call from her Mom that she would like her help with a few things around the condo, Mary drops out from the flight. Denise is still on so we make plans to head to the airport around 9:30. Winds were 30-35 knots out of the north west so it was obviously going to extend my flight time north, I called for extra fuel. We arrived at the plane as the fuel truck was finishing up. The fuel guy filled to the slot in each tank plus five gallons. which gave me a total load of fifty.

I completed my pre-flight and we saddled up for the first leg. I saw speeds of only 100-105 knots heading north but I knew i would ride the wind coming south this afternoon. Not much traffic today with maybe two or three call outs with one Cessna passing by within 500 feet high 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock (east to west) with a call out updated by ATC. Philly handed me off to Allentown approach and they handed me off to the Wilkes-Barre Approach and they in turn to the tower when I reported the field in sight and the current ATIS information.

I did get one strange change to my flight plan while south of Pottstown. Philly ATC gave me direct Solberg SBJ VOR (the change is in red). I extended the view on my iPad and had an idea of the location but not the direct heading. With a quick scan I picked up the VOR identifier SBJ and the frequency. I plugged it in the 530 and was turning north east. As I was explaining to Denise about the odd flight plan change ATC came back on and asked if I was heading from new york. I responded, negative, India Lima Gulf, destination Alpha Victor Pappa, Wilkes-Bare, PA. The sound of brief confusion then a "standby 08Romeo". "08Romeo direct RITTY, that's in your clearance?" Affirmative direct RITTY, 08Romeo. We were back on track, the green track.

The leaves had already changed so we missed the peak time but the colors still looked great. I had the chance with my routing to fly over the Pocono Race track and I did manage a shot or two with my cell phone. That's about it for photos, we both forgot our cameras. Over to the tower and a smooth landing on runway two two. Once on the ground at AVP I taxied to Saker Aviation (formerly First Flight). I took on ten gallons and secured the use of the courtesy van. It was a short hop over to thye flower market and the cemetery. The mums were planted, the leaves cleaned up and few silent prayers said along with my favorite Mom and dad comments. Heck, for that matter I spewed out a few comments from all the family buried in the adjacent plots. I really think the family planned this so they could have one hell of a party all in the same row. I miss them all and they are in my thoughts, I can hear each one and they bring a smile to my face and warm my heart.

I decided to take advantage of the tail winds and gorgeous day and just fly VFR home. I launched off of Wilkes-Barre with a squawk code dialed in for flight following and climbed over the wind turbines on my path south. We had a few traffic call outs but it was pretty much smooth sailing home at 6,500 holding 125 to 130 knots. Once I descended to 3,500 entering the Philly Bravo airspace the ride got bumpy. Denise did pretty good and I asked her if she gets motion sickness. As if I should expect any less of an answer from my family she said "I guess we'll see." Well let's hope you don't since I have to land and if you yak I'll follow suit....everyone was fine. A fun day and a chance to pay respects to my parents. I'll make this trip again in May 2011 to clean up and plant flowers for memorial day.

Annual Inspection

08Romeo is scheduled for annual on November 8th at Cecil Aero. I will turn in a leave slip for three days and I have Veterans Day off. That makes for four days to get the plane completed and if I really need to, I can add Friday as a day off too.

Upgrades

I have considered upgrading to wing tip lights that will also pulse. At the very least I will add an additional light to the left leading edge and I may add the right leading edge lights too, however, this will require cutting into a perfectly good wing...... I just got that body shiver.

I will remove the wet compass and replace with a vertical card compass that also has a working light!

Replace the existing Collins VHF251 with a working unit that does not have feedback in the sidetones. I would really like to find a KX165 to replace the Collins Equipment all together.

I will do an evaluation on the Auto Pilot while the interior is opened for inspection. Depending on what I find I will schedule in the following weeks with Penn Avionics at Brandywine airport to get the AP issue resolved.

Squawks:

The only squawk I have is the slight feedback on Comm 2. I would also like to change the right main tire to match the new Air Hawk tire just replaced on the left side, but it still has good tread.

I guess the A/P is a squawk but I never use it anyway, or at least didn't require it until now flying IFR. It will come in handy when the work load gets busy.

iPad

I broke down and joined the ranks of iPad owners. I wanted to have all my low enroute charts, VFR sectionals and approach plates handy without having to maintain a subscription along with the ability to brief and file flight plans. I think of it as going green, yep, saving paper thus saving trees! I had been taking my mini Dell on all our trips and it worked great, the only problem was I could not read the plates or charts very easy. Even though it is small it was still awkward with the flip up screen. I will continue to use the mini Dell around the house since it does the Wi-Fi thing very well.

