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What did you do with your RV this weekend? (4/4/2020 - 4/5/2020)

Moral support for another RV-er

Flew down to Bowling Green Kentucky to lend support to Doug Rohrer for his ready to be inspected RV-9A. Bobby Hester flew in as well to check over Doug's plane prior to scheduling a DAR inspection. Doug was gracious to take me flying in his prior 9A while I was building mine and while my daughter was attending Western Kentucky University.
 
Took the wife up for some sunset photos. A beautiful flight and evening with some decent photos and big smiles. We really needed to get back to normal even if for only a few minutes. Good medicine!
 
Chi-town fly by

Got an early start to the weekend on Thursday, given conditions were too perfect not to fly. Took a lunchtime vertical distancing break and headed North along the lakefront. Chicago approach was quiet as a mouse and there may have been two arrivals to ORD fly overhead the whole time. Getting close to doing my first oil change...looks like I will be going solo on that given the current constraints. Have enjoyed around 25 hours in this ride since picking her up in mid-February...still grinning. Thank you RM!



 
Buttoned everything up from the 13th condition inspection on 22C.
 
A contractor friend of mine had around 500 N95 masks to spare, and a nurse friend works in a unit that could use them.. so off to the mountains I flew, about 85 miles east of me, to get the masks.

Great flight to and from (with a little cloud dodging), and on the way home, I was curious to see how the iPhone did propped up on the top of the panel, recording the landing. Not great, but not awful.

https://youtu.be/R1FKhs8HxxU
 
Just a little social distancing over the puget sound.
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I didn't do too much. I simply swapped rego numbers and replaced the PlanePower FS-14 alternator with a B&C unit. But to do that, I had to...

  • Drive to the airport
  • Setup generator to keep 4WD battery charged while the kids play Xbox in the back seat.
  • Lay out tools on the wing
  • Remove the top cowling
  • Disconnect the battery negative lead
  • Undo 3 of the 4 nuts holding the alternator in place
  • Waste 30 minutes trying to work out how to uninstall the 4th nut without removing the P-mag
  • Swear
  • Uninstall the right P-mag
  • Remove the PP alternator
  • Drop one of the washers down between the battery and the battery box
  • Swear again.
  • Remove the battery hold down strap
  • Remove the battery positive lead
  • Pull the battery out
  • Retrieve the washer
  • Reinstall the battery
  • Reconnect the battery positive
  • Install the B&C alternator
  • Reinstall the P-mag
  • Realise you're not able to re-time & test the P-mag today because you're not going to move 2 planes out of the hangar to do a ground run this late in the day.
  • Swear again.
  • Install the B&C Voltage regulator
  • Install the wiring for the regulator
  • Reconnect the battery negative
  • Test for smoke
  • Remove old RAAus rego numbers from under the wing
  • Smack head into flap bracket
  • Swear. Again and a lot.
  • Pack up tools
  • Find out the Honda EU22i generator doesn't put out enough amps to keep the Landcruiser battery charged with Ignition On, Engine Off.
  • Swear again.
  • Lock the car
  • Play soccer with the kids while waiting for the battery to charge
  • Cross fingers, unlock car & try to start.
  • Pack up generator & 12VDC leads
  • Realise the low bus voltage has disabled cruise-control, pre-collision detection, traction control and a host of other sub-systems.
  • Swear again.
  • Drive home.
  • Google where the OBD port is on the new 4WD
  • Retrieve OBDII dongle and reset vehicle computers.
  • Tell the KRviatrix I CBF cooking dinner and order take-away
  • Drink Bundy.
 
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Michigan Sunset

The clouds finally broke in Western Michigan. Beautiful evening for a flight in the 10.


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Gary
RV10
N100JV
 
Hey Gary,

Surprised we didn?t run into each other out there! Sue and I were between Grand Haven and Holland at about the same time judging from your sunset photos and ours.
 
Got an early start to the weekend on Thursday, given conditions were too perfect not to fly. Took a lunchtime vertical distancing break and headed North along the lakefront. Chicago approach was quiet as a mouse and there may have been two arrivals to ORD fly overhead the whole time. Getting close to doing my first oil change...looks like I will be going solo on that given the current constraints. Have enjoyed around 25 hours in this ride since picking her up in mid-February...still grinning. Thank you RM!




I'll probably "run" into you one of these days along this route...if it's VFR this is what I'll take going to work. Look out for a red/white RV-9A at 2500' with FlyLED wigwags (installed mainly for this reason).
 
