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When the Wife wants to fly, you fly!

crabandy

Well Known Member
My Wife doesn't get the same enjoyment out of flying as I do, she's tagged along probably 25 hours of the almost 400 on my RV. I've tried bribing with various destinations but she'd almost always rather stay home. When she asked me yesterday about flying to see her mom for her mom's Bday I was ON IT like white on snow.

Weather forecast was pretty decent the night before but it is February in Kansas, airplane prepped and plugged in the night before. It wasn't forecast in my vicinity but I was not surprised to see the Fog and low visibility while driving home from the mid-shift, seemed it was freezing fog by the looks of the treetops. We postponed departure 30 minutes to let the sun do it's thing.

After breakfast for me and lil' dude and Wal-Mart for the Wife we met at the airport where the updated TAF was proving the Fog was lifting. 10 miles of hazy visibility at takeoff and a tailwind at 1500' AGL. I'ld almost regretted putting in the carseat attatch points, almost. I've yet to use them hour for hour as long as they took me to build. Leaving home base.

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Shortly after takeoff the pic off the wing was kinda hazy with the canopy fogged up after the ground ops, the Wife was not about to let me leave the canopy cracked.

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The computer fans and avionics usually keep the windscreen clear.

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Almost there and everyone is still smiling! Lil' dude was actually kinda stoked to ride in back, he's definitely going to out grow it before the baggage weight is exceeded.

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I forgot my phone in the airplane so no pics of my super surprised and happy Mother In Law as we delivered Roses and homemade cinnamon rolls.....and a grandchild for her Bday.

After a 2 hour visit the airplane was still plenty warm upon our return. I learned to fly out of KSLN, Taxiway E was our go to taxi instruction from the ramp and still is. They've shortened the runway since to 12,301, E is about the halfway point. I wonder if the old unofficial record for the # of touch and go's on 17/35 has ever been broken...

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Seems K-State 30 is slightly left of the center-line, students always want to skew it to their side. Kalitta Charter also in the background.

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A little less ice than when we left, lil' dude dutifully raising the hangar door/lights and positioning the tail dragger dragger.

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A wife that wanted to fly, a lil 'dude that always wants to fly along with a flyable day in February to surprise a Mother-In-Law, a tailwind both ways (2500' westbound and 11,500 eastbound) the RV turned a 6 hour drive into a 1.6 hour flight with a 2 hour visit before lunch for less gas than my deceased Carolla and made for a great day.
 
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Almost there and everyone is still smiling! Lil' dude was actually kinda stoked to ride in back, he's definitely going to out grow it before the baggage weight is exceeded.

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I think I might have been the first to install a child seat in the back of a 6A in 1993.
We found the same thing... my son outgrew the space long before weight/CG was a problem. Wasn't a problem for long because right about the time he was getting too big his sister came along and there was no way I could install seats for them both so he got to move up to the front and mom and sister stayed home.
 
Great trip!

Enjoy it while it lasts!

I think I might have been the first to install a child seat in the back of a 6A in 1993.
We found the same thing... my son outgrew the space long before weight/CG was a problem. Wasn't a problem for long because right about the time he was getting too big his sister came along and there was no way I could install seats for them both so he got to move up to the front and mom and sister stayed home.

I agree with Scott, my son outgrew the baggage compartment at around age five and a half. Weight was never an issue but him kicking the back of my seat on final was.

I then moved him and his booster seat to the front seat and Momma stayed home for a quiet day by herself.

Now the Mini-Me and I take the plane for weekend camping trips. (Still waiting for a high wing 2+2 to replace my -9. Hint, hint, hint...)
 
I think I might have been the first to install a child seat in the back of a 6A in 1993.
We found the same thing... my son outgrew the space long before weight/CG was a problem. Wasn't a problem for long because right about the time he was getting too big his sister came along and there was no way I could install seats for them both so he got to move up to the front and mom and sister stayed home.

