There have been some good thread hijacks about flying of late - so here's a thread for that!
Here's my ride for this week:
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/171_03_11_22_10_49_58.jpeg)
At Navy Fallon taking part in an exercise - didn't expected to be squeegeeing snow off the plane in the Nevada desert!
Home base - C77
Takeoff from Cottonwood Airport, Rockford, IL
Nice pic with the tail wheel up!
Quote from: fj1289 on November 05, 2022, 12:43:07 AM
Nice pic with the tail wheel up!
Thanks! Somebody with a big camera snapped it on departure. He sent it to a Chicagoland buddy of mine that also has a Sonex, who sent it to me. That's my desktop background at work now.
I'm currently ballasting up to GW and beyond as part of my flight test. I've mostly tamed the oil so it stays in the engine.
There is something about all that polished aluminum that excites me....
Quote from: Pat Conlon on November 05, 2022, 10:48:34 AM
There is something about all that polished aluminum that excites me....
Me too - especially the 20 lb of weight savings!
Sunrise over the home airport. I'm doing max GW testing.
Afterwards I rode my FJ to work.
My office:
(https://i.ibb.co/2tps8mf/fr-517.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pzkRWG9)
(https://i.ibb.co/cCYgqwj/fr-514.jpg) (https://ibb.co/s6Wm7CZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/NV5BkMk/fr-513.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dWFY3R3)
(https://i.ibb.co/vsLS2Gy/fr-530.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CJVfxZC)
Well, my former office. They medically retired me a touch more than 2 years ago.
The Wing Surgeon looked at me one day on my annual aircrew medical and said "I just can't let you do this to yourself anymore" and that was that. No complaints, it was time for me to go (although it took a couple weeks for me to calm down enough to realize he was right) and the "golden parachute" is very generous...
One more:
(https://i.ibb.co/54bWHyp/fr-519.jpg)
Found a couple more on my phone:
(https://i.ibb.co/SsvYzpq/fr-903.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HFgwjQm)
(https://i.ibb.co/7WvQMkn/fr-970-size880.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zRsF96X)
And here I am officiating the "retirement ceremony" for a good friend of mine:
(https://i.ibb.co/W3h5gfj/fr-1778.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VN192T5)
Awesome!
I've seen a few of those at various fields in the Canadian territories.
I've always enjoyed flying, albeit mostly commercial.
When we lived in St. Joseph, Missouri, one of the best technicians in the area flew ultra-lites.
He ended up with a neat little Red Barron looking little plane.
He said it was a lot harder to fly than it was to ride a motorcycle, I have no reason to doubt him.
He ended up crashing it and being killed, but he was doing what he loved, and that's not a bad way to go.
Note: He did not crash during the flight pictured. It was a couple years later.
Interesting perspective. I'm not sure I would rate flying as harder. Much less to crash into. Less people trying to kill you.
The office for this week:
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/171_13_11_22_6_13_51.jpeg)
Ferry flight to Germany.
I'm at 27.0 hours so far.
I'm at 3000+ hours across thirty years and counting . . .
No motor, no crashes, no fuel, no oil, no TBOs, no license, no inspections, no property taxes, no airports, no airport fees, no towing fees.
All VFR, and oxygen on demand. 17,999' MSL sometimes, that I'll admit.
I ride. I fly with the eagles and hawks. A man's gotta do something for fun, and I can't dance (due to a forgotten war).
My Moyes X2
(https://user.xmission.com/~red/X2close2.jpg)
Red - that's awesome!
Very cool. I used to fly gliders at Harris Hill and other places, and the hang glider guys have a launch there too. I've shared the ridge and some thermals with them before. Those guys are nuts!
Bryan - how many hours to fly off your local area restriction?
Quote from: fj1289 on December 06, 2022, 11:25:57 PM
Bryan - how many hours to fly off your local area restriction?
27 down, 13 to go. I turned on the preheat and the local weather is forecast for decent VFR by 1500 local time.
Quote from: Waiex191 on December 06, 2022, 11:20:54 PMVery cool. I used to fly gliders at Harris Hill and other places, and the hang glider guys have a launch there too. I've shared the ridge and some thermals with them before. Those guys are nuts!
