Thanksgiving

From our home to yours, Mary and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary and I were invited to my brother and sister-in-laws home for thanksgiving. This year it was pretty much local, just an hour and a half north by ground transportation. We gave some thought to flying but decided it would be easier and cheaper to drive.

Memories of our thanksgiving flight to Jupiter Florida ran through my head while driving north, that was a fun adventure.

Family gathered and we enjoyed a delicious meal and the company of those who mean so much to us. We watched football consumed turkey and dessert and enjoyed catching up. It was good to hear from Joe and Janice's sons, Eric and Ryan, who live out of state. The phone was passed around and we all got to wish them a happy thanksgiving.

As the day came to a close Mary and I spent the night. The plans for Friday were shopping, for the ladies, and golf for the men.

The ladies headed to Dover and shopped till they dropped. The men cancelled golf and instead took a tour of the area home and roadway construction projects. The once quiet farmlands of lower Delaware have certainly changed over the last few year. Gone are the old farm homes and open fields, replaced with new developments, schools and shopping centers.

Friday evening...We are home for the weekend with plans to decorate for Christmas. Nothing to crazy with outside lights this year since I can't take them down after surgery in a few weeks. My Bride always makes our home look festive and welcoming. I would throw a sheet over the tree and store it, then bring it down the following year...not happening says the Bride.

I hope to get some flight time in tomorrow or Sunday.  Safe travels everyone!

Annual 2016 08Romeo Comes Home

I got the chance to sleep in a bit later. Sure I took care of the zoo but then climbed back into a warm bed. We finally put our heaters on the bed, ughh, winter is on its way.

No stops for food this morning, only a fuel top off for the rental once in Elkton. Roger was right on time and we got 08Romeo pushed out on to the ramp. I had wired the bottom cowl in place last night so I jumped in and primed for start up. 08Romeo fired up on just a blade, back to her old self. I let the oil warm at a low idle then did my run up and taxi test. Everything looked and sounded great, I shut down at the hangar.

Roger and I finished up the paper work and payment. Overall a typical annual for 08Romeo if you minus out the twenty hours on duct work and four hours for both mags to be inspected cleaned up and repaired as needed.

I returned the rental and they gave me a ride back to the hangar. The girl remembered me from last year and asked so how did you plane work go, annual right? Yes, you are correct, excellent memory. I pointed out 08Romeo as we passed by the ramp, she wished me a safe flight home.

I had 30 gallons of fuel on board, plenty to carry me and 08Rmeo home. Another detailed preflight followed by start up and taxi to runway three-one. I'm soon in the air and loving life! I follow the pattern and depart for home, headwinds all the way. Mary sent me a text, she's headed out to shop with our friend Pam, she'll  be home this afternoon. I responded no problem, I'll divert to Delaware Coastal for lunch and fuel then head home too.

I noticed one glitch once in the air and that was no input data on the 232 channel. I'm thinking the cable to the flight stream 210 was not reconnected. I'll check when I get home, it's not a major issue.

on the ramp at GED

I made a nice landing at Delaware Coastal, KGED and had a little bounce with the nose gear, tires inflated to 40 psi makes for a different feel than my 25 psi prior to annual. I had the fuel brought up to twenty a side and enjoyed a great BLT at Arenas. GED always gives a fuel discount if you eat there so it's a win win in my book. I made the last hop home and tucked 08Romeo back in her nest. We are both happy to be home and annual completed.

I crawled under the panel and sure enough the cable was not locked in, just barely hanging on. I secured it and locked down both nuts to prevent it from coming loose again, I'll flight test this week. I walked around the plane with my cleaner wax in hand, taking care of any finger prints and wiping up any oil that streamed out of door latches and locks. I cleaned all the windows, inside and out then hooked up the battery minder and plugged in the preheats, covering the cowl with a moving blanket.

Mary and I want to head to Biltmore to see the Christmas decorations so I'll get that planned. Hopefully a few runs in December before I put 08Romeo away while I recuperate from surgery, starting on January 6th, and lasting at least three months non-weight bearing.

Annual 2016 Day 5

I'm really slow getting out of bed this morning but at least I'm not as sore as previous days. No Advil today, I'll see how I feel.

Nothing has changed, same crazy drive and still two hours. I did stop for fuel followed by a stop for hot cakes at McD's, they were ok but the sausage went in the trash. I got to the shop about twenty past eight and got right to work.

