Well hi there!

I haven’t updated this page in quite some time it seems. I am still flying N831KT regularly. Last week I flew from Austin Gainsville, TX (a bit North of Dallas) for the Airplanes and Coffee fly-in. Of course my son slept most of the way. Perfectly smooth weather over 4000 feet but a bit bumpier down low. Summer is here once again and temps are quickly soaring over 100 degrees in Texas so I generally plan long trips to make use of higher altitudes (and cooler weather) during the summer.

Still here and still flying!

Still here and still flying! I just forget about this site since I am so busy. N831KT had a complete engine overhaul and after a few flights all of the squawks were taken care of. She has so much more power now! Of course in the heat of July the only trips I want to make are long distance trips so I can get nice and high….and cool! I flew my Dad and kid down to Port Aransas for breakfast a few weeks ago and it was HOT on the ground. Nice flying though.

Wow. I have not posted in a while!

Wow. I sure haven’t posted in a long time (since last November!) I am still here and have still been flying. I am currently at around 275 flight hours as of this posting - so about 91 hours/yr. Not terrible considering I have to pay for every hour flown. Since the Pandemic hit I have still been flying regularly up until the Sundowner went down for some maintenance. Then it is going down again for several weeks in August for its Annual. Luckily I have been flying a rental 182 a bit so I will still have access to an airplane in the meantime.

Since my last post I have also obtained my Complex Airplane and High Performance airplane endorsements and have been flying a 182M model a bit when the sundowner is not a available. I am doing the ATOP Advanced course this coming Saturday, so I am looking forward to that.

Hopefully this pandemic sorts itself out soon so we can get back to having fun and flying kids again :)

Awesome Weekend Weather in Texas!

I recently purchased a new home and am in the processes of selling the old home, moving, etc. That doesn't leave a lot of time for recreational flying! HOWEVER this weekend had amazing weather (highs in the low 70s, clear skies) I couldn't resist the opportunity. I flew 20 minutes to 3T5 (Fayette Regional) and beat up the pattern. It's probably been a year since I went out just to practice spot landings. With such nice weather I was very surprised to see myself as the only airplane in the pattern. I suspect most local pilots flew out for breakfast or lunch someplace due to the VFR conditions - 3T5 is a very nice runway, has fuel and a nice restroom....but no place to eat. Perfect for my mission. :)

ATOP in Dallas at the American Airlines Training Center

I haven't updated in a while because I have been so busy! Last weekend I took the Sundowner up to Grand Prarie, TX (GPM) to attent ATOP with "Uncle" Wayne Phillips. This was hands down the most fun I have had in aviation in a very long time. Captain Phillips is a walking encyclopedia and makes learning fun and easy. We went over all of the system on the 737-800NG, learned all the basic flows (Boeing Method) and every dial and switch. Then I did the high altitude endorsement on a 737 AATD and performed several emergency decents from both the left and right seats. We managed to get a great time slot for the Level D sim (AKA "The Box") from 0730 to 1130. They are always running and many times the only slots for the box is. Midnight. It was truly drinking information from a fire hose but was very rewarding. Even more so that I was able to make the trip up there and back in the Sundowner.

Nice flight to Conroe, TX for Breakfast

I flew over to Conroe, TX (KCXO) with my friend Karthik for brunch at the Black Walnut Cafe on the field. I had a pretty good headwind going there, but on the way back were rewarded with a 20KT tailwind. was buttery smooth until I had to decend below the cloud deck...then is was washing machine smooth. Austin landed me on 35R and the wind was coming from the SE at 10KTS so I landed with a quartering tailwind. Was a fun landing to be sure...I almost ran out of rudder.

Had a great time with Flying Vikings

Last weekend, I flew up to Temple, TX to volunteer with the Flying Vikings It was an absolute honor. It was pretty hot and bumpy but the kids did great! It’s so much fun seeing the joy and amazement on their faces when you get them up in the air and even let them fly the plane!

Spent a HOT 4 hours flying around Texas - Worth it!

Temps were well into the 100s and heat index was over 110 degrees, so was a very HOT day for flying. My friend and pilot Karthik joined me and my son on a flight down to Uvalde, TX and back so I could do some more hood work. We stopped at the Hangar 6 Air Cafe in Uvalde for Lunch. Later in the afternoon I took my friend Jim, his daughter, and my son up for a tour of downtown Austin as well as Lake Travis. I could fly all day...even in the heat. :)

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Plane out of Annual and Flying Great!

831KT came out of annual last week. After a few test flights to make sure everything was working properly, I took my son to Fredericksburg, TX (T82) for breakfast. She is flying better than ever! The control inputs are direct and there is no slop at all in the controls (replaced a pully and adjusted the rigging at annual). Its good to be back in the left seat of a Beech again. :)

Plane still in Annual so finding other ways to get in the air.

The plane had a few items on the annual inspection that needed to be addressed, so she is still down for repairs. Good thing I have friends in Aviation :) My friend Karthik is preparing to take his Commercial Pilot Check Ride, So he invited me along for the ride. We filed IFR out to LBX (he hasn’t been there before) and we did some cloud surfing on the way out (always fun). As Tropical Storm Barry edged closer to the Coast we were within about 60 miles of the outer bands which provided for some gusty weather and broken ceilings at around 4K feet up to 8K feet. On the way back to Austin Karthik did some nice Chandelles, Lazy 8s, Steep Turns, and a fun Emergency decent from 10500 down to 4500.

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Another 6.3 hours in the books and up to 12,500FT!

My friend and fellow pilot Karthik and I took the Sundowner down to Brownsville, TX with the mission of having me fly the flight under the hood. I did approaches at KVCT and KCRP on the way down to Brownsville (BRO) which is only 3 miles from the Mexican border. On the way back we climbed all the way up to 12,500ft for 30min (my new record in an unpressurized plane), Of course with no oxygen on board, we couldn’t stay up there too long. Logged 6 more hours of instrument time. :)

Trip to Uvalde and 2.1 hours of Hood Work

HOT and gusty today, but still an awesome day to fly. Went down to Uvalde Texas and back. Big thanks to Chelsea C for flying safety so I could get a few more hours of hood time. It was crazy hot so we decided to cruise on up to 9500ft on the way back. MUCH cooler and smoother up high. Of course it took the little Sundowner almost 30 minutes to get up there - We had to level off a few times to keep the engine CHTs from getting too high, and with the Density Altitude was only eaking out a 300FPM climb.

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Galveston 150 AirRace

My friend Dean Siracusa of Flying Eyes Optics picked me and my son up from the San Marcos airport (KHYI) and we headed to Galveston (KLGS) for the Galveston 150 Air Race. It was my first time in a Meyers and I was very impressed with the Meyers 200 D. The controls were very direct and responsive with not a lot of input needed. It very much has a solid sports car like feel. After the race briefing we watched all of the racers take off. We followed behind and made a stop at one of my favorite airport restaurants, the Runway Cafe in Angleton, TX. It’s right on the field (KLBX) so you can walk right into the restaurant from the ramp. There are a few places like this, but they are not very numerous.

A rare Meyers 200D

A rare Meyers 200D