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WDYDWYRTW? Mar 21-22, 2026. Chuck Norris and more.

DeltaRomeo

doug reeves: unfluencer
Staff member
Flew the -6 Saturday morning in meat servo mode for .5 with a lazy pass by the former home of the late great Chuck Norris (lived there for a few years while filming Walker TX Ranger). Dipped a wing. North shore of Grapevine Lake. Rest in Peace, sir.
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Not a cloud in the state and 80*F - pretty much perfect for RVating.
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Back on deck U.S.S. Aero Valley, sharpened the Emerson Mini Commander I keep in the survival vest I wear while flying the RV. A gift from a fellow RVator 15 years or so ago. Great knife.
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The Mooney that landed in a field short of our runway three days ago was still there - visible from road driving out of airport. Pilot broke both legs is all I know.
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And throwing in the pic of M67 I took Friday evening from the back yard (many names…..Messier 67, NGC 2682, King Cobra Cluster, Golden Eye Cluster). 250 images stacked over the course of 1.5 hrs.
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Weekend off to a good start, and hoping the same for you.

v/r,dr
 
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0.7 Hobbs. Flew out over the coast for fun, Monterey CA off in the distance, flew by Moss Landing. IMG_3575.jpegIMG_3573.jpeg

15 deg cooler than earlier in the week. Still 80F. Engine break in is going well!
 
Flew the -6 Saturday morning in meat servo mode for .5 with a lazy pass by the former home of the late great Chuck Norris (lived there for a few years while filming Walker TX Ranger). Dipped a wing. North shore of Grapevine Lake. Rest in Peace, sir.
View attachment 112992
View attachment 112996

Not a cloud in the state and 80*F - pretty much perfect for RVating.
View attachment 112998

Back on deck U.S.S. Aero Valley, sharpened the Emerson Mini Commander I keep in the survival vest I wear while flying the RV. A gift from a fellow RVator 15 years or so ago. Great knife.
View attachment 112993

The Mooney that landed in a field short of our runway three days ago was still there - visible from road driving out of airport. Pilot broke both legs is all I know.
View attachment 112994
View attachment 112997

And throwing in the pic of M67 I took Friday evening from the back yard (many names…..Messier 67, NGC 2682, King Cobra Cluster, Golden Eye Cluster). 250 images stacked over the course of 1.5 hrs.
View attachment 112995

Weekend off to a good start, and hoping the same for you.

v/r,dr
 
Condition inspection done and took a quick flight, then back to the 8
 

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Another condition inspection off to a good start. 1350 hours, 77/80, 75/80, 76/80, 75/80 hot.

The Wix anti-drainback valve seems to work very well. I usually punch a pinhole in the filter can, hang a cup under it, rotate it 180 degrees, and punch another pinhole. Come back later and the can is entirely empty, which really cuts down on the mess. A full cup suggests a good anti-drainback valve.

Old photo, prior filter disection.

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Sadly having to do some “unconstruction” to hone glazed cylinders.
 

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My buddy came by on Saturday and finished the Condition Inspection on my RV3. I still need to re-install all the inspection panels, but it feels good to have it legal to fly again. The little beast now has a little over 260 hours on the engine overhaul and is showing no signs of any problems. I only flew it 50 hours in the last year, but I attribute that to logging 70 hours since July in my new Rocket!

Yesterday morning, I spent a little time finishing up the installation of some small parts storage bins in my 20x50’ workshop attached to my hangar. I overlaid that section of wall with 1/2” plywood so I wouldn’t have to worry about hitting studs as I mounted the boxes. I also installed recessed 110vac outlets and Cat6 wire for all 8 of my hangar security cameras above the boxes. I’ll eventually have a 65” TV above the boxes. I’m a hardware nerd and frequently serve is the Rocky Mountain division of Aircraft Spruce for my friends and neighbors.

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I dragged my son out of bed an hour and a half before dawn to go flying.

Just kidding. He woke me up an hour before my already obscenely early alarm because he was so excited to spend the day flying with his old man. Is there any better way to rise and shine? I think not.

We took off at first light in order to watch the sun rise over the Banning Pass. That was pretty cool, lots of deep reds and oranges as the sky lit up in the east.

