Today's flight in the year 2020

[bonal]

its a new year and we were going to get out and fly today but winds were really whipped up and the sky's just didn't look very friendly. I hope all of you fellow Mooney Space flyers will share your flights with stories and photos here on the today's flight thread. Hope everyone has a great year in 2020.

Thank you in advance for all that participate 

Edited January 2, 2020 by bonal

[aviatoreb]

Wohoo!  The year of good vision / 2020! Tail winds, good health, happiness, easy annuals and fantastic destinations - and of course the journey / in a Mooney.  Let’s go fly Mooney space!!

Edited January 2, 2020 by aviatoreb

[MooneyMitch]

Thank you for continuing this tradition!

As I made my last 2019 flight yesterday, December 31, I decided to make my first flight of 2020.............today, January 01.

Made my usual rounds about our beautiful area.................all is so gorgeous right now from our recent rains.

The first photo out my window is of the California coastline looking South over Gaviota Beach [west of Santa Barbara] with San Miguel Island in the distance.

The second photo is looking East over Cachuma Lake [located North of Santa Barbara and East of Santa Ynez Airport.

Wishing all the very best this new year !

 

[carusoam]

Who is going to post the first pic of a flight in 2020...!

Anyone not post a pic in 2019?, now is a great opportunity to start the year off on the right foot!

Anyone not make a first post on MS?   A pic makes a great first MS post!

way to go Mitch!

Best regards,

-a-

[Skates97]

Annual done and took a shakedown flight to also try and get some cheap fuel. KFUL to KRIR only to find the pumps out of service. (No NOTAM)

Made the long 3 mile flight from KRIR to KRAL to get fuel there instead before checking out the last of the snow on Santiago Peak from last week. At only 5,720' it only sees snow a few times a year and usually only lasts about a day or two. A gorgeous sunny day in SoCal with highs in the upper 60's and almost no wind.

https://intothesky.us/2020/01/01/new-years-day-post-annual/

[Yooper Rocketman]

Delayed our normal “after Xmas trip to Florida” due to late family gathering and weather.   We usually celebrate New Years Eve at Spruce Creek.   8” of snow the day we were going to leave and turbulence reports across the route made New Years Day a better flying option, and I got to stay an extra day in the U.P. and plow snow.

The ramp picture is just before we fired up to leave.   I’ll be nice and not post a Florida picture for my fellow snow country friends.  We DID get some continuous light chop for about a half hour over northern Georgia but otherwise another great cross country flight in our magic carpet.   Will be down here a week for sure.  Looks like the local Mooney owners on Spruce Creek may do a gathering next Thursday as I got invited.  Wondering if they will still welcome me now that I’m Mooney-less?

Tom

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT

 

 

[flyingscot]

First Flight 2020 in the beautiful mountains of NC - made a big celebratory loop through SW NC, Upstate South Carolina, and East TN - a beautiful day (a little mountain chop here and there) - a great way to start the year.

I wish all a great, happy, and rewarding new year - Best wishes and safe flying in 2020 - Bob

 

[kortopates]

Continued our winter flying safari southbound on New Year’s Day flying from Los Mochis. We were headed for Guadalajara but it quickly turned into a wild bronco ride in IMC. Just around Culiacan we lost GPS signal on both GPS navigators. Even tried a portable with same. I found we were only receiving one satellite - one directly over head. We announced it to ATC as we set up for VOR Nav - that got the rust off fast. ATC first said a Centurion 10 mi ahead but lower was getting signal okay. Soon as he said that he came back and said the Centurion was also now not receiving GPS. I was confident we were being jammed from prior experience down here - not intentionally. Sure enough in 15-20 min we had it back. Last year we had a similar experience but it was only VFR but IMC makes it quite a bit more sporting.
But the winds grew to 74 kts, mostly direct x-wind and we couldn't find an altitude through the pineapple Express we were running into. So we diverted to Mazatlan and did the ILS approach with the GS out. It was raining - not to bad, just enough to limit the vis to 3 mile. Once down, had to wait 10 min for the rain to lighten enough to open the door without totally getting drenched.
No enroute pictures because of the wx, just a wet plane on the ground.



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[carusoam]

Great pirep, Paul!

Somebody sets up the special challenges for the people that can handle them Best!

I’m glad you handled that so well...

Thanks for sharing the details...

Best regards,

-a-

[jlunseth]

I went up for a couple of hours on the 1st to fly a couple of practice approaches and to test my 430, which has been acting up.  Actually, I think it is the nav data card not the GPS. At any rate the GPS could not read any data at all, but it was a beautiful day here, relatively warm (in the 30’s), and both the Nav radio in the GPS, and the KNS80, were working perfectly, so what the heck, why not do it the old fashioned way.  It was a little weird at first, having no GPS, but I reverted to old habits.  Flew a VOR approach and hold, and then flew by VOR radial to another airport about 45 miles away that has an ILS, and did that approach, then flew back home by VOR to KFCM.  

I have signed up for one of APS’s 4-day Upset Recovery courses, with their Spin Enhancement. I am going to be in Scottsdale for business in the third week of January so I am hoping to get slotted in for four days of fairly intense training the last week of Jan.  I will post a PIREP when it is over, or as soon thereafter as I stop shaking.

