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
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.
I had not flown my Q since 10 Nov 13. Yes that is
four months. I did fly a Cherokee 6 for an hour
and a half in late Nov, and took a BFR 1 Dec 13.
Still along time no fly.
I did go to the airport on Sunday and fired
everything up to make sure all was functioning.
Monday the weather was great. Light winds from 270
to 300 at 6. High clouds with the sun shining
through. 50F on the ground. After setting a record
for the number of days below zero this winter, if
felt like summer out. Took off my coat before
getting in the plane.
TO was normal on 29. Climb saw good due to the
cool air. Did notice the CHT was higher than
expected. Leveled off and the temps came right
down. The cockpit was getting very warm. Then I
realized we had temp inversion. It must have been
70F at 1000' AGL.
Had to turn off the heat and on with the fresh air
vents. Flew around the home town for a while then
ventured out to the West Union airport for a
couple of touch and go's. Made two circuits there
and headed north for DEH. The winds aloft were
crazy. Going SE I was looking at a ground speed of
170MPH. Turning back NW it was a screaming 107MPH.
Made for interesting turns, downwind to base and
base to final. At the ground though, the winds
were almost calm. Landed on 29 without incident.
As a matter of fact, made an excellent landing
even if I say so myself. No witnesses.
The very neat thing about yesterday's flight was
that it was our 8th anniversary.
I first flew "Determination" on 10 March 2006. I
treated her with more respect this time if you
know what I mean.
Keep building!
See you at the Spring Fling. I tentatively plan
that for the first weekend in June this year.
May has been bad for weather. Maybe making a
change will help.
Let me know your thoughts about that weekend.
Kevin Boddicker
TriQ 200 313 hrs
Luana, IA.