Since my duct work doesn't match any manual I decided we would install per the conversation with fellow BAC members. The plan is to isolate the fresh air from the heat which made things easier although the pre-cut duct work was like a puzzle with a few to many pieces.

This was a slow process, mixing and matching the custom duct work parts and a few modifications to make the system work. The fittings were tight and neatly done, I am satisfied. It was getting past that bewitching hour for me since I was not night current and didn't want to rush the ongoing work. I made a call to enterprise and let them know I would keep the car one more day. no sense doing a run up in the dark and forcing myself to fly home tired and not current.

Roger said he would meet me at the shop at 9am and we would do the run up and leak test. If everything checked out we would install the top cowl, finish the paper work and call it an annual.

I headed home knowing I had one more trip north to complete this mission. I'm tired of driving and seemingly not having a spare moment to spend with my Bride. At least we have dinner together every night.

Annual 2016 Day 4

Ughh...Are you kidding, I just laid down!

Rise and shine, time to get the routine started. All the zoo plays nice and I'm out the door by 6am, I'll just make the shop start time. Mary mumbles while half asleep, what's the rush your not getting paid. I know, but it shows respect to the guys working in the shop. I think they appreciate me making the effort to get up early, drive two hours, to get there at their start time. Call me crazy.

This is where the black duct passed through, no corrosion

Today has us removing the main feeds from the firewall to the rear seat vents trying to not make a mess. This black duct is dusty, gross and falling apart. Josh is taking his time doing things right and not ripping and tearing stuff apart. if I told him once I told him ten times I'm glad he's doing the hard part because if I did this in my hangar, like I planned, I would have destroyed my plane by now and invented a whole new, not fit for prime time, vocabulary. He just keeps smiling and laughing. Hey, I was serious.

The UPS guy arrives early and he has a few boxes. The Whelen power supply and the Brackett air filter.

I take a break from duct work helper to install the new air filter. I also investigate the new power supply and had off to Roger so he could complete the install. Roger added a connection so I can easily remove it if need be in the future if there are any problems, nice addition but this will hopefully outlast my ownership.

out with the old, check that date.

in with the new, check that date.

After being almost blinded by the strobes I let Roger know I have never seen my strobes that bright. He said the Grimes unit was loosing its punch, the capacitors were weak and just hanging on.

Back to the removal, it's slow and dirty. We finally get the long runs removed after I talked Josh into just cutting things and removing sections, I'll vacuum any mess.

While Josh takes a look at all the new Custom Duct, I vac out under the floor pans. I found a little yellow ball, no clue and a funny note that I passed on to Jeremy, a soon to be pilot.

I showed it to Josh and he said his brother would like it so I handed it off with the words of wisdom, get your instrument ticket so you can really enjoy the plane.

We got back to work installing the new long duct runs. They seemed to flow through the adel clamps and were pretty easy to secure. I had to add the adel clamps behind the rear floor vents that held the duct in place where it makes a loop back to the vents at the wing spar.

Day 4 comes to a close and I'm beat. I decided to drive home instead of getting a room, may as well keep my drive routine intact.

Annual 2016 Day 3

Thank God Ziva wakes me up at 5:10, I would have slept through a bomb explosion. Ok, stop sticking your wet nose and furry face under the covers, I'm getting up. Ziva, mission accomplished, I'm now up and trying to function so I can feed the zoo.  I can't believe the pain and soreness in my legs, arms, back, feet...did I miss any parts?

Another hot shower just to relieve the sore bones has me feeling a bit better and I am starting to walk like a human and not some weird experiment.

Once again on the road north but with one delicious stop in mind. I wanted to treat the guys at the shop to Helen's Sausage house and slip in and out with five sandwiches in the bag. My God, driving for another hour with the smell of the sandwiches is driving me crazy...I will not eat mine until I get there.

Stan is making coffee and I reach in to the goody bag hand him a sandwich, it's Helen's I said. No clue if he knows about Helen's but his immediate smile and twinkle in his eyes say it all. Stan said it's been years since he last had one of their specials, I'm glad he liked it.

I did some research last night and found a Whelen power supply for my strobes. This unit is a plug and play ready to go. Whelen has a cross reference list of Grimes units and I found mine on that list. Cost of the unit, $420 dollars plus shipping and I asked them to overnight it from Georgia.

