Superdave wrote:
Went to Cortez, CO. Had a decent tailwind.

Wow SD. What kind of tailwind was that? 348 knots ground speed! Is that high tech stack in your 180?

I flew to Provo Utah one time ina 205 and got 205 mph GS.. Thought I was moving out then

See ya, Bub

Superdave, How hard was it to get the STC for that, or did you just get a field approval? I know those FSDO guys can get picky, did you have to submit a new W & B?

I put a few dents in my elevator leading edge. But hey, that's dirt flying.

Zane,

You've gotta get stone guards on your elevator leading edges! If it's not a Cessna optional part, there's got to be an STC. Don't leave home without them. Good luck.

CAVU

zane wrote:I flew. Alone, for the first time since becoming an airplane owner.
It was fun, and nearly as exhilarating as my first solo many years ago.
...........Woo hoo! ..........

Good for you, Zane-- way to go! You need to get that airplane a couple hundred miles further north, so that going out for an afternoon's flying doesn't tie up a whole weekend!
Regarding vibration, check the propeller orientation. With #1 at TDC, the prop blades should be at about 5 o'clock & 11 o-clock, looking aft. There's a "T/C" mark on the edge of the crankshaft flange, but you'll need a little mirror to look around the aft edge of the spinner assembly and see it. It should be at 6 o'clock.

As far as engine vibe, I would start with the prop dynamic balance, even if it isn't the primary reason for the vibe, everything in the engine and airframe will thank you for balancing the prop.
On edit: don't spend all of your flying money chasing a vibe unless it's real bad. Most important thing you can do now is fly every day.

CAVU wrote:

I put a few dents in my elevator leading edge. But hey, that's dirt flying.

Zane,

You've gotta get stone guards on your elevator leading edges! If it's not a Cessna optional part, there's got to be an STC. Don't leave home without them. Good luck.

CAVU

Try leeading edge tape. It's in the chief catalog and aircraft spruce has it also. Works good.

Dave you are da man. Apply for a patent on the dimmer. Iceman

Grand Gulch strip on the Northwest end of the Grand Canyon.


Downtown Grand Gulch. Most of the buildings were built around 1900.
Lots of interesting mining artifacts (junk) to poke around and look at.


Warming up the dutch oven to make buiscuits to go with dinner and a Grand canyon sunset.


Maybe not the part of the canyon that attracts millions of visitors and has an airtour chopper overhead every five minutes but a quiet and wonderful place for an early morning hike that is spectacular in its own way.
Dale

jmtgt wrote:Pretty cool Dale!!!!

No-- very cool, Dale! Looks like some real pretty country. Quite a bit different from cool, green western Washington. I don't miss the hustle and bustle (aka ratrace) from when I used to live in So Calif, but I do kinda miss the open desert country.
What kinda airplane is that? Looks like a 170 or 140. And is that an official airstrip, an unofficial one, or just a land-able piece of ground?

Eric

I saw that strip out the window a couple weeks ago flying to Denver out of Vegas. Looked very cool and I didn't see any X's on it.

Brad

a64pilot wrote:As far as engine vibe, I would start with the prop dynamic balance, even if it isn't the primary reason for the vibe, everything in the engine and airframe will thank you for balancing the prop.
On edit: don't spend all of your flying money chasing a vibe unless it's real bad. Most important thing you can do now is fly every day.

I was thinking about this today. Zane, regarding the prop, probably a good first step would be to pull it and send it off to get checked out re: tracking,egual pitch,and static balance. Then reinstall and have dynamic balance if required. Dynamic balance is lots harder if the prop doesn't balance static. A fix-pitch prop overhaul around here is around $400-450.
Might also be a good idea to eyeball the engine mount for damage, as well as the Lord rubber mounts. Also check for anything loose and/or rubbing together.

Eric

zero.one.victor wrote: I was thinking about this today. Zane, regarding the prop, probably a good first step would be to pull it and send it off to get checked out re: tracking,egual pitch,and static balance. Then reinstall and have dynamic balance if required. Dynamic balance is lots harder if the prop doesn't balance static. A fix-pitch prop overhaul around here is around $400-450.
Might also be a good idea to eyeball the engine mount for damage, as well as the Lord rubber mounts. Also check for anything loose and/or rubbing together.

