My first solo was back in 1985. With my first aircraft, the insurance company wanted me to get 3 hours instruction before flying solo or with passengers. My last plane they required zero time. Moving to the twin was very different. 15 hours dual and then another 10 solo before carrying passengers.
Today I completed the 15 hours plus a little. We decided to complete some more cross country training to practice the type of flying I will be doing with the plane. It was cold this morning which also let me learn about the heater. In a single you just use the engine heat ducted to the cabin to stay warm. In the twin, there is a separate heater in the nose. It takes a bit of talent to get all the knobs in the correct position to not be hot or cold. Eventually I figured it out.
We departed into a stiff headwind. At 5500 feet we had 25 knots on the nose. This is why we flew at 5500 as the winds were mid 30s up higher. Our first stop was KEOE, Newberry SC. It was a strategic stop. Fuel was well priced and it was positioned such that we would land with 2.5 hours of fuel remaining. I am still being conservative with fuel reserves as we confirm that the fuel computer and gauges are accurate.
The only complaints with the stop were the wind and temperature. South Carolina was much colder, near freezing. I made quick work of the refill, though it took a bit of teamwork. The fuel hose has a spring return and it would not stop in a locked position. My instructor had to hold it while I fueled to keep it from retracting.
Topped off we loaded up and were soon on our way. We checked in with Greer approach on 119.4. Decades ago I used to fly quite a bit around Greenville and the frequency has not changed in all that time. Our next destination was Oconee County Airport. This is right by Clemson University. It was also a trip down memory lane.
The last time I remember being there was in the mid 90s, I was giving Young Eagle flights in my Mooney. Today it was pretty quiet but luckily a bit warmer and less windy than Newberry. After a short break we were ready to enjoy the tailwind home.
We had planned a direct route but ended up with two detours. On departure we quickly climbed to 9,500 feet and set power for 184 knots True Airspeed. We had 30+ knots on the tail so we enjoyed better than 200 knots for most of the flight.
Part of the reason I wanted to do these cross country legs was to work on my flows and how I will use all the tools at my disposal. There is so much information available, you really need to think through how you will set everything so that you can easily absorb everything without getting distracted.
Back to the detours. We were going to pass through a Military Operations Area (MOA) but it was in use. You can still fly through but it is at your own peril. We chose to divert around. The iPad comes in handy as I marked some points along the edge and then sent the new plan to the panel.
This solved the immediate problem but the detour altered our later path and we would now go through some restricted airspace. This time I used the on screen graphical flight plan edit function and altered our path around R-3007. These were all good things as the purpose of the trip was to encounter and practice real world situations.
Heading down from altitude we were trueing out at 194 knots and making 228 ground speed thanks to 38 knots at altitude. The arrival home was a bit choppy below 5500 but we were soon turning final. Winds were blustery with gusts up to 30 knots. I flew the calculated numbers and kept a few knots extra to account for the gusts.
The arrival was smooth and we were soon shutting down. After the logbook was signed I was ready to solo but that will happen another day.
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