The remaining interior is removed, except for the headliner. When I had the liner replaced there was no corrosion so we left that intact. Josh and I looked over the duct that had to be removed and formulated a plan of attack. Josh bent his body to squeeze into the pilot side floor space and started the removal, it was time consuming and dirty. Thankfully he took pictures along the way to document what was there and what connections needed to go back.

Josh carefully removed the air intake plenums located just under the glare shield tucked into the corners. These parts are very very brittle in most baby beech planes, mine were in good shape. I had a small crack around the main duct connection that Roger repaired and set aside to cure. I'm not sure what he used but if you sat there you would be floating out of the room, major buzz time.

The next concern was the plastic bladder that was connected to the plenums. this part provided a drainage to allow water to escape and fed the vent at the glare shield level.

All the ducts behind the center console came out. This section of duct work provided the heat source from a connection through the firewall. this would feed the vents right about knee level on each side of the console. Initially it should have provided heat to the passenger foot vents but what my plane had and what was correct were not even close.

Day three comes to an end with most of the duct work out and connections documented. We took our time since the manuals drawings really didn't match what we had, strange, I know. I made a call out to the Beech Aero Club people in the know and I was informed I may have one of those tweener planes. The end of the year run with some parts or changes that are not reflected in the manual. I think 08Romeo fits that description.

Annual 2016 Day 2

What! It's 5am already? Time to get these sore bones up, feed the zoo and get on the road.

After getting the zoo squared away and making sure I have everything I need, I manage to get on the road by 5:45am. I'm going to be cutting it close to an 8am start.

I should add that everyday on the road is an adventure. The speed limit on SR1 is 65, I do 70 and cruise along. At 70mph you are considered FOD, foreign object debris. I get tailgated, flipped off and just about run over. I decide to run with the pack just to see what kind of speeds are "normal", 85mph, that's right, not a typo, 85 mph.  No thanks, I'll back it down and deal with the abuse. I make a quick fuel and breakfast stop and manage to make the shop by 8:15.

right mag good gear

Roger pulls the right mag and opens up for a better look and all seems good to go. He cleans the distributor point contacts and the rotor contact and finished up checking and setting to the timing marks. With the right mag reinstalled Roger sets each mag's timing making slight corrections bumping the prop and listening to a special tool that beeps and lights up. I have no clue what its called but I assume it works like a timing light for cars making sure each mag fires at the correct mark.

from the left mag notice the top of the gear

With the mags completed Roger moves to the general inspection. With mirror and flash light in hand he crawls around each wing, wing tip and tail assembly. 08Romeo gets a thumbs up, she's good to go, button her up.

Roger checked my brake install and wheel reassembly adding the cotter pin to complete the process. 08Romeo is coming together.

After lunch I start to pull the interior apart. I had pulled both back seats before I left the hangar Saturday so that was a plus. Plastic cups everywhere with miscellaneous screws and nuts. Josh jumps in to finish the interior strip and I jump out to remove the jack point bars and button up the main gear skirts.

Roger is busy in and out of the shop and the phone rings non-stop. It's getting late but we want to finish the light checks which would leave us with the added duct removal and new install along with control cable and pulley inspections. Josh hits the lights and everything looks good except the strobes. Josh, please tell me you did not turn on the strobes. They are on, comes the response, crap!

Josh then informs Roger and I that the breaker just popped. Double crap! We investigate and Roger determines the Grimes power supply has crossed over, it's toast. I immediately hit the Internet and look for a replacement. Roger mentions he may have a Whelen unit that will work just fine. His search comes up empty remembering it was used on another aircraft. I get an email response but no quote since they won't sell to the private sector.

I called the number and handed the phone to Roger, they exchanged some info and a new email was sent to the both of us. The replacement grimes unit was $1800. I needed to get punched in the chest to get my ticker going again. I'll look for a Whelen tonight when I get home.

Day two ends and I'm back on the road with the crazy people heading south. Mary made a delicious pot roast for dinner. It was tasty and hit the spot after a long day of crawling around the concrete floor of the shop.

Annual 2016 Day 1

And so it goes, annual time once again...

In my previous post I had repositioned 08Romeo to the shop at Cecil Aero located at Claremont, 58M.  My trusty rental, a jeep compass, got me home and the ride was good.  I'm not sure what to expect this week, my foot is still very sore and with my shoulder acting up I don't know if I'll be worth a darn in the shop. I packed a bag for my Monday departure just in case I'm to beat to drive home on the two hour run. There is a Hampton Inn not far from the shop and I'll get a room if needed.

