Thread: Nebraska to Texas

Headed to Alliance, NE to retrieve 1CT from a hangar where it's been waiting out the winds. Hope to make it to ADS tomorrow and will have photos.

Doug

Doug,

Enjoy the trip and fly safe!

I had a great trip. Arrived on the B1900 from Denver the night before and took the courtesy car at the FBO. This being a small town airport, the "terminal" was 100 yards from the FBO. Keys were in the vehicle. The airport cat came by, hoping for me to let it in, but took off once the van started up - I think it'd had a run-in with the van before.

WX for the next am was overcast 4000 clearing up as the morning went on, so I got a good night's sleep and got to the FBO about 8:30. Did a careful pre-flight, got fueled up, added 3 gal of water for ballast and packed all the baggage. Watched a 150 stop at the ramp and the passenger hopped out. Turned out that this was the instructor turning the student loose for his first solo. I decided to wait for him to get a few landings in before I got going. I used that time to put a strip of metal foil tape on the radiator - it was just above freezing with cold temps forecast aloft.

Started up and got the GPS going. Flight plan entered, oil up to temp, CHT getting warmer, wind is good ... time to go! Departed AIA about 9:30 MDT.



Overcast was there all right but started to break up on the way to McCook, NE. The scenery changed a little, with lots of small lakes on the way, some of them smaller than they used to be.



I flew at 7500 and 9500, looking for the best combination of ride and tailwind. I settled on 9500 most of the way across NE and Kansas. XM radio fed me college football and Denver and KC Centers were fairly quiet - I got flight following from 1500 agl out of AIA, all the way to Hays. Note the shot of our new bracket for the G396.



Next waypoint was Hays, KS. This was my restroom stop if I needed one. As I was about to fly on, I looked at the fuel tubes again - the left was feeding much faster than the right. I decided to play it safe and stop at HYS to check out the vents and get fuel in the left. Yeah, I could probably make it to Wiley Post (PWA) on just the left, but then I might not. The airplane hadn't flown in a few weeks and I could just imagine some spider that had made a home in the right fuel vent....

Circled down from 9500 and approached runway 4. The winds were 10G15 and it took two tries to get it down. I went around after the first bounce - a combination of gusts and rusty landing skills. Made it fine on the second try and the line guy put 7 gal in the left and 3 in the right as I took a potty break.

I walked past the RANS hangar on the way to the FBO building - sadly, nobody was there. RANS is working on a all-metal LSA that looks to be a nice alternative to the Sport Star. Blew out the vents - they were both clear - and turned the left vent a little askew for less fuel flow.

Departed and headed to PWA. Great tailwinds started about HYS, and I had 20kt of help. Always nice to have tailwinds. Made about 130 to 135 kt. Landed PWA to take a look at a DA40 with the G1000 flat panels. I'm starting to work on my instrument rating and am interested in the DA40. The CT is more fun to fly, but the DA40 is a sweet plane.



Headed from PWA to GLE for some cheap fuel. It was $3.50 - a little high for GLE - but $3/gal cheaper than the home base of ADS. Took too long at GLE getting fuel and a coke, and I noticed that the time was later than I expected - sunset was going to happen very soon. Got loaded up and started the engine, then I remembered the tape - the engine was running about 210 OT and CHT in the green on the way over. I wanted to remove the tape to get good cooling. #%@$!!! Shutdown, removed the tape, and started back up again.

Departed GLE and left the throttle WOT. Fast cruise climb at 100kt once I got to 1000 agl, and headed straight for ADS. I didn't want to land after twilight and risk the ire of the Feds.... Leveled off at 3500, Rotax singing at 5400 RPM and 120kt IAS. Man, it's great to fly in low density altitudes after a summer full of ISA+20 temperatures. Center handed me to approach, who was nice enough to give me Class B clearance and direct to ADS just as the sun set. ADS tower gave me a right downwind entry to 33, maintain 2500 til midfield.

Came screaming to the field at 130kt in the decent with the power about halfway - thank goodness for the water cooling! Power off just before the departure end of the field, speed bleeding off and got flaps 15 out turning base. Throttle at idle, loosing altitude fast, base turn to final over the buildings, a little high ... added power once I picked up the VASI, light corrections for the variable winds and a good landing. Finally back home and easily 15 minutes to spare before twilight.

6.6 on the Hobbs, just over 30 gal of Avgas gone and one happy pilot and airplane, both thrilled to be back home.

Doug

I must say CHICKEN for not getting out of the plane to remove the tape with the engine running!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by josjonkers

I must say CHICKEN for not getting out of the plane to remove the tape with the engine running!!!!!!!!

Bok-Bok! Guilty as charged!

Doug

My son taught at Wiley Post as a CFI a couple of years ago in the Diamonds. He was at Wiley Post Aviation with Mike as his boss. They had one DA-40 and 3 DA-20's at the time. It is one of the safest planes with insurability beyond belief compared to other composite planes. I personally owned a DA-40/G1000 with tail number of 380PA. It is now somewhere on the east coast around NC or SC, not sure. Put about 150 hrs on it before trading it. Miss it a little. Loved the plane and the economic costs, but being 6'4", it was hard for me to sit in it for long X-C's with a stick between the legs, fixed backrests and my knees up against the lower edge of the panel. Still, loved it!!!

John

PS Glad to see someone with a CT having a blast. After the last few days of the "mishaps" thread, I was beginning to have my doubts...

Originally Posted by Patrnflyr

My son taught at Wiley Post as a CFI a couple of years ago in the Diamonds. He was at Wiley Post Aviation with Mike as his boss. They had one DA-40 and 3 DA-20's at the time. It is one of the safest planes with insurability beyond belief compared to other composite planes.

I'm actually looking at the DA40 that Mike at Wiley Post Aviation owns. He said that he just didn't like to rent out the DA40 - too nice - but put lots of hours on the DA20s. DA40 has about 130 hours on it.

Doug

Originally Posted by Patrnflyr

PS Glad to see someone with a CT having a blast. After the last few days of the "mishaps" thread, I was beginning to have my doubts...

John,

Don't let the "mishaps" thread get to you. Remeber there are hundreds of us out there every day enjoying the heck out of our CT's. You know how it goes - they never print the good news which always far outnumbers the bad!!!

Roger H

Doug,

Curious why the GPS is not in it's panel mount?

Roger H

Roger , I know that, but it just gets me down seeing the mfg and an owner take it out on a forum. If I owned the company, I'd call them up and ask them what can we do to make it right, that's all...

As for the DA40, great plane, just hope you're not a "big" person as I am. It's just built for the smaller European frame. The fit and finish is impeccable, Mercedes-like. And the customer service is second to none. I only had a couple of problems and the Vice President of the company, Jeff Owen, would sit there and talk to me on the phone for hours trying to get it right. That was on a Friday night when everything is closed!!! He is now at Premier Aircraft, the company where I bought the Diamond in the first place. Good luck with your purchase!!!

John