Fly with Us

ms80831

PRA member since 1973
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
1,546
Location
Colorado Springs CO.
Aircraft
Cessna 210 +, Xenon RST, Citabria
Total Flight Time
2000+
.

Each flight is entered in order by Date.

NEW FLIGHT ADDED >
The latest flight (1-24-2014) is at the end of the thread. Page 6 post #80 .


Latest Flight Link > http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27619&page=6

OR - from the begining flights of this thread
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LOGBOOK Monday Oct 11, 2010

Todd and I met just after sunrise to do the preflight on Xenon 9MB.

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It's a crisp fall morning with blue skies to the South, and low clouds and the hint of the just dissipating morning ground fog to the North. Our course lies to the North.

Today we are heading to Denver's Centennial Airport to meet with Dick Goddard and Mark Treidel, to have breakfast and to talk about a new Colorado PRA chapter (among other things. hangar flying , remembering the good ole days etc.)

The weather ahead has a few areas to watch, like Monument Hill AWOS is reporting a 1 degree temp/dew point spread, but currently a 2,000 foot overcast. So we launch.

Xenon Take off from Meadow Lake Airport 10-11-2010 on Vimeo


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There are Low Ceilings over the Black Forest, but we get under with plenty of room. The clouds have lifted a little since the last hour weather report, and visibility is good, and improving.
Unfortunately we have a 12 to 20 knot headwind, lowering our ground speed to around 55 or 60 knots.


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Soon we are upon the fall colors in Castlewood Canyon, just over the county line in Douglas County.

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At the end of Castlewood Canyon, Denver Centennial is ahead just a few minutes flying time.

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9MB: Centennial Tower Xenon Experimental Light Sport GyroCopter 719MB is abeam KOA with Whiskey in a left base for 2 8.

APA: GyroCopter 9MB enter a left downwind for Runway 17Left, 2 8 has men and equipment working on a runway light.

9MB: 9 Mike Bravo Roger, One Seven Left.
As we pass 2 8 we see the truck clear the runway.
APA: 9er Mike Bravo, Runway 2-8 cleared to land.
9MB: 9 Mike Bravo, Cleared for 28, and request to land long on the West end of Runway 28.
APA: 9er Mike Bravo, cleared as requested..

Landing APA 10-11-2010 on Vimeo



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Obviously security must be lax at Centennial, as we saw what appeared to be some shady characters hanging out in front of the Jet Center entrance.
(Turned out they were Gyro pilots, confirming our worst suspicions. )
But fortunately, it was just Dick and Mark, our breakfast companions for today's outing, men of fine character and 2 of Colorado's most experienced high altitude Gyro pilots.
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L to R Mark Treidel, Dick Goddard, and Yours Truly. (Photo by Todd Rieck)
 
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Had a great breakfast and a long conversation. The Colorado Chapter appears to have more than the 5 required members interested. There are still details to work out.
Time to check weather for an update, and prepare for departure.

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After saying goodbye to the Denver Gyro pilots, it was time to taxi out for take off.

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We were cleared to Runway one zero via the ramp, and after a runup and a hold for landing traffic, we are cleared for take off, right turn out approved.

Take Off APA 10-11-2010 on Vimeo



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We cruise toward home in the sunshine with a 15 knot tailwind.

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Time to tune in the new AWOS at FLY (Meadow Lake Airport)

Its reporting clear with wind 320 at 12 gusting to 18.

We enter a close in right downwind and announce a short approach to the north end of runway 3 3.


YouTube - Landing Meadow Lake Airport 10-11-2010.wmv





Thanks for flying with us.

Todd & Mark

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What can I say, another great day with great friends. Was great to see Dick and Mark again and it is so amazing how a gyro can turn a long distance into a short fun trip and bring friends together. And Mark, I cannot thank you enough for sharing the dream with me.
Todd aka "Racer"
 
Very nicely put together!

Very nicely put together!

Thank you for having us along.

Vance
 
Thank You Vance.

One of the things I look forward to is sharing your flights up and down the California coast through your great storytelling and Ed's pictures. Glad I could return the favor.

Reading your past adventures last year when my new gyro was in a hangar in Florida, and I was home watching it snow in Colorado made me appreciate your efforts, and that's when I decided that I would buy a new camera and try to take some pictures when I finally got to fly my Xenon.

