Yellowbird

Art is Where You Find It

2008-07-18T00:32:00.006-04:00

Here's an interesting corrosion pattern seen on a gauge on a piece of old fire fighting equipment at the small museum at Logan County (KAAA). It looks like some artsy-craftsy person painted a very intricate clinging vine motif on the face of the instrument, inside the glass.

Independence Day

2008-07-05T00:10:00.013-04:00

A common discussion topic on the web boards around this time of year concerns the worthwhileness of watching fireworks displays from the air. The consensus seems to be that it's not worth the effort since the airbursts take place at low altitudes and tend to get lost amidst the lights on the ground. You also miss the sounds of the explosions since you are probably wearing a noise-canceling

Yellowbird's Broken Heart

2007-12-30T16:58:00.000-05:00

During her 2007 annual airworthiness inspection, Yellowbird was diagnosed with a cracked engine crankcase. The treatment required removing the engine and shipping it to an engine shop in New York where it was rebuilt around a replacement crankcase. In the interim, Yellowbird sat in the corner of the FBO hangar while I treated her to a few upgrades and makeovers. There were delays and concerns

Aloft at Last

2007-12-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

METAR KBMI 292056Z 22006KT 10SM OVC016 M01/M04 A3007 RMK AO2 56013 T10111038 SLP203 Translation: Wind: blowing from 220° at 6 knots; Visibility: 10 statue miles; Sky condition: overcast at 1,600 feet above ground level; Temperature: -1°C; Dewpoint: -4°C Not the best conditions, and they were barely VFR, but it was worth a try just to get in the air again for our first flight after five months

Leftovers

2007-12-23T19:21:00.000-05:00

Yellowbird is whole again. After five long months sitting in a corner of the FBO hangar due to a cracked engine crankcase, she's finally fixed, reassembled, and signed off. Yesterday I paid the bill and picked up her keys and maintenance logs from the shop - now I just need to find a day with flyable weather. Until then, I have a box of assorted airplane refuse to dig through. This initially

The Annual Report - 2007

2007-12-22T19:36:00.000-05:00

This year's annul airworthiness inspection goes down in the books as the most expensive misadventure in my aviating life so far. Yellowbird was due for inspection by the end of July, so I dropped her off at the shop towards the end of the month and

First Run

2007-12-19T17:29:00.001-05:00

Today's the day, almost. She's fully reassembled and the weather is conducive to bringing her out to ground run the engine. The engine was run in a test cell at Mattituck after it was rebuilt, but this is the first time that it's been run since being reinstalled. I managed to get away from work for an hour or so to watch For the first time in five months, Yellowbird tastes sunlight. It was the

BFR

2007-12-10T23:24:00.000-05:00

It's due this month. My flight review, that is. Or for those who prefer the old acronym-friendly version, the Biennial Flight Review. The original plan when I started flying four years ago was to do an upgrade rating every year or so. Once I got settled into the routine of aircraft ownership, I foresaw getting my instrument rating in 2005, commercial in 2006, and CFI in 2007. I didn't have any

Delay, Again

2007-12-09T23:51:00.002-05:00

We could have been airborne by now, but for one more snag. Yellowbird's IFR inspection was due last month. This inspection, which must be done every 24 months, is required for all aircraft certified for operations in instrument meteorological conditions and involves checking the altimeter and static system. Also due was the transponder inspection, which is required for all aircraft equipped with

Hanging the Engine: Day 3

2007-12-06T15:06:00.002-05:00

We've reached the stage in the process where all the exciting jobs have been done. Yellowbird now has an engine, and that engine now has a carburetor, ignition system, exhaust system, and a propeller. Most of the wires and hoses have been connected and now it's just a matter of finishing up the smaller details. Of course, in an airplane every detail matters, but they don't always make for

Hanging the Engine: Day 2

2007-12-05T19:49:00.001-05:00

The hazards of having a day job: by the time I got away from work, they had already installed the propeller and exhaust system and Ray was busily wiring the various sensors for the JPI EDM-700 engine monitor. The baffle seals (the orange strips atop the engine and visible on the stool opposite Ray) are also being installed. A Ray's eye view of the proceedings. The exhaust risers can be seen

Hanging the Engine: Day 1

2007-12-04T00:29:00.002-05:00

Today is the day. Yellowbird has found a place in the shop's schedule and it's time to start reinstalling her engine, which was removed back in August to have a cracked crankcase fixed. The engine arrived about a month ago, but the shop was booked solid with other aircraft until now. Shall we watch? Aloft again, the engine is finally mated to its mount. We got new rubber shock mounts all around.

