- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,363
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
It rained Thursday and Friday. It was supposed to rain today.
The air smelled fresh and clean and as is often the case the storm trailed gusting winds behind.
I looked out my window and the clean crisp air called to me. I couldn’t see the wind but when I checked ATIS at Santa Maria (SMX) it was 320 degrees at 18kts gusting to 26kts. San Luis Obispo (SBP) was a little worse. I checked Weather Meister and they had a 33% chance of showers. The picture from the national weather service had the lightning bolts through it. Some of the clouds had a dark underbelly. There were two large lots covered with frost just east of us and there had been frost warnings the night before.
I tried to suppress my urge to fly. I couldn’t see the wind and out the front window toward the Santa Maria Valley I couldn’t see the cold.
By noon it was 52 degrees F and the bottom of the clouds had lightened up a little. I had managed to ignore the cold and when I checked; the wind had not subsided.
I put on my thermal underwear and a sweatshirt and found the house a little on the warm side even though I had shut off the heater at 9:00.
I seized a moment of insanity and rushed out the door. The top on the M Roadster was still down.
I felt I had finally fixed my ANR head set on Thursday and wanted to see how it worked. I have been messing with it since July as well as the radio challenge that had cropped up after my annual in July.
The drive to the airport was quick and my ears had only begun to identify that it was cold. Being able to see my breath should have tipped me off. Hank and the heater were blasting.
The Predator was ready to go. I called Lockheed Martin and there was an airmet for turbulence but nothing for fog.
I was shouting “CLEAR PROP!” in less than a half hour.
I had a new costume that was the next size bigger so I could have layers and it worked great. It is a slightly thicker, softer fabric than my tan flight suit. I purchased it at Air Venture and this was my first chance to try it.
I was thrilled with my ANR head set the moment she burst to life. It would seem they have not been working properly for some time or else flying with them not working has had an impact on my hearing. My side tone was strong and the improved performance helped me to locate the radio noise which is coming from my left magneto, the one on the right side of the engine.
The wind socks were straight out and whipping through around 30 degrees as we taxied to runway 30.
There was a row of four T6s parked in front of the hotel. I have no idea what that is about.
Run up went well and I requested a straight out with a slight right.
“Experimental 142 Mike Golf, Straight out with a slight right approved, runway 30 clear for takeoff.”
The wind helped the blades come up quickly and the front tire was soon trying to jump off the runway. I fed in the power and soon saw 1,300 feet per minute climb with 30kts of ground speed. I went right past 800 feet before I could pull the power back. We were soon rocking and rolling our way across the valley catching more lift than sink.
At the Water Tower I called the San Luis Obispo tower inbound 13 miles to the south east with Victor at 1,300 feet. "I would like to come in through the Avilla Pass." I was to report left downwind for runway 29.
After the rocking and rolling escalated I called back and asked for a straight in. It sometimes gets kind of wild in the pass on windy days.
As I breached the Edna Valley I was reminded why I had turned around in the low ceilings. They have some big wires going right across where I was flying.
Two friends of mine were on the radio as I worked my way across the valley and reported four miles.
She gave me a gratuitous wind check as we crossed the numbers; 240 degrees at 22 gusting to 32. I could not find the gusts and it was all I could do to keep from going backward just before touchdown.
“I love this stuff!” I said out loud as I pulled up to restaurant parking. I filled out my log book and my friend and neighbor invited me to join his cousin for lunch just before my friend with the Glass Air made the same invitation. My neighbor was eating on the patio and I was not cold enough to eat inside.
It was his cousin’s first flight in a small plane and he was very excited. I explained that I never tire of this simple flight and as the lunch settled in and the hangar flying continued I think he understood.
My neighbor told a great story about landing a Cessna 172 on the 101.
Thank you, Vance
The air smelled fresh and clean and as is often the case the storm trailed gusting winds behind.
I looked out my window and the clean crisp air called to me. I couldn’t see the wind but when I checked ATIS at Santa Maria (SMX) it was 320 degrees at 18kts gusting to 26kts. San Luis Obispo (SBP) was a little worse. I checked Weather Meister and they had a 33% chance of showers. The picture from the national weather service had the lightning bolts through it. Some of the clouds had a dark underbelly. There were two large lots covered with frost just east of us and there had been frost warnings the night before.
I tried to suppress my urge to fly. I couldn’t see the wind and out the front window toward the Santa Maria Valley I couldn’t see the cold.
By noon it was 52 degrees F and the bottom of the clouds had lightened up a little. I had managed to ignore the cold and when I checked; the wind had not subsided.
I put on my thermal underwear and a sweatshirt and found the house a little on the warm side even though I had shut off the heater at 9:00.
I seized a moment of insanity and rushed out the door. The top on the M Roadster was still down.
I felt I had finally fixed my ANR head set on Thursday and wanted to see how it worked. I have been messing with it since July as well as the radio challenge that had cropped up after my annual in July.
The drive to the airport was quick and my ears had only begun to identify that it was cold. Being able to see my breath should have tipped me off. Hank and the heater were blasting.
The Predator was ready to go. I called Lockheed Martin and there was an airmet for turbulence but nothing for fog.
I was shouting “CLEAR PROP!” in less than a half hour.
I had a new costume that was the next size bigger so I could have layers and it worked great. It is a slightly thicker, softer fabric than my tan flight suit. I purchased it at Air Venture and this was my first chance to try it.
I was thrilled with my ANR head set the moment she burst to life. It would seem they have not been working properly for some time or else flying with them not working has had an impact on my hearing. My side tone was strong and the improved performance helped me to locate the radio noise which is coming from my left magneto, the one on the right side of the engine.
The wind socks were straight out and whipping through around 30 degrees as we taxied to runway 30.
There was a row of four T6s parked in front of the hotel. I have no idea what that is about.
Run up went well and I requested a straight out with a slight right.
“Experimental 142 Mike Golf, Straight out with a slight right approved, runway 30 clear for takeoff.”
The wind helped the blades come up quickly and the front tire was soon trying to jump off the runway. I fed in the power and soon saw 1,300 feet per minute climb with 30kts of ground speed. I went right past 800 feet before I could pull the power back. We were soon rocking and rolling our way across the valley catching more lift than sink.
At the Water Tower I called the San Luis Obispo tower inbound 13 miles to the south east with Victor at 1,300 feet. "I would like to come in through the Avilla Pass." I was to report left downwind for runway 29.
After the rocking and rolling escalated I called back and asked for a straight in. It sometimes gets kind of wild in the pass on windy days.
As I breached the Edna Valley I was reminded why I had turned around in the low ceilings. They have some big wires going right across where I was flying.
Two friends of mine were on the radio as I worked my way across the valley and reported four miles.
She gave me a gratuitous wind check as we crossed the numbers; 240 degrees at 22 gusting to 32. I could not find the gusts and it was all I could do to keep from going backward just before touchdown.
“I love this stuff!” I said out loud as I pulled up to restaurant parking. I filled out my log book and my friend and neighbor invited me to join his cousin for lunch just before my friend with the Glass Air made the same invitation. My neighbor was eating on the patio and I was not cold enough to eat inside.
It was his cousin’s first flight in a small plane and he was very excited. I explained that I never tire of this simple flight and as the lunch settled in and the hangar flying continued I think he understood.
My neighbor told a great story about landing a Cessna 172 on the 101.
Thank you, Vance