Author: The Flying Dutchman

I am a man who loves Christ, loves my wife, loves my family, loves my church, and loves aviation. In that order.

Bought the dog

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Rans S-6ES Coyote3 Comments

I got off from work early on Thursday and got a hotel up in Sacramento. The idea was to sleep up near the airport because I had a 6am flight to Phoenix. It was a great idea that didn’t work out too well. This was one of those cheap hotel chains, in retrospect, I should have shelled out a little more for the hotel or else just stayed home and got on the road at 3am. As it turned out I didn’t sleep one wink. And the elevator smelled like an armpit. I woke up to dense fog at 4:30am. I hoped it wouldn’t delay the flight. I found my way to the airport and parked in hourly right outside the door to my airline. I had already printed my boarding pass so I went straight to take my clothes off in front of the nice man from TSA. He told me to put some close back on and that they only wanted my belt removed. Pity, would have been a much more comfortable flight. Anyway, with the help of a king sized shoe horn I got settled into my seat and the plane took off on time. An hour and a half later we were landing in Phoenix. It took me about 20 minutes to walk through the terminal to the door. I called Ed Snyder of Sportplanes Unlimited and it turned out we both picked the right door because he was waiting right outside. He wasn’t even sure what airline I was on but there he was. I poured myself into the most comfortable SUV I’ve ever been in. Well, the cramped airliner could have affected my perceptions there a bit.

 

Ed drove me out to Glendale Municipal. What a nice airport. They have a real-live terminal with a passenger waiting area, a gift shop, and a restaurant. A dang good restaurant. Since I had not had a chance to eat yet Ed bought me breakfast. Then we headed over to the SportPlanes Unlimited hangar complex. What is affectionately known as Ed’s world. The hangar complex is actually 3 separate hangars within the rows of airport-owned hangars. 🙂 I took a look at a S6ES that Ed is building for a customer. It gave me a good idea of what to expect when building the ES. In my opinion the ES is much rougher compared to the S. The S looks much more professional than it’s sibling but you just can’t beat the simplicity of covering the ES. Ed gave me a tour of some of the building details. He also gave me some ideas for when I’m building my S6.

Finally we got over to the hangar where Ed keeps his S6ES. Ed painted over his ES skins and it looks real nice. Ed gave me a tour of his S6 and some of the refinements he’s incorporated like sun visors and landing lights. We climbed aboard so Ed could go get fuel. He demonstrated some of the excellent ground handling you can expect on even the tricycle gear coyote. That thing can turn just like a taildragger. Ed emptied some gas cans into the wings and then we were climbing in again but this time to go do some flying.

We departed Glendale climbing at about 1000 FPM. Now it was cool outside but I’m a lard butt so that is actually pretty respectable performance. We headed toward the outskirts of town where Ed performed some maneuvers that demonstrated the control harmony of the S6. Then I started flying. It took more pressure on the stick and especially rudders than I was expecting HOWEVER, I’ve been flying an RV-4 for 5 years so I’m spoiled on control pressures. It wasn’t difficult to move the controls they were just firm. Absolutely no slop, the airplane responded as soon as you asked it to. Ed brought the plane close to a stall, you’d have to be in a coma to not realize the plane is about to stall. I told Ed that I intended to do a lot of off-airport landings so we flew to a dirt strip and Ed performed a high speed arrival, bled off the airspeed just prior to the strip, and then touched down light as a feather. Ed then demonstrated the ruggedness of the landing gear, unintentionally. He rolled across a deep rut nosewheel first that almost launched us back into the air. But the nose gear didn’t fold up, we just kept rolling. That was impressive. We flew back to the airport. Ed was going to let me land the Coyote but I declined citing my lack of sleep. I told him that I wanted to buy a kit, not his airplane.

We taxied back and put the plane away. Then we got down to business. We went to his office and started filling out the paperwork to get a new Coyote in the works! I picked out my options, and gave the paper to Ed. I’m glad I went through a dealer because Ed gave me some good info when picking them out. One thing I didn’t know is that you can buy upsized tires that are bigger than the standard tires, but not as big as the tundra tires. Ed totaled up the damage and I wrote Ed a check.

The flight home was just as cramped and unpleasant as the flight to Phoenix. The fog was just as thick when we landed as when we took off (in fact we almost had to divert to Oakland.) I still had to drive home 90 miles in fog with little sleep. Only I felt warm and happy because there will soon be a new project in the garage and my son and I will build this one together.

The Journey Begins Again

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Rans S-6ES Coyote2 Comments

Here I am sitting in a cheap motel room in Sacramento waiting for an early morning flight.  I’ll be heading down to Phoenix for the day to test fly a Rans S6 Coyote.  I’ll post more when something more interesting happens.

