The 2003 Flights

Another year and another on-line logbook.

Flight 142/January 10, 2003-My first anti-gravity exercise of the year.  We borrow Tom and 457BC to go to Pullman where 3082U is undergoing its annual inspection.  I am PIC for about half the flight.  (0.3 PIC/142.5 Total)


Flight 143/January 11, 2003-The annual inspection and repairs on the plane are done.  We need to go get it.  The DUATS pilot weather forecast says that we will have favorable weather until; later this evening so we decide that we have a window to bring the plane back from Pullman to its hanger in Spokane.  We leave Felts Field via car at about 7:30 a.m.  Ted's wife, Peggy, has volunteered for this shuttle service.  As we drive south, the skies are still clear.  We reach Colfax and there is some low clouds, but we are still 15 miles to our destination.  As we climb out of Colfax, it starts snowing.  Where did this come from!  As we get closer to Pullman, it snows even harder.  We arrive at the Pullman airport and the runway is turning white!  We can't believe it.  I call Flight Service for the latest weather:  snow between Pullman and Spokane, icing at 5,000 feet, Lewiston has freezing rain, and this weather runs from the Idaho border as far west as Walla Walla.  When I get off the phone, it rings.  It's Nancy and it's snowing in Spokane.  Good Grief.  We ponder.  When in doubt-don't go says Ted.  He's right.  We're wimps.  We decide to hang out for a while at the coffee shop.  We spend about a half hour reading the logbooks, then I look out the window-it's clearing.  Another call to flight service.  They say it's just a small patch of clear weather on their radar and Spokane is reporting snow.  We head back to the field and now see that the skies are clear from the Idaho border to at least 20 miles west.  I decide to get some accurate weather instead of relying on Flight Service people 300 miles away.  I call Tom.  He looks outside.  It's clear and he can see the top of Mica Peak and Tower Mountain.  We're going!  We figure that we can get up to 3,500 feet, take a look, and hightail it back to Pullman in less than a few minutes if we don't like it.  Pull the plane out, pre-flight, fire it up, and we're outta here.  I am in the left seat and we turn north and get flight following from Seattle Center.  We need to climb up a little and get above Kamiak Butte before we can see home 54nm away.  It looks clear with just a haze layer at about 5k.  The plane sounds good but I have to lean on the right rudder to keep it straight.  Terry had adjusted the rudder to specs and now the plane flies crooked when I take my feet off the pedals.  Darn!  An uneventful flight with just a few bumps near Tekoa.  I come in over the Spokane south hill and contact Felts Tower.  Just after I talk to them, I hear Tom on the frequency asking if I am back.  I respond yes.  I line up on runway 3 right for a landing.  Slow down and try to keep the plane straight.  I am slow and sloppy and get a little sideays just above the numbers.  I kick it straight just as I touch down.  Blah!  A crappy landing!  Oh well, it has been 43 days since I attempted a return to earth.  When we finally stop the engine, I take a peek and doggone it!  There is still an oil drip.  Terry thought he had found it.  Ted and I remove the cowling while the engine it hot to see if we can find it.  We think we see a leak on the case seam by the oil filter bracket.  There's another thing that needs to be tweaked.  The joys of aircraft ownership.  (0.8 PIC/143.3 total)

Flight 144/February 1, 2003-Low clouds, fog, rain, snow, gloom of night.....oh, and I gotta work to pay for this habit.  There hasn't been many available flying hours lately.  We were out at Reardan when it looked like the skies were clearing.  I checked the computer and Ted had the bird until 4pm so I signed up from 4 to 5.  Shawn and I got out early and watched Ted do 3 touch and go's.  We flagged him down at the fuel pump and we put in 23 gallons.  Shawn and I climbed in and headed out over the south hill to the south practice area.  The ceilings were kinda low, but we made do.  Shawn took a few aerial photos for his photography class and we headed back to the barn.  Just a few bumps around Mica Gap and over our house.  We touched down just as the sun was setting at five.  A nice full stall landing.    (0.7 PIC/144.0 total)

Flight 145/February 9, 2003-A little wind and a few clouds at 4,000 feet with the ceiling around 12 thousand.  Chris and I take his buddy Kyle on a flight this morning.  Kyle is leaving for the Air Force in a few days.  We depart to the west as it looks like it's the clearest area.  We fly across Spokane and toward Reardan.  We are at 3,500 feet with a few fluffies just over our head.  We get to the ranch and turn to the north.  More fluffies.  I decide to head back.  We get to the stadium and ATC has us turn north to 020 avoid incoming IFR traffic for Spokane International runway 21.  We are allowed to resume our course and I call Felts tower and recieve a right base entry to runway 21 right.  A nice touchdown and I think Kyle enjoyed his first flight in a small plane.  (0.8 PIC/144.8 total)

Flight 146/February 12, 2003-A lunchtime quickie!  Quick touch and go landings, of course.  I have it down.  I can make it from my office to the field, pre-flight, then do three touch and go's, tuck in the plane, then back to the office in exactly one hour and 15 minutes.  Especially if runway 21 is the active.  If the plane needs gas, I'm out of luck.  It was a beautiful day and I did 2.5 perfect landings.  I deducted 1/2 of a landing for some float.  (0.4 PIC/145.2 total)

