January in Pennsylvania is not typically the best flying weather. Usually, it's snow. This year we've had a string of rain and fog every weekend. I've gone through one of those patches where every time I have time to fly, it's raining. Every time it's sunny, I'm stuck in the office. This weekend was shaping up as more of the same with heavy fog and drizzle.
On Saturday afternoon, I looked out and saw the sun peeking out. I headed out to the airport to find blue skies. There was no one else flying. I asked why and sure enough, it had been IFR until the hour before I got there and the weather conditions were forecast to deteriorate again. Well, better get up in the air before that happens. Here is the view from my hangar.
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I pulled the plane out and gave it a thorough check, since I hadn't flown in a while. Not bad- one tire a little low and a little down on brake fluid in the reservoir. (which probably explains the seep on the belly last flight).
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I call the fuel truck down and then I'm ready to go. The sky looks inviting for a change.
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The Velocity makes a distinctive sound in flight. When I flew back from Florida to Eleuthera island with Andy and Theresa Millin, my wife Nancy heard the plane reach the island and came to the airport to meet us.
She heard me go over the house today and took this picture from the back deck.
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After a nice flight and a few practice landings, I'm back at my hangar. As you can see, the weather is starting to go down. It was very hazy toward the end with fog starting to develop below 2,000 feet. I'm glad I was able to get some practice in during the window in the weather.
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Here's a good indicator of how much moisture was in the air. As soon as I landed, moisture condensed all over the plane. You can see where it doesn't condense over the spar down the center of the wing. In the bottom picture you can also make out the wheel well.
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This is my artsy shot for the day. Note the cool Velocity sticker. We got them from Brett and Elizabeth Ferrell and put them on both cars. I like the reflection of the sky and the winglet behind the sticker. Click on the picture for a better look.
That's it for this weekend. Sunday in the office. It's supposed to be foggy and rainy anyway.
Hopefully, next weekend will bring some more nice flying weather and a chance for a trip somewhere. If so, it will be posted.
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2 comments:
Climate change brings a huge effect in the aviation industry especially in Pennsylvania.
-Aircraft Test Equipment @ AvionTEq
Consider storing your plane with full gas tanks, less chance for condensation and moisture build up. This is especially important during the cold months.
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