The team at Flymall.org planned a trip to Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base to get our Seaplane Rating. What started out as just a simple trip for Pat and I turned out to be an adventure for a group of folks.
Founded in the early 1960s by Jack Brown (pictured below), Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base has trained more seaplane pilots than any other place in the world.
Pat and I headed south on Saturday morning driving our motor-home. We decided being able to stay right there at the seaplane base would make the training that much more enjoyable and less stressful. Our class did not start until Tuesday so we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there. Arriving on Sunday we set up camp with a view of the lake right outside our window. We checked in at the school to let them know we were there and eager to start training. The folks at the school informed us that our friends Susan and Andy Beall had checked in earlier that day. Accompanied with her flight instructor Gary, Susan flew down in her Cessna 172 and used the flight down as her long cross country for her commercial rating. And while Susan was out splashing around in the lakes in the seaplane her husband Andy (a student pilot) was flight training with Gary in their Cessna 172 and also logging some solo cross country time. Lin Caywood, her husband to be (Carlo), and Brenda (Lin’s flight instructor) also arrived on Sunday but their flight was not so uneventful. Lin owns a Cessna 182 equipped with the G1000. Well north of their final destination the alternator failed and they continued as far as they could using the backup battery. Lin was also using the trip down to receive some flight training with her instructor Brenda. Lin got as far as they could but did not make it to the seaplane base. They made it to Craig Municipal Airport in Jacksonville, Florida and rented a car to continue on. Both Lin and Susan were scheduled to start flight training on Monday morning. While Lin was training in the seaplane Carlo (an Airframe & Powerplant mechanic) drove back up to Jacksonville to try and correct the alternator problem. After a few trips to Jacksonville and numerous phone calls to find parts, Carlo finally corrected the problem.
Lin’s plane wasn’t the only plane that had issues. One evening Pat, Susan, and I were hanging out with one of the senior instructors at Jack Brown’s discussing what to expect on our flight test. Susan received a call from her husband Andy who was out with their flight instructor getting some night flying experience. Instead of out flying, he was calling Susan from a bar explaining to her that on one of their landings they blew a tire and couldn’t get it fixed until the next day. Susan’s plane is for sale if anyone is interested – click here for more information.
Mid week we were joined by Debi Dreyfuss and Linda Knowles who had also signed up for the course. Debi and Linda flew down in Debi’s Cessna 182 equipped with the G1000 system. Debi had the only plane that did not have any maintenance issues on the flight down. But Debi did have 2 seaplanes break down while she was training. By the way, I sold Susan and Lin their aircraft new when I was a Cessna dealer and I helped sell Debi her 182 just before I became a dealer.
The course is a two day class consisting of some classroom time and five hours of flying time. Lin Caywood got a bit of a scare and learned a lesson during a session in the classroom. One of Lin’s classroom sessions was interrupted by one of the employees barging in shouting “Quick where is the shot gun?” Well poor Lin thought “Am I doing that bad that they want to shoot me?” It turns out that they have a snake problem at Jack Brown’s. The Cottonmouth Water Moccasin to be exact. They are very aggressive and will actually chase after people. As soon as one is spotted there is no trial, nothing, they are shot on site. One of the instructors spotted one while she and Pat were getting ready to go flying. The video below sums it up for the snake.
With no electrical system, this means no starter, so you have to hand prop the aircraft to start it.
But once underway it is nothing but pure fun.
We had one day when we could not fly due to high winds and one morning we had to wait for some fog to burn off, but other than that the weather was perfect. The worst part of each lesson was returning to the dock (the fun was over for this session).
It was very different flying experience for all involved. We never got any higher than 500 feet above the ground. Often while pre-flighting the plane or securing it for the evening you would see alligators on the beach or dock sunning themselves.
All total 6 of us received our seaplane rating over the course of the week. For more information on Jack Brown’s visit the Day Tripper section of our site or use the search box in the upper right corner of our site and search for seaplane.
There are some precautions to take when first starting an engine that has sat and not run for several years. The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only. Always consult with an A&P or IA with any questions related to this topic. The information within this newsletter is based on an aircraft that Flymall.org was brokering. It had not been flown for several years and the engine had not been run for over a year and a half. Flymall.org as well as several customers spoke with several shops and all agreed that the power-plant could be serviceable in its current state however everyone also agreed that the power-plant could also have too much internal damage from sitting and require a major overhaul. The shops interviewed said that they have seen cases of both circumstances on aircraft after sitting similar amounts of time.
A total of 3 shops were consulted with regarding this particular aircraft. And all 3 shops seem to share a common belief in a fairly similar procedure for starting the aircraft:
Pull the top spark plugs and borescope all 4 cylinders to see what they look like internally. If the cylinders look acceptable, pre-oil the cylinders through the spark plug hole using Marvel Mystery Oil, WD-40, or similar. Then hand-prop the engine several times to circulate the pre-oil. One shop suggested allowing the pre-oil to sit overnight.
One shop recommended turning over the engine with the starter (fuel off or mixture lean) until oil pressure registers on the pressure gauge. This further pre-oils the engine.
Start the engine and run for 5-7 minutes. Stop the engine, conduct a full oil change, and see what metal, if any, is in the cut oil filter and oil screen. If you do not find any metal, consider flying the plane for 5-6 hours, then conduct another oil change and look for metal again. If metal is found at any time in the process, it is likely that a top overhaul may be required or a major overhaul may be necessary due to rust scoring the moving components.
Comments Off on Precautions for starting an engine that has sat
Flymall.org is pleased to announce that we have a new affiliate program with JC Whitney. You can asscess our JC Whitney store via our Wheels and Wings section of our website. Just click on the shopping mall link. Below are some weekly specials you can take advantage of.