Flight 147/February 15, 2003-A short break in the weather!  Ted was originally going to fly to Yakima today, but I think he cancelled due to the weather mid-state.  Larry grabbed the bird from Noon to 3, so we snatched it from 3pm to 5.  Shawn and I went east toward Coeur d'Alene.  He was taking balck and white aerial photos for his school photo class.  We found a few bumps around Liberty Lake and Mica Peak.  There was a lot of traffic near Coeur d'Alene and we spotted a few and talked to one that was along our route.  Shawn got some nice shots of the sun on the mountains in the distance, downtown Coeur d'Alene, an aerial of his high school, and some runway shots for me.  OK landing.  (0.8 PIC/146.0 Total)

Flight 148/February 25, 2003-Another lunchtime quickie!  This was a short flight out to the east over downtown Coeur d'Alene and back.  My passenger:  Mikey T.  A bright sunny day with just a little haze.  Calm wind at the field but a little bumpy at 3,800 feet.  I was a little sloppy with my flying trying to keep the ball centered on my turns.  Only saw one helicopter below us in the opposite direction and we kept clear of COE.  Back to SFF for a 2 mile final to runway 21 right.  A little sloppy on the landing with a small bounce.  I gave it a "C" grade.  (0.7 PIC/146.7 total)

Flight 149/March 1, 2003-I have been promising Jay Miller that I would help him ferry his plane from Seven Bays to Felts Field.  He still only has his Student Certificate and he needs to get it someplace where he can get some instruction.  He picks me up at Felts Field Aviation and we head out about 8:30 a.m.  It's still very foggy.  We stop at Home Depot and pick up a couple of gas cans then stop at Davenport and pick up 10 gallons of 100LL.  We get to Seven Bays and check out the plane, a 1960 Skyhawk.  I flew this back in August when we were camping at Two Rivers.  So, here we are.  It's been sitting for 3 months.  Jay starts sumping the tanks and there is plenty of water in the gas.  He sumps both sides then I rock the wings.  More water.  I think he gets a couple pints before we're done.  Jay fills the tanks then fires it up and runs it for a while then sumps a little more water out of the tanks.  It's still foggy with low ceilings with SFF and GEG still reporting less than 1,000 feet.  We take some time off and head over to the little restaurant/store for a couple of burgers.  After that the ceilings are finally high enough at SFF and we're off.  I taxi out onto the grass, set 10 degrees of flaps, lean on the throttle and we're off.  A right turn then over Two Rivers and east.  Jay wanted to go south around Oakesdale, but I decided that this plane has sat for a while and I would like to get it on the ground.  Besides, the ceilings are still a little low and it's hazy.  I let Jay fly from the right seat.  I point to where I think we should go.  I try to find Reardan and finally do then call to Spokane Approach.  We cointinue on my assumed course when Approach calls me and asks if I am familiar with where we are going.  I reply yes then realize we are way to the northwest of my usual 'over the stadium' entry.  We head to the southwest, then over town and into a right downwind for Runway 21 Right.  My usual 'dive bomber' approach and a nice touchdown.  Jay fills the tanks and gets a tiedown at Felts Field Aviation.  (0.7 PIC/147.4 Total)

Flight 150/March 1, 2003-Just before we left Seven Bays I had called Ted to advise him that I was not going to use our plane this afternoon as we were running real late.  When we got back to SFF, we saw Ted setting up for a takeoff and watched him do about 5 touch and go's.  When he was done at about 3 p.m. I decided that Jay and I should take a run in 3082U.  A quick pre-flight and we are off.  A short wait for flight following instructions and we finally get off Runway 21 Left.  The ceilings are still low so I hang out at around 3,400 feet.  We get lost again!  We can't find Oakesdale!  There it is.  We fly over Jay's house and turn back to Spokane.  A reasonable touchdown on 21 Left and into the barn.  (1.0 PIC/148.4 Total)

Flight 151/March 19, 2003-A lunchtime Quickee touch and go session.  High clouds with a variable 4 knot wind at the surface.  After I lift off, I find a stiff wind from the south.  My control sucks and I have trouble making my turns.  I get blown way out of the pattern and have to work my way back to the downwind and it's bouncy.  I'm thinking about making this a full stop but I make a slightly high approach with a nice touchdown, clean up and I'm off again.  A little better control on this circuit, but I am still very sloppy and my rudder and aileron control sucks.  I manage to make another nice touchdown, but I am not impressed with my performance.  Later I call instructor Tommy and ask him for some Special High Intensity Training when he gets back from his Honolulu/Tokyo trip.  (0.3 PIC/148.7 Total)

Flight 152/March 29, 2003-Brother-in-law Bob and his wife, Joy are in town on an 18-hour layover.  They are both flight attendants for Alaska Airlines, however, in a past life, Joy was an air taxi pilot in Alaska.  It's finally a nice day in Spokane so we grab 3082U for a flight at about 3:00 in the afternoon.  We'll do the Reardan Ranch trip.  I handle the takeoff and climbout then I give it to Joy in the right seat.  She takes to it right away and nails her alititude, flies us to the ranch and back to Spokane.  Great!  I take it back over Spokane, enter a right downwind for 21 Right, good approach, and nail a smooth, full stall landing.  A great filght!  Darn!  I forgot a camera to take their picture.  Cheap humor:  as we are on right base for landing, the tower advises the plane coming up behind us that we're "going kind of slow."  Sheesh, we're a Cessna 172, for crying out loud.  We're in the pattern at 80mph.  It seemed OK to me.  (0.8 PIC/149.5 total)