Waiex191,
Well, I might agree, there. We call that "fishbowl flying," as opposed to open distance cross-country flight. I fly for scenery, altitude, and joy. Some just fly for distance, which is easier to measure, but distance does not "grade" my my flight as good or bad. I'd rather fly formation with an eagle or a hawk for half an hour, rather than fly 75 miles out to any particular place. The local HG club here has a yearly competition that you can enter, with any flight over 100 miles long that starts here. To me, hang gliding is like sailing: you are out for the great cruise, not a race to a destination. I don't want to land anywhere, before sundown.
With a GPS tracker, mapping, and some software, some HG pilots (not me) generate "tracklogs" that show every turn along the way. You can watch them circling up in thermals, and going on glide across the countryside. Watch in Full-Screen mode. Here are a few:
1. Highland is a tow-up HG center, not my cup of tea, but a fair tracklog and flight, 28 miles across flat ground
https://youtu.be/FRDbJAwG91w (https://youtu.be/FRDbJAwG91w)
2. 60 mile tracklog to the pub. Kinda jumpy zooms and pans, but a decent little flight.
https://youtu.be/e_-aaXduzhU (https://youtu.be/e_-aaXduzhU)
3. Jonathan D (NMErider) takes us on a long duration flight, with tracklogs and narration included, for 30 miles.
https://youtu.be/x8vhJmUpjNc (https://youtu.be/x8vhJmUpjNc)
Due to family and time restrictions, I never really got to do any serious glider XC. Lots of flying with hawks and eagles. Down in Florida it was turkey buzzards. Soaring is the purest form of flight and I've heard the rational argument that hang gliders are even more so. I'm just not sure I'm up for jumping off a cliff! We always had aging hang glider pilots in our clubs as gliders are a lot less physically demanding.
Edit: I did a lot of towing also, and I really liked it. Proficiency flying with a mission.
Yesterday was MVFR and I beat up the pattern for 90 minutes. For those unfamiliar with experimental amateur built aircraft, there is a phase 1 flight test period of 40 hours before you can leave your designated test area or take passengers. I'm at 28.5 hours now.
New private pilot, 1990
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_16_05_21_8_02_10_0.jpeg)
Quote from: Waiex191 on December 08, 2022, 08:41:37 AMDue to family and time restrictions, I never really got to do any serious glider XC. Lots of flying with hawks and eagles. Down in Florida it was turkey buzzards. Soaring is the purest form of flight and I've heard the rational argument that hang gliders are even more so. I'm just not sure I'm up for jumping off a cliff! We always had aging hang glider pilots in our clubs as gliders are a lot less physically demanding.
Waiex191,
In all my decades of flying HG, I may have launched from four cliffs, for maybe a total of twenty flights. Except for the launch, these flights were nothing remarkable. I was a rated expert HG pilot beforehand, and I went back for some advanced education from experienced HG instructors before I even tried a cliff launch. Launching from a slope is the norm, not from a cliff. Even when a cliff launch is available, I can usually find a nearby slope-launching site instead.
These are some low-time (student) pilots with some good launches, with a
few sloppy launches in the mix. The wheels you see on some gliders just let a new guy roll to a stop, if necessary, on a poor landing. I recommend the use of wheels, when learning to fly HG.
https://youtu.be/5bKgfNm27rI (https://youtu.be/5bKgfNm27rI)
Hey Red, my friend flys sailplanes and he mentioned about a ballistic parachute he has in the unlikely event of wing or airframe failure from wind shear....do you use anything like that for your hang gliders?
Quote from: Pat Conlon on December 08, 2022, 11:03:46 AMHey Red, my friend flys sailplanes and he mentioned about a ballistic parachute he has in the unlikely event of wing or airframe failure from wind shear....do you use anything like that for your hang gliders?
Pat,
Yes, certainly. The ballistic systems launch the parachute out with a rocket (no foolin') or explosive charge. The parachute has an umbilical line, so the parachute can open clear of the aircraft. We can get the same stuff, but the airlines and TSA take a dim view on allowing such gear aboard airliners. So we use the same basic set-up, only the parachute container is hand-deployed, with an umbilical line so the parachute opens clear of the glider. You can find hang glider/parachute "saves" documented on YouTube. They do the job. We repack the reserve parachute once a year, more or less, which is the only time I ever get to see my parachute out of the pack. If you look at the picture I posted above, you can just see a small bump at my chest, which is my chest-pack reserve parachute. Don't leave home without it.
:yes:
Pat,
Maybe I spoke too soon. YouTube has mostly paraglider failures, not hang gliders. Even a reserve parachute may not save a paraglider, then. Found some drogue 'chute HG landings, where a hang glider pilot deploys a tiny parachute as glide-path control on final approach (like sailplanes using spoilers).