It Flies! (sort of)

2007-11-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

Up on the hoist, she gets the Reiff preheater installed. One of the cylinder bands can be seen as a shiny metal strip at the base of the #1 cylinder barrel. The oil pan heater is out of sight under the engine, but you can see the black wiring harness and white plastic connectors underneath the crankcase. The light gray noodle hanging below is the grounding wire. From behind, we see the

Upgrades

2007-11-16T23:56:00.002-05:00

I'm still waiting for the shop to find time in their schedule to put Yellowbird back together. For the past three months, I've tried several tactics for dealing with flying withdrawal. I've painted what was paintable fixed what was fixable, and replaced what was replaceable, within the allowances for preventative maintenance spelled out the federal regulations. I've fondled various dismembered

Parts

2007-11-06T20:09:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering, this is what it took to get Yellowbird's cracked engine back together: .tableParts tr {vertical-align: top;} .tableParts td {padding-right: 1em;} .tableParts th {text-align: left; padding-right: .5em;} .numeric {text-align: right;} Qty Part # Description Unit Price Extension 1 CASE-1 Ovh Crankcase - Lyc 4 Cyl 1,420.00 1,420.00 1

It's Here!

2007-11-03T22:02:00.002-04:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been in contact with Mattituck to finalize the details for the repair of the cracked crankcase. I received the quote at the beginning of October and the work was finished around the middle of the month. Payment was arranged and my engine was in transit again. I got the call yesterday afternoon: It has arrived! First we have this big box. We originally shipped

Painting the Engine Room - Part 2

2007-10-21T00:37:00.002-04:00

A few years ago, I repainted Yellowbird's upper engine cowling. The project began as an exercise in removing corrosion from the unpainted inner surface of the cowling, but scope creep took over when I realized that the newly cleaned and repainted insides looked noticeably better than the outside, on which a 15 year old repaint and a few subsequent touchups had left several different

Bachelor Life

2007-10-12T19:28:00.001-04:00

It's Friday night, I don't have a date - I think I'll stay home and wash my cowl flaps.

Painting the Engine Room - Part 1

2007-10-08T20:35:00.006-04:00

The engine has been delayed, thanks to some administrative confusion at the rebuild shop where it was sent. They have yet to start the repair, so I can't expect to be airborne again until November at the earliest. The shop has promised to expedite the process, and I won't pressure them beyond that. I'd rather have this done carefully and methodically, without rushing or cutting corners to meet an

SCAT

2007-09-22T00:53:00.005-04:00

Here's a bucket of old SCAT. SCAT is a type of flexible ducting made from silicone impregnated fabric around a spiral wire core. It is used to conduct air from various intakes to sources such as cabin fresh air and heat and carburetor air and heat. It's lightweight and pretty durable, but it does tend to come apart after many years, particularly when exposed to things like engine oil. Most of

Housework

2007-09-16T17:46:00.004-04:00

The poor girl is in the shop and the prognosis is that she'll be there for at least a month, possibly two. Since I can't fly her, I might as well clean her up a bit while she's dissembled. A couple of years ago, I painted the top cowl during a long winter weekend. I now have access to the engine cooling baffles, prop spinner and bulkhead, and other assorted airplane parts that were removed when

Enginectomy

2007-08-13T21:06:00.001-04:00

Well, the diagnosis is in and the prescription has been issued. After talking things over with Mattituck, we're going to ship the engine back to them for inspection and repair. They did the major overhaul in 2001, but the warranty period has expired, so I won't get any relief on the cost. They'll have to completely disassemble the engine, replacing or repairing as necessary. Estimated down time

