2012 Annual Inspection - Back In The Air!!!

I got a call after work yesterday from Northeast Aircraft Maintenance that our plane was all buttoned up and ready to fly. After working early this morning, I got to the airport around 9 am and started my post-annual and very through pre-flight inspection. Everything looked great so I waited a bit till the overcast layer burned off to go fly.  It has been about 2 1/2 weeks since the inspection started, but a lot of that time was eaten up with down time awaiting parts. Overall the inspection went very well and we got a few things done to help 4RM continue to safely take us on our various travels!

The biggest job that was accomplished this year was dealing with corrosion on the belly. The paint was stripped around the affected areas and the corrosion was cleaned off. Luckily it was just a bad case of surface corrosion at this point, but if left unfixed it would have turned into a much worse situation. After the areas were cleaned, they were treated with alodine, primed and painted. It looks much better!  I already shared the before photos so here of some while the work was in progress and upon completion.

The new left stabilator tip turned out great and we touched up the leading edge of the stabilator on that side as well since we were already painting in that area anyway.

We also noted that although my main gear tires were legal, they probably didn't have a lot of landings left in them till they would need replacement.  I decided to replace them now with Desser's Monster Retreads like I had done a few years ago on the Arrow.  They are highly rated by Aviation Consumer and easier on the pocketbook than a lot of other options.  I also like them because they come with some nice deep treads.  A lot of folks get concerned about using retreads and having fit issues especially with retractable gear planes.  I didn't have any problems and they freely fit in the well and spin without interference. 

After the clouds cleared, I started up, taxied out for my run-up, and took off in to the pattern to check systems before proceeding any further from the airport.  With everything looking good I advanced the settings to full power and climbed up to 5,500 feet and headed south towards Flagler County Airport, KXFL for the least expensive fuel around.  The weather was already building to the southwest which gave me an opprotunity to test the repairs to the Strikefinder.  They replaced the AC powered heading input wire and sure enough my Strickfinder display is once again slaved to my heading.  Outstanding!

Upon landing at KXFL I was kindly notified by the ground controller that the self-serve fuel pump was offline.  I needed fuel so I taxied up to the FBO and requested full service fuel since it was my only option.  They topped off the plane and kindly charged me the self serve price.  That's customer service!  I hopped back in the plane and headed north for home.  Within an hour the clouds had gone from what you see above to some rapidly building cells as you see below.  Luckily they were widely  scattered so I cruised home, kept a safe distance, and enjoyed the views!

It was great to be back in the air.  Today's flight made some fresh exhaust stains on the newly painted belly, so I better give my plane a good bath and wax job soon to make sure it stays clean and well protected!



5 in the Plane!

My mom is visiting for Thanksgiving so we decided to "fly out" for dinner last night. This was the first time we've had five people in the plane and our Lance performed great! We went to Palm Coast to eat at Hijackers. It has been abnormally warm, even for North Florida weather. Even though the temps are pleasant, the early afternoon flight down was a little bumpy at first, but it settled out pretty quick. Shortly after leveling off at 5,500', we started a gradual descent for the field. Mary did ok, but she really doesn't like being confined to her seat or wearing her hearing protection. The noise isn't to bad so I'm not worried about it right now and other than take-off and landing, she is allowed to happily roam the rear seating area.

We found some nice seats outside and Abby quickly set off for the playground. Since our last visit they have added some nice new swings and teeter-totters. The food was great again. This time I tried their Pasta Carbonara, Kristi had a Chicken Quesadilla, my Mom had the Fried Shrimp Platter, and Abby of course had chicken tenders with fries. I think Abby's favorite part was that her meal came with Oreo cookies! The portions were sizable enough that we all had some leftovers to bring back and enjoy later.

After dinner, while the family strolled on the flight line, I taxied the plane over to the self-serve fuel pump. We loaded up and after a short run-up we were back in the air for the short 25 minute flight home.

The air was smooth and we cruised up the coast and enjoyed the views from 2,800'. The shadows made by the setting sun were pretty cool and we flew right over St Augustine prior to landing back at Craig. It was a nice afternoon of food and flying and I'm thankful the idea for it all came from my wife! Life is good.

HAPPY THANKSGVING EVERYBODY!!!!!

Baby Mary's First Flight

At the ripe old age of 3 months, we took Mary on her first flight. It turned out to be a beautiful Sunday afternoon so we loaded up and headed for the airport.

My biggest concern for Mary has always been what to do about hearing protection. I scoured the web for help and not long after she was born I bought a pair of Peltor Pink Child Earmuffs. We tested them out last week at Abby's cheerleading awards night with marginal success. Mary seemed to tolerate wearing them, but you could see they were still just a little too big; the ear cups wouldn't seal around the top of her ears.

Since I don't feel comfortable sticking ear plugs IN her ear, we chose to use cotton balls placed over her ears that were held in place by a head band. It actually seemed to work pretty well.

The plan was to pre-flight, load the plane, and taxi out for the run-up. If Mary tolerated that, we'd take to the skies. Needles to say, we were airborne without delay or fussing! Mary actually settled in to falling asleep so southward we went for another visit to Flagler County Airport. Abby and I have been there quite a few times, but somehow we never brought Mom! We're fixing that today.

As we flew down, I took another step to look after Mary's hearing. Since we are lucky enough to have a constant speed propeller, I chose to fly at 65% power set with a lower RPM, but higher manifold pressure as per the plane's power setting tables. It made for a much quieter flight and only added a whopping 2 minutes to the flight as compared to running at 75% power and 2400 RPM. As an added bonus, the fuel flow was 1 GPH less too! Every little bit helps!


Lunch at High Jackers, as always, was good. Abby played on the playground while Kristi, Mary, and I enjoyedthe views from our table in the shade. As soon as lunch was over, we loaded up, took of for the skies again, and headed home. Again, Mary slept a little and I even caught Abby enjoying the views outside the plane more instead of playing her DSi!

With that successful flight, it is time to plan a trip. Who knows, weather and work permitting, maybe we'll get away very soon.

So Mary, what did you think of your first flight?????