Flight 153/April 10, 2003-Mikey is my right seat occupant today.  The weather will go downhill over the neext few days so I need to get up.  Mikey has never been out over the city so we depart to the west.  We use flight following and are vectored to the northwest to avoid a KC-135 doing toch and go's at Fairchild Air Force Base.  He can do a full circuit before we even get near the base!  We head out to the farm and do a turn.  It looks like someone is down there running the cultivator in the section west of the house.  There are some puffy clouds out around the area by the farm and when we get under them the ride gets a little bumpy.  Oh well, I gotta be back for dinner so we turn back.  Approach asks us to drop down to 4,000 feet to get under the FAFB pattern and we comply.  It's best not to have a tanker on your tail.  My usual over the stadium entry into a right downwind for runway 21 right.  A perfect pattern and perfect towndown.  I go over 150 hours on this trip.  Yay!  (0.7 PIC/150.2 total)

Flight 154/April 18, 2003-I spent a half hour installing the GPS yoke mount.  Then I pulled the plane out of the hanger so I could adjust the yoke mount for best visability with the outside light.  Then I decided to clean the exhaust stains off the fuselage.  Then I checked the oil and added a quart (doing good with 1 qt. every 15 hrs.).  After all of this, I deciced that I had worked so hard and gotten this far, I might as well fire up the engine and take it around the patch.  I did three touch and go's.  Two good landings and one arrival.  (0.4 PIC/150.6 total)

Flight 155/April 18, 2003-After my previous adventure, I stopped over at Tommy's hanger.  He was just pushing his plane back in after taking delivery of his 4,000 pound paint booth.  I said, "Tom, do you ever fly this plane?"  That was enough.  He pulled it back out and we were off.  Over southern Spokane County Tom decided that I needed to do a series of steep turns to improve my technique.  I did enought to get dizzy.  (0.1 PIC/150.7 total)

Flight 156/April 19, 2003-A perfect day for flying!  Shawn and I drag Chris out of bed and we all meet up at the field.  I stuff a few gallons of gas in the bird and we're off to Sandpoint, Idaho.  I've never flown in here bfore, so we're a little bit confused.  I spot the field about 5 miles out to to northwestand since there are hills to the north and west of the field, I start to descend into a right base for runway 1.  Another plane is coming in from the west and we chat on the radio and decide I would be first.  He is moving a lot faster than us and we make it to final approach at the same time.  I yield to him and do a 360 degree right turn for spacing.  When I come around, we are about 2 miles out and I start my approach.  I'm high.  I go to 10, 20, and 30 degrees of flaps and slow down.  Still high.  It's time for the secret weapon.  I go to 40 degrees of flaps.  We are now going down fast!  This was the kids first real dive bomber landing view.  It kinda looks like you're heading straight down.  I make the flare for landing about a third of the way down the runway.  A little cross wind and it wasn't real pretty since I wasn't used to all that drag on the flare, but we arrive.  I make the second turn off and we taxi to the FBO.  There's a "Welcome to Sandpoint" sign so we park by it and take some pictures.  A potty break and we are on the move.  I do a straight out departure to avoid getting in between 2 planes doing touch and go's in the pattern, then we turn back over the city and head to the west.  I let Chris fly for a while but we start getting some bumps over the ridges near Priest River.  When we turn south toward Spokane, there's still a lot of light chop.  It's getting busy out here, too.  One of the newer controllers is in the tower and he's got his hands full.  Felts Field reports calm winds and we have a perfect touch down.  We put it away, the kids head home, and I spend an hour cleaning windows, wiping the oil and exhaust off the fuselage, and tidying up.  (1.7 PIC/152.4 total)

Flight 157/May 8, 2003-Another one of my famous lunchtime quickee's.  I did three touch and go's.  They were all good. (0.5 PIC/152.9 total)

Flight 158/May 10, 2003-It's a Saturday morning and the weather is great!  I get to the field at about 6:30 a.m.  I do the windows, clean the exhaust stain, and pre-flight the rocket.  Ted shows up a little after 7:00 a.m. and we put air in the tires.  We then roll it over to the pumps and splash in about 19 gallons of go juice.  I hop in the left seat and we taxi to the active runway.  Our destination?  Ione, Washington, about 60 nm north of town.  A perfect day with no bumps.  There is a little head wind as we go north.  We wind along the Pend Oreille River in between some 5,000 foot peaks.  Great scenery!  We're about 6 miles out when we start looking for the field.  I finally spot it.  It's a 4,100 foot by 45 foot, newly paved strip.  I line up for a downwind, base, and final and touch down about a third down runway 15.  A perfect landing.  We taxi back to the approach end and park the bird.  Time to take a few photos with Ted's digital camera.  A local wanders over and starts a conversation.  He's an A&P and is curious about our plane and who does the annual.  We chat then it's time to go with Ted in the left seat.  He takes off then comes around for a touch and go.  I have the camera and shoot a bunch of photos.  We're back on the ground at Felts Field by 9:30 a.m.  (1.0 PIC/153.9 total)

