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I have written a great deal about flying the plane but have not discussed maintaining it.  Since you can't just pull over if something goes wrong you need to keep on top of maintenance.

Now most maintenance must be done by a licensed mechanic but pilots are allowed to do some specific tasks.  For example oil changes which I have started doing myself.  I stay strictly within the rules and actually just do a small portion of the list.  Just because you are allowed to do something does not mean you should.  Before I started doing my own oil changes I watched the mechanic several times and then had a friendly mechanic walk me through the process to make sure I knew how to perform all steps correctly.

In addition to ad hoc maintenance the plane must have an inspection annually.  The inspector goes over the plane from top to bottom looking for issues and assuring the plane is airworthy.  During this process they open the plane up by taking out parts of the interior and opening all the inspection panels.  Most maintenance you should do right away but some things you might defer to the annual when the plane is open. 

For example a few months back while pre-flighting the plane, I found the right brake caliper had a drip of brake fluid on it.  That was a have to do right away type of thing and it went right to the mechanic for new O-rings.  Another example, the struts on the landing gear have fluid and Nitrogen gas in them.  Over the last several months I have noted that that the struts are a bit lower, they were set near the top of the spec and over time some nitrogen leaks out and but the plane was still within normal specification.  While the plane is on jacks for inspection, I will have them serviced and brought back to the top of the spec.

Some things we do proactively.  The alternator has been working perfectly but given its age and number of hours in use, it will come off the plane this year and get overhauled back to new limits and then re-installed.  This is not required but proactively replacing things on a schedule leads to better reliability.  Generally it is easiest to do this during the annual as the plane is down anyway.

The plane has been delivered, I dropped it off 2 days early because of my schedule so now it is a waiting game while the work is done.  The shop was quite busy, I counted 25+ planes there for work.  It is about a 30 minute flight South but a friend was nice enough to fly me home.  Not a Beechcraft but a good looking Cirrus.

Winter Break Meat Up

Winter break is drawing to a close for Sam.  The rest of us were back to school or work long ago but she has still been bumming around.  I had planned to take Sam and Maggie to Georgia BBQ but they close for a week for staff vacation and this coincided with Maggie's visit.

Sam heads home Monday and we finally had great weather if not warm weather.  We all slept late and then headed off to the airport.   Saint Simons lets you park for free if just stopping for lunch.  Very nice of them.  We arrived and parked just down from a classic DC-3.

We then walked over to BBQ and of course even though vacation is over, we arrived at 12:45 and it was cool out, there was still a line out the door.  Luckily it moves fast and I stared down an elderly couple and soon they gave us their warm table inside.

I have to take a picture some day before I eat but it is so good that my brain goes to eating mode before it can return to picture mode.

After lunch we headed back for the flight home.  Sam had me take her by the Brunswick Bridge so she could compare it to the Jacksonville bridge.  Must be a civil Engineering thing.

We passed the Jacksonville bridge on our way in.  Our's is bigger and better.  So much for fun, back to work, back to school.

Warbirds and Manatees, a strange combination

I flew less than I wanted last year.  Work had become 7 days a week for a few months which cut into weekend trips and taking vacation.  I have been trying to make up for it this week and today marks the end of vacation and my return to the real world that includes work.

I tried to make the most of it with two aviation events.  The cold weather has kept me from heading North but other than some screaming winds, the weather has been nice here.  Yes 30 is cold for me but I can do it.  Today we hit mid 50s and it was quite nice.

Saturday I headed South to New Smyrna where American Aero Service hosted an Open Hangar day.  This company restores war birds.  I have no idea who funds this work but they do some amazing restorations.

I went a few years back and there were a lot of fly in planes, Saturday the winds were 20-30 knots and more aloft.  Only a few planes showed up but we had a fun time looking at history, taking pictures and talking airplanes.  They had a TMB,  Corsair,  B-24, B-17, C-54 and most of a PBY.  They also had a variety of military vehicles including a scud missile launcher with a missile.  I assume it was disabled unless they are planning to get into it with Daytona Beach.

There were also a few interesting civilian fly ins including a C-195, a light sport and some Swifts (not pictures)

Sunday it was time for CC and I to take a ride.  I was curious as to how the West Coast had recovered so we flew over to Crystal river to take a look.  Things looked good and as we flew around we saw clusters of Manatees up against the shore in the shallow water.  I assume that is the warmest part and they were looking to stay warm.

After surveying the coast a bit we stopped at Williston to tank up for the quick ride home.  We went VFR so I needed to watch for all manner of airspace.  The military has some restricted areas mid state which we maneuvered around both ways and the playoff game had started so we made sure to come in from the South and stay well clear of the restrictions around the stadium.

It was nice to finally go flying again and not have my hands freeze.  Sadly it is back to work Monday but I have started planning the next set of trips.  More states to get off the list and more places to see.

