Yooper Rocketman

Thanks for the shout out about Northwoods Airlifeline! We are providing about 125 flights a year, which comes out to a flight every 3 days on average. Challenging sometimes getting them covered, but the patients really appreciate getting to major medical centers in under two hours instead of 6-10 hour car rides. Tom

VNE on the IV, IVP, and IVPT is 274kts Tom

Yes, it IS a side-stick. After the last round of surgeries, we had not been to our Florida home in 2 1/2 months (since January 2nd), during the winter when we usually go down, so I went out to the hangar and tried to grip the stick to see if I could fly it. I could, but not with enough grip to ensure turbulence wouldn't pull it out of my hand. So, I tried an Ace Wrap around the hand to ensure it wouldn't fall off. I went home and told the wife "We can fly to Florida now"! She replied how can you hang on to the stick? I showed her a picture of my hand wrapped with an Ace Wrap to the stick. She responded quite clearly "not with me in the plane"! I did three flights that next week, wrapping the hand to the stick for take-off and landing. She finally relented and we went to Florida in late March. Tom

So, a little follow up on this medical challenge. I completed 40 therapy sessions, and personally duplicated the therapy workouts 3-4 times a day on my own, and never got full finger function back (essentially, I couldn't close my fingers into a fist, making gripping actions impossible). On August 1st, just after Air Adventure, I had a consult with the Hand to Shoulder Center in Appleton, WI. It was determined my tendons had adhered to both my skin and the carpal tunnel passage (and/or each other). I needed a left wrist "Flexor Synovectomy" procedure (my third surgery now). I went in Monday afternoon (this week) for the surgery. This time I was not put under, they numbed the area so the surgeon could determine how much finger function I was getting back as he was doing the procedure. When he was done, he let me look at a fist closure (I could squeeze but with the lack of feeling, had no idea how much the fingers were moving). I was able to make a fist. YAHOO!! So now I'm on 10 consecutive days of Occupational Hand Therapy, and on an EVERY HOUR, ON THE HOUR, 10-15 minute hand and finger exercise routine, keeping the hand above my heart probably 90% of my day, and on ice 20 minutes out of every hour. I guess this is to prevent the tendons from losing motion again and keeping the swelling in check. A real PITA, but I'm gaining motion and have virtually no swelling. Recovery has been amazingly fast. Should be flying again shortly!! Tom

My drive is just under 15 minutes at home, but when in Florida, it's the first step out my back door! Picture from this past spring with my Lancair in the hangar, and @Deb (David and Debbie's) plane on the apron in front of the hangar. It won't be too long shared time between the Florida home and the Michigan home will be a little more balanced. Tom

I've got the same ground tug! We bought it many years ago for our mercy flight organization and then moved up to a "Best Tug" (Oh, that one is Awesome). I asked to buy the old on, dead batteries and all, and some of the old timers in our org made a motion and passed it before I could say no to sell it to me for $200. I had all I could do to stop them from giving it to me (I donate a ton of time to the org). A set of new batteries and a new operator switch and it tugs the Lancair, with 160 gallons of fuel, just fine. Well, except on ice in the winter time. Tom

You've got it WAY TO GOOD, BOB! Tom

I can say, in Florida, my ADS-B saved me a really close call. I was in the pattern on down wind at Spruce Creek, under the Class C airspace of Daytona Beach, when while looking out at the airport adjusting my pattern and checking for no radio traffic, bitchin Betty started hollering "Traffic one o clock". I looked out the windscreen, saw no one, looked at my G3X screen and the dot was growing fast from my right. I thought, what the heck, am I coming up on a cub going really slow in the pattern when all of a sudden, coming in from my right front, I see a Cessna 172 going the wrong way in the pattern. I had to dive to avoid it (up I would have penetrated the Class C at 1200' MSL). He WAS NOT coming into my flight path from a spot I would have been looking for him. I keyed the mic and asked if he was flying into Spruce Creek ...... with no response. Me and an Apache that had to deal with him on his crosswind came to the conclusion it was an Embry Riddle student totally oblivious to our airport, our frequency, and the pattern. I remember my thoughts after landing. I was really glad I had my ADS-B that day. Tom

Great News! Saved another one from the grave!! Tom

I wouldn't delay the repair but wouldn't be afraid to fly it until done (short term anyway). It would be great if you store in a hangar as you can leave the door open when sitting. Tom

Did my annual recurrency training this weekend. Four plus hours of ground school on Saturday. Flew home and returned on Sunday for 3 hours of flying. The first 1.5 hours doing lots of flight maneuvers (360 turns at 30 and 45 degree, climbing and descending turns at precise airspeed, slow flight, recovery from unusual attitudes, emergency gear extension, operating the engine on '"ISOL" with the fuel condition lever, which bypasses the throttle and part of the FCU, etc.) and then emergency procedures. Did several simulated engine outs, using high key and low key target points and then an engine failure at 800' on take-off with the 180 degree turn back to land (actually was too fast on landing, thank goodness for reversing prop, so could have made it with a lower altitude). It helps when cruise climb is 165 kts and best glide is 120 kts. After my instructor failed my engine (simulated) he counted to 3 before I was allowed to act. I was able to grab 200' of altitude before getting speed down to 120 kts. A decent quartering head/cross wind helped too. The second phase was IFR, doing some A/P coupled full approaches and the complete published missed, then a hand flown approach. Learned a ton but was really mentally exhausted by the time we finished. Last year was 10 hours total..... this year down to just over 7 hours. I must be making progress. Flight Tracks below. VFR air work; https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20190908/1326Z/KEZS/KCLI IFR air work; https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20190908/1604Z/KCLI/KEZS Tom

Is that ALL you needed to clean? Tom

My local shop pulled my switch assy apart and found the exact same part number "micro switch" and replaced it. It cost less than $150 with labor. Tom

This is what I used on mine for 18 years, changing it out every couple years and reinspecting the tube. I made sure I had a good layer of paint on it before installing the tape too. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/alum_foil.php?clickkey=72494 Tom (Prior 1800 hour, 18 year Rocket owner)

Ya, but I'll be back. Might be able to work out a trade for a real nice 252 with a guy from Texas (oh no, now Denver) that's looking for the next step up when this old man needs to step down a bit in speed. Tom