Just a really quick update... the Gil battery I had in the plane failed after only 2 years. I was able to replace the battery with a Concorde and was able to get it installed this past week.
We put about 2 and a half hours on her this week and the plane is running stronger than ever. I've been really impressed with the new battery so far. The Concorde battery is the same battery we use in Tinker Belle and they've held up very well. I'm hoping my little 140 will run for many years on the new battery.
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Fun Weekend
Didn't get a chance to get up in the air this weekend but it wasn't a total waste as I was finally able to drive my new (old) car. I've been working on it for about 2 months now but haven't been able to get it out on a weekend due to commitments.
Yes, I paid 1k for the car as well so here is what 2k will buy you. LOL
Yes, I paid 1k for the car as well so here is what 2k will buy you. LOL
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Quick Update
I've not posted anything in a few weeks so I wanted to send out a quick update. Everything is still going great with the little Cherokee, we've been flying it around as time permits and I was able to sneak away this past Sunday and do a little pattern work.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) my work is keeping me very busy now so it's getting harder and harder for me to sneak off to the airport for hours on end. So anytime I get can away is always welcomed.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) my work is keeping me very busy now so it's getting harder and harder for me to sneak off to the airport for hours on end. So anytime I get can away is always welcomed.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Finally back in the air
After not being able to fly since late April it was so nice to finally get back in the air. Called up a CFI buddy of mine and asked if he would come do some pattern work late in the evening with me.
What a super calm night for pattern work!
What a super calm night for pattern work!
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Another weekend in Clemson
The little Cherokee made another quick flight down to Clemson this weekend and spent the day there Saturday.
Just a beautiful day to fly before the bad weather set in at the end of the weekend.
Just a beautiful day to fly before the bad weather set in at the end of the weekend.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Steeplechase Flyover 2017
Another anniversary for both the little cherokee and for my aviation career (hobby).
This weekend was the 2nd anniversary of the first engine start of the Cherokee during it's restoration and was also the 5th anniversary of the first time I flew in a GA airplane.
That very first flight which was a fly-over of the Steeplechase Event allowed me to experience GA for the very first time. After that flight I would go on to get my Private License the next year and also start a tradition of flying over the event every single year.
I'm still saving for paint and ADSB, putting new mags on the plane last year was a large expense but not unexpected. I'm hoping as we enter year 3 that I'll be able to start making small improvments as time and money allow.
In other news the iFly 740 ADSB upgrade worked great and we were even able to pick up traffic sitting in the hangar, not to mention all the traffic once airborne.
This weekend was the 2nd anniversary of the first engine start of the Cherokee during it's restoration and was also the 5th anniversary of the first time I flew in a GA airplane.
That very first flight which was a fly-over of the Steeplechase Event allowed me to experience GA for the very first time. After that flight I would go on to get my Private License the next year and also start a tradition of flying over the event every single year.
I'm still saving for paint and ADSB, putting new mags on the plane last year was a large expense but not unexpected. I'm hoping as we enter year 3 that I'll be able to start making small improvments as time and money allow.
In other news the iFly 740 ADSB upgrade worked great and we were even able to pick up traffic sitting in the hangar, not to mention all the traffic once airborne.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
iFly ADSB Upgrade
Weather has been terrible the last few days so I haven't had a chance to try out the newest toy.
My aging iPad Mini no longer runs Foreflight reliably and instead of spending the money on a new iPad that is ONLY used for Foreflight I decided to upgrade my iFly 740 unit to my primary nav unit.
To do this I needed to yoke mount it for easy reach so I headed out to the iFly website to see if they had an adapter for the RAM mount I currently have.
I was in luck, they do sell a RAM mount adapter, which I ordered however while on the site I noticed that they had a new product a PING buddy ADSB receiver that plugs into the USB slot on the iFly. I decided to give it a try and put one on order.
I received the unit after a few days and it's already made a world of different in the iFly unit, even from my living room!
I am now able to get full traffic and weather on the iFly unit without having to lug around a stratux or stratus unit that's powered externally.
In addition I decided to fire up the old 3d printer to print out a camera mount that mounts to the tie down ring.
Here is the finished product....
Hopefully the weather will improve this weekend and I'll be able to try the new camera mount out.
