jmaynard
Cleared for Takeoff
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2008
- Messages
- 1,487
- Location
- Fairmont, Minnesota
- Display Name
Display name:
Jay Maynard
I flew more yesterday than I've ever flown in one day: 8.1 hours.
The original plan was to fly up to Crookston, Minnesota (KCKN) to visit another Zodiac owner and see what he did to hhis airplane to make it ready for the winter. I was hanging out at the airport Friday, watching as a 150 owner tried to figure out why he was getting a hiss out of one cylinder on the compression stroke, and was reminded that I was overdue for an oil change at 81 hours tach. While I was doing that, another owner told me that the airport in the next town over was going to try to do 250 Young Eagles flights in 6 hours for a Boy Scout expo, and they were looking for help. I figured I'd go over there and help for a while, then head north.
I got up at 5, and made it to the airport by 6:15. Preflighted, departed the first moment it was legal under the sport pilot rule (30 minutes before sunrise), got over to KSBU well before the first kids showed up, got coffee, got briefed, and after the first video finished, got going. I made 5 flights in all, not as many as the guys in their Bonanzas, but fun nonetheless.
About 10:45, I left for KCKN. Headwinds, ugh. The planned two and a half hours turned into 3.1. On the way there, I had flight following, but it wound up in the computer funny: Grand Forks Approach cleared me to descend and maintain 4000, and a little later cleared me for the visual approach to runway 13 and told me to advise cancelling IFR on his frequency. "Uhm, 5ZC is VFR..." Spent a pleasant couple of hours with the owner of the other Zodiac, and found that most of what he'd done with his canopy wasn't needed on my airplane due to design changes.
Left KCKN and made a short flight to 3H4 (Hillsboro Muni, ND) so I could say I've landed in North Dakota and get in a ConUS claim. I'm finding that it's not at all uncommon for an unattended municipal airport to have a pretty nice pilot lounge and, especially, restroom (which I needed). 3H4 is no exception. Got out of there and back enroute, with a l-o-n-g climb to 9500, and went almost straight over the top of KFAR on the way.
It was getting dark by the time I got back to Fairmont. I got in just before the end of the sport pilot day. I hadn't made a night landing in 15 years, but this one was one of my better ones. (Shame I can't log it as night.) Whoever it was that said I brought my A game to the tough landings is right, I think.
I was completely wasted by the time I got home. It was a long day, but well worth it.
The original plan was to fly up to Crookston, Minnesota (KCKN) to visit another Zodiac owner and see what he did to hhis airplane to make it ready for the winter. I was hanging out at the airport Friday, watching as a 150 owner tried to figure out why he was getting a hiss out of one cylinder on the compression stroke, and was reminded that I was overdue for an oil change at 81 hours tach. While I was doing that, another owner told me that the airport in the next town over was going to try to do 250 Young Eagles flights in 6 hours for a Boy Scout expo, and they were looking for help. I figured I'd go over there and help for a while, then head north.
I got up at 5, and made it to the airport by 6:15. Preflighted, departed the first moment it was legal under the sport pilot rule (30 minutes before sunrise), got over to KSBU well before the first kids showed up, got coffee, got briefed, and after the first video finished, got going. I made 5 flights in all, not as many as the guys in their Bonanzas, but fun nonetheless.
About 10:45, I left for KCKN. Headwinds, ugh. The planned two and a half hours turned into 3.1. On the way there, I had flight following, but it wound up in the computer funny: Grand Forks Approach cleared me to descend and maintain 4000, and a little later cleared me for the visual approach to runway 13 and told me to advise cancelling IFR on his frequency. "Uhm, 5ZC is VFR..." Spent a pleasant couple of hours with the owner of the other Zodiac, and found that most of what he'd done with his canopy wasn't needed on my airplane due to design changes.
Left KCKN and made a short flight to 3H4 (Hillsboro Muni, ND) so I could say I've landed in North Dakota and get in a ConUS claim. I'm finding that it's not at all uncommon for an unattended municipal airport to have a pretty nice pilot lounge and, especially, restroom (which I needed). 3H4 is no exception. Got out of there and back enroute, with a l-o-n-g climb to 9500, and went almost straight over the top of KFAR on the way.
It was getting dark by the time I got back to Fairmont. I got in just before the end of the sport pilot day. I hadn't made a night landing in 15 years, but this one was one of my better ones. (Shame I can't log it as night.) Whoever it was that said I brought my A game to the tough landings is right, I think.
I was completely wasted by the time I got home. It was a long day, but well worth it.
