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What did you do with your RV this weekend? (11/21/2020 - 11/22/2020)

Flew with a Jenny

While flying Saturday I heard over the radio that the Jenny from Bowling Green, KY was flying. I found it and joined up to get a few pictures, only had my phone.

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Took a short flight out to the mountains west of home in Red Deer, Alberta. Destination was overflight of Ram Falls airstrip, a field that my flying club maintains that I flew into back in August. After a very smooth flight I was greeted with a quick 12 knot jump in the winds to 31 kt just as I arrived over the field. It got quite rough quickly and I was well above maneuvering speed, so I turned around and got out of there. Rode the tailwind home. 1.2 hours air time, 162 NM round trip, ~11 gal burned. Good times.

Ram Falls strip is just left of the nose on the second picture.
 

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I broke 1000TT in mine. :)

Then I finished my second EAA 1000 workbench in the hangar. Starting to shape up into a proper man-cave.

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Return to service test flight

Well...I finally got a test flight in to return the plane to service after:

New left tank

New Propeller

New (correct: LEFT-RIGHT-OFF) Andair fuel valve
- Was LEFT-BOTH-RIGHT-OFF

New fuel lines from the valve to the left tank, aux pump, existing right tank line. Right tank line installed correctly UNDER a wire bundle (was over) and better supported by Adels

New GDL 82 ADS-B install.

Plane performed beautifully, ADS-B report shows 0% failure in all categories. Asked for a 2000 foot hold over the airport while I tested the tank, lines, valve and prop. ATC was extremely helpful. Egress the hold and do the other checks outside of ATC control but high enough to get back to the airport if the engine failed. ATC knew that my head was going to be inside the cockpit more than usual so they kept me aware of traffic in the area and told me when they were no longer a factor. Asked me how things were going. When I replied "Rock solid" they cheered. I thanked them profusely while taxiing back in.

All tests passed.

Collected some new data for power off (clean and landing config ) and power on stalls. Slow flight.

But it was a struggle to get that flight in over the last few weeks:

3 weeks ago:

I finally got the GDL 82 ADS-B and its GPS antenna installed and had troubles testing it. Found out it was a bad USB cable and ELT antenna feedback. Replaced USB cable and added some filters in the Comm and ELT antennae and the tests passed.

2 weeks ago:

So then I'm putting the seats back in and working the controls and I feel a binding at full left aileron. I diagnose it and have the mechanic check my diagnosis. I'm right and we fix it.

Last Weekend:

Ok ready to fly. Do the pre-flight. Check the weather one more time - I don't want high winds or crosswinds.

The wind turned gusty, high, and crosswind to the runway. Not safe enough for a test flight. I don't want any extra considerations on my mind for a test flight. Plus I hadn't flown in a while.

I stand down.


Yesterday, November 21:

Pre-flight the plane, winds nice and low. I start the engine and taxi to the run-up area. Left mag check fails.

Taxi back to the hangar.

Mechanic just happened to be there to wash his plane and suggests which plugs to pull. I pull 2 spark plugs off. One is fouled. He cleans it and re-install it. Many thanks to Dylan.

Get in the plane, do a quick check - problem solved. Taxi to run-up and do another full run-up - all good.

So then I fly. Boy was I happy to get back into the air. Felt right at home too. Nice landing.
 
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We celebrated the life of a pretty amazing man/wife/family that had befriended us years ago when we moved to town. I had to dust off my organ playing skills when the family asked if I would play, I played in grade school and my skill level remains there.
When I found out the honor guard was doing their thing for his Air Force Service I offered to do a basic fly-over, I'd enlisted my RV buddy Mcdoogle for the fly-over. I had an early music practice with the singers, then met McDoogle at the airport for a practice run. Back to church for the funeral, Lil' Dude was counting down the songs till we could head to the airport. Believe it or not he likes wearing the suit.....

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McDoogle coordinated with the honor guard, a friend running a radio at the airport and my wife on the ground all helped to ensure we had an accurate time hack to overfly at the right time. En-route back to the airport I was able to get a little wingman time.

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A pit stop for lunch and fuel a friend had to show us his new toy.

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Man I dig this kiddo, he has to drive on my lap to the gate then help me lock it......

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A pit stop at the local brewery on the way home for a drink and a couple hands of dinosaur Uno.

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OBBI

Even thought I'm not in the same country as my RV I spent this weekend on FCF with my newly made Vans Aircraft patch longing to fly.. Three preflights, a leaky nose gearbox, and a leaky engine oil tank later we finally got the bird airbone today. Plus we managed to shut down an international airport for over an hour on Sunday, a first for me. What a weekend!

 
Crooked Creek Diary Farm

A (semi) local Dairy Farm named Crooked Creek Dairy has a GA pilot owner! 1900' grass strip located right on the farm for people to fly in and go buy some local hormone free, grass fed beef and milk products. They even have ice cream and Egg Nog for sale right now :)

And of course... Ladies love taildraggers, you can see them staring.
 

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Getting rolling again.....

In late August I successfully convinced my wife that we should buy a 172 that was for sale locally. She offered little resistance so I took advantage of a good situation (don’t hate me for picking up a spam can, it was a good deal though in need of an annual requiring a bit of work, and now I can fly AND build) A local A&P supervised me while I worked through the squawks, and got it going again in early October. Been flying the heck out of it. Finally getting back to work on the RV-8, finishing up wiring and putting holes in the panel for the future goodies that belong there. No RVating, but wrench turning on the RV, which is almost as good. Plus took the 172 to D25 (Manitowish Waters, WI), and then down the road, vi a friend who lives there and his pickup truck, to Little Bohemia Lodge, Dillinger got in a shootout there with the FBI some 80 years or so ago. There are still bullet holes in the walls, a lot of them, probably hundreds. I’d recommend it to anyone within an afternoons’ flight.
 
First pax!

With 41.9 hours on the Hobbs, it was a beautiful day to go flying with No. 2 son, my go-to bucking partner. He posted this pic on something called "Insta-gram". Is that part of the electric Internet all the kids are using? :rolleyes: Apparently I'm--for now--a cool Dad again.

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Full disclosure: flight was on Friday Nov 20th, but it still counts as this weekend since I took PTO. Besides, it was after 00:00:00Z when we landed. So there. :)
 
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Even thought I'm not in the same country as my RV I spent this weekend on FCF with my newly made Vans Aircraft patch longing to fly.. Three preflights, a leaky nose gearbox, and a leaky engine oil tank later we finally got the bird airbone today. Plus we managed to shut down an international airport for over an hour on Sunday, a first for me. What a weekend!


Vans should officially sell those patches, I bet they'd make a mint!
 
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