I did find one HG reserve parachute "save" video on YT. The HG pilot was stunting, doing stalls, loops and spins, which are all great fun if your gear is stout and well-maintained. I think this guy had a side-wire failure, because the glider went pigeon-winged at the high-Gee part of a pull-out. No problem. Applause, no less.
https://youtu.be/M5Wg45jRr1g (https://youtu.be/M5Wg45jRr1g)
Many of the serious glider guys wore chutes - either for doing acro or more commonly because they all flew close together and a midair was a possibility. I never knew of a midair in my clubs but one day when I was towing this guy showed up all bloody and scratched - turns out he had a self-launcher that had a wing fail and he bailed out, but ended up going through some trees. Shaken but ok. He called somebody at our club to pick him up. The chute worked. I had a chute but ultimately sold it. I've got a new one on the way so I can do acro in my airplane.
Here is my older son on his first glider ride. I had to keep the kids in the back until they got to 60 lbs for CG reasons. This is the same kid that logged over 600 hours building our airplane and is nearly to his masters of mechanical engineering.
Quote from: Waiex191 on December 08, 2022, 09:48:40 PMHere is my older son on his first glider ride. I had to keep the kids in the back until they got to 60 lbs for CG reasons. This is the same kid that logged over 600 hours building our airplane and is nearly to his masters of mechanical engineering.
Waiex191,
In favor of obtaining his degree, I suggest that your son should include complete documentation of his work to construct that airplane, maybe even minimizing what others may have added to the project. Colleges and universities are very willing to give real credit to people who produce real products in real life, instead of just seeing their usual fare of pie-in-the-sky ideas on paper only. The school will want to see his papers too, of course, but any practical applications of his education (so far) will score big points there.
Quote from: red on December 09, 2022, 09:49:34 AM
Waiex191,
In favor of obtaining his degree, I suggest that your son should include complete documentation of his work to construct that airplane, maybe even minimizing what others may have added to the project. Colleges and universities are very willing to give real credit to people who produce real products in real life, instead of just seeing their usual fare of pie-in-the-sky ideas on paper only. The school will want to see his papers too, of course, but any practical applications of his education (so far) will score big points there.
His Master's degree is pretty much in the bag. One more semester and a 4.0 GPA. He has also been working as a teaching assistant during grad school. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at age 19 already. He did document all his hours in a logbook, which may be useful if he ever wants his A&P.
Edit: he built our airplane motor age 15:
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_04_12_20_5_10_48_1.jpeg)
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_04_12_20_5_10_48_0.jpeg)
Awesome! Love it when people get opportunities like that - HUGE experience builder. :i_am_so_happy:
On the parachute topic - We had a cadet we sponsored at the Air Force Academy made their soaring cross country racing team. His first year on the team he had an opportunity to ride along with one of the competitors there. They suffered a rudder failed and had to jump out. He's a 1Lt in pilot training now!
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/171_09_12_22_6_42_02.jpeg)
https://youtu.be/1-jkVZ2WLe0
32.7 hours, 7.3 to go.
Quote from: red on December 06, 2022, 05:29:34 PM
I'm at 3000+ hours across thirty years and counting . . .
No motor, no crashes, no fuel, no oil, no TBOs, no license, no inspections, no property taxes, no airports, no airport fees, no towing fees.
All VFR, and oxygen on demand. 17,999' MSL sometimes, that I'll admit.
I ride. I fly with the eagles and hawks. A man's gotta do something for fun, and I can't dance (due to a forgotten war).
My Moyes X2
(https://user.xmission.com/~red/X2close2.jpg)
Red, I can remember seeing Bill Moyes fly his "kite" when it was little more than a sideshow act performing at agricultural shows around the country, much of the hype centred around the death defying aspect of his flights.
The FJ and I have visited the site of the world first running take off, or foot launch at Mt Crackenback and one of our members (Urban legend) lives a stone's throw from where John Dickenson started it all.
My brother still flies at 74 and started 50 years ago (has done two flights this week alone) and his wife worries less about him hang gliding than she does about him flying planes ( he's a commercial pilot).
This was sent to me just today by a veteran hang glider, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Hang gliding is very popular here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PotjcAHTc4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PotjcAHTc4)
Noel
Quote from: ribbert on December 16, 2022, 05:52:26 AMRed, I can remember seeing Bill Moyes fly his "kite" when it was little more than a sideshow act
This was sent to me just today by a veteran hang glider, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Hang gliding is very popular here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PotjcAHTc4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PotjcAHTc4)
Noel
Noel,
Well, it's flying, so that much is okay, but that is not my cup of tea.