Flight 159/May 13, 2003-Back in December, I promised the son of a friend that I would take him flying.  Matt's had some rough times so this was one I didn't want to promise then just kind of forget.  I've been looking for a good weather day when our schedules would meet.  This was a good day.  I stopped by their house just after work and said I'd be back in 20 minutes after I had changed.  He was a little nervous.  When I got back he was a little skeptical, but agreed to come along.  I explained everything on the pre-flight and got him settled in.  I just took a smooth rroute over the south hill to the practice area and just wandered around very lazyily.  I let him make a few shallow turns.  He seemed comfortable and offered a positive response when I asked if he was having fun and OK.  The turning point was when we flew over his house.  That got a real good reaction and he was sold.  A smooth landing and we tucked her away.  He admitted that he was pretty scared but by the end he was ready to go again.  Mission accomplished.  (0.8 PIC/154.7 total)

Flight 160/May 27, 2003-A nice day.  Shawn and I head west toward Davenport.  We got out north of Fairchild Air Force base and it was really hazy.  We were going to go to Two Rivers, but went and circled Davenport instead and headed back.  We flew over the farm, (of course).  A tailwind and bumpy on the way out and smooth on the way back.  (1.0 PIC/155.7 Total)

Flight 161/May 30, 2003-I spent a couple hours fixing the gutter over the hanger door.  The last windstorm broke one of the zippy ties that held it together so it was time to put up the longer sections that have been sitting in the hanger for several months.  Mikey came by with some better ties, so he wins a ride.  We take off to the north after scooting by a Piper malibu that was taking a long time in the run-up area.  Probably a new owner of a Rocket conversion.  We turn north and head to the northeast by Mt. Spokane.  I hear the Malibu calling his departure to our same airspace.  Yikes.  I hope he doesn't run into us.  We fly over Stoneridge Golf Course, Spirit Lake and Twin Lakes. I monitor the Coeur d'Alene airport frequency and hear another aircraft coming up from the south with the intent to follow the Spokane River into Felts Field.  I call into Felts Tower when I am 1 mile south of Newman Lake and get a right base to runway 3 right.  A few minutes later, the other aircraft calls in over Liberty Lake and are given the same instruction.  I look over to the other side of the valley.  I don't see him.  I then call in reporting just north of the industrial park.  He advises that he is south of the park.  I still don't see him.  The tower is now inderstanding my concern and they advise me to do a crosswind entry to a downwind for runway 3 left.  That sounds like a good plan to me.  Mikey and I still can't find the other plane.  We do the downwind and base leg.  We finally spot the guy entering the base leg!  He had been a couple of miles behind us all the time.  He obviously had been looking over his nose reporting points that he had not yet reached.  He caught up when I took the long way over to the other runway.  Sheesh.  Oh well.  What a good lesson.  (0.9 PIC/156.6 total)

Flight 162/June 8, 2003-It was supposed to be a nice day but started out with a little rain and convective clouds.  Last night, I was thinking of taking my sister up, but she wanted to get back to Seattle.  Brother Bill did not answer his phone.  Niether did Paul D.  I call Mikey and he is, as always, ready to fly.  I delayed because I thought the weather sucked but by 9am, it was clear to the west with clouds building over the mountains to the east.  I meet Mikey at the field at arounf 10am.  I do a slow pre-flight and add a quart of oil.  I almost close the cowling door but Mikey reminds me to put the cap on the filler neck.  That's one.  We depart to the west.  Our destination is Wilbut Municipal Airport about 60nm to the west.  There is some wind and it is bumpy!  We head west past Reardan, Davenport, and Creston.  Wilbur is coming up.  I track around the field and check out the sock.  The wind favors runway 20.  As I come on the downwind leg, Mikey spots a crop duster on a downwind leg below us.  That's two.  The duster does a real tight pattern and plops down on the runway.  There is a lot of wind aloft and I do a sloppy pattern entry into runway 20.  I settle down on the runway and manage to get it on the ground with the crosswinds and gusts.  it's not pretty, but I'm on the ground.  I manage to put a 36 foot wide airplane on a 36 foot wide runway.  We hang out and take a few pictures of the plane, then it's time to go.  I do the usual thing and we roll down the runway.  My major screwup:  I left my window open.  That's two.  At first, I try to close it as I roll on the runway, then I lift off.  I try to reach back and the plane climbs.  Wrong thing!  Mikey tries it but he doesn't know exactly how it works.  I stabilize my climb at 80 mph and the reach back and close it.  Stupid pilot trick!  I should have hit the brakes on the runway and started over.  Dagnabbit!  We cruise up and turn right to take some pix of the field.  Lotsa wind and bumps.  We then head to the northeast toward Two Rivers/Seven Bays.  Mikey takes some pix of the campground, the airstrip, and a friends house and land.  We turn toward home and the trip to Felts is rather uneventful, except for the bumps.  I good landing although I had to hit some power because of the gusts into my nose.  This is a good flight.  I usually only fly when conditions are perfect, so this is a good test of crappy weather and flying conditions.  (1.5 PIC/158.1 total)

Flight 163/June 16, 2003-It's finally out of the avionics shop.  So I need to take a test flight.  First thing I notice:  no sidetones on the radio.  That means that when the pilot transmits on the radio, nobody (including the pilot) can hear his voice.  The radio transmits fine.  I don't think I like that.  Second, a couple of times on the flight, I heard a bunch of noise on the new #2 radio.  When I went to #1, it went away.  Hmmm.  I hope we don't have a problem with the new radio.  I did try turning off the speaker.  It didn't happen after that.  Both VOR's work and I get audio from the ADF through the audio panel.  I'll call the radio guy tomorrow.  Oh, the flight?  Hot and bumpy at 5pm in the afternoon on an 80 degree day.  (0.6 PIC/158.7)