Monday 11/14

I'm on the road early and anxious to get started on the annual.  5:45 and heading north, it's dark and traffic for now is pretty much non-existent. As I make my way into Delaware I am listening to 97.1 the wave radio station. Plenty of ads informing drivers of deer on the move through mating season and hunting season, which leads to an increase in accidents. No kidding! As I round the bend and start to slow down for the 50mph strictly enforced area in Selbyville, a deer, from God only knows where, lands his front feet on the white line and I swerve left to miss his back end and then immediately right to get back in my lane. Yes, chest pain, and a loud holly crap! I honestly think he was trying to jump clear of my truck.

The remainder of the ride was uneventful and I listened to sports radio chatter the whole ride. Of course I made my first day annual ritual donut stop at Dunkin and grabbed a breakfast sandwich too. I rolled into the airport just a few minutes past the start time of 8am. My plane was just getting tugged into the shop and she was covered with frost. I uncovered and carried the covers out to the ramp to dry in the sun, nothing worse then putting stuff away wet, gross.

This year the shop owner is working on my plane. Roger got started with firewall forward and I started the inspection plate removal process. One of these days I'm going to count all the screws I remove and replace.

Compression checks were good for a cold soaked engine and my plugs looked good too, Roger commented on a good job leaning to help eliminate the lead build ups. When all the plugs were out I used the blaster to clean them up, I love this machine. New washers were added along with anti-seize and the plugs were ready and waiting to be installed and torqued to specification.

I followed Roger around as he inspected the vac pump and then opened up each Mag for a check. I removed the heat shroud on the muffler for inspection access and we discussed sealers used for the engine case along the split. The RTV silicone gasket product over time will seep and I have a very light trace on the bottom of the case, you would have to wipe it to notice it.

As Roger moved around the plane performing the lubrication service, I got started on the landing gear. I haven't done the gear in a few years since Vince always helped. Once each tire was off I inspected the brakes, calipers and lines for leaks, everything was dry, looking good. The vibration I was starting to feel on the left side was due to needing brake pads. The left side was getting close so I had them replaced.

punch and press

It was my first time actually doing the brakes and replacing the pads on the back plates. Every job has a tool that makes life easy, I love using new to me tools.

back plate and pad

Once the rivets are punched out the new pad is set and new rivets are pressed into the back plate, easy peasy.

The left mag needed some attention despite not showing signs of distress on run up or in flight. Once the mag was apart I hovered over Rogers shoulder trying to absorb something new. The mags work like a distributor in a car, ok, an old car.

shavings in the mag case

Here is what we found. The smaller gear was not fully seated on the shaft so it was rubbing on the cover. what was shaved off floated in the mag cover and stuck to the walls and caused some wear to the points.

the correct clearance

The points were replaced and the mag timing set to the specific mark. An interesting process indeed.  The distributor spark points were cleaned along with the tip of the rotor to freshen things up. the unit was reassembled and ready to be installed on 08Romeo.

points

Roger and I had a discussion about the mag issue and a potential timing issue. He asked about the mag drop on run up and I said they were equal. He then asked about start up and how quickly she fires...you know it does seem to take a bit longer. 08Romeo would fire on one blade but of late it takes a few turns to get her started. That's a timing issue caused by the mags.

Day one comes to a close and I'm back on the road for my two hour drive south. It will be good to get a hot shower and sleep in my own bed. I was treated to an awesome dinner tonight when I got home. Mary made Chicken Parmesan over spaghetti, it was yummy!!

Reposition For Annual

on the ramp

With work being crazy busy and at a critical point in the schedule, I decided to push annual back one week. I made a call to Roger at Cecil Aero and he said it would be no problem.

My plan was to fly up Monday (11/14) and get 08Romeo pushed in the shop. I've been watching the weather and there are showers in the forecast which means I could get socked in here or make the flight and not be able to get in once I arrive at Claremont, 58M. Memories of my oil change flight and having to fly back home...(3 strikes, going home).

With gorgeous weather this weekend I made the decision to bug out early Saturday morning. This took some additional planning since I also needed to get my work truck, the Ranger, serviced. Mary and I ran Ranger over to the shop so they could have it as soon as they opened and I could get in the air early.

at 3000'

I loaded up my box of new duct work and some tools along with removing both back seats, headsets and anything else not needed for annual. I preheated 08Romeo so she was ready to fly after a quick sump and preflight.

