Martha's Vineyard

tkatc · #1 05-31-2011, 08:17 AM

My co-pilot is doing better and dramamine seems to be doing the trick. We planned to fly to Martha's Vineyard and stay overnight but the fog at the Vineyard is quite unpredictable and can be dangerous. (Ask JFK,jr)

Here is the track:

tkatc · #2 05-31-2011, 08:23 AM

Our route took us up the Hudson River exclusion through New York city.
Here we are approaching the Varazzano Narrows bridge:

The Statue of Liberty:

NYC:

tkatc · #3 05-31-2011, 08:31 AM

More NYC:

My co-pilot was suppose to get the USS Intrepid but she is accustomed to picture taking in the airplane yet. Besides, the RV is so fast, you have to work quickly to get the shot.

Approaching the George Washington Bridge:

Here is a SuperCub we were overtaking. I told him we would take a picture and send it to him. I thought we would get better pics so I doubt he would even want this photo. My co-pilot will get better!!

tkatc · #4 05-31-2011, 08:36 AM

I believe this is Norwich, CT. The views were better in person but the camera picks up so much of the haze.

Not sure what town this next pic is but the building was huge and the falls looked nice!!

Lots of boaters out this weekend!!

tkatc · #5 05-31-2011, 08:49 AM

As I said, the Vineyard weather is tricky this time of year so my planned alternate was Plymouth, MA (PYM). They were reporting good VFR weather while the Vineyard (MVY) was reporting 600' OVC. As we approached the coast it looked a little better so we decided to take a closer look. It looked doable to I called Vineyard Tower and requested SVFR for a full stop on Rwy 24. The tower told me it would be a 15 minute delay as they had a lot of IFR arrivals inbound. OUCH!!

I thought of 2 things immediately....15 minutes is about 2 gallons of gas at $6.05. (Vineyard prices) So this guy is costing me $12.10, almost a dollar a minute!!

I also though the my co-pilot would not like circling for 15 minutes...

At least the view of the island coast was beautiful....that might keep her calm.

As you can see from the above picture...the coast was clear but the airport was not.

The weather was bad to the southwest and with the winds out of the southwest I feared the airport would be low IFR if we waited the full 15 minutes. I told the controller we had the airport in sight and if it helped, that I was a controller too!! He said that it didn't help and to remain clear.

But about a minute later I was cleared in the follow a twin 2 mile final!!
Ahhh...a comforting sight below!!

Thanks Tower!!

tkatc · #6 05-31-2011, 09:04 AM

We were really lucking out on this day. We checked into the hotel and walked down in Edgartown. We scored a rooftop table overlooking the bay to enjoy the cocktails and views!

The next 3 pics show how fast the fog can move in....this is about a 15-20 minute period.

This guy knows all about the fog!!

My co-pilot is really starting to appreciate how the RV can open up new worlds for us!!!

So it was dinner and drinks the rest of the evening....mostly drinks!!! We hit several pubs on our stroll back to the hotel. This next picture was the only one I managed the rest of the night....not bad for being quite tipsy!!

tkatc · #7 05-31-2011, 09:09 AM

Here is that same building the next day.

The Vineyard sure is nice!!

Here is Edgartown lighthouse, in the background you can see the ferry coming in to pick up all the weekenders heading for the mainland.

Closer shot of the ferry.

tkatc · #8 05-31-2011, 09:26 AM

As everyone else was heading home we too decided it was time to depart. We got the airport, loaded up and did the pre-flight. We taxiied out to 24 for departure and performed a run-up. Our luck had run out!!! On the run-up I discovered the right mag (P-mag) was not firing on the Number 1 cylinder. Without my engine monitoring system (AFS 2500) i would have never pinpointed the problem down that quickly. On the right mag the number 1 cylinder would lose all CHT and EGT. I knew it wasn't firing. So we had to taxi back to the GA ramp.

I didn't know what to do so I called the builder....surely he would have an idea. No answer, I think he is in Peru. Hmmm, I could make a post on VAF but that would take awhile and I didn't know how long a window I had with this weather. I decided to call Walt http://expaircraft.com/. he diagnosed the problem on the phone and talked me through what I should check. He suspected a bad plug and I could try running the engine hard to clear the lead deposits but if that didn't work I had to pull the plug for a closer look.

I ran the engine hard for about a minute but the problem persisted. I had to uncowl on a busy ramp at MVY. (Note to self: put together a traveling tool kit IMMEDIATELY!) I had a screwdriver, some various nuts and bolts, 2 spare plugs, some duct tape and a spark plug socket (but no rachet).

I was in trouble! I was able to decowl and I had the FBO searching for a rachet so I could pull the plug. After uncowling, the problem was obvious, the ignition wire had come off the plug and was just dangling there. How did that come off??

I looked at the plug and discovered the screw on tip was missing. Hmmm. Well, all I needed was to install a new tip and secure the plug wire. I was relieved at this point thought. Easy fix!! The spare plug tip was on tight so i had to get pliers to twist it off. Well, I twisted the entire inards of the plug out. Appearently this plug didn't have a screw on tip even though it is the same model as the one already installed (NGKs). I had to intall a new plug afterall.

tkatc · #9 05-31-2011, 09:36 AM

After installing the new plug I did a run-up. She was purring like a kitten again!!

I really owe Walt big time. I had nowhere to turn and he really helped me out. My problem might be obvious to some of you guys but I was lost. It was a hopeless feeling but I was glad to have this family to fall back on. Thanks again Walt!!

On the way home I decided to go up high and fly over the New York bravo. Here is JFK from 8500'. It's a huge airport and we had jets climbing and descending left and right.

NYC

Overall, a nice weekend getaway. My co-pilot is even talking about future trips such as St. Simon's, GA!!!

pierre smith · #10 05-31-2011, 01:21 PM

Closer to your home, Ocracoke is a neat destination...the barrier islands of N.C. where German subs picked off a bunch of our ships. Further south, Charleston has more Southern Charm than you've ever seen

Then Beaufort....beautiful with all the marshes and an RV'er owning the rental car facility in the FBO at KARW...

Then Hilton Head a little further south and the most charming old Georgia city...Savannah, with its past, colorful history as the 13th colony.

Yep, you're both gonna love the RV more and more!

Best,