OK, on to the new toy. I purchased the 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G unit at Best Buy along with the Zagg anti-glare screen and the rubber grip protective cover. I figured Happy birthday and Merry Christmas to me but Mary said Santa may still have other thoughts.

The applications are indeed endless! I hooked up with Jeff last night on the phone and he walked me through most of the apps and showed me some very good shortcuts. I purchased ForeFlight and it truly is an amazing application. The information available is almost endless. Click on the link, take a tour with the videos provided and just take a look what this thing can do.

I also downloaded all my regular weather favorites, AOPA version 2, Skyvector, my favorite forums (it's an addiction) and FltPlan.com to name a few. I did not activate 3G, I am working off the Wi-Fi only. I hope to provide an in flight video of the iPad in action very soon.

Boston Trip Scrubbed

We scrubbed our Boston trip. 50mph winds along the route and high winds at our intended destination,KOWD - Norwood, MA., makes for no fun. There is also a presidential TFR starting at 1:30 and we would be in the 10 mile ring which is a no fly for us. That all means there is not a lot of wiggle room with getting the dogs boarded (after 8:30) and getting to the plane, preflight, picking up our clearance and getting in the air. Add to that dealing with headwinds and a bumpy ride for just an overnight trip. There will always be another time to fly. Mary laughed and said she is pulling the veto card, it's not worth the bumps or having *get-there-itis....she went back up to bed.

*Get-there-itis.
It's the tendency of pilots to ignore potential trouble -- say, marginal weather or conditions and poor nighttime visibility -- to get where they need to go.

Keeping Current

Mary and I are planning an overnight to the Boston area and I thought it would be a good idea to knock out a few approaches for practice. I haven't flown an approach in actual or simulated instrument conditions since my check ride the end of August. The phrase "use it or loose it" really applies to the IFR ticket. Anyone can keep current but being proficient is the key to being safe.

I got word form Mike B this past Tuesday that he passed the CFII ride! CONGRATS MIKE !!!!!

Mike is always available for safety pilot time and it's greatly appreciated. Whenever we fly together shooting approaches he keeps me on the needles and always thinking ahead. I have to start stepping up on my end when I'm in the right seat, in other words try and torture him a bit more. Last night we caught up after work so I could get some practice in. It was a gorgeous night and I was going to waste it under the foggles. The plan was to depart Wilmington and head north west to KMQS, Chester County then to KEVY, Summit and finally back home to KILG.

The Garmin 496 GPS was illuminated with yellow rings and hash marks around Philadelphia and Wilmington for the scheduled TFR's due to the Presidential activity scheduled for Friday. However, our VP decided he was bugging out of town and had an impromptu departure in the works. Peter in the tower gave me a heads up as we were departing runway nine about the TFR within the hour. Great, I climbed out and pointed towards MQS.

I was in simulated instrument conditions at six hundred feet turning left on course and setting up the Garmin 530 for the ILS 29 approach. I was given (role play ATC by Mike)direct CERTS at two thousand five hundred and was on my way. Once approaching CERTS I was directed to expect vector for the ILS 29. I was rusty, it showed, but I managed to find my way and get to the runway. At this point I went missed and climbed back out to the MXE-Modena VOR. Round two was better and this one ended in a full stop so we could re-evaluate the TFR situation at Wilmington. I once again made a call to flight service and checked the FAA TFR web page, everything was showing exactly as I had noted prior to our flight. I even made a quick call to our Op's vehicle to confirm the TFR since Flight Service didn't get any info or have any additional to share.

We passed on a dinner stop at Chester County and agreed on a few more approaches then dinner at EATS, it's become a tradition. We soon launched into the night sky and proceeded to Summit. I had filed while on the ground so we would have a back up plan if I needed to get into Wilmington, a "just in case" tool in the box. I followed vectors from Mike as we listened to Air Force 2 climb out of Wilmington on the Comm 2 radio and pick up with Philly Approach. Mike tossed everything but the kitchen sink at me making my workload very busy.

I shot the GPS 17 approach into Summit and went missed climbing out for a few laps in the hold at WENDS. Mike increased my workload by giving me an amended clearance to copy (a long one) as I was busy turning in the hold. I was making notes working the scan and at the point of overload when Mike reminded me who the Pilot In Charge (PIC)was. Mike suggested to advise ATC to standby, fly the plane, then copy the clearance when your ready. Good point, well taken and added to my "learning" process. I intercepted the inbound heading and made a few laps in the hold and was pleased with the work.

