Annual Inspection and A Lesson

For those not in the aviation world, it may be a surprise to discover that all aircraft must have an inspection at least every year, where the entire airframe and power plant (engine) are inspected for signs of wear and essential items repaired or replaced when needed. For commercial aircraft, this inspection must be completed every 100 hours of flight. My bird was in for its Annual Inspection recently with Duncan Aviation in Greenville, SC.

Doug has always done a great job for me, and this year was no exception. After 1 week at the shop, all items were complete and the plane ready for pickup. Unfortunately, this was the same day my partner in my medical practice was leaving for vacation, so I had to wait before being able to retrieve the plane. My chance to do so came yesterday.

My hangar-mate, Lee, was free to fly me down to Greenville yesterday, so I met him at the airport after completing morning office hours and we departed to Greenville. There was a scattered layer of clouds at 1500-2000 feet and a high overcast at 4000-5000 feet with scattered precipitation between Wilkes County and our destination. Forecasts were calling for scattered thunderstorms later in the afternoon. We picked up our IFR clearance after departure and quickly entered IMC. Before long we were getting a nice plane washing, but having an overall smooth ride.

En route, we heard an interesting conversation between ATC and another pilot. This pilot was apparently traveling east over the Appalachian mountains on a VFR flight plan and had entered IMC. He wanted to know "if we have passed that big mountain yet." ATC advised him of the minimum IFR en route altitude to avoid terrain and the pilot reported that he would climb. There were a few other interchanges between the two, and we could not believe how unprepared the pilot seemed to be for his flight. Apparently a VFR flight over mountains that were shrouded in low clouds and IFR conditions predominant in the area. When finally he was asked if he was IFR capable, the answer was "negative, but I have a GPS and autopilot, a G1000," somewhat proudly. He was then asked if he was familiar with his destination airport, and that was also a big "negative." Lee and I both looked at each other, almost expecting to hear ATC at any minute announce that radar contact had been lost... VFR flights into IMC are a leading cause of aviation accidents, and this seemed to be a recipe for disaster. However, we were then switched to another controller, and did not hear how this one played out.

On the ground in Greenville, N709RB was sitting in the hangar, washed and looking beautiful after inspection. We reviewed the logbooks and I began my Post Annual Inspection. This is a more detailed inspection of the aircraft than the usual preflight routine to be sure there are no maintenance induced failures that could cause a problem when airborne. This included removing the cowling and taking a look at all the engine components (thanks Turbo Bob!). This was a great learning experience and Doug took time to point out little nuances here and there to look for "under the hood."

With all inspections complete and looking ready to fly, I filed to depart Greenville back to Wilkes County. The overcast remained high at 6000 feet, so I filed for 5000 to stay under it. Takeoff was great with no issues, the bird humming along as usual, but 10 minutes into the flight I was directed to climb to 7000 for traffic. Quickly in the soup, I watched rain pelt the windscreen for the next half hour, but once again nice smooth air. I was vectored for the approach in to Wilkes County and broke out of the overcast to see the runway waiting below. Wheels on the ground, I taxied back to the hangar, glad to have her back home.

View the flight home here.

Father's Day Flight

So Father's Day 2011 rolled around at the end of a week-long beach trip at St. George Island, FL. I first went to this island when I was 8-10 years old, and then my parents started making it at least an annual trip for us. A barrier island with a few restaurants, stores, and beach houses for rent. No condos or high rise hotels here. When I entered high school, my parents bought a house here and I spent several years going down every weekend and sailing in Apalachicola Bay. Over the last few years, it has become a tradition for us to spend a week there with my parents at the pristine beaches.

I flew down since I had to be back home the Monday after Father's Day for work, and my wife was planning to spend some time in Georgia for a few days on the way home. My oldest daughter has had an aversion to flying for over a year now, and was not particularly interested in flying at all. So that left me flying down alone and planning to fly home alone. However, as the days wound down on our vacation, she indicated some interest in flying home with me. This got her younger sister interested too and before I knew it, they were both planning on flying home with me on Sunday. The plan was to leave especially early to avoid any turbulence buildup throughout the day and then go to Concord Mall after we got home. I kept a close eye on the weather, because I wanted this to be a great re-introductory flight for them.

On the morning of the flight, there was a slow moving frontal system scheduled to arrive at home by early afternoon. We departed at 7:30 AM for the 2.5 hour flight home from the beach. I had my iPad charged up with some movies on it, so we plugged that into the auxiliary input jack in the back and the girls watched movies during the flight. Smooth climb to cruise at 9000 feet and completely smooth ride all the way a;long our flight path. As we approached South Carolina, it became apparent the the front was moving in to our flight path earlier than expected, so I was able to negotiate a path to the east of Charlotte in order to avoid clouds and bumps. ATC was accommodating and we had no issues avoiding the weather.

See the flight track here

With about 15 minutes left in the flight, we did have some mild turbulence, but the girls were unaffected by it. By this time, they had stopped watching movies and watched the Charlotte skyline pass to our left. We descended over the Brushy Mountains and entered final for the runway at Wilkes County. We touched down and taxied to the hangar, glad to be home. Just as we shut down and exited the plane, the first rain drops fell. We got in the car and headed for the mall. As we left, I queried my elder daughter on how she enjoyed the flight. "Not bad, Dad, I think we can do that again" - probably the best Father's Day gift I've had in some time. Spending time with them was great - 2:45 flight, then all day at the mall, getting in two movies as well. We got home tired, but having had a great day.

We have now made plans for two upcoming family flights based on the success of this one and the girls' renewed interest in flight. Niagara Falls and Baltimore. Will let you know how those go.