[EricJ]

11 hours ago, jlunseth said:

I went up for a couple of hours on the 1st to fly a couple of practice approaches and to test my 430, which has been acting up.  Actually, I think it is the nav data card not the GPS. At any rate the GPS could not read any data at all, but it was a beautiful day here, relatively warm (in the 30’s), and both the Nav radio in the GPS, and the KNS80, were working perfectly, so what the heck, why not do it the old fashioned way.  It was a little weird at first, having no GPS, but I reverted to old habits.  Flew a VOR approach and hold, and then flew by VOR radial to another airport about 45 miles away that has an ILS, and did that approach, then flew back home by VOR to KFCM.  

I have signed up for one of APS’s 4-day Upset Recovery courses, with their Spin Enhancement. I am going to be in Scottsdale for business in the third week of January so I am hoping to get slotted in for four days of fairly intense training the last week of Jan.  I will post a PIREP when it is over, or as soon thereafter as I stop shaking.

You gonna fly the jets at APS?      Definitely interested in a PIREP.   Those guys taxi past our school hangar at IWA all the time.

[jlunseth]

No, not the jet.  I think that is 15Gs or something on that order, I don’t know what good that would do me in flying my lowly 231. I don’t have a coffin corner problem.

[ohdub]

Today was a grey, dreary day in southwestern Ontario, with OVC025, but I wanted to get a bit of flying in before my plane goes to visit the Doc on Monday for her annual. Just a bit of local flying, wish I could have gone somewhere but icing forecast from 3,000-14,000' and lots of isolated showers.

 

[Raptor05121]

I flew over to Alabama to a small little airport called Eufala. It was hit by a tornado last year and absolutely everything was removed except the runway and lights. The FBO and fuel tanks  were in place but all the planes on the ramp were gone and hangar slabs remained. It was sad. But anywho, we went there to visit the nearby Providence Canyon, which is a miniature Grand Canyon in SW Georgia caused by eroded farming practices in the 1800s. There was an abandoned settlement nearby with old 1950s vehicles still in place. Awesome experience. Flying west was tough- 1:30 on the hobbs but made it home in under an hour on the way back.

 

[McMooney]

Today Was a GREAT day!

[MinneMooney]

Yesterday’s weather was 35F with winds at the ground <5kt. They were almost 25kt at 5000’ but smooth! It gave me a chance to play with the new Avidyne as well. Really like the IFD100 app running on the iPad mini.

[M20F]

On 1/2/2020 at 8:31 AM, Yooper Rocketman said:

8” of snow

KCMX DNA, your snowfall is weak but your airplane is hot. 

[kortopates]

After our rather intense leg and diversion to Mazatlan, we enjoyed a boring (yay!) long leg to beautiful Oaxaca in the south of Mexico. Next stop Guatemala.



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[MooneyMitch]

1 hour ago, kortopates said:

After our rather intense leg and diversion to Mazatlan, we enjoyed a boring (yay!) long leg to beautiful Oaxaca in the south of Mexico. Next stop Guatemala.



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Wow!  Wishing you both continued great adventures!!!  Please keep PIREPS coming our way .

[rbridges]

On 1/6/2020 at 8:52 AM, Raptor05121 said:

I flew over to Alabama to a small little airport called Eufala. It was hit by a tornado last year and absolutely everything was removed except the runway and lights. The FBO and fuel tanks  were in place but all the planes on the ramp were gone and hangar slabs remained. It was sad. But anywho, we went there to visit the nearby Providence Canyon, which is a miniature Grand Canyon in SW Georgia caused by eroded farming practices in the 1800s. There was an abandoned settlement nearby with old 1950s vehicles still in place. Awesome experience. Flying west was tough- 1:30 on the hobbs but made it home in under an hour on the way back.

 

How'd you get to Providence Canyon from Eufala?  We drove there for a day trip b/c I thought getting a car would be tough.  It's a nice hike around the park. The old cars were pretty cool.

[HRM]

Almost embarrassed to post this, but 'The Mistress' is airborne again and with a vengeance! Took her up just before sunset and she performed spectacularly--160 KTS, 0.3 GAMI spread, oh what a feeling, but I really need to wash her windows   (...and she put the step down)

[Raptor05121]

12 hours ago, rbridges said:

How'd you get to Providence Canyon from Eufala?  We drove there for a day trip b/c I thought getting a car would be tough.  It's a nice hike around the park. The old cars were pretty cool.

Airport manager let us borrow his truck. About a 30 minute ride- we topped off his tank for being so gracious

[flyingscot]

Flew yesterday from Western NC -> SE MI. Stopped at Lunken (KLUK) for Lunch. Fierce headwinds the whole way - for a while saw 120kt GS at 70% power. Not the most time efficient trip ever but the lunch was good, and the company (my son) was great, so the extra time was in fact a bonus.

If you're near Cincinnati and hungry, I can recommend the Sky Galley Restaurant for a stop and the folks at Waypoint FBO -  great and very personal service.

Cheers - Bob

[kortopates]

We continued our winter safari from Oaxaxa south east to Flores Guatemala to visit the ruins of Tikal - site that has been on our list before but never made it on previous trips south into CenAm. Just a few months ago the aero club got gas but I still flew in with enough gas to get out. Glad I did, since I couldn't pass up taking on about 20 gallons - but at $7.24/ gal. We've been paying a little or a little more than $4/gal throughout Mex.
Thankfully another boring leg of VMC cruise on top of clouds, most of the entire way. Completef by an ILS approach descending through several layers with the lowest at 1500' making for an easy approach.
We were the loan GA aircraft on the ramp.



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[carusoam]

Epic Mooney trip, Paul!

Thanks for sharing the details.

Best regards,

-a-