Finally a GO !

We were on the tarmac at 11:30am. My instructor went to fetch a headset for me. So, my dad and I took advantage of the moment to tow the aircraft out of the hangar and park it on park 24 platform 4 at Charleroi. I was doing my external inspection when he came back, and being all set, we board the aircraft and fired it up.

Moments later:
_Charleroi ground, good morning, Oscar Oscar Victor November india.
_Oscar Oscar Victor November India, go ahead ?
_Oscar Oscar Victor November India, on platform 4 request taxi instructions for touch go's.
_Oscar Oscar Victor November India, taxi to platform 5 for the run ups, call back when ready for departure.
_Taxi platform 5 for the run ups, and will contact when ready, Oscar Oscar Victor November India.

The cold Lycoming, taxied us to platform 5 without problems...

Fuel pump off, check fuel pressure is in the green. Checking Ammeter. Then rpm 2000, carb check and magnetos check, mixture cut off check, throttle Idle, and check stable.


Now our precious Lycoming is ready to deliver maximum power for take-off !

the revolutions per minute rises to 2600 as the admission pressure increases. Airspeed alive, engine instruments in the green, right rudder, 60knots: rotation...

Our Tomahawk is lying safely in the smooth and fresh air. I'm still concentrated on keeping the nose on the horizon. I attained safety altitude after a minute, then turned off the fuel pump and landing lights at the same time and rapidly monitored the engine instruments, if there is any problem at this stage, fuel pump will be turned back on and if the problem persists we will declare an emergency.
But there isn't anything to declare. So I banked the aircraft to the left and turned perpendicular to the runway...

OK, I'm starting to relax a bit after turning on downwind leg and leveling off at 900 feet above the ground. We are alone in the circuit and the lycoming engine is delivering it's best performance and it feels good.

But soon the work load appears again: Fuel pump on, landing lights on, carburetor heater on, mixture full rich, flaps 21°, 2200 rpm, a bit of trim, announce : ready to turn on base to the tower.
Throttle back to 1500rpm, trim for 70 knots, turn on final announce << On final >> to the tower, turn off the carburetor heater. And land the airplane. ..

I kissed that Piper on the ground ! Must be the beginner's luck.

Full throttle...

Go or No GO

Saturday

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This is now two weeks that I'm trying to fly. 3 scheduled flights all No GO, because of the wonderful Benelux weather we have up north !

Todays flight is for 4p.m local, final weather report is at 2p.m local, getting my stuff ready. We certainly won't have, horizontal visibility exceeding 7500meters later today. For now It's overcast at 300 feet and visibility at 3200meters. Drizzle and rain moderate, but seems to be getting better.

I'm planning on filming my flight this time and land it on Youtube in a couple of days. But obviously only if I get some altitude in the next hours...

It's definitely the end of the "Nice season". I haven't flow much at all, only 5 hours. I'm not too optimistic for the next months either. Flying season is for April next year. Now it's Homer season...

If it's a no go for today I'm rescheduling for tomorrow if there is a slot.

I've been thinking of a new system for mounting my camera in the cockpit. At low rpm the camera is picking up all the vibrations that our So precious 112 horse power Lycoming engine produces.

More info later on.

Hopefully we will be flying in between two layers of clouds today...

Well negative:



As I expected it's a no go for today. Rescheduled for tomorrow but there isn't previsions of any improvement...


So I'm checking out for Wednesday afternoon and hopefully the weather will improve.

Sunday

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Today is CAVOK, visibility greater than 10 kilometers. Still it's a No Go ! The reason why, 15knots of wind gusts at 25. This instability is caused by a low pressure area above iceland and the north atlantic sea...

Anyways I'd rather be dreaming of being up there while i'm down here, than dreaming to be down here while i'm up there !