I had my prop reconditioned last March by Northwest Props in Puyallup to the tune of $630. Static balance, track, blade re-profile, paint, inspection, re-cad bolts, etc. I guess I should verify the static balance on a stand or something. Engine mounts are a definite sqwuak item. i think I'm going to start with making sure I have the thing on there right. I did orient it at the 5:00/11:00 position, but it may be 180 degrees out, which I'm not sure would make a difference.

zane. i had the prop overhauled on my 59 172 last summer and found out for that model and year there was nothing in the mechanics manual on how to put it back on the plane. so it was left to me and my mechanic to trial and error. the first fitting resulted in some vibration, so we took it off and swapped it 180 degrees and it made a big difference, much smoother. john

Eric

Grand Gulch is shown on the Las Vegas sectional about 50 miles south of St George Utah with a U on the Grand Wash cliffs. A easy strip for my 120.
Dale

yellowbird wrote:zane. i had the prop overhauled on my 59 172 last summer and found out for that model and year there was nothing in the mechanics manual on how to put it back on the plane. so it was left to me and my mechanic to trial and error. the first fitting resulted in some vibration, so we took it off and swapped it 180 degrees and it made a big difference, much smoother. john

Good to know, John, I'll try that.

As you can see below it is FINALLY summer 'round here.

Flew McKinley Park>Talkeetna>Anchorage (Merrill)>Talkeetna>McKinley Park this weekend. Almost got stomped by a moose, saw a play, ate a swanky dinner, enjoyed live music, hiked twice and flew 343 nautical miles, not necessarily in that order. Another Memorial Day weekend goes by...

Troutdale to Madras, Oregon. I took my father-in-law and wife with me. This was the first time he flew with me.

He's so old and broken he could hardly get in the Maule. I'm glad we got to do the flight, I don't know how much longer he will be around. He is a great guy!

There is a wild fire by Mt. Jefferson. In the morning it was nothing and by afternoon it was rip-pin. Cheers...Rob

Back to my place in Madras, Or. There was so much smoke over the airport I was inside 4 miles before I could see it. Thank goodness for GPS or I would still be looking. Coming home this morning, west bound Columbia River Gorge, smooth as silk. I never get tired of the Gorge! Cheers...Rob

Copper Basin, Idaho. Good strip, and chain tie downs in concrete no less. Bring a mountain bike and check out the old mine sites on the surrounding hills. Be very aware of the open pits at same! At 7920' and surrounded by peaks over 11K it is a very cool place.
Tom Simko

Crescent Lake, OR - 4810'

Woooooo!!!

It seemed like a good choice that would let me try a high elevation field but Terrain that offered escape routes and a long paved runway. Glad I tried it and a good eye opener. Mistakes were made.

Do NOT forget to close your flight plan before landing!!!
Note to self: Add "Close FP" to descent checklist.
There's no cell phone service, though there may be a phone at Crescent lake junction nearby. Upon landing it was getting a bit warm and winds were just starting to pick up. I could see ripples over Odell lake as I was coming in.

I decided to try to take off and contact the Sun River RCO to close my FP.
The runway is 3900' long and there was an escape route down a valley that led over Odell Lake plus a 5-10kt headwind. A patch of gravel washed on the runway is located about 2/3's (or less) of the way down runway 31. I figured if I wasn't off the ground by the gravel, I'd abort. Reaching the gravel, my wheels came off the ground, barely. Climbing was incredibly anemic and this was with about 10 gallons of fuel left. 180' past the end of the runway a hill rises about 80' with some tall trees on it. I wasn't going to clear the trees. I hit the escape route through a valley over some RR tracks then over Odell.
Winds were picking up. I could see whitecaps starting to form.
I closed the FP then made two attempts to land with the added turbulence. If I didn't make the third I was heading to Sun River. Success. The approach to 31 is steeper than normal.

This morning performance in my C150 was better with temperatures at 45 degrees. I cleared the trees a bit more comfortably this time.

Camping is allowed at the airport and the tie downs have chains. The tie down area does slope a bit. I didn't find any water sources so bring your own. There are pit toilets at the snow park just west of the airport. Crescent lake junction is a short walk and has a few choices for food.