Two Pilots & an LSW: Back to Florida

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Back to Florida

It was another early morning. What's weird is that...I have this inner alarm clock, right? Even on days when I had a 3:30 am wake-up call for a flight, I would often wake up just a minute or two before my alarm would go off. I've always been able to do that, but in the last several years I haven't *needed* to, so the skill started being less reliable. In the past, it always kept me from over-sleeping. In fact, more than once my alarm has failed to go off on my phone or clock, and my inner alarm clock still woke me up at the right time. So. This morning, I was dreaming, talking about lucid dreams, yesterday? I was dreaming, and I knew I was dreaming, and in my dream I saw a big clock with the number 6:05 on them. I thought to myself "Oh, I have five more minutes". And then my phone alarm went off. So I was about 3-4 minutes off, but that's the first time I ever remember seeing the time in my dream. I thought that was kind of weird.

I had an hour drive to Frankfort, and then an over 3.5 hour flight down to Bartow, FL. This time it was just me, so I had all the tanks full, and I went high, and I leaned it out, and found the balance to be able to make it non-stop. It's close, because the wing locker tank is leaking and you're not sure how much, and because the right aux tank fuel gauge keeps conking out. So it's hard to burn all the fuel from the tank without killing the engine if you can't see how much is in the tank, and the timing isn't down yet. I already found the engine fuel selectors are sensitive with different "spots" than "my" 340. This is dumb. If you put the fuel selectors all the way to the stops for left and right engine, it won't quit. If you are short even a little, it quits. The aux tanks need to be slightly right of center. No detents there. Fine. But when crossfeeding, if you put the right fuel selector all the way to the left detent, it quits. Which I found out three times, while trying to find the right spot. Finally I found that for crossfeed, you put it a little short of the detent, while on main tanks you take it all the way there. Stupid. Good thing I was alone so I didn't terrorize everyone else with multiple engine failures at 21,000'. ;) But seriously, this is something Cessna knows is an issue and can't do anything about. We had ours rebuilt for like $2500 and it didn't change a thing, because they can't fix that. So you have to learn the one you're in. I think I have this one figured out now after this flight.

It was otherwise uneventful. The weather was good, the winds weren't too bad, I didn't have any music which is sad, but I lived. ;) I got there, got gas, they brought me a subway sandwich, we ate in the plane on the way home, and then we had 4.8 hours in the plane on the way home. Headwind. For awhile we were doing like 143 kts. groundspeed, which is pathetic in a 340. Stiff headwinds. But eventually they died down, and we were getting a more respectable 180 kts, which is still not a lot for a 340, but with a headwind like that...you get what you get.

I did the radios out of Florida for him, because it's super busy and he's busy enough flying. Then after our fuel stop in Athens, GA, he took over the radios too. Did a really good job. His son is a really nice kid, I like him. Friendly, polite, smart, quiet, but will interact with you. And they brought me back some fresh Florida oranges, grapefruit, and blood passion fruit. I'll take it!

I ended up with almost 9 hours in the air today, two hour round trip drive, and only about 1 hour on the ground on stops. My legs are stiff from sitting in one seat all day, but I'm too tired to exercise. That's how pilots get old, fat, and complainy. ;)

I came home to do some laundry, because next we have Kaylee and two friends coming over to our house this weekend. They have to leave school by Saturday for Spring Break. They're coming here, and then Monday we go back to Florida. Steve says I'd better not get lost now that I've been down there twice in five days.

Ethan (340) wanted me to do another trip with him next week, a short one, but I'll be gone. Jason (Bonanza guy) wants me to finish bringing his Bonanza next week, a long one, but I'll be gone. Mikey asked me to fly with him Monday, but I'll be gone. One Thing At A Time. So I guess what's next is preparing to leave on Monday. I don't have clothes. Oh well, nobody cares.