November 11, 2022
I’ve watched plenty of Mike Patey’s videos showing the fabrication of carbon fiber parts but watching and doing are very different things. I knew this would be a learning project and I definitely developed some new skills. Next time I will be much fast with better quality. That said, I am very happy with the results and improvements I have…
October 14, 2022
An oil change was due making it a good time to tackle a few projects on N241VP. First up was the oil change, I was one of the lucky few who had stockpiled oil filters (filters have become scarce during the past year). I’m down to my last one but it should get me through until the reusable Challenger oil…
October 4, 2022
The seasons are changing and with it weather to deal with when flying. I was able to skirt storms on the front and back side of my trip and keep it all VFR.
September 21, 2022
Whelp I sure created a lot more work than was necessary. A bit of background, I share my hanger with a Cessna 180 and my partner has a Best Tugs Alpha A3. When I moved my plane in with her I tried to use her tug on my plane but found the adapters were too wide to fit in the…
August 16, 2022
I performed the Savvy Induction leak test last month and everything was looking good but I decided to be proactive and upgrade my induction tube flanges. Vic Syracuse recommends replacing the induction gaskets at 300 hours and seeing as I’m at 220 the time seemed right. SDS Aero out of Canada has a great kit the replaced the crappy paper…
August 12, 2022
With the paint on and my local mechanic finally harassed enough to squeeze me into his busy schedule, it was propellor balancing day! I took a quick flight to warm everything up and then removed the cowling. After John got his equipment setup we made the first run to see how far off it would be, I was a bit…
August 1, 2022
Admittedly I did not attend many forums this year. I only attended the show for three days and there is just so much to see… But I did have a few takeaways: Vic Syracuse (Base Leg Aviation) Change auto spark plugs every 100 hours or annually (I have been following P-Mag recommendation of 125 hours) Mouse milk lube exhaust at…
July 28, 2022
The excitement, the nerves, the anticipates for Airventure builds as the days get closer. Flying into the busiest airport in the world single-handed is not for the faint of heart and I’ll openly admit there is a big sigh of relief each time I am on the ground at Oshkosh. Then the fun begins talking airplanes, checking out cool airplanes,…
June 22, 2022
April 5, 2022
So during my condition inspection I made a bad decision. I used a block of wood in between my wing jack and my wing, and that block did not match the shape of the jack stand. Lowering the jack the block rotated and flipped out putting two small dents in the bottom of my wing. Fuck me. My fault, dumb…
March 17, 2022
A big day is coming up on April 11th, I’ll be heading to Hibbing, Minnesota to drop off N241VP at Midwest Aircraft Refinishing. Before painting I had one last little project I wanted to get completed. Flyboy Accessories manufactures a high quality, stainless steel tow bar/tug guard for the nose wheel. I picked it up a few months ago and…
March 11, 2022
I customized my Condition Inspection checklist based on Walt’s (EXP Aircraft Services LLC) checklist. I also added some frequently needed documents/information to the end of my document. Here is a link to my checklist As with building, there was a learning curve this year that added a good amount of extra time and effort. Next year I think the Condition…