The sunrise was beautiful, as always, and the air smooth. I posted some video on Facebook and despite the fun thoughts of flying in a knife edge configuration I rotated the iPhone to make for a normal flight north. Dover called me out as traffic to two aircraft so I gave in and picked up flight following. I was enjoying some 60's tunes but safety comes first.  I do like checking in as 'your traffic northbound at three thousand', at least they know I was monitoring.

I make my calls for Claremont at ten and five miles out, positioning for a straight in for runway three-one. Approach flaps and lined up I pull some throttle and ride in slow motion to the displaced runway approach. Second notch added followed by full flaps at five hundred feet and I float to the numbers, smooth landing with plenty of stall horn, nice.

I taxi clear and secure 08Romeo, getting the covers on the tail, nose and canopy. I'm running a bit early since enterprise doesn't open until 9am. I grab my flight bag, cold Gatorade and head over to the terminal to sit and wait. After a discussion with Enterprise I am told they can't pick me up until 10:30 that's just over an hour wait and I am only seven minutes away. I just about blow a gasket! After pacing the floor in disgust I walk outside for some cool air, my timing was perfect as I see Roger driving by. He does a double take and stops, asking if I have a ride. I said car rental coming in an hour, he said jump in I'll drop you off. I'm saved!

I rented a Jeep Compass, a  little more room and decent mileage for my trips this week. Mary and I decided that it was best to just use the rental instead of putting all those miles on my SUV. I may even get a room at the Hampton for a night or two, instead of two hours each way, every day.

I did manage to forget my EZ Pass toll unit so I figured I would hit the bank in the box for some cash. I made my way south along RT. 13 and even went over the old St. Georges Bridge, scary. I did manage to get cash and stop for one of my favorite breakfast sandwiches at Helen's....worth the drive.

My food high was quickly extinguished when I got a call from the shop that has my ranger. They advised the radiator really needs to be flushed and...ughhh...the timing belt has some cracks, they recommend replacing it. I bought the truck with 114k miles and I put nine thousand on it since April, change the belt. This annul is getting expensive and I haven't even started on the plane.

Quick Hop, New Pilot Friend

One of the benefits of our local happy hour group is the chance to network. I was having a discussion about my flying issue and surgery with retired Marine and neighbor DT, DT said he had a friend who was also a retired Marine and a pilot. His friend was Rick K, CFII and he lived in Ocean Pines. Sounds great, DT hooked us up via email and we were soon off and running or flying as the case may be.

Rick and I traded phone calls and made plans to catch up after annual. I decided to push annual back one week and Roger at Cecil Aero said it was not a problem. The backstory...my project is running hot mix and it's important I am there since its all about the rideability in the end. I got up this morning and decided to pass on a breakfast run and instead go do some airwork or just enjoy the view. Mary wasn't feeling good, a start of a headache, so I would be solo.  I decided to call Rick and invite him along.

Despite the short notice Rick said he would meet me at the airport. I was there ahead of our scheduled meet time so 08Romeo could take on fuel for todays flight. Once again trading phone calls since we were waiting at two different gates and eventually we met up and I gave Rick a ride into the hangar area.

I didn't bother with the new person briefing since Rick had so much experience.  Instead we chatted about flying and experiences, while I completed the sump of the tanks. We soon climbed aboard and got the fan turning. I turned on the preheaters early this morning when my bladder timer had me up and out of bed.

The flight today was going to be a simple run up the coast to Cape Henlopen and then turn and burn for home. Two army helicopters were inbound as I taxied east on the parallel taxiway for runway three-two.  I was wondering how far they were coming in since I missed the initial call. They sat both birds down on the taxiway coming from runway two approach end towards the terminal, clear of my intended path.

I had 08Romeo climbing out and putting the nose into the wind, 350* at 17 knots. We headed up the shore line after departing the pattern on the left base for three two. It was a nice chance for Rick to get the view of Assateague before turning north. We chatted as we followed up the coast, both of us enjoying the view. As we approached Bethany Beach I asked Rick if he wanted to fly. He absolutely did and asked if he could do a few dutch rolls. I wasn't familiar with them so after he explained, I agreed. The maneuver was not severe or radical in any way, simply put he alternated banking right then left while keeping the nose pointed to a fixed point with rudder. Next we did a few thirty degree banked turns in each direction until I felt we would be out over water and at to low an altitude. I made the call for my plane and Rick complied. He knocked the rust off pretty quick and I'm sure with a few more flights it will once again be as natural as driving.

