finally, a nice day for flying

murphey

murphey

Touchdown! Greaser!
PoA Supporter
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
12,628
Location
Colorado
Display Name
murphey
Home Airfield
KFTG
Fantastic weather, light breeze, sunshine, not terribly hot...and I have the day free. First chance after the annual so I planned a very long and thorough pre-flight eventho the shop used it to pick up parts at another airport. Got everything returned (emergency box with oil, tools, etc), headset, the ads-b in, maps, all that stuff. Then I started the pre-flight. Tires good. Fuel sample good. Lights good. Took the top cowl off, everything nicely safety wired. Nothing appears to be leaking. Next stop check the oil.

Next stop, check the oil.
Try to get the oil dipstick out.
Still trying.

Why does the shop always crank the dipstick down as tight as inhumanly possible?

And I left the tool kit at home. There's no one around to borrow a pliers or a channel lock. Tried my 1 inch oil wrench, failed. Wait! What about my in-the-baggage-area-toolkit? 2 qts oil, screwdriver with changeable bits (you can completely disassemble a cherokee with a 7/8 wrench and a phillips), paper towels, nitrile gloves, another flashlight....but no pliers.

aaaaarrrggggghhhhhhh!

By now the winds have picked up and I haven't finished the preflight. Headed home, stopped at Big Box to get an extra pair of pliers for the baggage-area-toolkit.

Maybe tomorrow.
 
It might have loosened up after a few laps around the pattern... :idea:
 
murphey said:
Why does the shop always crank the dipstick down as tight as inhumanly possible?
Click to expand...
Probably some kid that doesn't know any better.
You should bring it up to their attention.

murphey said:
And I left the tool kit at home.
Click to expand...
I keep a Leatherman in the plane.


But it was a great flying day today.
Gave a plane ride to a teenager and his grandfather. Big smiles. Made my day.
 
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AV8R_87 said:
I keep a Leatherman in the plane.
Click to expand...
This

It's helped me out in this exact situation before. Plus all the other tools have been randomly helpful at little cost to space/weight in my bag.
 
AV8R_87 said:
Probably some kid that doesn't kbow any better.
You should bring it up to their attention.


I keep a Leatherman in the plane.


But it was a great flying day today.
Gave a plane ride to a teenager and his grandfather. Big smiles. Made my day.
Click to expand...
???? another arrrggghhhh! as I have a leatherman in the car. totally spaced out.
 
The leatherman saved my bacon one time. I took off in my Bonanza, and when I put the gear up, the gear handle came off in my hand. It is mounted on a small post that has to be pulled out in order to put the gear down, and with bare fingers, it would be almost impossible to get the gear down. Fortunately I had a multitool in the pocket next to my leg, and that saved me.

Then there is the true story of how a leatherman saved Cirrus Design. During the parachute testing of the SR-20, test pilot Anderson could not get the chute to release from the airplane. They had agreed that he would bail out if they got as low as 3,000 AGL. Gary Black, in the chase plane, said, "Scott, there's a leatherman in the pocket next to your left leg." Anderson was able to use the tool to release the parachute and save the airplane. It was the only prototype of the SR-20, and they did not have enough money to build another one at that time.

On the ground, Anderson thanked Black and said, "but at least you could have put in there already open."
 
My leatherman saved me once as well. Took me a minute to remember I had it in my flight bag...
 
We have had great flying weather for the last 30 days or more. We went 19 days straight without any rain or storms.
Typically the months of Aug and Sept is the best months for flying around here. Couple years ago I flew 58 days in a row during Aug/Sept.
I like to fly early or late in the day.
I took my sister flying last Saturday for the first time. We took off at 7am in the dark and she got to see the sunrise on a clear morning.
Yes I have the mandatory leatherman in a emergency pack I carry. As long as I carry it, hopefully I will not need it.
 