This sport is just too good not to share.

Thank You for all you do to promote the sport, just by showing whoever cares to look at this forum just what you did yesterday for fun !

Mark

PS. I wouldn't have any pictures to post if it was not for my co pilot and friend Todd. It is a team effort.
 
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What can I say, another great day with great friends. Was great to see Dick and Mark again and it is so amazing how a gyro can turn a long distance into a short fun trip and bring friends together. And Mark, I cannot thank you enough for sharing the dream with me.
Todd aka "Racer"

Todd

Without you to take the pictures, all I would have are memories.

Did you ever try to tell someone about the cool thing you saw, and end up saying, "well you just would have had to be there". Words, at least my attempts at words alone don't explain 1/100th of the information to someone that adding the pictures, or even more so, adding the moving pictures (video) does.

Besides, nothing like taking a great flight and having a fellow pilot to share it with. Non pilots think it is all easy. Pilots know when a great landing or manever took some skill.

A "not bad" from a pilot you respect is like winning the Nobel peace prize to a pilot. (except without the money.)


Mark
 
Thanks for posting your flight.
Very clear pictures of country I may never get to see first hand. Can you tell me about the one with the road to no where. Was that once a bridge ? What happened to it ?
Colin
 
Mark- Thanks for posting more exceptional videos. We will keep you assigned to cover the mountain time zone, Vance has the pacific time zone, Mike Hughes and Tim O'. are covering the eastern time zone, and I will keep everyone informed what's happening in the cornfields of Illinois. Stan
 
Mark- Thanks for posting more exceptional videos. We will keep you assigned to cover the mountain time zone, Vance has the pacific time zone, Mike Hughes and Tim O'. are covering the eastern time zone, and I will keep everyone informed what's happening in the cornfields of Illinois. Stan

Oh, I get it RNN. Kinda like the Rotor News Network.

.."This is Mark Shook in Xenon Chopper One for the Rotor News Network.."

I like it. LOL
 
Looks like a great time! thanks!

.
 
Hi Mark

Thanks ever so much for the pics and vids, since you are obviously in the air a lot around there and somewhat "seen a lot" how is the aviation community looking at the autogyro ??? Also what engine is in the gyro??

Tony
 
Thanks for the reply Mark

Tony
 
LOGBOOK Friday Oct 28, 2010

LOGBOOK Friday Oct 28, 2010

LOGBOOK Friday Oct 28, 2010

I was in California last week, and had to cancel our Monday flight and catch up on my work.

Friday, the weather was forecast to be great. Todd has the mornings off as he works the afternoon swing shift, so we met just after Sunrise on Friday to preflight.

Today we are flying down to the Spitfire grill at the Pueblo Airport for breakfast.

Pre flight OK except, oops, need fuel. So we taxied from the Commercial hangars East down Meadow Lake's crosswind runway to my house. (I have a 500 gallon tank with Premium unleaded treated with marine sta -bil, just for occasions like this. )

As we fuel up, I brief Todd on the weather and winds. It is forecast to have a tail wind both directions due to a wind shift forecast for the time period we are on the ground in Pueblo.

WE line up on the dirt portion of Runway 26 , next to my house. Spin up, and blast off, with at South turn halfway to the main runway (15-33).


YouTube - Take Off Meadow Lake 10-28-2010.wmv



On the way to Pueblo about 5 miles south of the airport, Todd gets some nice aerial shots of
Dragon Mans shooting range where you can shoot 50 Cal machine guns, or play paint ball with your team on 8 different courses.

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They sell all types of hand guns, and notably you can buy a full auto AK-47, Uzi, or semi auto ar-15 for a very good price.

WE divert a few miles west of a direct course to follow 1-25 and Fountain Creek.
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PPIR Race Track Half way between Colorado Springs and Pueblo

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Abeam KOAA-Tv's broadcast Tower 5 miles from the Pueblo Airport



Pueblo has an Air Force training operation run by Doss aviation. They dispatch between 5 and 20 Diamond Katana's (Call sign Tiger 11 through whatever) every hour.

Inbound we have a Tiger 50 feet above us cross 90 degrees a quater mile in front of us. There are 2 Tigers inbound for a full stop on Runway 17, 3 doing touch and go's on the south runway 26Left, and one inbound for 26Right

Pueblo can be a busy place.