Cracked

2007-08-04T12:39:00.001-04:00

This is what you don't want to find when you take your plane in for her annual inspection. Otherwise, she's a healthy bird, but this crack is going to have to be fixed and I fear it's going to be expensive. I'm checking into options, but the most likely resolution will be to remove the engine and ship it back to the shop that did the major overhaul in 2001. Here's a view from last summer when I

Making Baby Windmills

2007-07-30T00:02:00.002-04:00

I've commented a few times on the relative lack of scenery in my corner of the Midwest. The terrain is basically flat, and just about every square inch of undeveloped land has been cultivated with corn or soybeans. You can spend many enjoyable minutes admiring them from the air, but they do tend to get old. One unique crop that we do have is wind turbines. There is a large wind farm east of town

In the Wilderness of Western Iowa

2007-07-23T22:32:00.003-04:00

While transiting Iowa by car on my way to Bloomington in May, I decided to take a detour to check out the Iowa Aviation Museum at Greenfield Municipal Airport (KGFZ). I had seen the signs on I-80 a few times but this was the first time I was driving by during the museum's hours of operation. I wasn't expecting much - maybe a dusty hangar on a rustic one strip airport, with displays of Billy

Cropping the Dust

2007-07-22T01:32:00.000-04:00

While up for an afternoon jaunt, I caught sight of this fellow working a field a few thousand feet below me. We didn't see too many crop dusters back in New England, so I wouldn't know an AgTruck from an AgWagon or an AgCat from an AgDog. Still, I'd never seen one quite like this one. What caught my eye initially was the white paint scheme and the long wings. If it hadn't been so low, I would

Yellowbird's Godfather

2007-07-21T01:31:00.002-04:00

Back when I first bought Yellowbird, the gang at the iPilot.com message boards held a contest to come up with her name. The winning entry was suggested by a student pilot who went by the name of Cap'n Denny. Of course, the prize for the winning nomination was to be a ride in the newly christened bird, but living in Missouri, the good Captain was a bit out of range to collect his reward. Now that

Checking out the Neighborhood

2007-07-20T20:18:00.000-04:00

Once settled, we took a few days to explore our new surroundings. Things are pretty sparse compared to the Northeast, but it's not all cornfields. About 35 miles to the east we find this sleepy little field, with about half a dozen hangars and not much else. They do have fuel, for somewhat less than out home field, so it may be worth an occasional visit. There's a whopping big displaced

Where Are We?

2007-07-15T22:28:00.001-04:00

After a number of false starts, the move has been made. I'm settling into a new job, a new locale, and a new residence. I've left the lush hills of western Massachusetts for the somewhat less lush flatlands of the Midwest. At the beginning of July, I returned to Massachusetts and brought Yellowbird back with me to our new home. The jury is still out on the relative merits of the new locale, but

Back in Action

2007-07-10T16:48:00.000-04:00

At last, the blog is back together. After two moves, I have found new hosting locations for the images and other resources, so things look presentable again. Much has happened to Yellowbird and I, and I hope to be able to fill you in on the details soon. Stay tuned...

Yellowbird is Moving

2007-02-27T13:53:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the inactivity, but after a year of uncertainty, Yellowbird and I will be moving to a new home. Stay tuned, blogging will return, we hope, once the dust has settled.

More Work for the Bachelor Kitchen

2006-09-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

It's been few months since Yellowbird stubbed her toe back in January while visiting Captain Wilko. The flat nosewheel was fixed in time for me to make my flight back home before dark, but Yellowbird suffered the additional indignity of a cracked nosewheel fairing after the towbar was dropped on it while pulling her clear of the taxiway where the flat occurred. I've been in procrastination mode

Evening Arrival at Northampton

2006-04-03T13:43:00.000-04:00

Yellowbird arrives on Runway 14 at Northampton Airport, Northampton, MA, on a quiet early spring evening.

