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-   -   What did you do with your RV this weekend? (4/11 - 4/12'ish) (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=181314)

SPX 04-11-2020 08:20 PM

What did you do with your RV this weekend? (4/11 - 4/12'ish)
 
The weather in San Diego finally cleared today, so I woke up early and took the RV up for a flight.

I really had nowhere to go, so I decided to fly along the coast, down to Coronado, and then reverse course and head back to Fallbrook to do a few landing before putting the airplane back in the hangar.

A short video out the side window as I did the 180? turn..

https://youtu.be/rPxkA9gzXnU

Interesting flying right now .. SoCal approach had one controller for the entire San Diego area. I know that the facility has limited staffing now due to less traffic, and also to help reduce the chances of a controller getting COVID-19, and getting the entire shift sick. So, they've reduced the shift size so as to have a backup team if one shift gets sick.

This was likely to be my second to last flight before converting the panel from this:



To this:


Plummit 04-11-2020 09:05 PM

Just a little oil-stir flight from LGB to over Catalina Island. Nice day to fly and obviously a lot of other pilots felt the same way as it was busy over the local practice area. Oil stirred and back to the hangar.

-Marc

WingsOnWheels 04-11-2020 11:39 PM

Went for a short flight with my daughter. Not a lot of places to go right now, so we just took the long way around south Dallas then stopped at Bridgeport for a while and then back to aerocountry. Good day to get in some crosswind landings, it was 90 degrees off pretty much everywhere.



plehrke 04-12-2020 04:37 AM

Just stayed around the airport doing touch and gos as I am trying to burn down my fuel as low as possible leading to reweighing. Trying to minimize amount I need to drain. I have done a bunch of mods over the last few years like removing mags for EI and adding servos and AP and want to measure weight and CG against calculated.

uk_figs 04-12-2020 06:42 AM

Local area
 
Had a couple of nice days this week in Tulsa so got some vertical distancing exercise and blew off the Oklahoma dust. Practiced wheel landings, steep turns, standard rate turns (tricky due to my tendency to crank around), loops, rolls, stalls, and rechecked the AoA calibration on the Dynon (still spot-on).

I still would like a dash mounted AoA visual indicator but the tone system does its job well (except when 3 pointing the landing and it keeps going)

Visited a buddy working in his hanger on his -10 by doing a deer clearing pass down the runway and waving :D

Finally gassed up at $3:50 gallon at Sand Springs airport and came home.

As usual the tower folks at Riverside Jones were great even on a skeleton staff.

All in all a fun couple of hours, and after 12 years I am still amazed at how well the -7 flies. The plane flew great as usual and nothing broke:D
Figs

goatflieg 04-13-2020 03:53 PM

Back to baffle work. Who knew that the air seal fabric would take so long to fabricate? I didn't... but I'm learning. Not done yet... but progress is progress.

leok 04-14-2020 05:46 AM

$100 Burger
 
The wife and I flew from Pontiac, MI (KPTK) to Owasso, MI (KRNP) for fuel ($4.18) best price around. There is a very small diner on the field that is open for take out. Two burgers and chips ordered by the wife while I filled up the plane. We ate in the completely empty terminal building as it was too cold outside, washed up, sterilized with sanitizer and flew home.

Pontiac cleared us to land 6 miles out. During normal times there might be as many as 6 planes doing training in the pattern. I have had to remind tower to clear me for landing while turning final.

A weird world we live in now

Roy Thoma 04-14-2020 09:56 AM

3000nm relocation trip from Ajo, AZ to Hillsboro, OR
 
I wanted to take N174RT (RV-7A) from Ajo AZ (P01) to Hillsboro, OR (KHIO) and get back to Ajo so Sandy (Capt Sandy on VAF) and I can start our reposition from being snowbirds in Ajo and return to the Pacific Northwest. Our original plan was for me to fly the RV to KHIO and get an Alaska Airlines flight back to Phoenix.

Then COVID. I'm not interested in going through commercial airports or flying in a big silver tube. My good friend James (jmjula on VAF, CFII and RV-7A builder/pilot) said he would help. We discussed the risks of being close together in the plane and believe we have each been isolated enough that it would be safe.

The struts for my tip-up canopy stopped supporting the canopy on Thursday the day before planned departure. P01 was the busiest I'd ever seen it on Thursday.



I left P01 Friday morning with about 30 gallons of fuel. Picked 1L1 for my first fuel stop, easy 330nm flight.* Probably not the best stop from a "what if something happened" perspective. There was nobody at the airport. The self serve fuel worked fine. No T-Mobile cell coverage. Next stop was Mountain Home (U76) near Boise. I did see a few people there, enjoyed my PBJ sandwich. I was also able to call Van's and placed a will call order for canopy struts. Stopped at KUAO and picked up the canopy struts that were left for me. One more stop at Twin Oaks (7S3) for $3.75 fuel before flying to KHIO and putting N174RT in the hangar. Bob and Betty Stark are the original owners of Starks Twin Oaks. His son Danny Stark now runs the maintenance part of Twin Oaks. Danny's 10 year old (guessing) daughter drove a golf cart to fuel pump to turn it on since they were using a backup tank. Third generation off to a good start.

Volcanoes in the Cascades to the south and north of my crossing.
Jefferson is the closest

Hood is the closest


More work to do on Friday: unpack the plane, change the oil, fill the O2 bottle and see what might be in the hangar that Sandy and I might want during the next several weeks. Also charge the battery in the car that had been waiting for us since mid October.
My good friend James and I took off from Hillsboro early Saturday morning on an IFR flight plan to Eureka NV (05U). We were in the clouds for a minute or two after departure, then kept the IFR services with VFR on top for the rest of the flight.



There was a lady at the Eureka FBO who confirmed the self serve fuel worked. James and I enjoyed a nice 2nd breakfast that he brought. Before leaving 05U I confirmed with Sandy that we would meet at Goodyear near Phoenix. Sandy's pirep from the Ajo / Gilla Bend area helped choose the airport. James and I estimated a 2.5 hr flight and Sandy had about a 2 hour drive.
Flying to Goodyear we overflew the Grand Canyon.






Sandy weather Pirep looking to the north from Ajo.



Red Rocks near Vegas



to be continued

Roy Thoma 04-14-2020 10:24 AM

(continued) 3000nm relocation trip from Ajo, AZ to Hillsboro, OR
 
Sandy arrived at Goodyear within 5 minutes of when James and I parked the plane.
30 minutes of so later James headed north to Chico CA where he would spend the night with his mom. Sandy and I did some essential shopping in Phoenix before returning to Ajo. James landed in Chico before we completed our drive to Ajo. Long flying day for James, he flew about 1700nm in about 11 hours in a plane I built!

Pictures from James flight from Goodyear to Chico






Easter Sunday James completed the relocation mission with a "short" 2+ hour flight to Hillsboro.
Castle Crags

Mt. Shasta


Thanks to James for the help shuffling N174RT. Thanks to Van's for making and supporting a great kit. Thanks for DR and the VAF community.
Regards,

Jpm757 04-14-2020 10:56 AM

Took a quick trip down the Hudson River VFR corridor. Usually loaded with traffic, I didn't see one other aircraft. One circle around the Statue of Liberty.
https://i.postimg.cc/65DHcQGD/IMG-8609.jpg


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