Scott, thanks for posting previously as I know I referenced your previous post before making my car seat tie downs.
I’m still torn on the child seat tie downs as I’ve used the lower ones numerous times for baggage tie down points. Most of the work was head scratching, maybe half again as much fabricating and installing. Than again the few flights I’ve used them they worked well.

I added the car seat tie down points close to final assembly, at the time I had 2 little girls on the ground and 1 on the way. I think I had my second youngest in the back car seat a total of twice, my third girl just another couple. I’ld been flying for several years before my lil’ dude came along.

A rear facing infant car seat works very well with the co-pilot stick and seatback removed, not enough room to fit a rear facing seat in the baggage. Forward facing car seats can fit very well in the baggage area, but the kiddo must also be well adjusted to flying, if not they don’t seem to do well looking at the back of your head (2 place intercom and headset won’t reach them) and it’s hard to tend to their needs behind you. I’ve found a regular headset and the kiddo beside you works very well.

I think it depends on the season of your life, the first couple years when I really could’ve put the kiddo seat to use I was mostly doing test and local solo flights. Now I’m mostly destination flying and the car seat would be used more but the season has changed and it’s just usually me and 1 kiddo.
 
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I then moved him and his booster seat to the front seat and Momma stayed home for a quiet day by herself.

Now the Mini-Me and I take the plane for weekend camping trips. (Still waiting for a high wing 2+2 to replace my -9. Hint, hint, hint...)

This has been my ?go to? for the last couple years, daddy and a kiddo get to go on a flying adventure and momma gets a couple days of ?me? time.
 
Man, your polishing skills are way better than mine!! I bet you even polish the underside. Great pics. Wonderful story. Fantastic wife who "wants to fly." You are soooo lucky. Thanks for sharing.
 
Looks like mom will soon be addicted. Best to plan for a 10 on the horizon.
 
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Man, your polishing skills are way better than mine!! I bet you even polish the underside. Great pics. Wonderful story. Fantastic wife who "wants to fly." You are soooo lucky. Thanks for sharing.

Speaking of polishing the belly it?s about time to hit it again....
 
Looks like mom will soon be addicted. Best to plan for a 10 on the horizon.

As much as I would like to I don?t think a 10 is in the cards, I?ve thought about selling the 7 and partnering in a PA32-300. Should have enough leftover to buy a partially completed kit to work on while flying the PA32-300....
 
Awesome!

The gears are turning in my head to get my boys in the back now and have some questions.

Is he connected to the intercom in any way?
How is the car seat secured?
Brand/model of the carseat? I'm not sure our current one would fit under the rollbar in my tipup...
 
Awesome!

The gears are turning in my head to get my boys in the back now and have some questions.

Is he connected to the intercom in any way?
How is the car seat secured?
Brand/model of the carseat? I'm not sure our current one would fit under the rollbar in my tipup...

-No intercom, just ear muffs.

-I made attach points like the newer cars have for the car seat. I made an extended doubler on the lower bulkhead and floor rib junction so I can screw in in eyelets. I made a doubler up top reinforcing the bulkhead to the top rib and slider rail junction with a D-ring.

-I believe it was an older Cosco car seat model unknown, some of our car seats didn?t fit so well. I have a slider, but I can strategically maneuver (inverted seat first) the seat into the baggage with the seat backs in place. Tip-up should be similar, leaning the seat backs forward should gain several inches as well.
 
What did you use for the polish? I bought a bunch of blue magic. Thinking about trying it....

Nuvite and their process, F7 and wool was by far the hardest and longest. Currently playing different versions of the C with wool and cyclo, still trying for a ?perfect polish.? It looks pretty good from 10? in the daylight, hangar lights won?t show the true finish.
Dust, fingerprints and bugs clean up easy with just a wipe down, bird doo and water spots not so much.
I do like that I can polish as I continue to fly.
 
So Fun!

Andy,

What a great use of your machine. Enjoyed meeting your little Guy At OSH! I think this is the one right one!

Roses, rolls, and a grandkid - That is one happy Mom!
 
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