Back In The Air!

My medical finally arrived in the mail yesterday. I sent a text to Pete at work and we met up in the early afternoon today. After a thorough preflight we jumped in the plane for my first engine start in two months! Unfortunately my left side seat belt pulled out from below when I went to tighten it! Oh well, after five minutes it was properly reattached and we went through the start up sequence again. The engine roared to life and we taxied to RWY 5 for a VFR departure.

The run-up, VOR checks, and take-off were great and we departed to the south and eventually turned west while paying very close attention to everything since a lot of maintenance and down time have occurred since the last flight. With everything working great we proceeded on to Ocala (KOCF) for lunch.

Everything running smooth!

We had some huge,tasty burgers at the Tailwind Cafe and departed back for Craig Field. Enroute we flew over Jumbolair Aviation Estates and you could see John Travolta's house with his Boeing 707 parked in front (sorry no pic). We had a smooth flight back. The oil temps still seem to be a little higher, but the oil cooler overhaul appears to have helped a little. We'll keep an eye on it. The new audio panel worked great. I have a lot to learn about it, but so far so good. I LOVE the new panel layout. It is exactly what I wanted and put everything in a nice clean and usable presentation. Next flight will be in days, not weeks or months!

**Pete took a few pictures so when he sends them to me I will post them.

Great News Today!

After pretty much being on the road for two weeks for Thanksgiving and work, I was extremely disappointed to come home and not have my medical waiting for me in the mail. I called the FAA today to plead, cry, bribe, or whatever I could to get it, but before I could do anything they told me I was cleared on December 1st and my medical was in the mail!

I also haven't seen the completed panel project since it was finished around Thanksgiving. So after work I made a quick dash out to the hangar to check it out. It looks great! I can't wait to go fly this week and check out the new layout.

Here is a list of what was done:

Upgraded the audio panel and intercom to a PMA8000BT which upgrades us to one unit with stereo and Bluetooth
Swapped the KX155 Nav 2 radio and indicator to ones with glideslope capability
Removed the Argus Moving Map and ADF receiver
Moved the Strikefinder to the pilot's side of the panel for easier viewing
Placed the Garmin 496 portable GPS in a panel dock
Installed a handheld VHF plug to access the plane's antenna with the handheld if needed
Installed a 12V power port between the rear seats for passengers
Relocated a few other minor items
The engine monitor was upgraded this summer


I'll try to get better pictures soon, but here is an initial before & after set:



Before



After

Grounded.......grrrrrr! A T D

So I went to finally go take a friend flying two weeks ago and the plane wouldn't start. I didn't think it would be the battery since I just installed a new Concorde sealed battery a few months ago. So over to the maintenance shop I walked and after a few tests it was determined that my started gave up the ghost.  It's not an unusual repair, but of course since I have air conditioning all the brackets for the a/c and alternator surrounding the starter had to come off to get it replaced. It was an agonizing event just to watch and pay for.

By the next afternoon, the plane was fixed and I was back in the air and made a quick jaunt to get some cheaper gas. I got home and got all my paperwork ready to visit my Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) the next morning for my annual Special Issuance (SI) renewal. I have had a SI for the last 7 years due to sleep apnea and keratoconus. It has never been too much trouble to deal with. My original SI was good for six years and every year the FAA would send the same letter and authorization back that said I was cleared to fly and to resubmit my stuff again next year. The letters also always said I could either save money and send my reports directly to the FAA or I could go to my AME and he could reissue for another year.

Since moving to Jacksonville I had not found an new AME until last year when my physical was due. So this year I decided I would pay the fee and see him so I wouldn't have to wait on the FAA again. WRONG!!! I always tell people,"A T D" which stands for Attention To Detail. Well I didn't take my own advice and just read the FAA's letter last year that said I was good for another year, resubmit by Sept 30, and blah, blah, blah. Well the blah, blah, blah part was new and said I must send this years reports directly to the FAA, the new SI is only valid for one year, and an AME no longer has any authority to help. Grrrrrr!

So here I sit, waiting to get that nice letter back in the mail like I do every year except this time I waited too long and I'm grounded until I get it!

Never the less, I decided to take advantage of the down time. I have been chasing some higher oil temps for a while. All other temps are great and we checked the oil cooler lines and the vernatherm seat during the annual in June. All the other usual suspects checked out OK, but I couldn't find anything in the aircraft's logbook that anything had ever been done to the oil coolers since new in 1977! So off the coolers and vernatherm came and they are off to Pacific Oil Cooler Service for overhaul.

I am also having a minor avionics upgrade and some panel rearrangement done. I really didn't want to spend this money yet, but I felt it was best to take advantage of the forced downtime so when the plane and I are both legally ready to fly, it will be set up and running a little better than she has been. I'll post pictures and details when the work is done. The rest of you..........get out there and enjoy this awesome weather!