Better than the Blog

Usually the readers do not get involved in the actual blog activities.  Today was different.  Sam had a friend visiting who I am told is an avid reader of the blog.  I had planned to take them to SSI for BBQ but Southern Soul is closed for a week so we decided to head South to Flagler to sample airport fare.

It is still brisk here, around upper 30s with 20 knots of wind from the West.  Luckily I had planned ahead and plugged the plane in so the engine was nice and warm for the start.  The gusty winds brought light to moderate turbulence below 3000 but it was surprisingly smooth above.

On the way down we enjoyed 20 knot tail winds but it had intensified for the return with 31 knots headwind.  The wind was actually 38 knots but not directly on the nose.  Our guest got some flight experience and we all had a nice lunch.  Given the turbulence and winds, we did limited sightseeing but the excellent visibility let us cover Saint Augustine and Downtown.

Upon landing I asked how she liked the flight and if it was like the blog.  The answer... Better than the Blog.

If it's Tuesday it is Alabama (#37)

There is a 1969 film "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium", a romantic comedy, that made fun of those European vacations that did 20 countries in 7 days.  Remember this, it will all make sense shortly.  We are 2 days into the new year and since the weather was junky Monday, I had not flown all year.  Work had been getting in the way of flying but I finally have some days off to enjoy and then winter came with a vengeance. 

Last week I was thinking about a a whirlwind flight, sorta like the movie.  8 states in 8 hours.  I could go Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and home.  It was an 8 hour loop and it looked like end of week there was a good weather.  Good overnight spot in Illinois.  I was going to knock a bunch of states off the list.

All was set until I looked at the temperature forecast with lows around 0 and highs in the mid teens (F not C).  I decided that the loop would wait a few months until it got warmer but I still wanted to do something.

Today there was a break in the weather, it will stink tomorrow with possible snow flurries and rain for sure.  I decided Belgium was too far but Alabama could work.  I picked the closest airport in the state that had good reviews.  This was Eufaula Alabama, never heard of it, me neither.  Sam decided to ride with me on my pointless adventure so around 10 we headed off to the airport.  The idea was a later start meant warmer temperatures.  Everything went well except the planned temperatures.

The weather at home was brisk, 37 degrees with a 15-20 knot breeze.  luckily the hangar opens down wind so with heavy jacket and gloves, the preflight was manageable.  On the Beech discussion board, people are talking about flying in -20 but I think I have found my limit.

Climbing out, we were IFR and quickly punched through two cloud layers on the way to 6000.  I have no ice protection other than a heated pitot tube.  The temperatures were just above icing potential and the forecast was for no ice but I watched the wings and windscreen carefully.  We did get a bit of moisture but were soon above the under-cast.

About 30 miles out the clouds parted and we had a great blue sky.  The flight was mostly uneventful except for one minor diversion.  The controller had called traffic to us, a fast mover just below us.  The target was not showing on our traffic avoidance and the controller gave us a turn to avoid.  Rolling into the turn we picked up the traffic about 2 miles out.  The turn was good and we passed with plenty of room.  The traffic did not show up on the avoidance system until we were about a mile apart.  A good reminder that even with all the technology, keeping your scan going and watching for traffic is still needed.

We touched down in Alabama and though we didn't need anything we went inside to say hello.  Pilots leave comments on airports in the electronic flight bag app and this one had high marks.  I can confirm they were as friendly and the comments said.  We were offered coffee, candy and were made to feel at home.  After a quick chat, we were back in the air.

I planned a fuel stop 30 minutes from Jacksonville.  I could have fueled in Alabama but then would have wanted to fuel again at home.  The idea was to stop at Bacon, Georgia and top off.  Yes that is really the town's name, so tasty!  Bacon has nice facilities and cheap gas.  Arriving in Bacon, we found that I was not the only one with this idea.  We were #4 for the pump.  I also thought it would be closer to 40 by our arrival but the temperature was still around 32.

Luck was on our side.  The person at the pump was just finishing as we touched down.  The fuel is an island on the ramp and the next plane was in position with one behind.  I chose to park on the other side of the island to avoid having to push the plane around.  After the second person finished fueling, the next guy in line told me to go ahead as he was heading in to get a weather brief and file a flight plan.

Tanked up we were soon on our way.  Sam flew most of this leg.  30 miles out the clouds returned but Sam had descended us underneath the deck.  We had been on instrument plans the first 2 legs but the last was visual.  Jacksonville was providing flight following and coordinated passage over the top of Jacksonville international.  The tower was accommodating and we had a nice view of the airport and the  jets operating below us.

Back home the weather had gotten a bit more blustery with winds 18-28 knots with a bit of a cross wind.  The Bonanza is quite capable and other than keeping a bit of extra speed on final in case there was wind sheer, all went well and I even got a really smooth landing.   Putting the plane away was a bit chilly but in the end, a fun flight and another state off the list