Tuesday, November 27, 2007

On Top in a Columbia 400




In case you are wondering what a Mooney owner is doing in a Columbia, you can check this link. We have just broken out of our IFR climbout at 5000'. I tried to get a video of the climbout, but the batteries in my camera need to be changed. IAS is about 170 and it is bumpy. Things happen fast in the Columbia.




When we got tired of being bounced around and asked for 7000' which is shown in this photo. Being on top is just beautiful. Getting there so fast with a great plane is even better!

Valerie!


Hi, Valerie! This is a real story, which neither of us believe. While planning a day trip with the Mooney, I called ahead to the FBO and asked if I could use the crew car for a few hours. On arrival, I was greeted by a wonderful friendly lady who had a great smile who asked me to fill out the arrival form asking me for the tail number, name, phone number, etc. She handed the keys to me and asked when I would return.

A few hours later, I came back and she was still smiling. But, that was when she started to ask questions, lots of questions. At first, I thought "Oh, my God, not ANOTHER paternity suit!" Thankfully, it was not that problem. After seeing my name, Valerie determined we had probably known each other from High School. Her incisive questioning verified her suspicions after I quietly answered "Yes" to attending the High School, growing up in the area, and being a close friend to Jay, her boyfriend and finally recognizing her!

I was so surprised! I could not believe that I would run into anyone I would remotely know, especially in this circumstance. In High School, I had a few really good friends. Almost all of us had steady girl friends as Seniors, but Valerie and Jay were probably the best know item around our school. Valerie was just about the prettiest girl we had ever seen in real life. Jay intended to go to Vetrinary School after attending Cornell. It sounded pretty nice.

After catching up a bit, Valerie informed me the relationship did not last and finally they went their separate ways. She has a family of her own now and Jay moved to San Diego. I told her, that I had not seen or heard from Jay in a long time. Jay, I know you are out there somewhere. Buddy, as I see it, you made two big mistakes in your life. The first was not going to Vet school. Had you gone, you could be doing doggie cataracts and right now you would be owning that King Air which Valerie is standing next to. The second mistake was Valerie. The photo says it all.

I look forward to stopping by the FBO whenever I can to catch up on more news from Valerie. She is a great person and how nice it is to actually know the person at the desk hundred of miles from home.

Thank you again for being so nice to me.

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Next Mission


We discovered on the first cross country that the 530WAAS had a receiver problem. We were able to transmit and were heard but had a difficult time to hear ATC. I reported this to the avionics shop and the 530W is replaced with a loaner while the receiver is bench tested. I have also prepared a jumper cable for my Yaesu handheld and will plan to test the emergency antenna on the trip today. It is cold outside and my friend's new Columbia was pulled out of the hangar. I am doing the preflight in a warm hangar while he is clearing the frost off his plane just outside. It was only outside for half an hour.




This is my neighbor inside the hangar. I guess I am keeping pretty good company! When I showed this photo to my wife, she wanted to know "Is that a Boeing? Remember, I'm not Going if it isn't a Boeing!" I'm hoping to get a ride someday. It will probably be a long wait.





Prior to the preflight, I was talking to one of my instructors who did not have good photo of advection fog. Along the trip today, I spotted another example. I did not get a wider photo, but this area included a linear band of lake fog for miles with just a slight spread to land. This is really an interesting photo. In general the whole area today was covered with low valley fog and this limited the photo opportunities.


Just to the North of the lake, later in the day, I shot this of some nearby canals. Actually, it is interesting how the leaves have changed suddenly in the last week. Anyway, the handheld radio works well. The loaner 530W seems to hear find compared to my original radio. Now the best news, I refuel at my destination and calculate the fuel burn. I require just shy of 34 gallons for 420mi, two climbouts and 3.7 hours. This is going to be less than 10 gallons per hour, while maintaining a solid 150kts groundspeed. Nothing like a Mooney for speed and efficiency. The only way I could top this is a diesel conversion. Maybe someday?

Sunday, November 4, 2007

First Cross Country


This is the first cross country for the M20J. I have flight planned for 5000' and George is now flying so I can get a few photos and check the weather at my destination. The autopilot is doing a great job. It frees up one's mind for other tasks and enjoying the flight. My ground speed is averaging 150kts. I figure a bit over 1.5 hrs to my destination in a river valley just South of the mountains. The air is smooth and about 5C. My calculated airspeed is now 170kts. The Mooney is doing a very fine job.




Prior to departure, the only airport with IFR was near this lake. Visibilities were down to 1/2 mile with low ceilings. I grabbed this shot of the nearby town. This shows an interesting interface on the surface of the lake with fog suddenly building over the lake and spreading across the town. Whisps of fog are seen along the ground, but also only downwind. This is a cool example of advection fog.



This windmill farm showed up a few minutes later. There were a dozen or more but this shot seemed particularly interesting on a low hill.





I have time for a self-portrait while George flies the Mooney. My son, Kyle, says the Mooney needs a new interior. He has good taste. Maybe next year.



ATC has vectored me for the ILS and the autopilot is on the glideslope. I wish I had the opportunity to make a video, maybe next time. I decouple the 55X at about 400' above the ground and take it in. The thing is amazing. On the way back, I hand fly it on the ILS. It requires just a bit more concentration. Either way, the more I use the plane, the more comfortable I become.