So she and I went up and did checkride prep. Today was the ground reference maneuvers, slips, go-arounds, and all the different takeoffs and landings. The airport hadn't plowed out the pull-off area on Runway 32, which we didn't expect, so we taxied down there to get off and do our run-up while the Champ was on downwind, and then got stuck there. It was Ty, so I just told him to land over the top of us, and we pulled off to the far right and the end so he had plenty of room.
After lunch, I went back out to the airport to test fly the Bonanza, for a hopeful departure of first thing tomorrow morning for one of the first decent weather windows we've had here, there, and everywhere in between, all at the same time. I got off the ground, was circling around for a few seconds, looked down, and saw the #2 cylinder EGT temps go sky high. So...back to land. It was running a little rough but not nearly as bad as when the #5 went bad. He's going to drain the tanks, check the screens, flush the system, and see what we get. If he can do all that, and I can get past St. Louis before dark tomorrow, I will still go tomorrow. If he can't, and I can't, then I'm stuck until next week because of more weather moving in. I'm going to have to go the southern route if I can go, because there is bad weather on the shorter northern route. The winds are bad again for Wednesday and part of Thursday, so it'll be a nasty headwind. In southern California it's calling for 42 knot wind gusts and blowing dust. Bad turbulence over the mountains. But so far, doable, possibly. All this is "wait and see". Will he get the system taken care of. Will it go all right. Will I be able to leave before too late on Wednesday (will have to look up and see exactly when I have to leave to be past St. Louis before dark), will the rest of the trip hold up on weather. We've got sleet and crap moving in here on Thursday, here and St. Louis both, but after that, it clears up and the rest of the path should be windy but okay. So...we wait and see. Again. I have so many weather windows open on my computer right now trying to track major waypoints along the way and catch any trends. Tiring.
Kaylee heard a phrase for the first time today that she had to text me about. "too big for your britches". I can't believe she'd never heard that before. Surely ONE of us had said it at some point! :D
Steve had a kind of rough day, he's over there taking a mid-afternoon nap and hoping he wakes up more ready to tackle the next problem. I've had to shovel, fly in the cold, and have my own maintenance problems, plus start staring at this weather again and trying to plan, and see what I have to pack, and I can't say that I'm having a very relaxing time of it either. Happy Tuesday? ;)
Oh, wait! I got an email today from the TBM Avenger Gathering in Illinois, and they invited me to come and give rides in May at their event, and they buy the gas. I'm pleased to be invited, I'm pleased that an airshow is planning on doing something, and I'm so looking forward to being able to go. I fired off an "I'm coming!" RSVP promptly. No playing hard to get here. I wanna go!
Some photos from today.
Even our little airplane bush is cold.
Hard to get size perspective, but that's a pretty good snow/ice lip to dig out.
The sign way back there is supposed to be telling you where the run-up area is on Runway 32. As you can see, it's all quite buried.
Kokomo under snow
Runway 32, so clear, minus that one spot...
The Bonanza panel
Where'd my sun go? Suddenly it's gloomy and moving in again.
Annnnd, here we go again.
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