EdFred
Taxi to Parking
So I got out to the airport today to try and get off the ground for the first time since October 8. Schedule and weekend wx have just not been meshing since then, and after work during the week...eh...just wanna plant my butt down and do no thinking at all. I get out to the hangar, where it's about 30 degrees, and get out my FAA-certified Conair plus,silvery-chic hair dr- er, engine preheater, and tuck it up under the cowl from below. Plug the openings with the cowl plugs I have and let Mr. Convection do his thing. I then head into the FBO and talk with Janine about how I forgot my shovel, and can I borrow one to clear off my approach. Conversation meanders, much like my taxiing does, and we get talking about my selling, and buying, and why, and how, and on and on. Her husband and Mx/manager/CFII lands with a student, who happens to walk in when I say "as long as I can get my plane sold."
Turns out he's doing his IFR, asks me what plane I am selling, and I go into used car salesman mode, ok, not really, but the spiel begins. He does his post flight with Jeff, and then comes by my hangar after I finish shoveling out the approach, and starts checking out the plane. Inquires what I'm asking for it, and doesn't act shocked about it. Continues to ask all the questions: oil burn, corrosion, hours on the engine, compressions, etc for about 45 minutes. Says he's definitely interested and we exchange business cards, and so it looks like it could be the end of the road for me and 2212R in not too long.
After he goes on his way, I decide to get off the ground. 1500'/min climbs baby! The only problem is, at 80mph ant 1500 rpm she still wants to stay level. Sweet. Come in for my first landing in 2 months, and it was like landing on pillows. Hmm, the longer I go without flying, the better my landings are. Weird. Came areound for a TnG, again, hardly knew she touched down. Then I decided to go out and do some power off stalls (with no carb heat
) and a modified power on stall. The way she was climbing today it felt like I could have hung her on the prop. So the power on stall was more like a 1/2-5/8 power on stall because I was over 20 degrees nose high and still climbing at full power. And that was letting it slow to Vy at level before initiating the nose up and power. One small thing to remember however, when doing a not quite power on stall, you don't need as much right rudder as normal. I hit Warren and Jimmy and then...oops...right wing dropped. Ah crap, time for a BFR. Do it again and no problems the second time. Head back to the field with about 3200 feet to lose in five miles. Seems like she didn't want to go back, because I couldn't get it to come down without going almost to idle. Full right rudder, full left aileron, ah, there we go. Now I can get a 700fpm descent. Brought it around one last time to abeam the numbers, cut the power to idle, 25 flaps, and shot in a power off 180 to just past the numbers. Hmmmm, maybe that commercial should get knocked out here soon. After all, if she does leave me, I do have a doubly good excuse to get that retract.
Turns out he's doing his IFR, asks me what plane I am selling, and I go into used car salesman mode, ok, not really, but the spiel begins. He does his post flight with Jeff, and then comes by my hangar after I finish shoveling out the approach, and starts checking out the plane. Inquires what I'm asking for it, and doesn't act shocked about it. Continues to ask all the questions: oil burn, corrosion, hours on the engine, compressions, etc for about 45 minutes. Says he's definitely interested and we exchange business cards, and so it looks like it could be the end of the road for me and 2212R in not too long.
After he goes on his way, I decide to get off the ground. 1500'/min climbs baby! The only problem is, at 80mph ant 1500 rpm she still wants to stay level. Sweet. Come in for my first landing in 2 months, and it was like landing on pillows. Hmm, the longer I go without flying, the better my landings are. Weird. Came areound for a TnG, again, hardly knew she touched down. Then I decided to go out and do some power off stalls (with no carb heat
) and a modified power on stall. The way she was climbing today it felt like I could have hung her on the prop. So the power on stall was more like a 1/2-5/8 power on stall because I was over 20 degrees nose high and still climbing at full power. And that was letting it slow to Vy at level before initiating the nose up and power. One small thing to remember however, when doing a not quite power on stall, you don't need as much right rudder as normal. I hit Warren and Jimmy and then...oops...right wing dropped. Ah crap, time for a BFR. Do it again and no problems the second time. Head back to the field with about 3200 feet to lose in five miles. Seems like she didn't want to go back, because I couldn't get it to come down without going almost to idle. Full right rudder, full left aileron, ah, there we go. Now I can get a 700fpm descent. Brought it around one last time to abeam the numbers, cut the power to idle, 25 flaps, and shot in a power off 180 to just past the numbers. Hmmmm, maybe that commercial should get knocked out here soon. After all, if she does leave me, I do have a doubly good excuse to get that retract.
