Off to paint!

Aaron and I flew down to Wadesboro, NC on Friday to drop off the plane with Mason Aircraft Finishing. We had a great flight down. Did the Chicago Lake Shore route to Gary, then southeast direct to M97 (Kentucky) for some gas. Beautiful airport! Cheap gas too. Then direct to Wadesboro. All about 4 hours flying time. It took us a couple of hours to disassemble the plane. Then several hours waiting for Kellie to pick us up and give us a ride to Florida.

Aaron and I Kentucky

Aaron and I flew down to Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. There was sort of an impromptu RV fly-in. We had a good time and here are some photos. We had front row seats for the Cherokee botched landing. It was a great flight lesson for Aaron. I could tell the approach was all wrong while the pilot was still on final. After the first bounce I told Aaron he needed to do an immediate go around. The pictures are the result of what happened when he didn’t.

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Paint!

Getting ready to send N524AP to the paint shop. I will be taking it to the same painter that Bill Repucci used. Gene Mason did a great job on Bill’s. I am sure he will do the same with mine.

Kaylie Graduated Last Week!

Thought I would share her “RV” related poem.

My daughter graduated last week from High School. I found this poem in a binder.

I AM A PLANE

Depending on the time of year
the type of weather
or the hour of departure
you’re view will always be differnt.

A snapshot in time is only that,
one part of the world around you.

Your heart races every time,
because you helped build this,
will it last?

The horizon line is like a picture in the distance
and the runway is your future.

You need to race down because everything is specific with time and speed.

Finally the wings catch air and off you go.

The people below grow smaller and smaller,
until they cannot be seen

A glance to the left and your sight is covered in white.

A glance to the right displays clear sky and checkered ground.

You cannot help but be enamored by the views.

This s the world as it should be seen,
through the wide vision of a pilot.

Through the eyes of a runner taking in everything,
and through the pen of a creator,
who has nothing pre determined.

Sun and Fun 2011

I just got back from Sun and Fun. We had a great time, but to say the least, it was one I wish I could forget. View the gallery for all the photos I took. It tells the so

No Flying!

I am still waiting for Craig Catto to repitch my prop. He is also installing the new nickel leading edges. It should be shipped back to me on Monday 2/7. It’s been a few weeks since I have flown and am getting very anxious. In the mean time the weather here in WI is pretty terrible. Hopefully things will start to improve.

Private Pilot Ground School

Hey all,

I will be conducting a Private Pilot Ground School starting this Thursday. It will run from 7-9pm for the next 8-10 weeks. The class is free, except you will need about $75 worth of text books. The class is held at 540 Hartbrook Dr, E, Hartland, WI 53029

Flight to the U.P. Michigan

Aaron and I flew up to Ironwood, MI on Monday for a couple of days of skiing. The day started out with low IFR for ceilings and wasn’t improving very quickly. After waiting a couple of hours for things to improve, I found a clear spot over Lake Michigan on a satellite image and decided to launch special VFR and make a short skud run to get to the hole. Turned out there were several holes near UES through the thin broken layer. Once on top it was a great flight with modest tail winds. Landing in Ironwood was a challenge with 19kt crosswinds, but a non-event. Fueling the plane was a different story. We pulled up to the pump and had to go inside the FBO to find a line man. When the fueler went out to fuel my plane, he came back in and told me that “your plane rolled away from the pump and into a pick up truck” #$%^%^, Are you serious! Sure enough, I went outside and found the plane nosed into a truck. It seems that the wind pushed it down a slight downhill spot and it rolled ever so gently into a truck. There was nothing but a scratch on the spinner and a scratch on the truck. However, the mark on my ego was significant. I made myself a mental note to not load your bags on top  of the chocks so you can get to them without unloading.

Winter Flying, Wisconsin Style

Our little band of EAA chapter 18 members went out on our regular Friday $100,000 hamburger (fish sandwhich) yesterday. We had a blast as always. We met up at East Troy 57C then headed over to KLNR (Lone Rock). Our 4 ship flight was in loose formation (to say the least) all the way there, then we all got turned around trying to find the runway. I was 1 mile from it before I could really see it. I had to wait till I was short final before I could see if the runway was in descent landing condition. It was. On the way back we did a little low level river flying. That was a blast. Only one power line that snuck up on us. No problems though. No photos of the river run. It was all I could do to watch out for eagles and power lines. Jeff and Glenn gave me a little formation flying training on the way back. That’s a new experience for me and I have to hand to guys who do this. It’s not easy and takes good flying skills.

