Today's flight for 2017

[amillet]

Today I flew Bright & Claudia from Sequim to Bremerton for lunch.  Bright stayed with us as an exchange student from Ghana, then came back & got his bachelors degree then a doctorate in physical therapy.  Claudia in an RN.  They both work in the Dallas area.  They were scheduled to leave on a Caribbean cruise last Sunday from Galveston.  Came to Seattle instead.  I parked next to this Cutlass RG at Bremerton that the RG aparrently did not extend.

[nels]

That Cessna looks like a "low rider". 

[amillet]

I looked up the N number.  Turbo 182, not a Cutlass 172.

[Rmag]

Beautiful sun setting over Delaware Bay on 8/2/2017, shortly after takeoff from KWWD.

[1964-M20E]

Flew to Mc Minnville OR (KMMV) yesterday to see the Spruce Goose.  If you are within a 3 hour Mooney trip it is a nice museum to visit.  They will send a shuttle over there to get you from the airport and bring you back.  Catch the right shuttle driver (Ray) and he will bin you into the cockpit of the Spruce Goose.  I only found out when he brought me back to the airport   The picture tour they offer was already sold out by the time I got there.  When leaving MMV I went west about 50 miles or so and flew over the Pacific Ocean.  Now I can say I've flown my Mooney cost to cost.  It only took me 4 years.

 

 

[TonyK]

Did a down and back to Nantucket today.  It was our first time visiting.  The island was manic with the end of the holiday weekend which also is the last official day of the season.  There had to have been a billion dollars in private aircraft on the field today.  No kidding a billion.  We wandered around town and had some lunch.  Visited the whaling museum and were in awe of all of the people waiting for the ferry back to the mainland.  I chuckled at them for having to travel in such a steerage class manner.  My karma was immediately paid back on the trip home when my vacuum pumped dropped dead.  (note to self only positive thoughts from now on).

IMG_7869.MP4.mov

[xcrmckenna]

This photo at 11,500MSL was from yesterday evening on the way from my home base to KARB to visit family. Flight was delayed two hours due to oddball cloud coverage. Today's flight back home didn't have anything interesting to show. Am I nuts for flying VFR over-the-top so much? Seems the only way I can go places in the Great Lakes region. Yeah it's time to get my IFR ticket. I'm sick of being grounded because of these low 1000AGL puffy clouds that are only about 250FT thick. But it sure is fun to fly around the big towering CB's.
 

 
 
**Edit** Oh I forgot to mention how neat it was to see the Blue Angels zipping around in diamond formation at my 1 o'clock as I departed Runway 6 at KARB. Apparently there was an air show at KYIP Willow Run today. If I had Yooper's Lancair I would have joined in.
 
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The getting my ifr ticket went through my head as well when I spent most of my weekend flying above the smoke. That's Mt. Hood at 10,500, I was at 13,500 coming back getting over it.



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[Steve W]

So, finally went somewhere 'interesting' in the Mooney... Well, if KCVO to U02, camping overnight, and then on to KAPA is 'interesting'.

I would have some lovely photos in-flight, but it was entirely FUbar the whole way in 5-10 miles in smoke. First leg I filed IFR from KCVO to U02(Blackfoot ID). Next leg I did VFR until Cherokee VOR(CKW) then IFR into KAPA due to possible ceilings. But my descent managed to keep me out of the few clouds. 

U02 is an ok place to camp. The freeway is loud and if the airport manager doesn't get the sprinklers turned off then it gets loud about 3AM.

Now I'm at Signature with my combo bicycle/luggage cart waiting until it's time to go to my hotel. But, no rental car needed this trip.

 

CVO to U02: 4.0 hours.

U02 to APA: 3.4 hours.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by Steve W
Updates added times

[peevee]

I was just at apa, I would have said hi had I known.

[DanM20C]

Yesterday morning I flew to Cabelas at KOWA.  Picked up a neat little flashlight with a nice strobe feature that clips nicely onto my shoulder harness.  I also picked up a headlamp that the red light can turn on and off with the push of one button.  No need to cycle through the other blinding colors, I have been looking for one like this for years.

On the way home I took a detour to fly over the field I woke up in 7 months ago.  I can't explain how good it felt to be "here" flying above that field in another Mooney.  I miss my old plane but this one is growing on me.