Yellowbird Stubs Her Toe

2006-01-30T20:59:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, as you may recall, I headed over to Bedford to meet with Captain Wilko. I arrived with one of my Silky Smooth* landings and taxied over to the terminal to meet him. We hooked up and I let him fly the Yellowbird for a while. We headed over to Gardner, where I performed a credible crosswind landing with extra Silky Smoothness and then headed back to Bedford for the day's third Silky

Captain Wilko

2006-01-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

One of the pleasures of flying is sharing the fellowship of other aviators. Opportunities abound for doing so, and range old-fashioned traditional flyins to the new fangled medium of the Internet. I've been an occasional poster on the message boards of iPilot.com since my PPL training days, and have met quite a few interesting characters. It's a fun (and addictive) way of keeping in touch with

Bachelor Kitchen Recipe

2006-01-08T19:48:00.002-05:00

Winter weather brings a number of flying opportunities and challenges. On the plus side, the cold dense air enhances airplane performance, and the lower humidity can provide for spectacular visibility. However the short daylight hours mean that there is less time available to enjoy those views, and for the newly minted instrument pilot, the threat of icing limits airborne adventure to comfortably

The Year of the Yellowbird - 2005

2005-12-31T16:53:00.000-05:00

2005 was a busy year for the Yellowbird. It saw a number of new milestones, new friends made (and lost) and the fulfillment of a goal that was part of my justification for owning an airplane. First, the statistics. We flew a total of 168 hours, well above my budget of 100 hours per year. January and December were the leanest months, both seeing few than five hours due to the winter weather, and

Two Years Ago Today

2005-12-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

(Reprinted from a post on the iPilot.com message board) Things don't always work out the way we would like them to. It would have been great to have earned my pilot's certificate on the centennial of the first flight, but the New England winter weather had other plans. It would also have been nice to have passed my checkride with a flawless performance, but... read on for the full story: Since

Checkride Day

2005-12-06T12:28:00.000-05:00

Blogging has been light for the last several weeks as I was busy finishing up the IFR training in hopes of wrapping it up before the end of the year. That would satisfy two birds with one checkride, as the IFR checkride would also meet the requirements for my biennial flight review, which would otherwise fall due this month. The IFR training has taken up most of my flying time since I started in

The Plane in Rain

2005-11-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

The recent rains which flooded parts of New England also provided several days of good IFR conditions. One particularly wet day saw us up for some local approaches. It was the first truly lousy day that we'd been up. Rain, heavy at times, and gusty winds were accurately forecast all day. The winds aloft at 3,000 ft were forecast to be in the vicinity of 50 knots, so it was going to be a rough

A Family Reunion

2005-10-04T17:32:00.000-04:00

The Cardinal Flyers Online is the premier organization for owners and fans of the Cessna Cardinal. They host regular regional flyins as well as a national convention. This year's Northeast flyin was held in Lancaster, PA. The original Schedule was for August 20th, but poor weather forced a postponement to the next weekend. This was the first CFO event that Yellowbird and I have been able to

Yellowbird Takeoff

2005-09-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Yellowbird's first video appearance: departing Northampton (7B2) in September of 2005, narrated by the camerman and his son.

Landing, with Blimp

2005-09-19T22:21:00.000-04:00

The Hood Blimp is visiting Westfield. It landed yesterday evening, and has been moored in the grass next to runway 20. It's not often you get to see a blimp from the air, even less so on short final, so here you go: It makes a nice windsock, doesn't it?

Rain Day at the Westfield Airshow

2005-09-18T21:21:00.000-04:00

The 2005 Westfield airshow came and went amidst a mix of weather. Day 1 saw perfect skies with essentially unlimited ceiling and visibility. Unfortunately, I wasn't there, as I was in Pennsylvania for a Cardinal Flyers flyin (to be blogged at a later date). I did make it to the airshow on Day 2, for which we had marginal VFR conditions for most of the day. A few of the aerial performers took to

NOTAM: BAF 10/004 BAF ABN OTS

2005-09-16T22:20:00.003-04:00

Or in plain English, if you like: Westfield/Springfield MA (Barnes Muni) [BAF]: October NOTAM #4: Aerodrome beacon out of service. It's been OTS for some time now, and I don't know why. The ATIS broadcast will also tell you of the temporary beacon atop the control tower, in operation 24 hours a day. It's a puny little set of four lights that currently spins around endlessly all day long. OTS or