We made our way back to Ocean city, planning for a midfield crossing to enter the left down wind for three two. It was pretty quiet today and I made my calls turning final, a bit high, finishing the flight with a nice landing with plenty of stall horn.

Breakfast with my Bride

It was a lazy Sunday morning and until the Woodbine gang started texting the group I had no clue where to fly.  Woodbine went back and forth about a few different airports, some an hour and a half flight one way, others a short hop.  I asked Mary if she wanted to take a short flight, enjoy the sunshine and nice temps and get breakfast while we are at it. She agreed, so off we went to get 08Romeo out of the hangar.

We tossed around a few locations and finally decided on the forty-five mile trip west to Cambridge, KCGE.  Always good eats! 08Romeo was fueled and ready to go and I had turned on the pre-heats this morning knowing I would fly somewhere today.

There was some activity at Ocean City, mainly the jump plane and it's anxious participants. I had the fan turning and we taxied out to runway three-two for departure. The flight was smooth with a bit of a head wind, but it was enjoyable. As we crossed Salisbury the ADS-B alerted us to traffic off the nose and eleven hundred low, we had visual on a Coast Guard C130. 08Romeo pushed on across the Nanticoke river and soon I was making position calls for CGE. 

I did get a screen full of traffic to our east, I honestly thought it was the group of RV's that frequent Cambridge. I knew they would want to do their landing routine and grand arrival but they eventually worked their way passing behind us. I made a nice landing and taxied clear, making our way to the new ramp. The RV group was already on the ground so the gaggle flying behind us was not them...the new ramp was full. As we walked into the terminal a few more planes landed.

Once inside we had to leave our names for the waiting list, it was twenty-five minutes. Time passed and we were eventually seated by the front windows facing the ramp. One by one the RV's departed followed by a few high wings and other aircraft. Mary and I ordered our breakfast and we were getting hungry. I had eggs and bacon and my Bride had eggs benedict. By the time we finished up we were both stuffed.

We made our way back out to the ramp and noticed a few people checking out our ride, 08Romeo. I looked  at the plane behind us and it was a Sierra, pretty much a Sundowner with retractable gear. Sure enough it was the pilot and passengers from the Sierra checking out the plane. I introduced myself as the Sundowners pilot and we enjoyed a nice chat about both planes. The Sierra had new paint and interior with a nice panel. The owner said he used to belong to the Beech Aero Club but cant seem to log back in. I would pass on his concerns to our president,JP, and he would make contact.

We saddled up for the run across the tiny first state to the Delaware Bay and Lewes Delaware. Great tailwinds pushed us across in a hurry seeing ground speeds of 133 knots. I orbited the work project for a few minutes between 1500 and 2000 feet in order to get a few updated shots of progress on the ground.

From Lewes we pointed direct Ocean City and enjoyed the ride with a beautiful view of the coast. The only traffic in the area was one plane heading north up the coast, opposite direction, and over Ocean City the jump plane was busy. As I crossed midfield to enter the left downwind for three two I heard two minutes until jumpers away.  I would have 08Romeo on the ground and clear in plenty of time. Mary helped me push the plane back in the hangar and I cleaned the sacrificial bugs we collected on todays flight.

Kinley Transport

Can anyone help?

Transport occurs Saturday, October 15, 2016.
As soon as all legs are filled, I will send out a final run sheet to all of the drivers with meeting spots and times. Kinley needs a ride to her foster home. Kinley is coming to MAESSR because she has been aggressive toward the other dog at home and growls at children.

I did my normal weather checks and thought there was a good chance I could make this transport for MAESSR and Kinley. Mary has been down with a migraine since Sunday so despite wanting to go on the flight she gave up her seat.

I had posted on Facebook trying to recruit Bob C, another MAESSR pilot but he had already made plans. My next door neighbor from childhood and long time friend said she was willing to go but she's not a pilot...She still makes me laugh. I penciled Susan in but really wanted another pilot. As I went over 08Romeo Friday night I was contacted by Charlie from New Garden Airport (N57) and he said he was available to fly but needed to be back for a 5pm prior engagement. No problem, it's an early flight leaving Wilmington then a quick fuel and return from Louisa, VA (KLKU).