Cheers,

Dan

[gsxrpilot]

Today's flight was to help some of the folks still suffering the after effects of Harvey on the Texas coast. I pulled the back seats out of the 252 and stuffed it as full as possible with supplies destined to Rockport, Port Lavaca, and other communities on the coast. While on the ramp @jetdriven pulled up also hauling supplies. 375 lbs in each of these fast movers.

[jetdriven]

Paint is nice but a turbocharger is forever. 

[gsxrpilot]

13 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

Paint is nice but a turbocharger is forever. 

But it sure is nice paint. I'd like to have that checkerboard pattern in blue.

[Yetti]

Front seats seem kind of redundant when you are hauling boxes.  I think I got up to 425 with this load. Texas is big.  I need to change my oil.

 

[jetdriven]

I didn't know you were Yetti. Anyways yeah front seat came out. 420 Lb went in. I was seriously gunning for the daily prize, I wanted all the Alpo dog food cans, I could have busted 500 lbs but they were hoarding it, for, get this, Bonanza pilots trying to fix their CG!!  Hah!  Otherwise I could have whacked the Saratoga that was running in first place. Not every day you pass up a Saratoga while Burning 40% less gas and carrying the load.  There is always tomorrow though! 

[Yetti]

Ya I think my Mystical creature in the woods routine is over.    I would have chatted, but you jumped in and were gone in a flash.  Even the Cessna that left behind you was doing a pre mid field turn out.   I think I can out short field some STOL planes on landings after the last few days. The Bonanza that carried pizza earlier in the week, I stepped up on and almost put the tail on the ground.  Turn and Burn.

[Hank]

Went to a sort of nearby IMC Club meeting this morning. Wind was calm at home and forecast to be 8 knots there. On arrival, they were using 14, and wind was 060@9G17. And it was bumpy below 3000,  field elevation 400. The runway was long (8000'?), so I didnt worry, aligned myself with left wing down but working the yoke and pedals to try and maintain that. Just as I touched down and set the nose down, here goes the left wing up and up!

I kept her going pretty straight on the right main and nose, but the wind wasn't slacking and the wing wasn't coming down. Interesting periodic squeals were coming from the two tires on the concrete and we began veering into the wind as airspeed bled down and the rudder became ineffective. I considered firewalling it and trying again, but the grass was nice and wide and let me get control again. Missed all the pretty blue lights and taxied down the far taxiway instead of the near one.

A nice looking J with a Plane Cover was tied down on the ramp, sheltering from Irma; it's registered to a company in Ft. Lauderdale, and is one character off from my own number  (JJ instead of DJ).

After the meeting, there was a break then an EAA meeting. Meanwhile I watched a Cessna depart 14 while the winds had picked up to 070@14G21. He weathervaned a lot, and the wings were rocking as he went by me a couple hundred feet up. Decided discretion was the better part of valor and left myself before it got any worse. Tower updated winds as 060@12G21, and approved Runway 36 on my second request (course home was 346). My takeoff roll may have been 500' including the gust factor, and I climbed out mostly at or above 1000 fpm at 100 mph, with ground speed showing in the mid-90-knot range. Nice and bumpy again, but smoothed out by 3000 or so and was a nice flight at 6500.

Coming into home, 3200' long, was also bumpy and interesting. I don't like banking as hard as I did at idle, 20' agl over the asphalt, but the resulting landing was a greaser, I didn't feel any wheels touch. If only someone had been there to see it . . . The joy of being the only flyable plane at your home drome . . .

She's safely in the hangar now, and I'm watching every forecaster in the Western Hemisphere keep up the mantra they've been repeating about Irma since at least Tuesday:  "it will soon turn to the northwest then north," while we watch it move pretty much due west. If it reaches the Gulf, it will strengthen rapidly back to Cat 5, and all bets are off on its track . . . If she start turning north soon, it will get ugly here late Monday or so, a Mooney hour from Panama City Beach. 

Ya'll be careful out there!!

[Steve W]

Technically this is yesterdays flight....

Flew back from KAPA to KCVO via KJER for fuel yesterday. First leg was VFR at 10,500 with plenty of deviating due to terrain and weather. I had initially planned an earlier fuel stop and partial fuel coming out of KAPA, but later decided to make the fuel stop farther along at KJER due to cost and to get most of the terrain behind me. Climb rate coming out of KAPA wasn't great but there was plenty of room to climb before heading west. Once heading west past Medicine Bow the convective activity and wind had cleared much of the smoke so it was much easier to see the build ups and rain shafts to dodge.