 

Not much flying going on :(

Not much to speak about. Not a lot of flying going on. Last week I pulled my fiberglass parts off and started to work on filling pin holes. I made some progress, but realized it’s just too cold to work with epoxy right now. So, I am about 90% complete and I am going to put it back together and leave it till spring. I did get my SL30 Nav working. The balun on my coax was faulty and I removed it. The radio works very well now. I did a bit of simulated instrument work. Boy is that a chore in an RV with no autopilot. I definitely need to get the autopilot servos before flying IFR/IMC.

I will try to get some flying in this week. My daughter is doing a college visit in Northern Wisconsin on Friday. I hope to fly her up there.

Wisconsin Airport Challenge

Aaron and I decided we’d make a goal to visit every airport in WI. We got started on Saturday. We planned for 20 airports but Aaron was pretty “beat up” with just 12. It’s actually pretty difficult to depart one airport and prepare to land again at another in just a few miles. I had him fly while I worked the radios. He did very well. I, on the other hand goofed a couple of times. At one airport the turf was so ruff that we bounced ourselves nearly into a cornfield. Still it was pretty cool. 12 new airports!

Vetterman Mufflers Update

I have about 10-15 hours on the mufflers now. I have to say, it’s much quieter. I have had lot’s of people fly in the plane before and after the installation and everyone agrees it’s not nearly as noisy. Again I need to say that they only muffle the sound and do NOT silence it. The plane still sounds like and “RV” and I have not noticed ANY performance impairment.

I am still trying to figure out some collateral effects of the installation. Namely, my EGT’s and CHT’s seem to be more in line with each other. I am afraid to speculate but I wonder if it is possible that the minor restriction in the pipes has balanced the flow through my o-320 cylinders. Additionally, the “rumble” that I had beneath my feet has all but diminished.

Personally, I would not go with out them. They add a bit of cost to a FWF package, but I think it’s a very worthwhile investment. The comfort of flying without my ears ringing afterward is worth at least the cost of the installation.

Since I my mufflers were on loan from Vetterman, Larry contacted me and told me wanted them back. So, I refused and told him to take a hike! No, actually, I was happy to send him a check for them. There’s no way I am taking them off the plane.

Jump Start

I had someone ask how I jump started my plane from under the tip-up. Here’s a photo of my RH sub-panel. I have a lug on the main buss (large buss). The avionics buss is on the RH.

Door County

Ken and his wife Jane, Todd and his wife Cris and Kellie and I all went up to Door County today. We all rendezvoused by Holy Hill and flew a “loose formation” most of the way up there. Door County is really a beautiful part of the Wisconsin and a fantastic day trip in the plane. We arrived at Fish Creek airport and borrowed the bikes that are parked there. We headed down to Ephraim and got coffee, then rode to a museum/gallery and then back to the airport. I thought I might have left my Master switch on and sure enough, I had. DUH! Anyway, so we took the FBO loaner van from there and headed to Fish Creek for some food. First we had some lunch and then some chocolate. There’s lot’s of places to eat there and we had a really good time. When it was time to leave I hit the starter switch on the plane and NOTHING! Yikes, dead battery. That sucks. Fortunately the good people of “the Friends of Fish Creek” came to my rescue and a quick jump start and we were up and running. It was a great day and we had a blast.

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Rest in Peace Jeff!

Jeff died today as a result of the injuries sustained being struck by the car. He will be missed. My prayers now are focused on his family. It just unreal.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/104354109.html

As the owner of KC’s Driving School, I will be adding Jeff’s story to my official curriculum so that the 1500 students a year that take my program will know his story. We also will be making a contribution to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin on his behalf.