Flight 164/June 25, 2003-A nice evening.  Tom and fuel up 3082U and lift off at around 7:25 pm.  A B-24 Liberator took off about 5 minutes before us.  We turn south over Indians Stadium and the game in progress.  Over the south hill and south to Steptoe Butte and Oakesdale.  I try to tune in the Mariners game on the ADF-no ADF.  It must be that breaker.  I get the same squelch break on the number 1 radio again, too.  Argh.  We turn home and try to decide which town is which below us.  Through Mica Gap and over the house at 8:20.  I announce my intensions as the tower is now closed.  A smooth approach to 21 Left and a perfect landing that gets a compliment from the right seat.  I taxi past the crowd at the end hangers.  They are watching all the biplanes that come out after 8pm to zip around, make smoke, do low passes, etc. after the tower guys go home.  (1.0 PIC/159.7 total)

Flight 165/June 28, 2003-It's early.  Tommy and I are moving aluminum.  We fire up both planes and head south for Colfax, Wa.  We are leaving his plane there for a night so it's closer to our camping venue.  The tower guy gets confused on where we are going and puts us on the right runway, but no big deal.  We head over the south hill and I climb to 4,500 after I clear the Class C.  He is zooming on the deck at 3,500.  I keep losing sight of him in the ground clutter.  I can't get the GPS to acquire so I get a bearing from Tom.  Of course, I already know where it is.We chat on 122.75.  I finally get the GPS started.  It's a nice smooth ride.  As I start to descend, it does get a little bumpy.  Tom starts to do a left base into runway 7 until he sees a crop duster land on 25 and changes his plan.  I follow down on a left base for 25.  There's some breezes in these canyons and I get slopped around.  Tom calls and advises of a tailwnd down to about 300 feet.  I line up, make a perfect landing, and taxi over to where Tom is tying up.  The kid who helped him push his plane onto the grass says he has never seen it so busy.  First Tom, then me.  We get 457BC tied up, oush 3082U off the gravel and onto some pavement and fire up.  I lift off of 25, climb a couple hundred feet over the rolling hills then turn right for home.  I climb to arounf 4,700.  Another smooth ride.  We come through the gap and I set up for a left base for 21 left and land next to a Pitts on the parallel runway.  There's a zillion planes taxiing around so, at Tom's suggestion, I go down taxiway Alpha to the east end.  We're done at 8:30 a.m.  Tuck it away and I'm done.  (1.0 PIC/160.7 total)

Flight 166/June 30, 2003-At Boyer Park/Lower Granite Airport.  Tommy is at the controls of 457BC lifting off of Lower Granite State.  He flys up to the canyon rim then turns it over to me.  I follow the river and fly over Central Ferry State Park and Lower Monumental Dam.  We turn north to find Palouse Falls.  We miss it.  I turn back toward Lower Granite then overfly the campground, over the dam, a downwind on the canyon rim, then turn towrd the strip.  I expect Tom to take over anytime since I'm in the right seat.  I finally say that I'm not comfortable with my first gravel landing from the right seat and he takes over.  We touch down.  OUCH!  On our roll out a rock comes off the main and smacks the underside of the tail.  Tom is not happy.  We tie down and that is it for flying this week.  (1.0/161.7)

Flight 167/July 8, 2003-I finally get the intercom working!  After my installation work, I need a quick celebration flight.  A South Practice area/Coeur d'Alene Lake loop with Ted and his son.  (0.7/162.4)

Flight 168/July 14, 2003-A goergeous night and I need a flight.  I call Dave Robinson and he's available.  We meet and head east over Liberty Lake, between the two Mica Peaks, Coeur d'Alene, Silverwood, Hayden Lake, etc.  Super smooth evening flight.  No traffic.  (1.0/163.4)

Flight 169/July 20, 2003-3082U needs a warm-up before an oil change so Shawn and I take her up.  It's a little breezy (200/09) but within my minimums.  On the take off roll there's a little bit of crosswind and I'm sloppy.  We lift off and it's very gusty.  As we turn east I tell Shawn it's going to be a short trip.  We fly out to the industrial park and head back.  Bumpy and gusty.  On final I'm all over the place.  I'm crabbing and slipping and just generally everywhere.  Just before we touch down, I get it straightened out and touch nicely.  Whew!  That was a lot of work!  Shawn and I tackle the oil change.  We can't get one of the cowl screws out so I work the filter through the oil door.  It works OK.  A false start with the safety wire and I get it right on the second attempt.  We're finally done with good oil pressire and no leaks.  (0.3/163.7)

Flight 170-August 2, 2003-Saturday morning and the weather looks good with only a slight breeze.  Ted and I take off in 3082U with St. Maries, Idaho as our destination.  It's 38nm as the crow flies but we take the long way over Coeur d'Alene Lake and the St. Joe River.  We arrive near the field and check the sock.  I turn around to land into the slight wind.  Something doesn't look right.  Are those "X's" at the end of the runway?  Where's the pavement?  Maybe we'll stay up here instead!  A quick decision-let's go to Kellogg, Idaho just up north a bit.  I climb back up to altitude and follow the Coeur d'Alene River until I find Interstate 90 then turn east and there's the airport.  I set up a left downwind for Runway 25.  A dive bomber approach and nice touchdown.  The runway has some cracks and weeds, but we do fine.  I taxi over by the gas pump and park.  We are greeted by the airport mutt, take a few photos, and chat with the airport manager (recent Alaska transplant).  Time to go.  To facilitate our photo op, I taxi down to Runway 7, take off, and do a right donwind departure.  Ted snaps a few digital images and I climb to 6,200.  At this altitude, we can already see Coeur d'Alene Lake and the hills near home.  Follow the freeway and our noses and we are over the Spokanve Valley in just 20 minutes.  I call in for a landing on 21 Right.  Wow!  As we descend there are some funky winds around 3,200 feet.  I am all over the place.  I drop down to the runway and my landing is a little sloppy, full stall arrival.  (1.6/165.3)

