Flight report - finally!
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Fisher Paul A. <fisherpaula@...>
Wow, I think this is the farthest into a new year before I got a chance to fly the Q (almost Pi day!). It’s been a brutal winter – either the snow was so deep that I could get the plane out of the hanger, or the melting snow created such a lake that I didn’t want to wade through 4 inches of water trying to get to the taxiway!
I finally got a chance about three weeks ago. Enough snow had melted, but the ground was still hard enough to get to the runway. I pre-heated, got strapped in and hit the starter… nothing. Great – dead battery! So I put it away and put the battery charger on it. Came back two days later and tried again. Pre-heated, got strapped in and hit the starter… just enough to make the prop move, but not enough to start it. Of course that night it snowed again, but at that point it didn’t matter!
Looking through the log book I found the entry when I replaced the last battery – it had lasted 11 years before I replaced. It was still working, but I didn’t want to push it. That was in 2001! Apparently 12.5 years is all you can get out of one of those batteries!! ;-) So last weekend it warmed up enough for me to pull the tailcone and install the new battery.
Tonight was finally the night. It was 50 degrees Fahrenheit and winds right down the runway, and thanks to Daylight Saving time it wasn’t dark after work. So I pre-heated again (didn’t take too long this time!), strapped in and hit the starter. AND IT STARTED! I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I was excited just to get it running again after over three months! The GPS was still programmed to go to Massachusetts for Dave’s fly-in. Note to self – I need to fly more!
Anyway, it was an uneventful flight (http://aprs.fi/n17pf) just around the area to warm up the oil then back to the airport for three landings (each to a full stop because it’s a tail dragger!). Seemed like it used a lot of runway even though the wind was 12MPH right down the runway. The plane seemed to be functioning properly, so I have to assume it was the rusty pilot!
I know this isn’t much of a flight report. I was only up for 0.7 hours. But it sure was great getting to fly again!
I hope to see a lot of you at the Spring Fling in May!
Paul A. Fisher Q-200 N17PF ~1500 hours Taylor Ridge, Illinois
From: Q-LIST@... [mailto:Q-LIST@...]
On Behalf Of Kevin Boddicker
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 11:31 AM To: Q-LIST@... Subject: [Q-LIST] Flight report
I finally got to fly yesterday afternoon/evening. My flight reports are not as fun as Mike D's are, so you have to use your imagination.
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