He used a cliff launch (not a good cliff, and the launch itself was
very badly done), when there was a perfectly acceptable slope launch two dozen meters to his right. If he ever finds out that his glider has a cruise speed, his whole world will open up, maybe beyond all belief. To each his own, I guess, but that guy is an adrenalin freak. There is NO excuse for squeaking over two fences when all that open ground is available nearby. Put a Frisbee out in the middle of those open spaces, and ask him to land on it. Betcha he can't do it, with endless excuses. What if a string of cars or trucks had been driving on that road? He seemed to think his "plop" landing at the end was something good. I have a different opinion, there.
I fly for scenery, and for joy. Give me my oxygen, and the altitude to need it, and I'm a happy camper. I'm almost as old as your brother, and still flying the Rockies. I would bet that your brother would have about the same opinions of that video as I do.
Here are a bunch of decent landings, some on target or close, and even a couple of noisy landings (with no damages). This is mostly a fun gathering of the clan:
https://youtu.be/XFYSCcD7mI4?t=259 (https://youtu.be/XFYSCcD7mI4?t=259)
.
Quote from: red on December 16, 2022, 09:26:29 AM
Well, it's flying, so that much is okay, but that is not my cup of tea.... Put a Frisbee out in the middle of those open spaces, and ask him to land on it. Betcha he can't do it, with endless excuses..... I would bet that your brother would have about the same opinions of that video as I do.
Here are a bunch of decent landings, some on target or close,
Each to their own Red, I guess some like the thrill, some enjoy flying like birds, some like landing on frisbees.
That video was sent by a 50 year hang gliding veteran who these days flies a 'floater' but has not lost his appreciation of different forms of flying and like any sport, the extreme stuff makes the best viewing. Just like bikes where some ride like old women and some aren't happy unless everything's scraping, knee down at 100mph on every corner, or, somewhere in between where most of us live. I enjoy watching MotoGP without picking fault start to finish because they don't ride like me.
Maybe if I post about the weather next time :biggrin: :dash2:
Quote from: ribbert on December 17, 2022, 07:16:27 AM
Quote from: red on December 16, 2022, 09:26:29 AMWell, it's flying, so that much is okay, but that is not my cup of tea.... Put a Frisbee out in the middle of those open spaces, and ask him to land on it. Betcha he can't do it, with endless excuses..... I would bet that your brother would have about the same opinions of that video as I do. Here are a bunch of decent landings, some on target or close,
Each to their own Red, I guess some like the thrill, some enjoy flying like birds, some like landing on frisbees.
That video was sent by a 50 year hang gliding veteran who these days flies a 'floater' but has not lost his appreciation of different forms of flying and like any sport, the extreme stuff makes the best viewing. Just like bikes where some ride like old women and some aren't happy unless everything's scraping, knee down at 100mph on every corner, or, somewhere in between where most of us live. I enjoy watching MotoGP without picking fault start to finish because they don't ride like me. Maybe if I post about the weather next time
Ribbert,
No offense intended, certainly, but that do-or-die cliff launch, with such casual disregard for those who would be scraping up any bad results, just set my teeth on edge. I would not want anybody to think that video was skillful flying. I watch the bike races too; I respect the skills involved, but I think we would both be saying something if there was a kid doing that course in shorts and a tee shirt. A good flight
can include a solid launch, a skilled landing, high altitudes, and anything else the pilot likes in between. Racing to the bottom is just not normal, that's all. Fear is a lousy choice, over joy.
All IMHO, of course . . .
Some very cold flying. 2.3 hours today, puts me at 35 hours total.
Phase 2!
Congrats! That's a big milestone :good2:
On this takeoff I held it on in ground effect to 100+ kts, made for a cool picture.
How aggressive was the pull-up?!
Quote from: fj1289 on December 23, 2022, 06:49:55 PM
How aggressive was the pull-up?!
Nothing crazy. Just a climbing left turn onto the downwind. I don't have enough power for a really fast climb to pattern altitude from that speed.
https://youtu.be/IdLk2tpew4k
We are at 50 hours. Due for an oil change and valve adjustment.
https://youtu.be/-4Aq1mwo1O0
World of Warplanes is a blast.
