Catching up

I have been travelling a bit latey and I've not had time to write (not that anyone is reading anyway!). Anyway, here is a small note about my last 3 flights.

September 7, a flight to Chester

Steve and I made our normal Sunday trip an a morning which was warmer than I'd hoped. We decided to make the Chester run we hadn't been able to a few days earlier. This one was uneventful. We flew to Chester earlier enough that the parachute school hadn't begun jumps. We landed on the better runway and taxied over to the jump school. The runway was lined with campers occupied by slumbering jumpers who had partied hard the night before. I'm sure us parking by them woke a few up (and irritated a few). I ordered a breakfast burrito from the little kitchen and we talked with one of the jumpmasters as obviously hung over jumpers started to filter in. Why they would jump out of a perfectly good airplane is beyond me.

Anyway, we switched seats and taxied for departure. The ride home was uneventful. We pulled into the FBO at Concord and readied the plane to be parked. However, two things bugged me. One, we noticed during the flight that the left seat yoke wasn't quite neutral. We had to keep it just left of center for wings level flight. We also noted a large ding on the rudder. Evidently Aggie had been hit by something while on the ramp. Though the damage is minor, it's very irritating and the Concord FBO has been less than responsive. Next week I'm going to start pressing the issue. 1.6 hours.

September 14, North Wilkesboro

Steve and I simply wanted to fly, so we made a short trip to North Wilkes. This one was interesting on landing in Wilkes. Steve was at the controls and as we approached, a departing plane told us about a flock of geese right next to the runway. As we descended Steve realized his approach was too high, so we did a go-around. Frankly, we ought to do that more anyway. It's good practice to do a go-around every once in a while. Anyway, as we firewalled the throttle, the geese didn't' even move. We made left traffic and set up a more stable approach and touched down as the geese watched on. A trip to the bathroom, switch of seats, and we were on our way home, though with a new radio gremlin. A short in the jack on the pilot's side made things someone difficult. This is the second solder failure since I had all the wiring re-done -- not good. Touchdown at Concord was nothing unusual and our Sunday trip was over. 1.6 hours.

September 21, Rowan, Rockingham

Weather was iffy this Sunday morning so we made a jump to Rowan for gas and then headed east to Rockingham. Rockingham has a great looking new FBO, but we've never been inside. They seem never to be open. So, after after looking through the windows we headed home. Fall is starting to make its presence known, so visibility has jumped to about 30 miles. This is the best time to fly! Anyway, here's hoping I get back to blogging right after a flight so I can give a better description. 1.7 hours