I finally got back up in the air after a month. My Skyview screen had issues displaying, so it went back to Dynon for repair. I got that back in the airplane on Friday, but I had trouble updating the map data. It would hang during file extraction. The ominous warning about no powering down during this operation had me afraid to power off and restart. So during my hopeful waiting, I let the battery drain for an hour before I gave up. I tried a couple of times with the same hang during file extraction. It seemed to just be an issue with the USB stick. Anyway, I attempted to start up the airplane and the battery quickly let me down. I put it on the charger overnight. Next day, with a new copy of the map data on a different USB stick, it quickly updated just fine. Battery was back charged fully, so the airplane fired right up. I was due for an oil change (4 months since my last one). I took the airplane around the pattern 7 times, then spent the rest of the day doing the oil and filter change. There is really no place to go for breakfast or lunch, since everything around here is closed up or take-out only. The airport was pretty quiet for a nice Saturday. I did see a couple of other RV'ers out there working. Roee Kalinsky is back working on finally getting his RV-7A project put together after an extended hiatus. He was practically done when I started on my RV-9A about 10 years ago! Wings and engine are on, and he was dealing with a leaky quickbuild wing tank. Bill Judge was also there having flown his RV-8 over from Gillespie. A couple of RV's did a two ship formation flight, and another RV-8 was out flying.
 
Fitted my Ultimate Gustlock

After a bout with 40+ gusts in MDW the other day and trying to tie down the aircraft while it was trying to weathervane with every gust, I decided my gustlock solution (seatbelt) was problematic. I returned the next day to find the seatbelt unbuckled. Evidently I didn't secure the belt well enough, but luckily there was no damage. I decided it's time for a solution to ensure greater protection.

Received my Ultimate Gustlock from Allan on Friday so in between ferrying summer/winter junk between hanger and house, I tested and fit my new gustlock.

What a fantastic device!

AntiSplat Aero's Ultimate Gustlock was very easy to install, compact, and secures flight controls very well. The only thing that I found different from the bench demo on Allan's site was my sticks are cut down a bit from what I assume is standard, so the height of the lock prevents the elevator from being completely faired with the stab.

Thanks for the great product!

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The sky was clear and nearly cloudless here along the Gulf Coast. I didn't think I would get a a picture that was too good but I was wrong. I love a beautiful sunset.

IMG_2572 by Paul Gray, on Flickr
 
Had great weather, no ceiling for a change with low winds so I gave my 8 and me a good work out doing climb and glide tests. 1.1 hr going up and down. Vy and Vbg at 1588 lb, flaps up, 2400 rpm, came out the same - 96 KIAS, 110 MPHIAS.
 
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MiG Patrol

Stirred up the oil, looked up to see down, practiced a couple wheel landings, and RTB with a crisp overhead pattern for a 0.7!
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AntiSplat Aero's Ultimate Gustlock was very easy to install, compact, and secures flight controls very well. The only thing that I found different from the bench demo on Allan's site was my sticks are cut down a bit from what I assume is standard, so the height of the lock prevents the elevator from being completely faired with the stab.

You know, I've never been able to get this geometry to work out on mine so that the elevator is in trail. If it is, then I can't get the part that goes on the stick to align properly so that both top and bottom are in contact with the stick. Must be some combination of stick and position of the rudder pedals and such. I just live with it...IIRC, it puts it in an elevator down position, and it's a 7A, so I don't sweat it much, but it does bug me.
 
We've been distancing at our Maryland house (where the RV still is), trying to do things to get it listed for sale. Our daughter Judy lost her job as a server, and her flight instructor has a compromised wife, so he's not interacting with people for a couple months. So Judy came to Maryland to once again get into the RV with Dad to continue on her PPL path. She asked for a flight without a dedicated plan just to wash away the Cherokee flows and feels.

My father's retirement community has (thoughtfully) gone into lock down: anyone who goes out the front gate must stay behind the door of their apartment for two weeks to protect the others. He is less than enamored with the 'room service' from the community eatery. So, we made up some of M'lady's best meals and froze them in individual meal containers.

Two birds with one stone, Judy and I flew east to west through the DC SFRA, grabbed the courtesy car from KJYO, and dropped the meals off at the front gate for Dad today!

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Long way home around the Class B, and into the pattern for some crosswind landing training. She did great, I'm quite happy for the quality time with her.
 
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Had a nice flight on Friday but when I was cleaning the bugs off, noticed that I had a very slight oil leak somewhere. Didn't want to take things apart only to find out that the fix required more than I had on hand, and that I'd end up leaving the plane apart for an indeterminate length of time. So I did nothing...
 
