Spring Break Adventure

LDJones

LDJones

Touchdown! Greaser!
Gone West
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
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10,998
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Twin Cities, MN
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Display name:
Jonesy
My college son desperately wanted to go some place warm for spring break. Having been flying and working in subzero temps in ND for two months, it didn't take much convincing for me. Unfortunately, the Turbo-normalized Bo A36 I've been living in lately wasn't available, so I opted to take the Cherokee Six 300. It's nowhere near as fast, but you can haul a grand piano. With four of us (he brought his girlfriend) I figured the load hauling was a good thing.

Originally we were going to launch early this morning and do it in one long day. But weather forecasts motivated me to leave yesterday and try to get beyond the forecast.

I missed it by 100 miles! We stopped in LaGrange, GA (LGC) last night. We woke to driving rain. After a long, soaking refueling fiasco we were ready to launch into the muck, in order to beat the really severe stuff that was lurking to the southwest this morning. As it was, it was very wet and bumpy for an hour plus, but we were able to keep moving forward.

Then, about an hour into VFR conditions I noticed the heading indicator indicating a turn to the right. Since I wasn't turning, a quick glance at the suction gauge showed it pegged on zero. Dang! I advised ATC, then continued on to Ft. Myers.

As an aside, I think it's been 25+ years since I've done this much long-distance hand-flying. While the Six has a 430W, everything else is basic six-pack and an old, inop autopilot of unknown heritage.
 

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Nice! Always glad to see these posts. Most definitely a welcome break from the usual ****ing matches.
 
You should have come to Daytona Beach instead!

LDJones said:
My college son desperately wanted to go some place warm for spring break. Having been flying and working in subzero temps in ND for two months, it didn't take much convincing for me. Unfortunately, the Turbo-normalized Bo A36 I've been living in lately wasn't available, so I opted to take the Cherokee Six 300. It's nowhere near as fast, but you can haul a grand piano. With four of us (he brought his girlfriend) I figured the load hauling was a good thing.

Originally we were going to launch early this morning and do it in one long day. But weather forecasts motivated me to leave yesterday and try to get beyond the forecast.

I missed it by 100 miles! We stopped in LaGrange, GA (LGC) last night. We woke to driving rain. After a long, soaking refueling fiasco we were ready to launch into the muck, in order to beat the really severe stuff that was lurking to the southwest this morning. As it was, it was very wet and bumpy for an hour plus, but we were able to keep moving forward.

Then, about an hour into VFR conditions I noticed the heading indicator indicating a turn to the right. Since I wasn't turning, a quick glance at the suction gauge showed it pegged on zero. Dang! I advised ATC, then continued on to Ft. Myers.

As an aside, I think it's been 25+ years since I've done this much long-distance hand-flying. While the Six has a 430W, everything else is basic six-pack and an old, inop autopilot of unknown heritage.
Click to expand...
 
Good move the severe weather is moving in now. Nothing wrong with Ft Myers this time of year. Have a good time.
 
You are a few days ahead of me. I am heading down from Chicago Friday morning to the keys. We will be a little slower and making two days of the trip down. Does anyone have any airport recommendations for fuel & overnight in Georgia? We are looking for something a step up from the Super 8, first vacation in a looooooong time with the better half.
 
KCTJ West Georgia Carrollton GA has the cheapest self serve fuel and you will be West of the ATL class B

Nice airport has an ILS but not much else there as far as food etc

If you want lunch go to GA2 Peach State they have fuel too but maybe a few pennies more this is a grass runway land 13 take off North 31 due the slope of the runway, great restaurant
 
LDJones said:
My college son desperately wanted to go some place warm for spring break. Having been flying and working in subzero temps in ND for two months, it didn't take much convincing for me. Unfortunately, the Turbo-normalized Bo A36 I've been living in lately wasn't available, so I opted to take the Cherokee Six 300. It's nowhere near as fast, but you can haul a grand piano. With four of us (he brought his girlfriend) I figured the load hauling was a good thing.

Originally we were going to launch early this morning and do it in one long day. But weather forecasts motivated me to leave yesterday and try to get beyond the forecast.