Next up I plugged in direct KILG and entered the GPS 27 approach. I was now heading north east and contacted Philly approach (for real, not role play). I provided my info and requested the GPS 27 approach. Philly provided a squawk code and advised direct Woodstown (OOD) at 2,500. I actually had my first true scare flying. Yep, a real pucker factor and that flash pain that rips through you. 08Romeo dropped out then went up and the wings rocked pretty hard....I honestly froze for a second then held the yoke steady and did a hard scan of instruments and gauges. We were in the green, right side up, all the big parts where they should be and back on the smooth ride to Woodstown. Heck, I thought maybe we had flown through someones jet wash but Mike hadn't said a word about traffic. I was still under the foggles and at that point Mike explained where we flew (directly over the cooling tower)and I confirmed on the GPS with the tip of the Salem Nuclear power plant property having just passed beneath us. Fun stuff huh? Ok, what happened to my seat cushion?

The rest of the flight was uneventful as I acknowledged Philly approach maintaining at or above 2,100 at Woodstown, cleared GPS 27 into Wilmington. I flew the needles centered and felt back on my game having knocked off the rust from two months. I made an ok landing but struggled with the lack of landing lights on the Sundowner. I am looking into adding another wing tip landing/taxi light on the right wing or at the very least an additional light in the left wing tip. I sure would like an LED landing light or some type of nose wheel light or light in the cowling.

2.2 hours
1.8 simulated
4 approaches
2 night landings
Tracking and a Hold

WWD Wine Festival

Mary and I made reservations for an overnight stay in Cape May, NJ to investigate the Cape May Wine Festival. We anxiously made it through the work week looking forward to bugging out of town and boarding the pups for some "us" time. Saturday is here and the wx looks great! We head to the normal place that we board our dogs and I have to listen to the vet tech tell me they need a wellness exam (to the tune of $85). I said your kidding right?, no they were serious. The dogs needed a "Kennel cough" shot since it's been a while and I was ok with that, but an exam to make sure they were healthy and could get the shot???? Gezzzz put a mask on at least if you want to steal my money.

Needless to say,in my typical hard headed you ain't taking my money attitude, I proceeded to call our regular vet and ask if they had room. When the tech heard the call (that I made at the counter) she said we can talk with the on call vet. Our regular vet had room for our furry monsters and I said thanks but no thanks to the boarding place and walked out, both dogs in tow. It was a few miles out of our way and we had to double back the same route to head to the airport. What a way to start things off.

We were finally on our way to the airport and we both felt good about our pups boarding with our vet. We rolled through the gates and the airport was packed with cars. Apparently there was a static airshow hosted by Red Eagle and we had no clue. While it was neat to see the ramp busy, I wasn't all that keen on people walking down the line of aircraft tied down and snooping in windows. Maybe by this time I just had an attitude on this morning and was looking for a bone to pick. Mary and I hadn't lost a beat when it came down to uncovering and getting ready to fly. It went as smooth as a nascar pit stop, the cover and plugs, bags unloaded and reloaded into the plane, the truck taken out to the parking lot and my preflight finishing up when Mary walked back in.

I had filed a flight plan for KWWD but it was just to nice out to be in the system when we could listen for traffic with Philly, Dover, Millville and Atlantic City. It was a short hop anyway and in 25 minutes we were rolling to a stop in front of the FBO, Big Sky. Ace Sharper had our rental car brought out to the ramp and we transferred bags and covered the aircraft. 08Romeo was safe and secure parked right out front of the Big Sky office and Clarance is top shelf when it comes to service and running the place, we had no worries.

Our rental was a white Hyundai Sonata, it was roomy and had a big trunk for all our bags and two folding chairs for the Festival. We gave some thought about checking in at the hotel first but it was to early. Instead we made our way to the Cape May Ferry Terminal and got in line to park. It was getting busy and we made the right call to stop here first. It was a short stroll from the admin parking lot to the terminal and the place was buzzing! We checked on my employee discount and got that squared away for the cruise ticket purchase and Mary picked up new sunglasses since hers got scratched. With all that taken care off we went out to hear the band and grab lunch.

We passed on purchasing tickets for the wine tasting since we were coming back for the sunset cruise and wine tasting event around 5pm. There were many tents set up for various wineries and different crafts. The craft tents had a few jewelry tables, various specialty cheese shops and a few olive oil type dipping sauce stuff, a pasta shop with every type of pasta you can imagine, yes, we even saw pumpkin pasta. I found my way to the eats and ordered an Italian sausage with onions and peppers, Mary had a lamb gyro, both sandwiches were great! We checked out as much as we could then decided to head to the hotel for check in and to freshen up for this evening.