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and a good day to go flying.  As I pulled into the airport I passed an opening in the trees that I always check out for the sunrise, today did not disappoint. I actually stopped, backed up, and then took this pic.  Now if I could pick up the pace I may get a nice shot in the air.

With heaters turned on for the first time and tanks fueled last night, 08Romeo was ready to go. I quickly got the fan turning and taxied out for departure. Potomac was up bright and early to provide my IFR clearance. Not sure what's been going on over there but as of late I have been getting "as filed" often. The typical has been, upon entering controlled space fly heading 270*. I also noticed the control frequency has changed.

I am soon rolling on to runway three-two and am wheels up before the half way point. 08Romeo likes the chill in the air while I reach for the heater control. Patuxent hands me off to Dover and I check in for the ride along. The ride is as smooth as sitting on the living room couch, just beautiful at five thousand. Dover calls me and gives me direct Wilmington, it saves a minute or two. It got kind of quiet once passing over the airbase and I almost believed they forgot about me. Dover broke the squelch and handed me off to Philly. 

I checked in with Philly noting I had the weather and was advised to expect the visual runway one, I acknowledged. I canceled IFR once I had the field then switched to the tower at ILG. Make straight in for runway one, report three miles, directed the tower. Once again I acknowledged and made a nice landing.

As I shut down I saw Charlie just getting out of his car, great timing. I asked the line guys for five gallons a side to bring me back to fifty, they are always great to chat with.  You know you've been going there a while when they know you by name and always shake your hand.

Charlie and I had a chance to catch up since we were waiting on Kinley to arrive. I did give him a heads up that this flight is a surrender and not really a rescue flight. Mary and I have done a few of these and they can be gut wrenching.

I can't say enough for this young couple. Both were service personnel and it seemed recently relocated from being stationed in Alaska. Kinley had been aggressive toward their other small dog and growled at a visiting friends children. With a child of their own on the way, they surrendered Kinley to MAESSR. They did the right thing and I assured them that Debbie will find a great home that meets all her needs. Many hugs were exchanged and I have to tell you I was in tears as I watched them deal with this decision and help us load the kennel in the plane. Honestly, I'm in tears typing this.

Once Kinley was on board I settled my fuel bill and got back to the business at hand, flying. Charles and I taxied out, contacting Wilmington ground for my clearance to Louisa (KLKU). We were cleared via radar vectors to join V29 then as Filed. Today had to be perfect, I wanted Kinley to have a great flight and wanted to make sure she was happy and not stressed, as I promised her owners.

Charlie was eyes out watching for traffic as we chatted about ADS-B and many other aviation topics. I offered controls but it was so smooth that I was pretty much hands off for most of the flight. Today ADS-B would really prove its worth. We had multiple occasions of aircraft passing directly overhead opposite direction or crossing our path with one thousand feet or less of separation. Guess what, with the bright sun today you can't find the target until its to late.

As we made our way south over Patuxent the traffic picked up. It was getting busy and the VFR weather at our destination was now reporting overcast at three thousand. I just might get to shoot an approach today! After turning west at TAPPA the sky still looked great but off in the distance we could see the line of clouds.

We transferred controls so Charlie could fly while I briefed the approach plate. I had preloaded all the plates for our destination last night and looked over each RNAV GPS approach, nine and two-seven. Winds favored runway two-seven so once I had the weather I advised Approach and requested the RNAV GPS RWY 27.

Charlie has been thinking about his instrument rating so as I briefed we went over what I was looking for. I'm not sure I was real clear but generally covered the process and flow of the chart. I like to note the text of the missed and should have pointed out the visual breakout at the bottom that gives you the steps of the process. I was directed by approach to proceed direct JODKA maintain at or above three thousand, I acknowledged. Charlie had seen the Flightstream 210 transfer my flight plan from the iPad to the Garmin 530W and asked if I would load the approach the same way, great question. I load all approaches from the Garmin 530W and then on my iPad select import flight plan. The approach plate on the geo-referenced iPad now comes alive with the active track I'll fly.

Final KLKU

The plan was for a direct entry, turn outbound to a 092* heading for four miles then turn inbound on a 272* heading. We had two step downs and a decision height of 743'. We should break out well before the final approach fix.  As I focused on the procedure turn and pointed 08Romeo inbound, Charlie called the airport in sight. Sure enough the layer had moved south and the destination was clear, even better. I cancelled with approach and we made our way into Lousia. The runway was in great shape, 4300 x 100 feet and the place was quiet. I made a nice landing and we taxied clear.