I missed it by 100 miles! We stopped in LaGrange, GA (LGC) last night. We woke to driving rain. After a long, soaking refueling fiasco we were ready to launch into the muck, in order to beat the really severe stuff that was lurking to the southwest this morning. As it was, it was very wet and bumpy for an hour plus, but we were able to keep moving forward.

Then, about an hour into VFR conditions I noticed the heading indicator indicating a turn to the right. Since I wasn't turning, a quick glance at the suction gauge showed it pegged on zero. Dang! I advised ATC, then continued on to Ft. Myers.

As an aside, I think it's been 25+ years since I've done this much long-distance hand-flying. While the Six has a 430W, everything else is basic six-pack and an old, inop autopilot of unknown heritage.
Click to expand...

Congrats on a safe trip...:thumbsup:..

On a side note.... The wording in the first paragraph makes the sons GF sound like she is pretty large...;)..

Maybe you should not let them read that...:nono:..........:D
 
USAF JD said:
You are a few days ahead of me. I am heading down from Chicago Friday morning to the keys. We will be a little slower and making two days of the trip down. Does anyone have any airport recommendations for fuel & overnight in Georgia? We are looking for something a step up from the Super 8, first vacation in a looooooong time with the better half.
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KOPN (Thomastson, Upson County) has best fuel prices in the area. They also have crew cars. Motels in town aren't bad and are cheap.
 
N801BH said:
Congrats on a safe trip...:thumbsup:..

On a side note.... The wording in the first paragraph makes the sons GF sound like she is pretty large...;)..

Maybe you should not let them read that...:nono:..........:D
Click to expand...

Ha! She may have an ounce of fat somewhere, but if so I haven't noticed where! The two of them together probably don't hit 230 lbs!

Now the bags they brought....THAT'S another matter...
 
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N801BH said:
Congrats on a safe trip...:thumbsup:..

On a side note.... The wording in the first paragraph makes the sons GF sound like she is pretty large...;)..

Maybe you should not let them read that...:nono:..........:D
Click to expand...

BTW, we've done this trip multiple times in our trusty old Mooney M20C as my son was growing up....and we packed that thing to the gills. It wouldn't have handled THIS trip's load!
 
LDJones said:
Ha! She's may havean ounce of fat somewhere, but if so I haven't noticed where! The two of them together probably don't hit 230 lbs!

Now the bags they brought....THAT'S another matter...
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I understand that perfectly...;)
 
My one medium duffel and I get in our M20C, then my little wife's bags fill it to capacity. We usually run out of room before useful load, though. A set of clothes and shoes for every day, plus a couple of spares, robe, slippers, rain coat, jacket even in July [it might get cold at the beach!], extra mattress, pantry and kitchen sink. [At least it seems like that to me . . . .]
 
Hank S said:
My one medium duffel and I get in our M20C, then my little wife's bags fill it to capacity. We usually run out of room before useful load, though. A set of clothes and shoes for every day, plus a couple of spares, robe, slippers, rain coat, jacket even in July [it might get cold at the beach!], extra mattress, pantry and kitchen sink. [At least it seems like that to me . . . .]
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Ha! I can relate. :yes:

We even had the ski tube mod and would stuff light stuff back in it!
 
Got back to MN tonight after a great evening last night and relaxing morning in Nashville.

In the course of seven days plus three hours we enjoyed beach time in Ft Myers, a day trip to Key West, a visit to Aircraft Spruce in GA, a great evening in Nashville, and a pleasant, but slow final trek back home.

The Cherokee Six is NOT fast, but it's pretty darn comfortable and hauls a load! Logged 24.3 hours, a couple in the clag, a couple of IFR departures, two approaches, one failed vac pump and bought 360+ gallons of 100LL! My son's girlfriend had never been in a small plane before this trip....thankfully she enjoyed it (minus the hard IFR part which she admitted to being nervous about.)
 
LDJones said:
Got back to MN tonight after a great evening last night and relaxing morning in Nashville.

In the course of seven days plus three hours we enjoyed beach time in Ft Myers, a day trip to Key West, a visit to Aircraft Spruce in GA, a great evening in Nashville, and a pleasant, but slow final trek back home.