Flight 171-August 8, 2003-A major breakthrough!  My passengers on this flight are son Chris and his girlfriend, Katy.  She was an "I don't like flying" person so I was shocked when I just casually invited her to come along.  We had to wait for an extra hour for the late afternoon wind to slow down enough to a point where I would take a first time passenger.  We lifted off at about 7:30 p.m. with light winds and about 82 degrees.  We did the Coeur d'Alene city and lake loop, over the Worly casino and back through the Mica Gap.  Over the house and back into the field at about 8:25 p.m.  (0.9/166.2)

Flight 172-August 25, 2003-A Monday after dinner fight with Mikey as my passenger.  We cruise out over the south hill on a smokey evening.  I settle on about 4,000 feet of altitude.  We turn east to Chatcolet Lake then north to Coeur d'Alene.  A smooth flight.  We are on the ground just before 8:00 p.m.  (1.0/167.2)

Flight 173-September 4, 2003-Another family member into the sky!  My sister Diana is in town for a couple of days.  She diecides she would like a ride.  We take off at around 6:45 p.m. Thursday evening.  I do the usual "over to the city of Coeur d'Alene, south over the lake, and back through Mica Gap over our house" tour.  It takes about 8/10 of an hour.  We fly over the Camp Fire Girl camp that she is visiting this weekend.  Yes, it's still smokey in the skies. (0.8/168)

Flight 174-September 13, 2003-Ted and I take off on a Saturday morning to attempt our trip to St. Maries.  I take the left seat and we fly over the south hill the turn east.  I sopt some traffic near Rockford at our altitude.  We watch them turn north towrd Mica Peak.  We fly over the south end of Lake Couer d'Alene then follow the St. Joe River to St. Maries.  WE spot the airport (it's open this time) and I call in.  Another pilot advises that the are using runway 10.  What runway 10?  Our book says runway 9!  They must have changed the numbers when the resurfaced the place last month.  We land and taxi to the little terminal and there are a few people milling around.  It's Young Eagles day.  We hang out and one of the locals with a plane like ours chats for awhile.  Then, we're out of there.  Ted flies back over Coeur d'Alene Lake back to Felts Field.  (0.6/168.6)

Flight 175-September 21, 2003-The sun is out and I need to go somewhere.  Shawn and I fire up 3082U at around 10:45 a.m.  Our destination:  Moses Lake Washington and Grant County Airport.  We want to land on a space shuttle alternative runway.  I climb to 6,500 with flight following and we have a relatively uneventful cruise.  Grant County Approach advises me to prepare for a straight in to runway 22.  Darn!  That' the short runway at only 10,000 feet.  We wanted 32 which is 13,500 feet long.  I get the weather and it is favoring 32 but it sounds like there is a lot of heavy traffic on that runway.  Little things like Boeing 777's and C-17's doing touch and go's.  The wind is 360 at 8 with gusts to 11 so I decide that we would like something better, so I ask.  We get runway 36.  They advise me to come straight in to runway 22, then turn to runway 36.  This sounds strange so I finally ask what they have in mind.  They tell me to come straight in to runway 22 then turn left at the threshold numbers for a right downwind to runway 36.  Now it makes sense.  I turn base and final and perform a flawless touchdown.  Shawn did not even feel us touch!  We get instructions to a parking spot at the FBO.  A line guy even comes out to do the little stick thing and we stop exactly on the spot....right next to a NASA Boeing 737..  We grab a Pepsi, pet the runway dog, and take a picture of the bird next to the 737 and with a Boeing 777 in the background.  Shawn discovered that his headset pad was leaking so we improvise with a cleaning rag.  We contact ground and get some taxi instructions to runway 4.  The folks here have a little bit different procedures and they seem somewhat impatient with my misunderstanding.  We rocket off of runway 4 and climb to 5,500.  It's bumpy.  I climb again to 7,500 and it's a little smoother.  I start my slow descent around Reardan and do my usual approach over the stadium and into a right downwind for 21 Right.  There's some bumps and bounces but I am able to make a smooth landing.  (2.5/171.1)

Flight 176-September 24, 2003-A Wednesday afternoon/evening.  Neice Jessica Wegner and Shawn are my passengers.  We do the standard Coeur d'Alene loop heading eas toward the Valley.  It's fairly smooth.  Jess was somewhat reluctant but enjoys the ride and we take her picture in the right seat.  It's getting toward dusk as we head through the gap.  She's thrilled when she sees her car parked in front of our house.  I do a left base approach into runway 21 right.  It's a little darker than I have been flying.  I come over the threshold and flare.  Yikes...Shawn is in the back and the flare turns into a balloon.  Dang!  I correct for the balloon but lose some airspeed and stall a couple of feet above the runway.  The stall horn blows and Smack-O!  I love those sturdy Cessna spring steel main gears.  I apologize profusely.  Shawn, of course, remarks "I've seen worse landings!"  What a guy!   (0.9/172)