A Few Thoughts About Jeff Littman

When I was first introduced to cycling I met Jeff Littman on the Tuesday night Centennial Park ride. At the time he was on Team Wisconsin and he became sort of a “secret idol” of mine. He was a dominant leader, incredible athlete and passionate about the sport of cycling. After joining Team Wisconsin myself, he continued to be a mentor and example of an athlete dedicated to his sport and fitness in general. Jeff was always willing to share training tips and techniques. When Jeff had his accident at Muskego Park, it sent shock waves through the cycling community and the thought of losing one of Wisconsin’s most notable cyclists was striking. Being strong and determined Jeff recovered and having raced against and with him before his accident and after, Jeff came back stronger than ever. Then something changed. He changed, something wonderful happened to him, he would never be the same. Her name was Kelly. Jeff was admittedly, stubborn and opinionated. After Kelly came along he was like a teen-ager who went gaga for the girl next door. It was almost hilarious. He really, really fell in love with her. At the same time Jeff went to work for the Bicycle Doctor, who was our team LAPT shop sponsor and he took a dark and aged bike shop and turned it into a premier establishment. It was no surprise to me when Jeff decided to open his own shop, Attitude Sports. It was really a dream life for Jeff, riding every day and working around bikes and athletes for a living. He was really at home. Team LAPT (Lakes Area Physical Therapy) was honored to be invited as Attitude Sports 2011 sponsored team. For myself it was the right choice even though I have a good friendship with Bike DR’s Tom Kline. 2011 wont be the same if Jeff isn’t racing. We hold on to hope that he will!

A word about Jeff’s racing. First Jeff is notorious for always wearing a “skin suit”. Traditionally worn only for time trials, Jeff wore them all the time. At last count Jeff told me that he had nearly 150 of them. Teams from all over the country (and internationally) would give him a skin suit. He even had some skin suits that were modified and tailored just for him. Jeff never wore much winter gear, seldom knee warmers. Although one time he showed up to a ride with snowmobile gloves on and his skin suit of course. He was known to wear a sleeveless skin suit and arm warmers. That’s a picture that will stick in your brain for ever!. He was not only the ride safety Marshall (he and Billy O, would snarl at you when you did something dangerous and stupid), Jeff was also the ride fashion policeman. Yep you heard it hear, Jeff was Metro-sexual!. He would let you know if you didn’t match. I showed up one day with a mix-matched kit and boy did he give me a bad time.

When it came to racing Jeff was tenacious. He was incredibly strong and very smart. His years of experience enabled him (in his 50′s) to compete with riders in their 20′s and 30′s.

Get well Jeff! I am thinking about you. Our family and church will be praying for you and your family.

Our Thoughts and Prayers are for Jeff Littman

Jeff’s a good friend of mine and fellow cyclist. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN NOT SLOW DOWN FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS TO PASS SAFELY!

Vetterman Mufflers

Larry Vetterman sent me a set of mufflers to try out. I installed them today and I have to say, I really like them. I didn’t notice any performance decrease. However, definitely quieter than the straight pipes. They are NOT silencers! So there is still the classic “RV Sound”. Just the noise level in on 7 instead of 10. Living up here in WI the big question was “how does the heat work?” Well, I have only one of the 2 heat exchangers hooked up and the heat was rolling out when I applied it. I will hook up the 2nd heat exchanger at a later date.

It appears that to swap your straight pipes for the muffled pipes will cost you around $650, but if you buy them for your initial installation you will save a $150 or so. Call Larry for an accurate quote.

In my opinion they are definitely worth it. I have been around planes a long time and I want to save my hearing for as long as possible. The mufflers do a good job toning the sound down, but not so much to make it sound like a Cessna.

It took me 4 hours to retrofit the mufflers and I took my time. I would think the average builder could retrofit in or about the same amount of time. The initial installation would take no longer than the straight pipe.

I brought the pipes to my EAA Chapter meeting last night. Although there were mixed feelings about “mufflers” most admired the quality construction and they were a bit of a novelty. (funny how we’ll admire a set of mufflers like some would admire a piece of jewelry).

If you are interesting in a set call Larry Vetterman, his website is a bit old school and you won’t find much help there. Just call and he will set you up.

LOP Operation

Okay, today was my second flight and second attempt to confirm performance results.

I switched from BR8ES to BR8EIX plugs and on my first flight I noticed that the engine leaned to PK with no roughness.

Today’s flight I wanted to see if that was a fluke or if I could repeat it. Previously at PK EGT the engine would run very rough and you would have to be deaf to continue without enriching the mixture. It was uncomfortable rough. Today I leaned to PK and the only indication was that the SkyView showed PK and the RPM began to drop off. As I continued to lean the “PK” changed to LOP and I was able to lean to 50 degrees LOP (probably could have gone further). Other indications were; a drop in CHT and EGTs as well as a balancing of all the cylinders. The engine continued to run smooth and I repeated the results at various power settings from 40-65%. I used 1/2 to 3/4 carb heat and no carb heat. Carb heat did seem to help balance things.