Because we were inbound from the North, we were cleared to land on the 10,000 foot long runway 26R. We enter a right downwind for 26Right.

Two Katana's (Tiger 13 and Tiger 15) pass below us on final for 17.


We are cleared to land number 2 for 26R.

I proceeded to set up for a mid field touchdown to be near the cross taxiway, when the tower then cleared us to land "on the ramp".

See video..


YouTube - Landing on the ramp Pueblo.wmv

The owner of Flower Aviation lets us park right in front. They are very friendly and welcoming, even though we don't buy gas as they don't sell premium auto fuel.

A short walk to the Spitfire restuarant in the terminal.

We both order the breakfast special, pancakes, bacon and eggs.

The waitress is a character. She introduces us to her husband, who we spend the next 30 minutes talking about airplanes with.

Soon its time for the flight home.


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Fountain Creek (extreme left of frame ), Fountain valley and I 25 South of Fountain Colorado.
 
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The Flight Home ...

After a great breakfast, it is time to depart for home.

A quick preflight, and off we go.

The gyro sat about 45 minutes, but the oil was still very warm, and everything was in the green.

TOWER: GyroCopter 9 Mike Bravo, maintain runway heading, I will call your north turn, cleared for take off runway 8 right.

As you will see in the video below, we had a good climb rate .

TOWER: GyroCopter 9Mike Bravo, Cessna on left downwind for 8 left, report him in sight... 9MB, pass behind the Cessna, north turn on course approved.

As we begin to leave the airport to the north (at about 2:49 in the video below), our attention was abruptly turned to the engine.

OH NO, NOT an ENGINE FAILURE

The power abruptly dropped as if you had turned off the fuel.

As you can see, cameraman Todd Rieck dropped the camera and began to pay very close attention to my emergency turn back to the runway.

Is it the gear reduction? the engine? the fuel? the fuel pump? No , No, No. (Fly the aircraft, fly the aircraft.)

My instructors voice from my student pilot days kept sounding in my memory from all those years ago. First, fly the aircraft.)

I have flown to a safe landing 4 full engine failures in the last 35 years. Was this my 5th??

I can do this.

I reduced the throttle, and held about half throttle. The engine recovered, but I didn't want to push it to full throttle until I had my runway made, as I didn't want to chance it stopping altogether.

9MB: Pueblo Tower, Gyrocopter 9MB has an engine problem, need an immediate clearance for 26 Left.
After a repeat, we were cleared to land.

Traffic was using both 8 right and left, and there was a Tiger (an Air Force Diamond Katana) taking off on 8 left 8,000 feet west at the opposite end of the long runway. To avoid him , I was in a shallow decent to the shorter runway next to the tower 26 left or the opposite end of 8 right that we had just taken off on.

As I advanced the throttle when I was over the runway. I had normal power. This was now a precautionary landing. In less than 30 seconds, the emergency nature started to fade, and now it was , land, and find out what caused this.

We taxied clear of the runway onto the Flower Aviation Ramp we had just left 4 minutes before. After letting the blades spin down, we exited and began to inspect, and poke around.

10 minutes passed. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, I fired up the Rotax. Totally normal.

Half throttle, then full throttle, then lower, then higher. Power at idle, power to full throttle.

All normal. We began to suspect, and it was later confirmed, we had experienced a temporary mild case of vapor lock.


Video of our first take off, and engine problem >



http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27853





Less than 20 minutes later, we are lined up once again on Runway 8 right, and cleared for takeoff.

For some reason, Todd forgot all about the camera, and just listened intently for any sign of a hiccup.

There was none. Full Power climb, uneventful cruise home.



About 30 minutes later, we were handed off by Colorado Springs approach to ..." squawk 1200, frequency change approved.."

Approaching Meadow Lake, we heard a familiar voice calling. It was my son Tommy in Citabria 4 8 November. He was out flying with my 15 year old grandson Tyler.

They came along side to say hi as we entered downwind in formation, a blue aerobatic tail dragger, and a yellow enclosed gyrocopter.

PHOTO

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As we taxied to my hangar, I said to Todd, Our weekly flights are a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them.

With a big grin, Todd agreed.

END.
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