Shaking off the Rust

Saturday, 24 February 2007

Forgive me Father for I have sinned!
It has been three months since my last flight.
I didn't mean to stay grounded for so long, but the weather and my
schedule just have not cooperated.
I preheated the engine to prevent excessive wear. I allowed the engine
to idle until the oil temperature and pressure were sufficiently in the
green before takeoff. I put the cowl plugs in and closed the cowl flaps
at each stop to keep the residual heat in the engine compartment.
I did fly 3.7 hours, have six takeoffs/landing at four different
airports, and did not travel more than 80 nm from my home base.
I did take a friend flying and fly to an out of state airport for lunch.
I did stop in at SPORTY's and check out the display cases.
All my landings were cross-wind with the winds gusting 20-25 kts.
My flying was not up to my usual standards as I flew wide patterns and
pattern speeds were too fast.
I plan to fly two more days in the next month to help get me back into
my natural rhythm.
I did a good deed. I arrived just in time to watch as a Cirrus pilot who
had flooded his engine while trying to start yet again. Fuel was
dripping from the lower cowling. A fuel puddle the size of a large pizza
lie beneath the exhaust stack. The battery was getting weaker with each
attempt. The strobes were flashing and the beacon was on. During a break
in the start attempts, I walked up and knocked on the side window. When
he opened the door, I noticed that the display screens were brightly
lit. I advised him to shut down all his electrical equipment, turn on
only the battery switch and follow his flooded engine procedure. The
engine started on his next attempt.
It felt good to aid clueless pilot.
I hope he remembered to turn on the alternator switch after the engine
started.