Foggy Morning Preflight

2005-09-14T17:27:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday morning, Faithful Instructor George and I went up for a quick trip around the pattern. The morning fog was still blanketing the airport, so we filed IFR with the hopes of getting in at least one approach above the fog. As it turned out, the fog had mostly cleared by the time we took off, so we had to settle for an hour and a half of vectors, approaches, and holding, all under the

New Orleans

2005-09-02T18:07:00.000-04:00

We're all painfully aware of what has happened on the Gulf Coast. Although I'm far removed geographically from the area, this disaster has touched me a little more personally than it might have otherwise, for New Orleans is the city where I was born. I still have relatives in the area, including my father, who lives on the north shore of Lake Punch-a-Train. He evacuated about 150 miles north,

Missing the Airshow

2005-08-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

I missed the first day of the Westfield Airshow on Saturday because I was flying to Lancaster, PA for a Cardinal Flyers flyin. I did manage a few shots of the airshow setup as I departed Westfield at 7:00 on Saturday morning. The pictures are very large, so be patient. Hopefully, they're worth the wait. Midfield and the VOR, with a C-5 parked on Runway 15, The Red Bull MiG-17 and its companion

MiG in the Morning

2005-08-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

This weekend's airshow meant that Westfield played host to a number of distinctive aerial guests. The Thunderbirds lead the bill, followed by the usual collection of military and civilian displays as well as a small gaggle of warbirds. One of the more unusual performers arrived earlier this week, and it was impossible to miss such a brightly colored addition to the ramp. This is why one always

Summer Skies

2005-08-20T16:19:00.000-04:00

About a month ago, I brought Yellowbird back home from her annual. Due to the typical midsummer weather, it was more of an adventure than I had planned on. In all, it took four days and three car trips to cover the 27 air miles between Turners Falls and Westfield, and poor Yellowbird had to spend a few rain induced nights on the transient ramp at Northampton after the skies turned dark only ten

Instrument Blogging

2005-08-08T09:52:00.000-04:00

Yellowbird and I currently have about 20 hours towards an instrument rating. Blogging on this subject has been light, since I haven't been consistently inspired to write, and photographs of instrument lessons can get pretty tedious. After all, how many panel shots do you really want to see? Fortunately for those of you hankering to read about NDB approaches and radar vectors, Hamish Reid, of

Yellowbird Journalism

2005-07-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

Pilot reports are standard fare in the general aviation press. Each issue will have at least one report on the latest offerings ranging from spam cans to bizjets. Reporters typically give description of the flying qualities, a discussion of any good or bad features, comparisons with similar models, and maybe a thumbnail history of the development. The point of view can be as objective or

The Annual Report - 2005

2005-07-17T14:50:00.001-04:00

She lives, and it wasn't too painful. Apart from the usual fluids and filters, the only extra cost to the inspection was the replacement of the brake linings, for a whopping price of $12.50 each. A short list of minor squawks was also addressed, including: Replacement of the trim rod end, to fix some play in the trim tab Adjustment of the flap up-limit switch, to allow the flaps to retract

Annual Time

2005-06-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again - the time when airplane owners cringe in fear and prepare to burn the checkbook. Yellowbird is in for her annual checkup. I dropped her off last night at the shop at Turners Falls, and since I'll be away for a few weeks, my mechanic will have plenty of time to examine her. While she's in, I'll have a few minor squawks fixed, such as a couple of loose rivets in

Beating the Transponder Gremlin

2005-06-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

Yellowbird's transponder gremlin has had a lengthy but unwelcome residency. He's been there at least since I met Yellowbird in February of 2004. The ferry pilot who delivered her noted some problems with the transponder, despite her just having passed her biannual transponder check the previous month. As Yellowbird and I got to know each other, we sometimes experienced problems with her identity,

Round-Engined Goodness

2005-06-17T11:43:00.000-04:00

I was at the airport the other evening, washing bugs off the Yellowbird, when I heard a distinctive sound coming from midfield. It was something between a growl and a rumble and a throb, and it echoed off the nearby hangars until it was difficult to tell exactly where it came from . I knew at once what it was. It was a sound that once filled the skies of America, particularly in the south and

