R
RobertGerace
Guest
Thank you to all who welcomed me back, and to all who did not attack 
Several people asked for an update on the 310. Since I haven't posted here since 6/9, that is basically the summer's journey with one of the most incredible machines that man (and Cessna) ever built. What follows is, "What I did on my Summer Vacation."
Early on...I guess about Father's Day...I took my family to Virginia to see my wife's father. A quick stop in Charlotte for business, and a last minute trip home. It was wonderful, and I took delight in being the master of my destiny. No undignified fondling by TSA, no being herded like cattle. Just my family, me, and the level 2 that I flew into. Sigh.
Now, to be clear...it was a level 2 rain shower...there was no lightning...no hail...no thunder...but it was the closest I've come to being 'scared' in the 310.
I didn't fly for a couple of weeks while I thought about what happened. At first, I overreacted a little bit thinking that I had done something bad. Then I had a couple of CFII's make some trips with me and spent the entire time avoiding IMC.
Oh yeah...on the flight after the level 2 flight, my autopilot broke. I didn't rush to get it fixed, and in fact, it is still in the shop.
Then, the day came where I had a 'must make' meeting and 400 foot ceilings in Atlanta. There was no convective activity reported (and it was early in the morning). I grabbed a CFII and blasted off towards basically the same weather I encountered in Virginia. The same things started happening (noise, darkness, turbulence, increased airspeed, tendancy to climb, x-band radar attunating)...but with an experienced CFII to tell me that this is all normal, it wasn't scary at all.
I flew a few more flights with experienced weather pilots, and would launch into very low ceilings and be IMC most of the way...with no autopilot...and I didn't let them touch the controls. Finally, I regained confidence, and it was a good thing, because Atlanta has had the rainiest summer in its history this summer. I have hand-flown more IMC from 200' up to 14,000 without seeing a break in the clouds than I can count. Most of it solo.
I went through a period where I was flying so much that it was almost every day. (In fact, I'm doing it still). I've learned how to work things where I almost never have an overnight stay. The 310 is such an awesome travelling machine...200+knots groundspeed in many cases...at worst in the summer is about 180...flying between 10,000 and 16,000. I have yet to cancel a trip due to weather (delay...yes...divert...yes...but cancel...no).
In all of this flying, I've found it hard to find time to get to SimCom...which I promised myself I'd do every six months. I am now at 9 months, but going to Simcom in less than a week.
I know I need it. I haven't done any OEI practice in 9 months, and that is so important. I've also done some dumb things like land with the fuel pumps off, and one time I landed with the tanks on AUX. This explains my comment that some people (not Ben) would not take the time and expense to keep going back to SimCom...and those people are probably an accident waiting to happen.
Despite the above, I am now extremely comfortable in the 310...with almost 300 hours in it. It fits like a glove, and despite the occasional dumb mistake (above) I feel very safe in it.
As for expenses, well, sigh, it ain't cheap. But it hasn't been too bad. Here's the list since 6/9:
Right side alternator, left side condenser (shorted keeping the right mag closed even when the switch was open), autopilot...and that's it. All told, with oil changes...maintenance has cost about $5,000 over the summer...all in all...pretty cheap considering.
Annual is coming up in October...$4,000 just to inspect. I've noticed that my fuel pressures are not redline at takeoff (causing a lack of cooling on takoff..and therfore premature wear)...and also causing the right engine to die on the landing roll on hot days when running Lean Of Peak. That is my only squawk at the present time.
Insurance got cheaper; it now costs me a little over $400 per month to insure.
All-in-all, I'm in love with the 310. It is an awesome machine with a 100% dispatch rate and reasonable maintenance costs for what it gives me -- now that I'm over the 'getting it up to my standards' hurdle.
My one complaint is that it is too slow. My occasional trip out west takes all day long.
However, I've decided that I'm not going to work my way up...aircraft...by...aircraft...because I can't afford to dump that much money in each new (to me) machine.
So, I've worked out a deal to get time in a Cheyenne...and I'll keep building time in it, and saving my pennys...and some day, with God's help, I may buy a Conquest...or maybe even a Mustang.
Until then, when you see a pretty blue and white 310 on the ramp, know that I'm really enjoying the heck out of it, and I feel darn lucky to own and fly it.
