Apple Valley – Borrego Valley
There was not a lot of time for flying this weekend, but I did find a way to sneak some in by leaving for the airport at 6:15am. It was cool and clear Saturday morning, a welcome change from some of the heat I have been flying in. Whenever I get the chance, I like […]
Discretion (and diversion) is the Better Part of Valor
I hadn’t been flying, or even out to the airport in almost two weeks. Usually around the 7 day mark I start to get the itch to get back up in the air, as two weeks approached I really wanted to go flying… Plans were made with a friend to go someplace for breakfast on […]
CA to UT Race – Mooney in the Morning
I thought the race was all in joking fun, until three quarters of the way through… Saturday September 2nd, 2017 We had the chance to take a car to my wife’s middle daughter up in UT and the schedule worked out well for Labor Day Weekend, so another weekend, and another flight in the Mooney. […]
It’s Hot in Phoenix
Saturday August 26th, 2017 When you can fly there, everything is closer. Since having the Mooney I have seen a lot more of my family, which really was the main reason to get the Mooney in the first place. A weekend trip to the Phoenix area to see my family would mean a lot of […]
French Valley Friend Dinner Fun Run
It is always fun to take someone else flying. It was a slow slog on the freeways to get to the airport, but as always it was worth it. I have a friend who has been in a small plane before, “a long time ago” to use his words, but I have wanted to take […]
Homemade A/C
**Update 2017-08-20: I changed it from the 360GPH Bilge pump to the 63 GPH pump and it works very well. The outlets on the pump are 5/16″ ID and the outlets on the heater core are 5/8″ ID. I found that I could put 5/16″ vacuum/fuel/etc.. line (the thick walled black hose, not thin clear […]
500 Hour Mag Inspection – Night Flying
I have Slick Magnetos in my plane, which means that every 500 hours they are supposed to be sent out for inspection to replace anything that is worn out. From the log books I was at 530 hours on the mags, but I really wasn’t positive how many hours were on them. The entry in […]
Oceano, CA (L52) Airplane Camping – Santa Ynez (KIZA) to Solvang, CA
Check lists aren’t just for flying and diversions aren’t just for airports… Camping is fun. It can provide a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and just relax for a little bit. There are a few airports that have campgrounds on them so we thought we would give it a […]
One Year Later…
On July 7th, 2016 I met my CFI at the airport and we made three trips around the pattern before I dropped him off at the base of the tower and taxied to the end of runway 26R before taking off into the air all alone, my first Solo Flight! It is hard to believe that a […]
Idaho Adventure
My wife said that I needed to get my PPL and a plane as she anticipated her daughters bringing more grandkids into the world so that we could visit them. (That’s one of the reasons she gave and one that I’m going to stick with. We’ll ignore the “I have wanted to fly for as long […]
Memorial Day Weekend
Flying around, punching holes in the sky is a lot of fun, but the real reason to have a Mooney is to ‘go places.’ This Memorial Day Weekend was a chance to do just that. Previously the furthest flight I had made was to Phoenix, about 300 nm. This weekend I flew to the Salt […]
Harris Ranch, CA (3O8) Fly-In
Shortly after deciding that I ultimately wanted to buy a Mooney after getting my PPL I came across the MooneySpace forums. They are an excellent online community with a passion for aviation and Mooneys. From them I have been fortunate to make some friends and receive invaluable advice on aviation and my Mooney. Why do I bring […]