Gary Ward said:
As long as I carry it, hopefully I will not need it.
Click to expand...
So far, I've had to use the Philips head driver (popped up quarter turn cowling screw on a Cessna rental) and the pliers (door latch striker migrated out of place). I consider it good luck that I haven't had to use the knife yet.
 
murphey said:
Fantastic weather, light breeze, sunshine, not terribly hot...and I have the day free. First chance after the annual so I planned a very long and thorough pre-flight eventho the shop used it to pick up parts at another airport. Got everything returned (emergency box with oil, tools, etc), headset, the ads-b in, maps, all that stuff. Then I started the pre-flight. Tires good. Fuel sample good. Lights good. Took the top cowl off, everything nicely safety wired. Nothing appears to be leaking. Next stop check the oil.

Next stop, check the oil.
Try to get the oil dipstick out.
Still trying.

Why does the shop always crank the dipstick down as tight as inhumanly possible?

And I left the tool kit at home. There's no one around to borrow a pliers or a channel lock. Tried my 1 inch oil wrench, failed. Wait! What about my in-the-baggage-area-toolkit? 2 qts oil, screwdriver with changeable bits (you can completely disassemble a cherokee with a 7/8 wrench and a phillips), paper towels, nitrile gloves, another flashlight....but no pliers.

aaaaarrrggggghhhhhhh!

By now the winds have picked up and I haven't finished the preflight. Headed home, stopped at Big Box to get an extra pair of pliers for the baggage-area-toolkit.

Maybe tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Update a month later.

Another fantastic day for flying but the thought of the hour (RT) drive, the hour (preflight, postflight, fill the tanks) for maybe an hour of flying is so discouraging. I hate the drive (interstate the entire way), but it's the only place I can get a hangar for less than $800/mo (I'm paying $420 for a hangar with electricity, they plow after the snow storms & I really like the A&P shop). Adding to all this, the 3 friends I flew with for years: 1 died, 1 quit flying & sold the airplane, and 1 grounded for a year due to horrendous auto accident (he'll get the medical back but needs to get caught up on his Commercial and CFII, probably not until after the first of the year) are unavailable.

Even more bummers....

Clark & Mari moved out of state, so there's no longer any BBQs in Clark's hangar during the most bitterly cold time of the year.
Mike's not traveling to Colorado for sales conferences, Mark's rare visits here are to ski, so there's no POA lunches anymore.
Unlikely Nate will ever fly again other than as a passenger with a running commentary not just in paragraphs but entire essays (*grins*)

I'm rapidly losing motivation.

Maybe tomorrow.
 
Find local youngster that loves flying but can't afford it. Offer to fly with him, but he needs to pick you up from home and drop you off. He can also do (most of) the pre-flight while you check weather and NOTAMs.
 
Nice day here today - but didn't work out. But TOMORROW, tomorrow, I'll go flying tomorrow - it's only a day away...
 
Sounds like you need to start having BBQs at your hangar. Invite a few folks. Set out a tub of beer. Advertise “Story Time With Nate.” (Prepare for an all-nighter.)

Oh, and you’ll need to get a gyrocopter to commute between house and hangar.
 
Sometimes you wait for good weather and life gets in the way.
 
Aircraft tool bag necessaries: Duct Tape, WD 40, and Vice Grips or a Leatherman. And then add whatever else you want.
 
Half Fast said:
Sounds like you need to start having BBQs at your hangar. Invite a few folks. Set out a tub of beer. Advertise “Story Time With Nate.” (Prepare for an all-nighter.)

Oh, and you’ll need to get a gyrocopter to commute between house and hangar.
Click to expand...
Class B & Class C the entire way. Airport is under the Class B.
When I worked at Jeppesen, I seriously considered it, as I live just north of the KAPA Class C which is where Jepp is located. But Jepp is on the west side of the airport and there's no access other than jumping the fence which would probably annoy the airport. The Jepp parking lot wasn't an option because it was always filled (24x7 operation).
 
Did you ever get your flight in?

It was a nice day for flying here today. And I flew! A good day.
 
Little envious here; plane has been down for two months; prop overhaul.
 
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