Flight 177-September  26, 2003-It's Friday morning and I have the day off.  I look for a passenger but nobody wanys to play.  I decide that I need landing practice and head for the pattern after I pump in 22 gallons of go juice.  I do 4 touch and go landings.  My landings are fine but my pattern work sucks.  I am way off the centerline after I turn final after an extended downwind.  I didn't slow down on the turn and rolled out on the centerline of 21 left instead of the right.  No one else was in the pattern for that runway or behind me on that one, so I get away with it.  The other patterns are more reasonable.  (0.6/172.6)

Flight 178-October 3, 2003-It's another Friday and another day off.  It's pretty good weather and time for a little x/c.  Mikey and I hop in 3082U at about 8:45 a.m. and it's off to Sandpoint, Idaho.  A fairly smooth flight with just a little ground fog/haze.  We head north to Newport and then follow the Pend Oreille River into the Sandpoint area.  The AWOS is reporting about 5 to 6 knots just off the runway-no biggee.  I enter a left base for runway 1 and turn final about 3 miles out.  The wind is still acceptable.  Yikes!  At about 50 feet over the runway, the wind goes nuts and I'm over the grass!  I correct and we flop back and forth in some nasty crosswinds then I set it down somewhat firmly on the center line.  AS I taxi, I flip on the AWOS and it's reporting 16 knot gusts across the runway.  This may have been my problem.  I therefore decide that this landing was OK.  I taxi over to a tie down and we park it.  There is a Beech King Air twin turboprop and a Gulfstream jet near us on the tarmac.  Who are these people and why do they have more expensive planes than us?  Oh well.  Hey, at least we have one and we're having more fun than they are because we get to drive.  Mikey and I head into the FBO and hit the head.  Just like the last time we were tyhere, no one acknowledges our presence.  I guess it's because we don't have a King Air or Gulfstream Jet.  Mikey takes a few photos.  We check out the plane and zip down the runway.  It's back to 3 to 5 knots winds.  We are out of here.  I fly down US 95 and over Cocolala Lake turning west at Coeur d'Alene and home.  A nice landing on runway 3 right.  We tuck the plane in and we're done.  (Of course, I lock my keys in the truck and Tommy has to rescue me.)  A great day.  (1.6/174.2)

Flight 179-October 5, 2003-Sunday morning and Tom and I have a mission: we need some aerial photgraphy.  There is a cornfield maze in the Valley with a WSU Cougar logo design.  After some tire air, we lift off of 3 right and climb to 3,200.  I hand the controls over to Tom and we circle our target.  I shoot a few with my camera, then Tommy's.  We're done and head south to Rockford and the CDA Casino.  It's back to the barn.  A nice approach into 3 right and a smooth landing, but I miss the centerline and get a comment from my instructor.  Rats!  (0.8/175)

Flight 180-October 18, 2003-Chris and I drive our new Bug Convertible to the field on a nice Saturday afternoon.  We check out the bird, park the Bug in the hanger and take off to the north.  It's just a little bumpy on climbout but settles down with only occasional chop.  We fly around Mt. Spokane and head down through Spirit Lake and Coeur d'Alene.  Chris wants to see the corn maze so I point that direction in the Spokane Valley.  It's getting bumpy!  Bleaah!  We flop around the skies on the way back to the field.  I call in and at least the wind is calm at the runway.  I make a nice touchdown and we tuck it away.  Then hop in the bug convertible and head for home.  (0.8/175.8)

Flight 181-October 26, 2003-I've been trying to get my brother Bill back in the aircraft for quite awhile.  His last (and first) flight with me was on September 6, 2002.  I finally connect with him this morning and we drive to the field, arriving about 8:30 a.m.  I do a slow pre-flight and we pump about 13 gallons of gas into the tanks.  He wants to head east over his house in Liberty Lake so I comply.  It's very smooth with a cirrus cloud layer at about 12,000 feet and a slight temperature inversion.  This gives us a little smog layer at about 5,000 feet.  I do the Coeur d'Alene Lake tour and we fly over a area where we visited with the family years ago at the south end of the lake.  Then it's over the casino.  I then turn south and we fly over the little town of Tekoa then turn north.  I call in to Spokane Approach and get a transponder code.  We cross over Fairfield and just west of Rockford aiming for Mica Gap and Felts Field.  A few bumps in the gap and a normal base to final on runway 21 left.  Smooth touchdown.  I use my new Active Noise Reduction headset on this flight.  I like it.  I also think that my brother enjoyed his flight.  (1.1/176.9)

Flight 182-November 1, 2003-It's supposed to snow tomorrow and it's getting very cold.  I need to get out and set up 3082U for winter.  But, we might as well fly her first.  Ace co-pilot Mikey is in the right seat as we fire up the bird in 30 degree weather.  A quick start but it takes 45 seconds to get the oil pressure up.  Taxi to 21R and we are off to the north.  Just a couple of bumps as we fly over northeast Spokane.  I spot an aircraft above us on approach to Spokane International but he is no factor.  As we approach the Deer Park area Mikey spots another Cessna about 1/2 mile ahead of us, at our altitude in a 20 degree right turn.  They can't see us.  I do a descending left turn and we don't see them again.  Good eye, Mikey!  We circle around Deer Park Airport and turn for home.  I call into Spokane Approach for our cruise into Class C airspace.  Approach advises us of a helicopter doing a pattern for International.  We see him and fly about 500 feet below him.  Mikey is impressed.  I do a downwind approach and a reasonably smooth landing.  And we're back in the barn.  I clean the plane, including the belly, to get ready for winter.  The trouble light goes into the engine compartment and the insulated cover is around the cowling.  We have now owned the plane since February 2002 and it just rolled over 200 hours in our care.  (0.6/177.5)