More planning

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Rans S-6ES CoyoteLeave a comment

One of the funnest aspects of the airplane build is planning.  Half the stuff you want you can’t afford but it’s still fun to plan.  Since I would like the new aircraft to be able to be operated at night I will need navigation lights.  Since I would like the new aircraft to be operated during the day I will need anti-colision lights or strobes.  An aircraft builders group I belong to is offering a group buy on these:

They are pretty cool in that the power supply for the strobe and lights is built into the lights rather than having a separate power supply.  They are self-contained and come with a lifetime warranty.  Can’t beat that.

Panel planning

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Rans S-6ES Coyote3 Comments

Two of my most favorite parts of building an airplane are picking the paint scheme and planning the panel.  I use a software program called XPanel.  You can download the program here Xpanel 5000.   Or you can use their Online XPanel Software for free.  Here is my first attempt at planning the Coyote’s panel.  What do you think?

Clean up and planning

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Rans S-6ES CoyoteLeave a comment

It’s amazing the amount of ‘stuff’ you collect while building an airplane.  Today I started cleaning out my hangar at the airport (O27).  I found stuff that I had intended to put on the RV-4 but never got around to it.  Some of it I’ll save for the Coyote.  Some of it is just junk.  I didn’t get much work done because of all the talkers that stopped by to ask about my plane and ask what I’m doing next.

I’ve decided to go minimalist on my hangar.  Originally I was trying to make it a home away from home.  Now that our EAA chapter has a powered hangar with a kitchen and bathrooms (almost), I want to make my hangar just a hangar.  It will be a lot easier to keep the pests out.  With all the openings in the S-6ES it’s going to be quite a job keeping the wasps and mud daubers out.  Removing all the excess junk in the hangar will  really help. 

The first stage of building the next plane starts on Dec 5.  I will be flying commercial to Phoenix to visit the Rans dealer I’ve been talking to for the past few months.  I’ll be taking a ride in a Rans Coyote and if I still like the Coyote I’ll order the kit.  I’ll hold off ordering the engine as a hedge against losing my job or any other unforeseen bad circumstance.  In a year or so if all is still looking good I’ll order the engine.  There may be some deals on engines next year anyway if all goes well.

So begins the build log of my Coyote.

The Last Flight of Air Prayer

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV-46 Comments

I spent a week scrambling but it all came together today.  I took my last ride in my RV-4.  The buyer, a flight instructor at a Reno FBO asked me to fly the plane over to him at Reno International.  He also asked for a condition inspection with the sale.  This is what caused a lot of my scrambling this week (along with some unpleasant personal business.)

The past few days have been pretty hazy which caused me a little concern.  I checked the weather this morning and everything looked good.  I sent my wife and kids ahead of me to Reno via minivan to give me a ride home.  After I had seen them safely off I headed out to the airport.

My visibility yardstick is whether or not I can see the foothills from Oakdale.  I could not.  However Modesto ATIS was calling it 5 miles in haze and I can deal with haze.   I readied the plane taking a little more time than usual to run my hands over the metal I had formed 10 years ago.  With the preflight complete I fired her up and taxied down to the fuel pumps.  What do you know?  For once Oakdale has the cheapest fuel in the area.  I tanked up and taxied my RV-4 to runway 28 and then departed into the murky air.

My haze worries turned out to be for naught.  When I climbed through 1000 feet I could see the foot hills really well and the haze all but disappeared.  I turned onto an almost due north heading  and proceeded to climb to 11,500 feet.  Normally I don’t like to fly this high but I felt very peaceful today.  I wasn’t even worried about flying into a fairly busy airport.

My original plan was to fly over Tahoe and then on to Reno.  I started feeling a little turbulence and decided to head for Mammoth Pass instead.  The bumps disappeared when I got over the pass and the clear cold air became like glass.  I got over Alpine County airport and began to descend.  I passed over Minden and then Carson City when I called Reno approach.   I don’t know if it was my radio or theirs but I could barely understand them.  With a wise use of “say again” ‘s  I was able to ascertain their instructions and then had an uneventful approach and landing at the airport.

Stan was waiting there by his hanger when I landed.  I taxied up and climbed out and helped him push my RV-4 into his hangar.  I unloaded my gear and then unloaded all the things he has asked to me to bring with my airplane.  When everything was to his satisfaction he handed me the certified check.  I took one last look at Stan’s RV-4 and we walked out and got into his car.

Stan drove me to Sierra Air and exchanged a few pleasantries.  I told him he was free to go get acquainted with his new airplane.  He wished me well and happily took me up on my offer.