The Cherokee Six is NOT fast, but it's pretty darn comfortable and hauls a load! Logged 24.3 hours, a couple in the clag, a couple of IFR departures, two approaches, one failed vac pump and bought 360+ gallons of 100LL! My son's girlfriend had never been in a small plane before this trip....thankfully she enjoyed it (minus the hard IFR part which she admitted to being nervous about.)
Click to expand...


Welcome back safely.... Another reason to fly GA...:yes:.......:)..

ps... why is it that a vacuum pump seems to fail ALL the time.. :mad2:
 
N801BH said:
Welcome back safely.... Another reason to fly GA...:yes:.......:)..

ps... why is it that a vacuum pump seems to fail ALL the time.. :mad2:
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It's a high-time motor and the mechanic thinks the Rapco pump that failed had over 1,500 hrs on it. If so, it served its time! :yes: I put another Rapco on it. The engine will be rebuilt next winter.
 
LDJones said:
It's a high-time motor and the mechanic thinks the Rapco pump that failed had over 1,500 hrs on it. If so, it served its time! :yes: I put another Rapco on it. The engine will be rebuilt next winter.
Click to expand...

Sorry if my comment seems to be meant for you alone.... I was just babbling at vacuum pumps in general...
 
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N801BH said:
Sorry if my comment seems to be mean for you alone.... I was just babbling at vacuum pumps in general...
Click to expand...

I understood and agree. I've just been happy both my vac failures have happened in CAVU conditions, although this last one was only an hour after exiting an hour or so of some pretty raucous IMC. Maybe it had "given its all" to get me through it!
 
My first plane was a Cherokee six but my very young son, wife and I never used it for what it was intended for back then.

Now my kids are 9 and 11, I just flew our new to us Saratoga home last week from Oklahoma. spring break for us here in ski town USA isn't until April 17 at which time the toga will be loaded up and San Diego here we come! Thinking of knocking out the sights in a few days and spending the second half of week touring the west coast.

Just hearing of your adventure (minus the mechanical issues) reinforces how much fun we will have in the new bus!!

Thanks for sharing
 
Jthamilton said:
My first plane was a Cherokee six but my very young son, wife and I never used it for what it was intended for back then.

Now my kids are 9 and 11, I just flew our new to us Saratoga home last week from Oklahoma. spring break for us here in ski town USA isn't until April 17 at which time the toga will be loaded up and San Diego here we come! Thinking of knocking out the sights in a few days and spending the second half of week touring the west coast.

Just hearing of your adventure (minus the mechanical issues) reinforces how much fun we will have in the new bus!!

Thanks for sharing
Click to expand...

You have an excellent family-hauler in the Toga. GA makes trips possible that you couldn't otherwise do. Who'd deal with the hassle of the airlines for a day trip to Key West?

Have a safe and enjoyable trip in your new toy!
 
LDJones said:
Ha! She may have an ounce of fat somewhere, but if so I haven't noticed where!
Click to expand...

Check in front, slightly below the neck. ;) :rofl:

LDJones said:
The Cherokee Six is NOT fast, but it's pretty darn comfortable and hauls a load! Logged 24.3 hours
Click to expand...

I thought that sounded like a lot, but looking at my trip to the Bahamas last year, I put on a bit over 22 in the Mooney going down and back.

Sounds like a fun trip! Vacuum pump excepted, of course.
 
LDJones said:
Yeah....climbing into a headwind is always depressing! Plus, I'm used to the Bonanza speeds, so this was a bit more depressing!
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When I've picked up my daughter in Indiana we usually stopped at Pine Mountain GA, and one time it was late in the day so we stayed overnight at an inexpensive and adequate little motel nearby. They even picked us up at the airport and brought us back in the morning.
 
LDJones said:
I understood and agree. I've just been happy both my vac failures have happened in CAVU conditions, although this last one was only an hour after exiting an hour or so of some pretty raucous IMC. Maybe it had "given its all" to get me through it!
Click to expand...
Good to hear your trip was a success. Too bad it's still winter here though.