Flight 183-November 9, 2003-The sun is out and the wind is calm.  Time to fly.  Shawn and I take the Bug to the airport about 9:30 a.m.  We top off the tanks and taxi over to runway 3 left.  There was a line-up of RV's for 3 right and there was no place to run up.  A straight out departure to the east and I level out at about 4,200 feet.  As we go over Coeur d'Alene, I look to the east and it looks clear.  I push the throttle in and we start climbing.  Shawn asks why and I tell him I've decided to continue east into the mountains toward Kellogg.  I level off at 6,500 and we cruise in smooth air over the snow covered peak about  2,000 feet below.  I cruise over the Kellogg airport and make a lazy right turn back to the west.  We check out the snow cover at the Silver Mountain Ski Resort during the turn.  Our return path will be following the river from Kellogg to Coeur d'Alene Lake then west.  We start our descent over the lake and south of Mica Peak.  We fly over our house, get the usual radio interference from the AM radio stations, and turn for a right bas entry to 3 right.  We encounter a series of bumps just as we come out from behind Brownes Mountain.  Zip through the pattern and a B- touchdown.  Shanw decides that we need to put the top down on the Bug for the ride home.  It's about 40 degrees.  Cold, but fun.  (1.3/178.8)

Flight 184-November 22, 2003-My sister and most of her family are in town for the weekend.  I took her up in September.  Niece Lindsey flew in 2002.  That leaves Tim and Jason to complete my family aerial adventures in 3082U.  (Tim did get a rental ride in 2001)  It took a little bit of coaxing to get Jason to agree to come along but I think he'll have fun.  It's a chilly day with the temperature at -9 celcius (12F).  We arrive at the hanger and uncover 3082U.  The engine compartment is nice and toasty with the light bulb in the engine compartment and the insulated arctic cover.  She starts with the usual 2 shot of prime and I taxi over to pump in 12 gallons of go-juice.  We then all pile in.  WE roll her across the road, hop in and fire her up.  I get Tim and Jason set up with the (cold) headsets while the engine warms up then we roll over to the taxiway.  I call ground and get instructions to wait for the King Air on Alpha taxiway.  No, wait...he's really on Bravo so I can taxi to the runup area of 21 Left.  OK, well the area I usually run up on is right by the threshold of 21 Left.  No, that's not what he wants.  He wants me in the other runup area.  I turn around an roll back over there.  I should have been thinking, because the King Air would not be able to squeeze by me.  I do my runup and all is well and we are ready to go!  I get clearance and we taxi onto the runway and I firewall the throttle.  We are airborn eat 67 mph and climbing into a left turn.  The earlier sunny day has given way to some overcast skies with some haze so it's going to be a short flight.  I head east over Sprague Avenue, the freeway, and Liberty Lake.  We cross the Idaho border and I do a shallow left 180 degree turn over Post Falls and head back for the barn.  We call in over the Industrial Park and set up for a two mile straight-in final approach to runway 21 Left.  I slow down and reach the runway with just a tad too much speed, touch the runway and get a slight balloon.  I wait and get a smooth touchdown and we're back!  Jason loved the ride and I think is ready to go again anytime.  (0.6/179.4)

Flight 185-December 17, 2003-It is the 100th anniversary of powered flight.  If a couple of bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio can do this, a PR guy from Spokane should be able to also.  My plane partner, Ted, and I fire up 3082U at about 1:45pm.  Ted is in the left seat as we motor off to Deer Park airport about 20 miles to the north.  As we get closer the ceilings get a little lower, but we press on.  After all, this is an historic flight!  Ted lines up for runway 34 and he makes a flawless touch down.  The only problem:  the taxiways are shushy!  We are going to get our plane dirty!  I take over the left seat duties and lift off with a left downwind departure.  I climb to about 3,200 feet and I am just below the ceiling.  I call in to Felts Field when I pass the aluminum plant.  There is another aircraft that is just to our right also heading for the field.  I do a left base for runway 3 left and squeek onto the runway.  We pack it up and are back in the office by 3pm.  (0.4/179.8)

Flight 186-December 19, 2003-The sun is out and so are we.  Tommy and I hop into 3082U after I top off the tanks.  We are going to wander for awhile.  I take off of 21 left and head over the south hill.  Hey!  Where  did all that wind come from?  I'm doing 100 knots airspeed and 83 knots groundspeed just 1000 feet off the ground.  We wander to the south in smooth air.  The wind doesn't make the skies bumpy.  I check in with Spokane Approach and have them check my transponder readout.  All-OK.  That's enough.  I turn around and head back to the barn.  It's a little bumpy over the house and into a left base for runway 21 left.  A nice touchdown just to the left of the centerline.  My instructor compliments my work by announcing that he never uncrossed his arms or legs.  (0.7/180.5)

 

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