I am now planeless.

My wife showed up and I drove them home.  It was a long drive.  I felt a little tinge of regret.  I couldn’t just go out to the airport on Saturdays and hop in the plane and just go.  Now I’ll have to call the FBO, arrange for a rental time, make sure I have it back by the time I tell them, etc.  Ugh.  But then I started planning the next plane in my mind.  The simple instruments, thinking about the backcountry strips I will be landing on, etc.

All of a sudden the drive just wasn’t that bad.

So long N311SV.  Hope to see you again one day…

Postscript:

I spoke with Stan just the other day to answer a few question.  I asked him how this RV-4 flew compared to his last one.  His answer was that it climbs better and rolls at about twice the rate.  Heh, I knew ol’ Air Prayer had it in her.

Here we go again…

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV-41 Comment

But I think it will be here we go.  It looks as though the RV-4 will be sold as of Saturday.  A very nice gentleman from Reno has purchased the plane.  Well, almost.  The bulk of the money will be delivered on Saturday when I deliver the plane.  He’s made two trips to see the plane and seems to really like it.  He had an RV-4 once before and misses it.

To my RV buddies who might be reading this, I know, I know, I’ll be in the same boat in a few years.

Anniversary Flight to Half Moon Bay

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, RV-4, Travel3 Comments

I don’t know if it’s all this talk about selling the RV-4 or perhaps the pretty new paint job but lately Mrs. Flying Deacon has taken a bigger interest in going for airplane rides.  We decided to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary by taking a flight from Oakdale (O27) to Half Moon Bay (KHAF) for a seafood lunch and clean ocean air.  We tried to get away last weekend but our daughter caught a bad cold so the mission was scrubbed.  We rescheduled everything for today… and then I started to come down with a cold.  But even after a night of tossing and turning and getting very little sleep and with DayQuil in hand I was not about to give up this week’s flight.  The weather was forecast to be perfect and it turned out to be just that.

We dropped the kids off with their respective sets of friends and headed out to the airport.  I really wasn’t feeling that great and probably shouldn’t have been flying.  I decided to head out there and see how I felt once we got to the airport.  Once we arrived I pulled the RV-4 out and preflighted.  She was just like I left her last week, a little dustier maybe.  That’s life in California’s farm belt.  My spirits brightened a little at the sight of my old friend.  We checked in with some friends who were going along with us in their RV-6A and then returned to our plane to mount up.

The weather today was unseasonably warm for this time of year and the air was charictaristically smooth.  The wind just plain stops in Autumn around these parts.  Winds aloft were forecast at 00/000 all the way up to about 20,000 MSL.  Temps were forecast to be in the upper 70’s to low 80’s on the coast.

I helped my wife into the back seat and got her strapped in.  Cracked the canopy and started the motor.  We taxied out behind our friend’s RV-6A and out to the runup area.  After all the pre-flight checks I asked my wife “Are you sure you’re ready?  You can still back out.”  My wife is a very nervous flyer.  It’s not that she’s scared of the airplane or the pilot, she’s afraid she will get motion sickness.  Turbulence really gets to her.  She told me she was still ready to go and go we went.

The RV-4 accelerated smoothly down the runway and as gently as I could I eased it into the sky.  We climed up to 3000 MSL and pointed southwest to intercept the coast.  It was one of those magical days were there was NO wind movement.  It really felt like riding on a brand new paved road with brand new Michelan tires.  As Mater says, “I bet the roads on the moon ain’t this smooth.”

I made small talk with my wife, well okay, she did most of the talking but I was fine with that.  It let me know that she was happy and feeling good and it kept my mind off my ears and head which were feeling a little iffy.  We stayed at 3000 MSL as we glided over the eastern peaks of the Diablo range just south of Mt. Hamilton.  We still had not felt even a burble of air.  We felt our first bumps as we neared San Martin so I took the plane up to 4500 MSL.  A few minutes later we were over the coast of the Pacific Ocean and all my fears for my wife melted away as I listened to her oohs and aahs ove the ocean.  I dropped back down to about 2000 MSL to stay away from whatever marine sanctuaries I may have overlooked on my preflight briefing.

Soon I could see the big satellite dishes next to Half Moon Bay Airport ahead in the distance.  My buddy who had been trailing me in his 6A called to say he was changing frequency.  I tuned in UNICOM and listened in.  No traffic in the pattern.  I called for an advisory but the only answer was a Cessna calling his departure.  Good enough.  Since we were coming in from the south it’s kind of an awkward approach to runway 30 at KHAF.   I had to get really close to the hills and then almost do a 180 to get onto the 45.  As soon as my buddy and I had turned onto the 45 we had about 5 planes call all claiming to be on the 45!  Well luckily they weren’t and we were.  We executed an abbreviated approach and got on the ground as quickly as possible to let all our new friends sort out their positions in the pattern.

