Blog Profile / The Flight Blog
| URL : | http://www.theandyzone.com/flight/flightblog.html | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Vehicles / Aircraft | |
| Posts on Regator: | 59 | |
| Posts / Week: | 0.2 | |
| Archived Since: | March 7, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Moving The FlightBlog
I've been using Blogger to build and publish my blog, but rather than use their servers for hosting I have been using FTP to publish the blogs on my own site (The AndyZone). Recently, Blogger has decided that they are investing too many resources into maintaining FTP and so they are ending that service as of March 31, of this year. Show More Summary
The Cheetah Finds A New Home
A lot has happened since the last time I wrote anything for this blog. The Cheetah has been sold, finding a new home with a gentleman from Madison, Indiana by the name of Ralph Rogers. Someday I’ll write up that story, probably entitled “Ralph Rogers Rides Again!” because it is quite a story and he’s an interesting character. Show More Summary
Hour of the TopGun
What would you give if you could fly F-14 simulators for an hour to engage in air combat and try landing aboard the ship? We did exactly that over the Christmas holidays at the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida. By “we” I mean my...Show More Summary
A Solo at LVJ
My wife, our dog Rocky, and I often observe a little ritual on the weekends. We pile into my truck, drive down to McDonald’s and buy breakfast (which for Rocky is usually “a side order of bacon), and then head out to Pearland Regional Airport where we eat and drink it. Show More Summary
Unison Press Release False: Defective Mags Apparently Abandoned
As detailed on this blog some time ago, I bought a set of new Unison Slick magnetos from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, Co eleven months ago. As also has been detailed here, they have never been right from the git-go. We initially thought...Show More Summary
Surviving Ike
“The FlightBlog” has been quiet for a while not only because of the Cheetah’s continuing mechanical problems but because of damage suffered from Hurricane Ike. The airplane rode out the storm using two sets of tie downs, one rope and one strap type, under a tin-roofed area we call “the Carports”. Show More Summary
On Borrowed Time
It was a hot, bright Galveston Saturday. Under the supervision of my A&P, I had spent the day under his hangar door and the upper cowl door of my Cheetah replacing the baffling on the pilot’s side of the airplane’s engine bay. The job had taken all day. Show More Summary
Miracles Happen but in Ariplanes They's Called "UA"'s.
I had planned to help my wife work around the house; but the engagement of one of my sons and his desire to hook up with us that night via iChat made an unscheduled trip to the beauty salon necessary for her. Suddenly, faced with no obligations, I decided to go back down to Galveston where my infirm Cheetah sat. Show More Summary
Problems, Problems, Problems...
I haven’t blogged for a while due to a combination of things; and one of those has been continuing mechanical problems with the Cheetah. For a few weeks, I had thought we were catching up with her and then I made the “mistake” of trying to get ahead of the performance curve by adding a PowerFlow exhaust to the engine. Show More Summary
For Want of a Picture
The editorial in USA Today that started the whole light plane security flap this week stated that Congress had passed a law requiring a picture I.D. on pilot’s licenses, but the rest of the aviation community had yet to catch up. W...
The Reason Why
Lately, I’ve been questioning why my wife and I have signed up for so much risk by owning an airplane. There’s not one aspect of ownership that doesn’t involve risk. Flying involves physical, legal, and financial risks; not flying...
Oil Change
It was time to take the Cheetah down to Galveston for an oil change. I said something to my wife about having a mechanic at Pearland do it, but she really trusted Bill and didn’t want anyone else working on the plane unless we just...
Locked in – The Almost Undocumented Cheetah Feature
One of the neat things about the Grumman series of single-engine aircraft are the fighter-like canopies. It’s great to be able to open them on the ground, especially in the summer when it’s so hot, to get a natural fan blowing thro...
X-Plane 8 - Flying an F-14
For some time now, I’ve been searching for a flight simulator that would let me fly an F-14. I was especially interested in finding something that had some realistic shipboard operations. I seem to have found what I was looking fo...
Divvying Up the Skies – The Bush Plan for User Fees
President Bush has released his proposal for a federal budget, and contained within it is one of the greatest threats to general aviation freedom and safety that the government could impose. No, I’m not talking about the Temporary...
Dead Cheetah Month
I haven't written much about flying in the Cheetah because I haven't been doing any. The airplane went down almost a month ago, and it took a couple of weeks for my mechanic to get up here to troubleshoot the thing. Now, we’re w...
The Lidle Legacy - More Harm to GA
I’d like to think that if Corey Lidle could still somehow talk to his wife, he’d tell her not to pursue her current lawsuit against Cirrus aircraft. In another saga in the sad “deep pockets” story of our legal system, she’s suing t...
Eatin' Our Lunch...Again!
The Cheetah’s been back up for a little over a week now. I’ve flown a few short local flights in it, and the machine behaved just fine for me. The good news is that Connie took her first, official flight with an instructor and is...
If It's Good Enough for Europe, It's Good Enough for the US!
In my aircraft owner’s group, a discussion about rising gas prices last year brought comments from our European members that what we were paying still wasn’t that bad. I always hate that kind of minimalization, because it is a disg...
Hey-La! The Cheetah's Back!
We finally got the Cheetah back yesterday from its latest repair which involved replacing the right brake cylinder on the passenger’s side. The part itself cost $180, but the labor to replace it and bleed the Cheetah’s hellacious b...