#YoloBird back in the sky

[chrixxer]

With a partially revised panel (Garmin SL30 replacing the Terra NAVCOMMs, patched into the wiring for the PM2000 for now), non-working IND-351 (well, it works, but the SL30 just says "flagged" in OBS mode), and now beautifully functioning GX55 GPS, headed out from Santa Monica to Heber City (36U). Plane flew great, around 150 knots ground speed (145mph IAS, roughly 177mph (153 knot) TAS) at 11,000', 2500 rpm, approximately 20" MP. Don't know about fuel burn yet, haven't filled up. GPSS worked like a dream; love the S-Tec! 

Heber City was a bit of a challenge, 8400' density altitude (mental note: mixture not full rich during GUMPS), wind 40° off the runway at 19 gusting 25. Unbeknownst to me, my boss was tracking the flight on Flightaware, listening to CTAF on a handheld, and watched my landing. (I'm in Utah for the 4th of July at his place up here.)

Only downside, one of the dogs had a ... biological explosion ... in the back seat. Over Las Vegas. The M20E has surprisingly good ventilation, and now the decision of what to tackle next has been made for me (interior!).

Edited July 3, 2017 by chrixxer

[chrixxer]

Flew her back yesterday. Took on 38.3 gallons at Heber City, for 4.1 hours aloft (4.57 hours tach time; spent some time on the ground waiting for IFR release, etc, and I tend to run it at 1100 rpm on the ground as I still have a generator), 8.38 (tach) / 9.34 (in flight) gallons/hour. I can live with that.

Flew Heber City to St. George, box-climbing out of Heber to fly out via Provo Canyon at 10,500. Took on 19.7 gallons, 9.08 gph (tach time). Flew a practice approach in on the LDA with my new-to-me SL30 and Collins IND-351. Avionics working perfectly.

Then, St. George to Santa Monica, 24.6 gallons, for 9.28 gph (tach time). Flew the VOR-A approach (practice), and again, worked beautifully; had the VNY VOR on standby and used the radial display (114, 115 ...) to identify waypoints while I flew the SMO VOR needle on the CDI. That's an amazing little radio. (And I was worried about the 8W aspect, but I'm not now - even over mountainous terrain, I never had an issue with ATC, and even, flying near Victorville airport, acted as an airborne relay between a Grumman our past the Avenal VOR (>140nm) and Joshua Approach (missed or never issued frequency change); got the Grumman over to LA Center.)

At 10,500 she flies about 147 ktas; I was seeing about 135 kts ground speed on the way back (with a head wind), ~152 knots on the way out (with no appreciable tail wind). I can live with that, too.

Now I need a transponder. Do I toss in a Trig TT31 or KT74 (blech, King...) or Avidyne AXP340 and flip it down the road when I'm ready to go whole hog on a GTX345? (I already have a Stratus 2.)

[peevee]

was just in heber a few weeks ago, how was that "cheap" gas? LoL

 

here's the last couple times I was there. Rocket most recently and 231 it replaced a bit ago.

[chrixxer]

21 minutes ago, peevee said:

was just in heber a few weeks ago, how was that "cheap" gas? LoL

Yeah, my original plan was to take off, land at Nephi and take on $4.50/gal fuel, and then fly home, but got talked into stopping halfway (St. George) and I'd save, what, $66? Less, actually, since the fuel waived one of the $25/night tie-down fees. Also, I wasn't sure what my fuel load was when I landed (I'm still guesstimating these things, I have like 20 hours in her so far, and each of my flights has been under wildly varying conditions) - turns out I would have been fine, with adequate reserves (I took on 38 at Heber, so I had 14 in the tanks, 12(?) usable, Nephi was 23 minutes away (not counting the ~10 minute box climb up so I could clear Provo Canyon at 10,500), but still.

Final nail in the Nephi coffin, though I didn't know this until after I took on fuel - I wasn't entirely sure of the battery, departing. The plane had sat for a month in Santa Monica while I got avionics sorted out, then was drained while we were working on said avionics. I had to jump start it departing SMO, and when I fired it up at Heber, my cheapie cigar lighter plugged in volt meter was showing 3.3V! (But everything was working fine, radios, GPS, beacon, etc.) During the flight to St. George, the voltage indicator went up 0.1V approximately every 4 minutes, and by the time I landed there (with a full service FBO, just in case), it had stabilized at 11.5V. (Transponder, autopilot, radios, etc. all worked perfectly the entire flight...) (When I fired up at St. George (hot start, but, I've gotten good at those), it read 13.8V and never dipped.)