I contacted Debbie and she let me know her friend April was picking up for her. As she let me know on the Phone Charlie met April on the ramp, it's all about the timing. We worked on getting Kinley out (the crate was a tight fit) and off to a potty break. Her little stub tail was just a wiggling...she listened very well and was ready to play. I took Kinley in the office to inquire about fuel and she was very well behaved. We walked back over to the plane so I could hand off to April while Charlie and I took the crate apart and removed it from the plane. We took a few pictures and said our goodbyes as April loaded up. Kinley showed no signs of stress as she took in all the new faces and surroundings, she seemed willing to please. I quietly wished her well on this new adventure...she is a lucky dog to have a second chance.

PXT over the nose

I started 08Romeo and taxied around the building to the self serve fuel and took on twenty gallons for our ride home. I went back and forth about sending her owners a text, putting myself in their shoes I would want to know that she arrived ok. I left a message on their phone letting Jake and Kandice know she had arrived safe, tail was wagging and doing well. I once again tried to assure them that Debbie will take great care of her and find her that forever home, I wished them well.

Charlie and I decided on a lunch stop at Cambridge airport. We didn't file for this leg, instead, we went VFR with flight following. Once I was in the air we transferred controls and Charlie took over.  It was a welcome break knowing I had to still fly home from Wilmington. Potomac approach had me standby for a short time but eventually gave us a squawk code for flight following. Charlie flew 08Romeo like he's been doing it for years. I'm sure it was different for the trim since his plane has the overhead control and I have the wheel between the seats. I enjoyed the view, took some pictures and worked the radio. Once I cancelled flight following we transferred controls so I could land. I should have let Charlie land since I planted it on the runway and bounced, having to go around for another try. Embarrassing to say the least but on down wind I did confirm there were no parts left on the runway. Second try was much better as I greased one on.

The new ramp at Cambridge looked great! the contractor on my project in Lewes was the same one who did the ramp here at CGE. With 08Romeo secure we walked in for lunch. I wanted breakfast but that ended at noon so it was the lunch menu. Charlie had a crab cake sandwich and I had a reuben. Thanks Charlie for picking up the lunch tab, that was very much appreciated.

We soon were saddled up and ready to head north. Next stop Wilmington. We bounced along at three thousand five hundred, gone was the smooth ride we had enjoyed all day. No flight following but we did monitor Dover as we chatted on the way north. Charlie really seemed to like the Sundowner and his compliments were appreciated. I try and keep my plane up to date and in good order. It always makes my day when another pilot notices.

The winds have changed since this mornings landing at ILG, the runway in use is now one-nine. I made a right down wind and ended with another nice landing. We taxied off for Flyadvanced and shut down in the same parking spot as this morning, right at the gate. Once again great service as I brought the fuel up to forty total for my flight home. Thanks again Charlie for your ride along and taking a leg to give me a break. I look forward to flying with you again, with or without a dog mission.

I was right back in the left seat as I started up 08Romeo. I received my taxi instructions and was soon on the roll runway one-nine climbing out for home. Another bumpy ride at three thousand so I climbed to five thousand five hundred. I did pick up flight following with Dover since I had traffic on ADS-B. I had one plane that was shadowing me to my right and was headed in the same direction. After listening to calls I gathered it was a cardinal heading to my home field. BY the time we both cancelled he had passed me and opened up almost five miles. I closed the gap when I descended from my cruise. I advised the cardinal I would follow him, number two for the field.

The cardinal pilot reported crosswind for one four, which confused me since he was ahead of me and just needed to enter on the left base. I advised I would be entering a left base for one four and immediately inquired of the cardinals position since I didn't hear him call final and didn't see him. Actually ADS-B was showing a target on the cross wind. The cardinal advised on the left down wind, he had crossed the runway and had to reposition. I followed suit with a turning cross wind for one four and immediately said left base...duh. The other pilot laughed and said don't feel bad...we both laughed. The cardinal was off my left wing as I called short final and he turned in behind me. I taxied clear and was headed for  my hangar while I watched a super smooth landing by the cardinal driver, a good end to the mix up.

As a follow up...I received a text message from Jake and Kandice.

Mr. Gary, I just got your voicemail. Thank you so much for the comforting message, it made both of us VERY happy to hear that her tail is still wagging. Your kindness this morning meant the world to us.  THANK YOU!!