IMO the worst time for a gyro failure is when taking off into low IMC. That's the main reason I put an electrically powered backup AI in my panel.
 
gismo said:
When I've picked up my daughter in Indiana we usually stopped at Pine Mountain GA, and one time it was late in the day so we stayed overnight at an inexpensive and adequate little motel nearby. They even picked us up at the airport and brought us back in the morning.
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I had originally planned to push toward Cross City, FL. I had checked on local accommodations and chatted with a nice lady at a little, inexpensive motel. When asked about cab service she said, "You just call us...we'll come get you!" She said said she'd save a room for us, even without a reservation! I felt bad that our late departure kept us shy of that stop! Maybe next time...
 
gismo said:
Good to hear your trip was a success. Too bad it's still winter here though.

IMO the worst time for a gyro failure is when taking off into low IMC. That's the main reason I put an electrically powered backup AI in my panel.
Click to expand...

I think the digital gyros in the Stratus or new Garmin GDL-39 have the potential for being a low cost backup for such an event.
 
LDJones said:
As an aside, I think it's been 25+ years since I've done this much long-distance hand-flying. While the Six has a 430W, everything else is basic six-pack and an old, inop autopilot of unknown heritage.
Click to expand...

A few hundred hours ago when I still owned a Grumman Tiger, I flew the plane from Little Rock to NYC in IMC pretty much the whole way without an autopilot. About 300nm out of NYC I got "advise when ready to copy your revised routing". When they were done, I thought it was a joke it was so much more involved than I was used to. Just writing it down while trying to hold heading and altitude in the nimble little plane, in IMC, was a challenge. Then I had to look up the fixes that comprised the victor airways turn points and program it in the 430... Then execute it. Learned more in those 6-7 hours of flying than in 100 hours of other flying.

Now, in the Bonanza with a great autopilot, GPSS, etc., I laugh about that trip. Kind of like the old "in my day we used to walk to school, uphill both ways, in the snow"... Still, if my AP broke, I'd fix it immediately - certainly before any cross country for more than a few hundred miles. I am so much more rested/fresh after long x-countries. 'Turn on XM and just watch hundreds of miles tick off.

Hope you're having fun. We're in FL ourselves now (Orlando). If Wx forecasts for our return hold, I may hit the holy grail of substantial tail-winds *both* directions for the 700nm trip!. (Coming in I had a 25-30knot push for nearly the whole time). Wishing you a good push going home.
 
Martymccasland said:
A few hundred hours ago when I still owned a Grumman Tiger, I flew the plane from Little Rock to NYC in IMC pretty much the whole way without an autopilot. About 300nm out of NYC I got "advise when ready to copy your revised routing". When they were done, I thought it was a joke it was so much more involved than I was used to. Just writing it down while trying to hold heading and altitude in the nimble little plane, in IMC, was a challenge. Then I had to look up the fixes that comprised the victor airways turn points and program it in the 430... Then execute it. Learned more in those 6-7 hours of flying than in 100 hours of other flying.

Now, in the Bonanza with a great autopilot, GPSS, etc., I laugh about that trip. Kind of like the old "in my day we used to walk to school, uphill both ways, in the snow"... Still, if my AP broke, I'd fix it immediately - certainly before any cross country for more than a few hundred miles. I am so much more rested/fresh after long x-countries. 'Turn on XM and just watch hundreds of miles tick off.

Hope you're having fun. We're in FL ourselves now (Orlando). If Wx forecasts for our return hold, I may hit the holy grail of substantial tail-winds *both* directions for the 700nm trip!. (Coming in I had a 25-30knot push for nearly the whole time). Wishing you a good push going home.
Click to expand...

You lucky dog! I had tailwinds for the first leg going down, then headwinds for more than the second half. I had tailwinds the first third coming home, then headwinds the rest of the way. Still a good trip!
 
LDJones said:
It's a high-time motor and the mechanic thinks the Rapco pump that failed had over 1,500 hrs on it. If so, it served its time! :yes: I put another Rapco on it. The engine will be rebuilt next winter.
Click to expand...

You, or a mechanic, can check for vane wear on the newer models. There is an access port and gauge.
 
Jonesy
What nav/tablet program is that screen capture from... Fore flight or other?
 
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