And speaking of cool, it was 60 degrees and smooth as you've ever seen it. The entire L.A. basin west of Riverside was covered in low stratus and fog, which made for a beautiful view at sunrise. Traffic visible in the air: zero. Traffic on the ADS-B display: none. I love Sunday mornings, if you go early enough the controllers will let you do pretty much anything.

I coached him through some stalls, steep turns, and wingovers over Lake Matthews until he mentioned being a bit hungry. So we hightailed it across the channel to Catalina Island, where the mist was spilling over the hills like water, but the airport remained above the fray. I have to say, they make a good breakfast out there. The ramp consisted of one Maule, one Piper, two Cessnas, and three RVs.

There's something almost comforting about the roughness and pot holes in the runway at Catalina. An almost subliminal assurance that there are some things you'll always be able to count on. The rising of the sun. The good times you'll have with your RV. And yes, that no matter how much they try, that runway will always be rough as a five day old face full of stubble.

After breakfast, we debated going out to Palm Springs because he wanted to see the Gulfstream that Walt Disney had flown around in. Disney restored the airplane for the 100th anniversary of the company in 2023 and it's now in the museum there. But the temps were already in the 90s and rising, so we elected to fly to Chino and visit the Planes of Fame instead. A P-51D landed right after us, and by the time we had parked and walked into the place, they were putting it back into the hangar. I love that museum because almost everything in their collection still flies. Bugs on the leading edges, oil pans under the engines.

He was fascinated by the engine collection, especially the multi-row radials, and a massive map of the Pacific showing location and timelines for major battles during WWII. They have a B-17 you can climb around inside, and that was another hit.

By mid-day the high pressure we've been experiencing had the temps above 80, so we flew back home and put the plane away. Took the rest of the family out for a late lunch at Islands, which I thought was appropriate.

Another day well spent, another memory made.

--Ron

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Did my first long-ish cross country in the RV, solo from Northern California to Vegas (KHND). 50+ gallons of fuel burned and 7+ hours on the hobbs total there and back.
 

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I dragged my son out of bed an hour and a half before dawn to go flying.

Just kidding. He woke me up an hour before my already obscenely early alarm because he was so excited to spend the day flying with his old man. Is there any better way to rise and shine? I think not.

We took off at first light in order to watch the sun rise over the Banning Pass. That was pretty cool, lots of deep reds and oranges as the sky lit up in the east.

And speaking of cool, it was 60 degrees and smooth as you've ever seen it. The entire L.A. basin west of Riverside was covered in low stratus and fog, which made for a beautiful view at sunrise. Traffic visible in the air: zero. Traffic on the ADS-B display: none. I love Sunday mornings, if you go early enough the controllers will let you do pretty much anything.

I coached him through some stalls, steep turns, and wingovers over Lake Matthews until he mentioned being a bit hungry. So we hightailed it across the channel to Catalina Island, where the mist was spilling over the hills like water, but the airport remained above the fray. I have to say, they make a good breakfast out there. The ramp consisted of one Maule, one Piper, two Cessnas, and three RVs.

There's something almost comforting about the roughness and pot holes in the runway at Catalina. An almost subliminal assurance that there are some things you'll always be able to count on. The rising of the sun. The good times you'll have with your RV. And yes, that no matter how much they try, that runway will always be rough as a five day old face full of stubble.

After breakfast, we debated going out to Palm Springs because he wanted to see the Gulfstream that Walt Disney had flown around in. Disney restored the airplane for the 100th anniversary of the company in 2023 and it's now in the museum there. But the temps were already in the 90s and rising, so we elected to fly to Chino and visit the Planes of Fame instead. A P-51D landed right after us, and by the time we had parked and walked into the place, they were putting it back into the hangar. I love that museum because almost everything in their collection still flies. Bugs on the leading edges, oil pans under the engines.

He was fascinated by the engine collection, especially the multi-row radials, and a massive map of the Pacific showing location and timelines for major battles during WWII. They have a B-17 you can climb around inside, and that was another hit.

By mid-day the high pressure we've been experiencing had the temps above 80, so we flew back home and put the plane away. Took the rest of the family out for a late lunch at Islands, which I thought was appropriate.

Another day well spent, another memory made.

--Ron

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There are only a few things that make life worth living (to me anyway) and top of that list is family followed closely by flying. Thanks for posting this, it was a welcomed momentary respite from worrying about all the cr@p going on in the world right now...:)
 
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