While the plane is an excellent travelling machine, it is also lots of fun to just go out and fly with no exotic destination. This morning the weather was nice and I decided to take the plane out for a spin.
The routine is the same. Before flying I go over the plane checking everything. Once satisfied that all is in order, I pull the plane out of the hangar and load up. Today my thought was to practice some air work and enjoy the sights.
I departed behind a Cessna and quickly overtook it. I was flying under visual flight rules. This means I am responsible for maintaining flight conditions to allow me to see and avoid other traffic. In this case the plane had departed just before me and I had contact before starting my takeoff. Due to incoming traffic, the tower provided instructions as to which was I should pass the traffic.
Once clear of the airport I decided to let the plane accelerate to fast cruise before settling on a more economical speed. Generally the plane is faster the higher it goes up to about 7000 feet. Today I clocked in at 176 knots (202 mph). This is achieved using about 20 gallons per hour. Typically I go 145 knots around town on 10.5 gallons per hour.
On longer trips we climb higher and can achieve 170 knots on 13 gallons per hour. This is the sweet spot. I went ahead and practiced steep turns for a bit and they worked out nicely. I then decided to sight see and overflew the oldest city, St. Augustine.
Then I headed North and crossed Jacksonville Naval Air Station, went by downtown and eventually by my favorite local bridge, This aligned me with the active runway and I was soon cleared to land. Just under an hour start to finish.
The routine is the same. Before flying I go over the plane checking everything. Once satisfied that all is in order, I pull the plane out of the hangar and load up. Today my thought was to practice some air work and enjoy the sights.
I departed behind a Cessna and quickly overtook it. I was flying under visual flight rules. This means I am responsible for maintaining flight conditions to allow me to see and avoid other traffic. In this case the plane had departed just before me and I had contact before starting my takeoff. Due to incoming traffic, the tower provided instructions as to which was I should pass the traffic.
Once clear of the airport I decided to let the plane accelerate to fast cruise before settling on a more economical speed. Generally the plane is faster the higher it goes up to about 7000 feet. Today I clocked in at 176 knots (202 mph). This is achieved using about 20 gallons per hour. Typically I go 145 knots around town on 10.5 gallons per hour.
On longer trips we climb higher and can achieve 170 knots on 13 gallons per hour. This is the sweet spot. I went ahead and practiced steep turns for a bit and they worked out nicely. I then decided to sight see and overflew the oldest city, St. Augustine.
Then I headed North and crossed Jacksonville Naval Air Station, went by downtown and eventually by my favorite local bridge, This aligned me with the active runway and I was soon cleared to land. Just under an hour start to finish.
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