Flew around the Sangre De Cristos

Headed down to Spanish Peaks for a touch and go. When we left winds were about 10 knots, when we got there they had a 30 kt crosswind. So we flew over to the Westcliff valley (East of Sangre De Cristos) and flew by Silver West airport, where they had also had a wicked crosswind. By the time we got back to KFLY, it was almost calm. So we logged about an hour just driving around the mountains of Colorado. There are worse ways to spend a day!
 
Got all the horizontal cowl fasteners completed, including the nose nut plates and screws. It's not really a milestone... still have the firewall fasteners to do and a LOT of fitting and finishing work on top and bottom cowls... but it sure feels (and looks) like a milestone. Nice to make significant progress again before returning to the fiberglass finishing grind; more millstone than milestone.
65uVmp9QKG0fvBuZaOvOOAqAdOiuMpkiAKacnGMqEJFOBlmFxRT4eOnmMsq0Tvz63-gpEWyJvhO_DCPUNKFicVmMIKSH_tERuI8yfPvS8nImg5dHYgfYCJczzWEtTNNZuxdPknX5rdxIEQl2qsGXIH7fCp9c9V9SJM321G8BG1eBv1kVi9YSJn2Kl90fueV3EDiVmpD2cgL3S-kRFI915xIWXzdt4JJtjB72CRlROZCClsuQ4a47ra8SsL9_WtWTWe0LGT-RbuI1WwJWRVeuS0fQVmZR2aHGPENy7TFYwALthdhJBB61jPo1ohGDLQQIcUWiV2l6MqTogVdIV8vPfES-Q5frgSehbs1R8VQWnJmKCAuSD450M53OeqFqXfvewOzyHr6qFsveN-3O_3DHx3FHk4orOkO86z5uwJzSLRHgJ3BygPh9AKberP69T__jZhKAEcHlZsWQO4cKLlBJoML9ZyEliuJcY69BCAWZ-Ng6xw2LvQUunZJKuYp5qaKBwdxhNY4lQjcfK1WcX3a37VYGtQxJAuOkjrrTMWZYZ2z-kn-5RnEDh2uJbWQs0OOGRBYkAp3FiNj2WGgnDw-Q5j3ffRx5JLKlMEdFVQvDtd6jI41UQWQ3yAM8keUPxlTaqGipRX_bC8mjCW4SQ4fHnEmh9xO_disR4ID4FM8xoMoQu7qS6kOPMVw0lHXbLg=w900-h600-no
 
W&B

Time to put the girl on the scales .. 1106 lbs. All that additional primer and internal paint added a bit to the final number. No waif, but not portly either. Small rear end, though, coming in at 64 lbs. Rapidly running out of stuff to do .. just gotta fly this bird!
 
Lil' Dude was having a tough day at home pre-school this morning, I bribed him with a trip to go flying if he finished his last worksheet. I needed to use the table-saw stashed at the hangar anyway and it's been a couple weeks since I stirred the oil so it sounded like a good idea.
1500ish OVC made it a good opportunity to log a couple of approaches, we filed picked up our clearance and launched. Not half bad for being out of the cockpit for a couple weeks, I've got my 120 nailed and just slightly off the horizontal/vertical. The flight director was still stuck on Alt, I was hand flying and never swapped it to Apch.

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As we broke out on the first approach Lil' Dude says "Dad, I want to see the sun," he melted my heart right then and there! My favorite thing about instrument flying is leaving the gloom below and breaking out on top of an overcast to the blinding sun. A quick request with Center for top reports, higher altitude and a vector, "My Co-pilot wants to see the sun." We broke out around 5000 and used a block altitude so he could get a little stick time. Yes he is wearing a coat, shorts and cowboy boots....

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Lil' Dude cruised the deserted airport while I made sawdust with the table-saw and blew out the hangar, dang we like hanging out here!

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Patrick (Pmoran) -

How do you get your 3D flight profile superimposed on google maps like that?

Thanks in advance.

Thomas
 
Down Under report & retro

Apart from lock downs & social distancing it has been the wettest start to a year in over a century in our area of Victoria (near Melbourne). Interesting change after the fires in December.
I have been persevering with an NSI based set up in an RV-9A but using a modern and high end Motec M130 for engine management and a much more up-to-date Subaru EJ25.
Short video of a Sunday (your time) circuit.
Cheers.
https://youtu.be/nWvxaQ6clNw
 
Patrick (Pmoran) -

How do you get your 3D flight profile superimposed on google maps like that?

Thanks in advance.

Thomas
Thomas Short,

I used ForeFlight from my flight, opened Track Logs, then imported it to google maps, opened the imported file which allows 3D viewing. Then I took a screen shot of my IPad, saved the picture and uploaded it to the forum.
Hopefully hat makes sense.
Pat Moran
 
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