Quote from: Waiex191 on January 09, 2023, 03:48:31 PM
We are at 50 hours. Due for an oil change and valve adjustment.
https://youtu.be/-4Aq1mwo1O0
Awesome to watch!
First time flying today in a long time. We put in a new oil pump with a pressure relief cover and eliminated the filter. The flaps were re-rigged and are good - the airplane trims up pretty stable hands off. Before when I had it hands off there was a big gap between the flap and the wing trailing edge. Maybe a very slight right turn. We left our phase 1 flight test area for the first time and gave Adam his first landings away from home base. This is DeKalb, IL where Adam goes to college at NIU.
https://youtu.be/s0AfWNbP4cA
Quote from: Waiex191 on January 09, 2023, 03:48:31 PM
We are at 50 hours. Due for an oil change and valve adjustment.
https://youtu.be/-4Aq1mwo1O0
Thanks for posting the video. I would have loved to learn how to fly when I was younger.
Quote from: db321 on February 11, 2023, 06:46:00 AM
Quote from: Waiex191 on January 09, 2023, 03:48:31 PM
We are at 50 hours. Due for an oil change and valve adjustment.
https://youtu.be/-4Aq1mwo1O0
Thanks for posting the video. I would have loved to learn how to fly when I was younger.
There is always the option to learn to fly when you are older! Lots of people have done it after kids, retirement and so on.
I didn't learn to fly until was over 50. Got my PPL (H) at 52........ wish I'd done it 35 years earlier :sarcastic:
Stalls:
https://youtu.be/8dc6eIq7N1s
First flight to Oshkosh:
https://youtu.be/ZD8azfO-AA0
It's a 5 minute time lapse. We are warming up for a long cross country in a couple weeks to Tennessee. We will visit my parents and take my dad for a ride. It's about 450 NM.
I'm starting to think about aux fuel as I'd really like to get to one of the Australian FJ rallies.
First spins and rolls.
https://youtu.be/UBR5g4Hr004
Impressive stuff must be a great feeling doing those rolls and spins with a airplane you build by you self :hi:
I took this picture 31 years ago after an aerobatics lesson. That's a Pitts S2A and the location is Treasure Coast airpark in Florida.
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_15_04_23_12_15_00_0.jpeg)
I recreated the picture this morning after an aerobatic flight.
(https://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_15_04_23_12_15_00_1.png)
Same bike!
Taxiing back at sunset, grabbed this picture.
Well I missed this thread big time. :pardon:
Nothing to see here, just heading up to the shops for some more sun screen :)
Hey Troy ,
Did you mow your lawn just to land your helicopter ?
Nice! Is that your R44? I miss flying helicopters.
A few weeks ago we flew 430 NM down to Tennessee and took my 87 year old father for a ride. We have 109 hours on the airplane now.
Just sold the 44 a few weeks ago. It was a sweet Raven II, aircon, Helisas 2 axis autopilot, Garmin GTN750netc. etc. Still have about 7 years left to run on engine and hull, but other members of the group of owners wanted out.
Yes Al, I did mow the lawn. I've a cool vid of scaring the shit out a bunch of roos that were in the way of my landing spot :sarcastic: I'll show you at the shed day :good2:
9 years to build, flying for one year on 25 July, and we have made it to Oshkosh. No FJ riding this week!
Video to follow.
Oshkosh!!! That's on my bucket list.
Quote from: Troyskie on July 24, 2023, 10:27:52 PM
Oshkosh!!! That's on my bucket list.
I've flown there 3 times. In 1990 as a student pilot in the copilot's seat of a Cherokee 6. Long flight, from Connecticut. Second time was 10 years ago with Adam in a rental C152, just for one day. And yesterday. I'm back home as Adam has to go to work tomorrow. Wednesday I'm flying my younger son up for the balance of the week. Flying there in a homebuilt that we built was definitely a bucket list item!
Adam edited the video:
https://youtu.be/mCddpnpHWqk (https://youtu.be/mCddpnpHWqk)
Great vid, and you get to do it again in the same week!
I'm always impressed flying in the US with how tight the CTRs are and how many freq changes you need to be aware of even for a relatively short flight.
Flying around LA, either out of Long Beach or Torrance we once changed freq 9 or 10 times in short 45 min flight.
My favourite in that region is going past LAX coastal and the controller states '....not above 150 feet', he he he he
First ever night flying in the Waiex. I last had night currency in 2012.
https://youtu.be/5FWgm5c5lVc?si=k_FEIzANaaWwII8t (https://youtu.be/5FWgm5c5lVc?si=k_FEIzANaaWwII8t)
Great stuff and nicely done.