I tried to be adventurous and took a new route to town. I was clueless but we had fun picking our way through the streets. Heck, once you cross one of the main bridges you can't go to far with out going into the ocean or the bay. We found our way to the Palace hotel and parking was brutal. Apparently there were two weddings booked for the weekend so the lots were full. I did find a place under cover of the building which made for an easy schlep of the bags to the front desk. Paperwork complete, keys in hand and we are on the elevator for the 4th floor, ocean view. Well we sort of had an ocean view, that is if you went out on the balcony which is on the side of the building but you could technically "see" the ocean, whatever, it worked for the overnight accommodations. We each took a short nap and then got freshened up for the cruise.

Once again on the road, back to the ferry terminal. We overheard a few folks talking in the elevator and they said the wedding reception would end around ten, good timing we figured, we would have a shot at some parking before they all got back, at least we had a plan. The festival activities were ending at 5pm as we drove back on the property. We headed directly to the terminal and the foot passenger parking and somehow managed to find a parking spot three cars in from the front doors, clean living I guess. We could see the ferry on its way in from Lewes Delaware and wandered our way up to the second floor for the walk on passenger loading tube. Mary and I were on the boat and heading upstairs to the "Crows Nest lounge" to pick out a table that faced west for the best sunset viewing, we were working the plan here. The room quickly filled up and another couple were seated next to us and Mary invited them to join us, they obliged.

Barbie and Don both from Cape May or he will be soon. Recently married this past July 4th. Don is working in new York and Barbie is working in Cape May at least for the next year or so....yikes!...and the price of gas for all that traveling. We had an absolute blast with our new found friends and it made the evening pass by very quickly. Mary and I had a great time, she sampled the wine and I enjoyed the hors d'oeuvre's and together I think we laughed all night. The hors d'oeuvres were duck wrapped in a light crispy/crunchy pastry dough, Lobster with some vege in there and a reduction sauce, chocolate truffles with nuts and sage and last, Rockford blue cheese with poached pears in a pear reduction sauce. That last combination required the all down the hatch at once to make it work, the cheese was really strong and had a bite to it but the pear offset it just enough to make it taste very good....go figure. Mary's favorite wine this evening was the Pinot Greggio and I did give the Riesling a shot and it was ok. Mary does not like red wine so she passed on those samples but was able to "sample" more of her favorite. I really don't like wine but I knew it would be a fun night out for the both of us and it turned out perfect.

We said our goodbyes and swapped info with Barbie and Don. Barbie wanted us to get in touch the next time in town so we can all get together....we all had a blast. Thankfully our parking spot was close and we had a short walk to the car. It was very cool out tonight and the breeze had a chill coming off the water. I took the normal route back to the hotel but we had a few laps to do for a parking space. There were none available at the building so I had to park on the street at a meter. I dumped in a few quarters to get us past the magic hour when the locals stop patrolling.

Sunday, October 10

It was soooooo nice to sleep in and NOT have to let the dogs out or feed them. The plan for today was to eventually get out of bed and head back to the airport. We talked about having breakfast local but instead took advantage of 08Romeo and flight planned for KCGE, Cambridge Maryland. We returned the rental, loaded the plane and got started. I did not open my IFR plan since it was so beautiful and we wanted to enjoy the ride together. We launched out of Cape May and circled the lighthouse and ferry terminal so we could gain some altitude for the Delaware Bay crossing. once satisfied with my altitude we pointed towards the waterloo VOR (just north of Lewes DE)and went feet wet....we crossed the Bay. It was a short hop maybe 30 minutes and I was announcing my position to enter the pattern at Cambridge. Traffic was light this morning and I entered midfield crosswind for the left down wind three four approach. A super smooth landing with plenty of stall horn as I held it off for most of the runway to save taxi time. I rolled with no brakes and made the last turn off in front of Kays restaurant.

Kays was packed as always with the locals and a few of us pilot folk. There was a V tail Bo on the ramp and a straight tail Cessna on floats too. It didn't take long for us to be seated and put our order in for breakfast. Mary had sausage and gravy, I had two over medium with crispy scrapple and grits. Food and service was excellent and we were ready to head home with full tummys. Mary said she felt like a full puppy, ready to take a nice nap, what a surprise.....NOT. I was in the air flying VFR home to Wilmington but had filed just in case I needed to pick up clearance in the air due to the presidential TFR over Philly. I was pretty sure we could be on the ground prior to 3:30pm. Mary, yeah she was out in no time with her little neck pillow in place. She woke up when I contacted Wilmington tower, about ten miles out.

It was a fun trip, a short hop and having the plane made it so easy. The thirty minute hop for breakfast by plane would have taken us about three and a half hours by car, no traffic. The trip from home to Cape May is two and a half hours by car and it took us twenty five ramp to ramp. We love flying and taking advantage of the time savings!!!!