Aaron’s Flying Lessons

My son Aaron continues to do his flight lessons. He’s now up to about 6 hours in the RV. Tonight we did, “Use of Flaps, Level Turns, and Intro to Slow Flight”. He’s doing very well. I have seen significant progress and he’s having a good time which is the most important thing.

Working On a Plane

Spent the day working on the plane. Got the bird strike dent mostly knocked out. It’ll need some Bondo before paint. Also, changed my spark plugs to Iridium. The 18mm adapters really are a pain! I also disconnected my primer system with the thought that perhaps there was a leek in the system causing my high EGTs. Also, poked around looking for the source of my oil leak. To date this will be my biggest nemesis. I have yet to see a drop hit the ground, but now that the oil is good and dirty you can see oil all over the engine compartment. The lower cowl is a mess as well as the lower cylinders. Right now as best I can tell the leak is from the #2 cylinder base O-ring. Not a fun one to fix as it will require the R&R of the cylinder. I may have to live with this for a while.

Bird Strike

Tony 1 Bird 0 – Wacked a bird on my first Young Eagle flight today. Bummer! Pretty big ding in the wing leading edge.

Young Eagles

Today was my first opportunity to fly Young Eagles. Young Eagles is an organization part of EAA that gives young people an opportunity to fly. It was lot’s of fun. The kids really enjoyed it.

Pilot Pete’s

Ken, Glen, Jeff and I headed to Pilot Pete’s for lunch. We had planned to go to Iola but the weather turned sour. The weather in Illinois was perfect. Afterwards we headed to Brodhead to see if there were any lingering antique aircraft left over from the past weekends convention. Winds were pretty gusty in a direct crosswind, 13kt gusting 20.

Badlands Fly-In

Mike and I are back from the Badlands Fly-In. We had a great time and it was a great experience. We left Friday morning around 7am and departed with great WI flying weather. However about mid-Minnesota the weather started to deteriorate and pretty soon we had to make a decision about diverting to avoid heavy rain, lightening and low ceilings. Randomly we chose Pocahontas, IA. Landing there was interesting. The winds were all over the place and relatively strong. Still we had time to park the plane and cover it up before the rain hit. The FBO there was very nice. They had coffee, internet (slow), and a free loaner car. The loaner car was a former police car and was in really ruff shape. Still it was pretty cool and we headed into town (if you call it that) and got us some breakfast (which was quite good). After we ate, we headed back to the airport about the time the rain began. This was about 10:30 am. It rained off and on for about 4 hours and we kept thinking it was done, then another shower would pop up and ceilings would drop. Flight Service (no service) told us we’d be good to go at around 4pm, at 5pm it was still LIFT (300ft ceiling) and we made the decision to get a motel. The plane had leaked like a sieve as my cover was definitely not waterproof. The FWD access panels I had installed (which I regret) is where most of the water came through.

On Saturday morning we took off at out 5:45 am in the dark and headed to the Badlands. It was a beautiful day of flying. And though we had a bit of  a headwind the trip was pretty quick. Landing at Hot Springs was great and after a short fuel stop there and potty we were back airborne to do the tour of the area attractions. Rushmore was okay, much more impressive on the ground. Crazy Horse also okay. Spearfish canyon was pretty cool and Devil’s Tower was very cool. We skipped Wall Drug as we would go that route on our way home.

Saturday night we hooked up with Stephan. He has a -7 that I’d say was a “sister” to my plane. We have similar tastes and he has Skyview and Classic Aero interior. The main differences are that his plane is incredibly meticulous and has some serious HP on the front just behind a Whirlwind CS prop. VERY NICE plane! He and his wife a neat couple and I look forward to getting to know them in the years to come. They live in Seattle.

The evening activities included a “ranch style” dinner and some country music. I spent some time talking with Ryan, a lead mechanic at United Airlines Denver. He and I know a lot of the same people and his wife (I forget her name) was really cool. We spent several hours with them and had a great time.

Sunday morning we took off at about 8 am, flew over the Badlands and enjoyed the best flying weather ever. At one point we had 50mph tailwinds and it made the 662nm go by in a hurry. We stopped at Lone Rock for fuel and food. Back to Waukesha and home.