I'm not a fan of NVFR personally. I get quite anxious looking down into a black hole. You're a better man than me Gunga Din :good2:
Quote from: Troyskie on August 30, 2023, 05:21:33 PM
Great stuff and nicely done.
I'm not a fan of NVFR personally. I get quite anxious looking down into a black hole. You're a better man than me Gunga Din :good2:
Thanks!
Because of poor spousal support, a lot of the flying in my past was after the rest of the family was in bed. Yep there are risks, probably as bad as riding motorcycles!
A new private pilot. Waiex solo next.
Excellent!!! Congrats!
Thanks! First Waiex solo today!
Too cool! And behind "his" engine too!
Quote from: fj1289 on September 04, 2023, 02:46:31 PM
Too cool! And behind "his" engine too!
Yep! Here is the video:
https://youtu.be/D72NoOnU_t8?si=8oRT_xrTDiMtuN0h (https://youtu.be/D72NoOnU_t8?si=8oRT_xrTDiMtuN0h)
Some loops and rolls:
https://youtu.be/ZjJ2CCP6KVk?si=AJUgcO0tI_TEAcYx (https://youtu.be/ZjJ2CCP6KVk?si=AJUgcO0tI_TEAcYx)
Just awesome Bryan and Congratulations to Adam :good2: :good2: :good2:
Quote from: Millietant on September 16, 2023, 02:26:28 AM
Just awesome Bryan and Congratulations to Adam :good2: :good2: :good2:
Thanks Dean! Here's a little more acro.
https://youtu.be/vY_T1-bVJTI?si=BezpFZeZPrrF3KYQ (https://youtu.be/vY_T1-bVJTI?si=BezpFZeZPrrF3KYQ)
https://youtu.be/zeIp1G4TZHM?si=tDV5JQXbbwi1Bgz0 (https://youtu.be/zeIp1G4TZHM?si=tDV5JQXbbwi1Bgz0)
https://youtu.be/lmsRqjkO7kE?si=0nCfZFI1-FxeZl0X (https://youtu.be/lmsRqjkO7kE?si=0nCfZFI1-FxeZl0X)
https://youtu.be/_U2ojv0S_3Q (https://youtu.be/_U2ojv0S_3Q)
Nice! Been a while since I've done any acro
https://youtu.be/QRlUdmwCqmY?si=g_c3gDCudQBpsOeX (https://youtu.be/QRlUdmwCqmY?si=g_c3gDCudQBpsOeX)
We have 202 hours on the airplane now.
https://youtu.be/kK1io9g2Etk?si=ZvWGbVjNVIl2LBJB
Need to get back to my FJ brakes, although the weather sucks for riding. Snow today.
Been a while since I logged in... My FJ project kind of got put on the back burner. But in the meantime, I've upgraded my ride:
(https://i.imgur.com/f6k1SFq.jpeg)
Also got to snap these pics of a Falcon launch from Cape Canaveral on our way back from the Caribbean.
(https://i.imgur.com/46foMe5.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nIt0GeD.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/De3NYtk.jpeg)
Hey all,
I'm still alive and still have my FJ. Had some airplane projects/issues that came up that have been keeping me away from finishing up the front brake issues. The biggest one was a dropped #3 intake valve seat and it took a couple months + to get new heads. Anyway, we did a bunch of improvements on the airplane and are back to flying. 285 hours. During the downtime I did some mods on the induction system and picked up 100 RPM both static and in climb.
https://youtu.be/TeUgtBAiTSI (https://youtu.be/TeUgtBAiTSI)
Back to the FJ soon.
Though my FJ is currently in disaster mode with a leaking fuel tank, the airplane has been good. If you want to see what we have been up to, check out:
https://www.sonexaircraft.com/bryan-adam-cotton-sport-aviation-100124/ (https://www.sonexaircraft.com/bryan-adam-cotton-sport-aviation-100124/)
There is a link in there that says "Read the article today!" and that is a reprint in pdf format of the article on us in Sport Aviation.
They also did a video of us:
I'm finishing up the chain on the GN400 then I'm back at the FJ in earnest. Meanwhile this has been taking my time for a while but all maintenance has been squared away and I have time to work on the bikes.
https://youtu.be/F6GDXOGCw2I (https://youtu.be/F6GDXOGCw2I)