Flymall is pleased to announce that we have a new affiliate program with Toshiba. You will find a link to our Toshiba site under our Wheels and Wings section of Flymall.org – Click on our Shopping Mall link. Our affiliate program offers our customers weekly coupons and other special promotions. You may sign up to receive our newsletter from our home page. Our newsletter will keep you up to date with Flymall.org and you will be sure to receive money saving coupons.
Pat and I attended the AACA fall meet this past weekend. Last year I was there as a judge and was busy working. This year since it was Pat’s first year I decided not to judge and just enjoy the show with Pat.
If you enjoy old, old cars Hershey PA is the place to be in early October each year for this meet and car show. It is exciting to see a car that is 100 years old, but at this show you can see numerous cars that are 100 plus years old. We saw at least 5 or 6 that dated back in the late 1800s. And they were still running!
The Car Corral was our first stop on Friday morning. This is a show in itself. If you are a serious buyer you should be able to find something that fits your taste and budget in the Car Corral. Hyman LTD had numerous cars there for sale and one the one that really caught my attention was a 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt (pictured above) for sale for a mere 1.3 million. A car that until this show I had only seen on TV shows. I did see one car in the corral that I wanted to drive home and it was within my budget. It was this little red three wheeler. It looked like a Morgan but I do not think it was one. Pat and I would look good cruising the streets, me in the Lomax and her in this.
After the Car Corral we spent a lot of time in the large flea market. I believe you could buy enough parts there to build a complete car and drive it home. Pats favorite car of the weekend was this Fascination Car that we saw on the grounds of the flea market. My favorite car/motorcycle within the flea market was this old rusted motorcycle, a 1911 Reading Standard. Check out the price tag on this old rusty thing. Another interesting car on the flea market grounds was this NanoCar that was built by some vocational school students at Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School. You start it with a cell phone by sending it a text message – but no texting while driving. It is powered by an electric engine. With a biodiesel generator used to charge the batteries. The body is literally a Dodge Durango that the students sliced in half and narrowed to fit their car.
After we walked and walked the flea market it was time to go back to our motor home and unload all of the stuff we purchased and take a little break. Our evening out was spent at the AACA Museum looking at what else more cars and motorcycles. The museum has a great motorcycle collection.
Early Saturday morning we were off to the big car show. And what a show it was. My favorites were the three wheel cars and motorcycles. Yes I have a thing for three wheel vehicles whether they are a car or a motorcycle with a side car, I just like them. We saw what is perhaps the world’s smallest motorcycle with a side car, a Skat Kitty. I could put this little thing in the trunk of my Lomax and use it instead of a spare tire. One that was most interesting was this Trihawk by Harley Davidson.
Here is what I could find online about this vehicle:
The Trihawk was originally envisioned by Lou Richards, and further design and development was accomplished by a core group including Bob McKee, David Stollery, Dick Kleber and Bill Mozon. The Trihawk was first manufactured in 1982 by Design Lab, Inc. at a facility in Mokena, Illinois. After completing a preproduction run of 10-12 units, manufacturing and sales were moved to a new facility in Dana Point, California under the new moniker of Hawk Vehicles, Inc. where full production began in 1983. Production ceased at the end of 1985, after company interests were purchased by Harley Davidson. Between 90 and 100 units were produced.
The vehicle is powered by a 4-cylinder, air cooled 1,299cc boxer engine that drives the front wheels. The engine and transmission came from the Citroën GSA. Suspension components were utilized from the Renault R5 (Le Car) whereas Honda was the choice for the dash board instruments. Due to its extremely low centre of gravity and wide front track, the Trihawk was capable of attaining upwards of 1G force during skid pad testing, matching the Corvette and Countach of the day.
If you enjoy 3 wheel vehicles and want to read more about them I am starting a three wheel owners group dedicated to 3 wheelers – Three Wheel Association or TWA. Please contact me for more information.
Two Washington, DC area airports have opened pet relief areas giving animals a place to go to the bathroom before getting on an airplane. The two fenced-in indoor areas at Washington’s Dulles airport have fake fire hydrants, artificial turf, and plastic baggies so that owners can clean up after their pets. They also have a flushing system and ventilation to keep things sanitary. Radio station WTOP reports that there are outdoor areas at both Dulles and Washington Reagan International Airport.
Federal regulations require “service animal relief areas” for animals like guide dogs who accompany their owners of flights, but the areas are open to all pets traveling with their families.
Comments Off on Two DC Airports Open Pet ‘Pit Stop’ Areas
A rarely used, but important tool available for General Aviation aircraft flying out of busy airports is CDR (Coded Departure Routes). Knowing that CDRs exist, knowing how to file a flight plan requesting them, and how to use a CDR if assigned, can save you minutes (sometimes hours) of sitting on the ground when there is bad weather along your route of flight.
What are CDRs?
CDRs are preplanned routes of flights that can be issued to pilots when thunderstorms, turbulence, or traffic constraints preclude ATC from issuing the standard routing between the airport pairs. These preplanned routes have special 8-letter identifiers (such as MDWTEBC6 ) where the first three letters are the departure airport ID, and the next three letters are the arrival airport ID, and the last two letters are for specifying which specific CDR route is to be used between the two airports. Thus the origin of the name CDR (Coded Departure Routes).
By giving a controller the ability to assign a preplanned CDR, coordination between ATC facilities and the flight crew is simplified. This can save time and avoid possible mistakes. This is done simply by assigning an 8-character clearance versus a lengthy reroute with all the Airway, VOR and intersections.