I was first and landed with a thud.  Oh well, blame the cold medicine.  We cleared the active and started the 3/4 mile taxi to parking.  I cracked the canopy and got my first sniff of clean ocean air.  It was like a tonic.  Almost instantly I felt better.  We taxied to the tie-downs at the extreme southern end of the field and secured our aircraft.  One of the Cessna guys behind us in the pattern parked near by.  He was a very wealthy looking guy in his late 40’s early 50’s with a 20-something little number walking with him.  They paused in front of my RV-4 and were speaking in hushed tones.  I smiled and called out, “It’s for sale.  You could be cruising in style today.”  He smugly answered, “Actually I was just telling her that you couldn’t get me into one of those things!”  Hardy har har.  “How fast does it go anyway, 170 knots?”  My reply, big smile and, “well, faster than your Cessna.”  I left out, Your daughter would probably love this plane!  Aah, stick too your spam can, bub.

My buddy and I had a good laugh at his pompous ignorance and walked our wives through the gate at the end of the field.  Once through the gate we were on a street with a few boutiques and restaurants.  I asked him to take us to the place that had the best fish.  We walked about a block and steped into Barbara’s.  And just like at the airport as soon as we showed up a whole crowd tried to come in after us.  Luckily we got there in time go get a good table.  We spent about an hour or so talking and eating, two of my wife’s favorite activities.  We then stepped outside to watch the ocean, the people, and just breathe the clean air.  We took a walk out along a short pier and just talked and watch the water, the pelicans, the boats, and the people.  The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, and our stomachs were full of good food.  Just about perfect.

After a couple of hours of just talking and doing nothing in particular we headed back to the airport.  There is a short trail through some cedars and blackberry bushes that leads back to the airport.  Got in the planes and taxied back to runway 30.  After waiting for a student in a helicopter to do something or other which seemed to take a while.  But soon we were out over the blue of the Pacific again.

We headed north along the coast at 1000 MSL to stay out of San Franscisco’s Class B.  We could see the gleaming towers of the financial district and the orange, yes orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.  We passed over the bridge just over the northern anchorage.  We then flew between Sausalito and Angel Island.  I pointed Alcatraz out to my wife when she asked where it was.  Then we went past the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, over the refineries in Point Richmond, and then over Point Pinole where my wife and I used to spend much time together when we were dating.  We round out our Bay tour by heading over the Carquinez Straights and then toward the Mothball Fleet, past Concord and then over Pittsburgh, Antioch and then back to our big Central Valley.  Fifteen minutes later we were in the pattern for Oakdale.

Overall this would have to be the best day flying I have ever had.  I started out feeling pretty sick but my wife’s positive attitude and the fresh sea air bosted my spirits.  My wife enjoyed the entire flight and for once never got sick.  She is now excited at the thought of another flight.  First time in my 16 years of flying.

So where are the pictures?  I left the camera in the car.  It was the cold medicine again.  However, here is link to a Google map of our flight.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=37.535866,-121.70105&spn=2.121224,3.515625&t=h&z=8&msid=117960223339003644068.00045a20f08058eb300d7

Prayer Answered – Part 2

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV-4Leave a comment

Well, the RV-4 did not sell.  The prospective buyer found two items he did not feel comfortable with; some scratches on the prop, and the fact that the transponder was not taken to an avionics shop and certified along with the blind encoder.  This is a minor thing to the experimental crowd but aparently a deal killer to the certified crowd.  Oh well, to each his own.

The good news is I still have a plane to fly.  It’s still for sale but I think I’m going to go into a much less agressive sale mode.  Flyers at local airports and such.  God’s will be done.

Prayer answered

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV-42 Comments

Praise God we’ve had a prayer answered.  It looks as though He has brought us a serious buyer for the RV-4.  He sounds like a good person too.  Just the kind of person I would want to see the plane go to.  I hope he enjoyes it as much as I have.  This will give us some financial ease and also enable me to start on the next plane.  If I sell that plane I need to remember to be more clear.  There have been a few minor communication breakdowns on this deal.  Nothing major at all and most likely due to assumptions on my part.

The next task will be to clean out the hangar.  I’m thinking of renting it temporarily while I work on my plane.  Might  bring in a little extra money that could help out with the build.  It’s going to be a huge cleanup operation.  It’s amazing how much junk and spare parts you acquire when building a plane!