Goodyear, AZ 85395, US
What's New?
What I am I doing now?
As of this writing Jan 1, 2019, I have 17 hrs in my new to me T182, and I am still working on techniques, and am not as clean as I would like to be. This faster machine is "slick" and wants to go fast. Dropping from 13,500 to 1,000 to land takes planning, and time, and checklist after checklist.
It seems easy until you are screaming into the pattern at 140 knts, needing to descend some more and bleed off 50knts in a plane that does not want to go slower, while not being able to simply pull the throttle, as my turbo shock cooling warning is already about to start blinking.
Truth be told, I am thrilled I am not also dealing with landing gear, and the even faster speeds of a 210. There is a reason there is a learning progression. While I may change my mind in time, right now, I am just enjoying what I have.
Trips
This is a "Coming soon site" that I will try to populate going forward. I am terrible about remembering to pull out a camera. However, I do want to try to document my new journey as a pilot. For now, it is just a link to my transponder history for my recent flights.
An update
So, it is now March 2019, I have spent more time in my plane, and have accumulated about 50 hours in it. I am by no means an expert, but I am comfortable. I know my rig pretty well at this point. She is happiest for the most part at 22"/2300 rpm leaned to about 12.6 gph, which produces right at 140 kts @ 10-12K ASL at standard temps. This is close to the POH, but I am about 3 knts faster than published. This setting also puts me at 65%hp, which virtually eliminates any chance of damage to the engine from pre-ignition or detonation.
I was "fortunate" to have my autopilot misbehave beginning in Jan 2019, so I had it removed and had to send it to Avidyne in KS for repair. They had it for about 7 weeks. I say fortunate as this forced me to hand fly the plane as I was learning about it. She is as easy to fly as the 172 I learned in. The handling characteristics are stable, and I have found it a little easier to land than the 172.
I have also discovered on Foreflight, that there is a Descent to Destination button available, that help easily drop you into the pattern without being too early, or too late. A nice 300 fpm decent allows an easy cooling of the turbo, an does not feel like a bombing run to passengers who have never been in a small plane before.
The autopilot was put back in the plane in late Feb. It is now perfect. It is decisive, true, and does not porpoise any more. It flies an ILS approach with no problem, and very little help from me, my only job is to keep the speed correct.
She is at KLRU right now torn apart waiting for her new interior. Hopefully, I will be able to go get her back next weekend.