My aging iPad Mini no longer runs Foreflight reliably and instead of spending the money on a new iPad that is ONLY used for Foreflight I decided to upgrade my iFly 740 unit to my primary nav unit.
To do this I needed to yoke mount it for easy reach so I headed out to the iFly website to see if they had an adapter for the RAM mount I currently have.
I was in luck, they do sell a RAM mount adapter, which I ordered however while on the site I noticed that they had a new product a PING buddy ADSB receiver that plugs into the USB slot on the iFly. I decided to give it a try and put one on order.
I received the unit after a few days and it's already made a world of different in the iFly unit, even from my living room!
In addition I decided to fire up the old 3d printer to print out a camera mount that mounts to the tie down ring.
Hopefully the weather will improve this weekend and I'll be able to try the new camera mount out.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Quick zip around town
Clouds were rolling in but they were still high enough for a quick run around town. Got to put another 45 minutes in the air!
Longest Solo Flight
Hey guys,
So headed down to the airport Saturday to take her around the pattern. It was such a beautiful day and she was running so well I decided to head out of the pattern.
I headed just a a few miles south around PYG and back up to Monroe, admiring the green countryside.
All in all it was a very smooth and short flight but we were able to put another hour in the air.
This trip was important because this is the longest I've flown the plane solo since we started flying it.
So headed down to the airport Saturday to take her around the pattern. It was such a beautiful day and she was running so well I decided to head out of the pattern.
I headed just a a few miles south around PYG and back up to Monroe, admiring the green countryside.
All in all it was a very smooth and short flight but we were able to put another hour in the air.
This trip was important because this is the longest I've flown the plane solo since we started flying it.
Monday, March 27, 2017
VOR Work
Finally got to work on some VOR navigation and the plane did really well. As the flying season is approaching I'm hoping to get up and out more and more.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Breezy Landing Practice
So this was the first time I've been able to fly the plane after the annual and the second time I've actually flown it solo. I decided to try a quick trip around the pattern with some pretty gusty winds to sharpen up my high wind landing procedures.
Winds were gusting 18-22kts. I purposefully came in a little faster than normal with only 2 notches of flaps instead of 3.
You can see how bad I floated this was mostly due to the extra speed and the fact that the wind was blowing directly down the runway. It also serves as a good example of how well these low wings will float on you if your not careful.
Winds were gusting 18-22kts. I purposefully came in a little faster than normal with only 2 notches of flaps instead of 3.
You can see how bad I floated this was mostly due to the extra speed and the fact that the wind was blowing directly down the runway. It also serves as a good example of how well these low wings will float on you if your not careful.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Mountain Flying
Cody was able to take the Cherokee on it's longest trip to date. All the way to the mountains of East Tennessee from KEQY to 6A4 to enjoy the beautiful scenery and to practice a little mountain flying.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Annual Complete
So we finally wrapped up the first "flying" annual and it went about how I expected. I had said all along that the first 2 years of flight would be about making sure the plane was operating at 100% and that safety was always paramount. That being said, I knew going into this annual that I would be replacing some parts.
I opted to pull the mags off and send them off to be checked and refreshed. I wanted the points inspected since as best we could tell these were the original 1972 mags.
The impulse coupler on the left mag was indeed about to fail and could not be repaired so I opted to replace the left mag completely. The right mag was repairable and was fully overhauled with new points and given a fresh paint job and cleaning.
We removed the non-working ADF and that damn antenna (I hated that thing) and fabricated a very nice blank plate for that space. Now my iFly can mount there and be out of the way.
We removed and repaired some of the fiberglass on the front nose cowling and did some touch up paint on that as well. Also repaired the 'swoopy' part on the tail fin.
I also installed a new fire extinguisher and the guys over at www.arrow4graphics.com reached out and donated a full set of placards for PA-28 140. I will wait and install those when I get it painted...
The total bill for the mags, 3 full days of labor and the annual itself came up to $3,674. I know that's a big number but to be honest I'm not shocked by it at all.
I swear to you I can hear the plane run smoother. Everyone says I'm crazy but it 'sounds' more even like it's a more even spark. I can only assume that the new mags are not only timed more precisely but are producing a hotter spark. We shall see if that translates to better performance. The first flight back went great and she performed just fine.
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