Once into KJER and getting fuel(nice fuel stop, minimal terrain, low prices, internet and restrooms available), and then parking like a Cirrus to run in and use their internet to re-file my IFR for the next leg I headed out IFR at 10,000 for the rest of the journey with no real deviation except cutting a corner to go direct DSD to clear some buildups. Past KJER had convective activity to the south but clear until about 50 East of DSD when the smoke came back in. To the south looked really bad with clouds and smoke and the strike finder was displaying a bunch of activity down there. 

KCVO had a normal cloud layer(not smoke or convective) at about 2500, so I got to fly the RNAV approach back in, and got my hold for currency.

KAPA to KJER: 4.3 hours

KJER to KCVO : 3.3 hours

Important notes: next time I decide to camp and travel and take the tiny bicycle, do it over lower terrain or figure out how to shave off at least 100lbs off the gear collection and/or accept partial fuel and shorter legs.

Park like a Cirrus day...

That was supposed to be a couple of mostly straight lines...

Edited September 9, 2017 by Steve W

[kpaul]

50 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

13,500' south of Tallahassee, FL this morning. En route Cross City. 

Were you heading south to pick someone up?  Seems most were headed north away from Irma.

[peevee]

4 hours ago, Steve W said:

Technically this is yesterdays flight....

Flew back from KAPA to KCVO via KJER for fuel yesterday. First leg was VFR at 10,500 with plenty of deviating due to terrain and weather. I had initially planned an earlier fuel stop and partial fuel coming out of KAPA, but later decided to make the fuel stop farther along at KJER due to cost and to get most of the terrain behind me. Climb rate coming out of KAPA wasn't great but there was plenty of room to climb before heading west. Once heading west past Medicine Bow the convective activity and wind had cleared much of the smoke so it was much easier to see the build ups and rain shafts to dodge.

Once into KJER and getting fuel(nice fuel stop, minimal terrain, low prices, internet and restrooms available), and then parking like a Cirrus to run in and use their internet to re-file my IFR for the next leg I headed out IFR at 10,000 for the rest of the journey with no real deviation except cutting a corner to go direct DSD to clear some buildups. Past KJER had convective activity to the south but clear until about 50 East of DSD when the smoke came back in. To the south looked really bad with clouds and smoke and the strike finder was displaying a bunch of activity down there. 

KCVO had a normal cloud layer(not smoke or convective) at about 2500, so I got to fly the RNAV approach back in, and got my hold for currency.

KAPA to KJER: 4.3 hours

KJER to KCVO : 3.3 hours

Important notes: next time I decide to camp and travel and take the tiny bicycle, do it over lower terrain or figure out how to shave off at least 100lbs off the gear collection and/or accept partial fuel and shorter legs.ike a Cirrus day...

hat was supposed to be a couple of mostly straight lines...

Northern routes a decent one, in the winter it gets hard as the winds get funneled through there and icing gets bad for some reason.

[Skates97]

Labor Day Weekend trip to UT.

CA to UT Race – Mooney in the Morning

Just another day with the Mooney time machine, giving you back what Winston Churchill once said is “one thing that can never be retrieved,” time. (I guess he didn’t have a Mooney…)

[bradp]

IGot to do an IFR currency flight and learn some of the local airspace a bit better. 4 approaches in 2.1 hours - almost all of it start to finish in IMC.  It felt good to get some rust gone.  

IGX - Vor 27 then

RDU ILS 05R  then

TTA ILS 03 x 2

Excellent ATC from RDU approach and Fayetteville.  They seemed to enjoy me doing approaches to outliers as much as I did.  

Unfortunately I didn't pick my head up to take any photos.  Ended up being busy for most of the flight (in a good way).  There was a cool B-17 parked on the ramp.  It's not leaving until Thursday so I'll hopefully get a chance to get a closer look soon. 

[rbridges]

On 8/26/2017 at 6:13 PM, gsxrpilot said:

Running from Harvey and going to BurningMan. Friday's flight was from Texas to California.The Texas to Flagstaff leg was all about dodging weather. the Flagstaff to Napa leg was FL200 over the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and the Sierra Nevada's. I left San Marcos, TX just after noon and arrived in Napa before sundown.

 

 

 

FL200 and 25MP.  I'm jealous!

[carusoam]

And a GS of 192... 

-a-

[gsxrpilot]

10 minutes ago, carusoam said:

And a GS of 192... 

Here I am pushing it a bit harder.