Several people asked for an update on the 310. Since I haven't posted here since 6/9, that is basically the summer's journey with one of the most incredible machines that man (and Cessna) ever built. What follows is, "What I did on my Summer Vacation."
Early on...I guess about Father's Day...I took my family to Virginia to see my wife's father. A quick stop in Charlotte for business, and a last minute trip home. It was wonderful, and I took delight in being the master of my destiny. No undignified fondling by TSA, no being herded like cattle. Just my family, me, and the level 2 that I flew into. Sigh.
Now, to be clear...it was a level 2 rain shower...there was no lightning...no hail...no thunder...but it was the closest I've come to being 'scared' in the 310.
I didn't fly for a couple of weeks while I thought about what happened. At first, I overreacted a little bit thinking that I had done something bad. Then I had a couple of CFII's make some trips with me and spent the entire time avoiding IMC.
Oh yeah...on the flight after the level 2 flight, my autopilot broke. I didn't rush to get it fixed, and in fact, it is still in the shop.
Then, the day came where I had a 'must make' meeting and 400 foot ceilings in Atlanta. There was no convective activity reported (and it was early in the morning). I grabbed a CFII and blasted off towards basically the same weather I encountered in Virginia. The same things started happening (noise, darkness, turbulence, increased airspeed, tendancy to climb, x-band radar attunating)...but with an experienced CFII to tell me that this is all normal, it wasn't scary at all.
I flew a few more flights with experienced weather pilots, and would launch into very low ceilings and be IMC most of the way...with no autopilot...and I didn't let them touch the controls. Finally, I regained confidence, and it was a good thing, because Atlanta has had the rainiest summer in its history this summer. I have hand-flown more IMC from 200' up to 14,000 without seeing a break in the clouds than I can count. Most of it solo.
I went through a period where I was flying so much that it was almost every day. (In fact, I'm doing it still). I've learned how to work things where I almost never have an overnight stay. The 310 is such an awesome travelling machine...200+knots groundspeed in many cases...at worst in the summer is about 180...flying between 10,000 and 16,000. I have yet to cancel a trip due to weather (delay...yes...divert...yes...but cancel...no).
In all of this flying, I've found it hard to find time to get to SimCom...which I promised myself I'd do every six months. I am now at 9 months, but going to Simcom in less than a week.
I know I need it. I haven't done any OEI practice in 9 months, and that is so important. I've also done some dumb things like land with the fuel pumps off, and one time I landed with the tanks on AUX. This explains my comment that some people (not Ben) would not take the time and expense to keep going back to SimCom...and those people are probably an accident waiting to happen.
Despite the above, I am now extremely comfortable in the 310...with almost 300 hours in it. It fits like a glove, and despite the occasional dumb mistake (above) I feel very safe in it.
As for expenses, well, sigh, it ain't cheap. But it hasn't been too bad. Here's the list since 6/9:
Right side alternator, left side condenser (shorted keeping the right mag closed even when the switch was open), autopilot...and that's it. All told, with oil changes...maintenance has cost about $5,000 over the summer...all in all...pretty cheap considering.
Annual is coming up in October...$4,000 just to inspect. I've noticed that my fuel pressures are not redline at takeoff (causing a lack of cooling on takoff..and therfore premature wear)...and also causing the right engine to die on the landing roll on hot days when running Lean Of Peak. That is my only squawk at the present time.
Insurance got cheaper; it now costs me a little over $400 per month to insure.
All-in-all, I'm in love with the 310. It is an awesome machine with a 100% dispatch rate and reasonable maintenance costs for what it gives me -- now that I'm over the 'getting it up to my standards' hurdle.
My one complaint is that it is too slow. My occasional trip out west takes all day long.
However, I've decided that I'm not going to work my way up...aircraft...by...aircraft...because I can't afford to dump that much money in each new (to me) machine.
So, I've worked out a deal to get time in a Cheyenne...and I'll keep building time in it, and saving my pennys...and some day, with God's help, I may buy a Conquest...or maybe even a Mustang.
Until then, when you see a pretty blue and white 310 on the ramp, know that I'm really enjoying the heck out of it, and I feel darn lucky to own and fly it.
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Will you get to solo it, or will you have a company / co-pilot alongwith you for those flights?