A Visit to the Transpondoctor

2005-06-15T11:23:00.000-04:00

Yellowbird has always had a bit of an identity problem. Specifically, her transponder has been intermittently intermittent at least since I bought her. Even the pilot who delivered her had problems. At times it would read correctly, but sometimes ATC would report the mode C as being either dramatically off or missing altogether. I've had a few times where ATC reported an incorrect squawk code,

Buy Me a Cardinal

2005-06-12T18:34:00.002-04:00

Every aircraft is required by federal regulations to carry certain documents on board at all times. These include the airworthiness certificate, the aircraft registration, the operating handbook, and the aircraft's weight and balance specifications. A prudent aircraft owner will also obtain copies of the service manual and parts catalog to help in evaluating plans for ongoing maintenance. But

How to Get to Carnegie Hall

2005-06-06T15:43:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I got a special e-mail invitation from my father. His church choir was to be part of a 300 voice chorus assembled for a performance of the Verdi Requiem by the Manhattan Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall. I hadn't seen Dad since Thanksgiving a few years ago, and New York is only a few hours drive from Westfield, so I was eager to attend the concert. I've driven through NYC a few

In Memoriam

2005-06-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

June 4th marks the 63rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway, the decisive WWII battle which turned the tide of the war in the Pacific against the Japanese. Midway has been the subject of many books and a few motion pictures, so I won't go into the details of the battle other than to retell the basic details. In 1942, flush from victories across the Pacific, the Japanese set their sights on the

A Better Mood

2005-06-02T20:16:00.000-04:00

Yellowbird was a few days on the ground sulking out her bad attitude indicator while I made arrangements to get her to the shop. Fortunate the wait was short and the following Friday afternoon allowed a quick trip to Turners Falls. My mechanic suspected that the shock mounts for the gyro panel might need replacing, so we started there. It wasn't an easy job, from the looks of it, but he managed

Yellowbird's Attitude Problem

2005-05-25T19:04:00.000-04:00

She's always had it, but I didn't notice it until a flight with Faithful Instructor George last year during which I logged about 45 minutes of simulated instrument time on the way home from Columbia County. It was the first time I had flown Yellowbird under the hood, and to my discredit, it was the first time that I had really paid attention to the instrument cross check. I noticed that with

A Brief Affair

2005-05-21T20:51:00.000-04:00

When she was in the shop, Yellowbird shared the hangar with a recent friend. Jamie had his Skylane in for it's annual inspection, to be done by Yellowbird's mechanic. After the Danbury flyin, we had discussed possible plans for trading rides, but our schedules had yet to coincide to do so. Jamie's annual took a week longer to accomplish than the work done on Yellowbird, so I was in a good

Yellowbird Goes to the Vet

2005-04-27T10:12:00.000-04:00

It's been a slow spring for Yellowbird this year, and it started with a light bulb. One fine day in March, I noticed during preflight inspection that one of her two landing lights was burned out. A quick stop at the FBO provided a replacement, but while changing the bulb, I noticed some exhaust staining on the inside of the lower cowl in the vicinity of the landing light housing. A quick look at

Block Island

2005-03-29T14:24:00.001-05:00

Saturday promised a pleasant day of sunshine and light winds, apparently a perfect day to get some aerial exercise. Pete was available for a few hours so I planned a quick trip down to the coast to get some cross country time in the log book. I've been to Fishers Island a few times, once as a dual cross country trip during my PPL training, and again with a friend last year, and the idea of a

The Social Airplane

2005-03-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

What's more fun than a Cessna Cardinal? How about 4.5 Cessna Cardinals? Saturday provided a rare opportunity to coordinate the schedules of no less than twelve people with a forecast of pleasant weather in order to overwhelm the air traffic controller at a small but busy airport and relieve the stockroom of a pseudo Irish pub of several pounds of hamburger ingredients. It all started when a

An Unusual Arrival

2005-03-23T08:23:00.000-05:00

Yellowbird's home base, Westfield-Barnes Municipal (KBAF) is a relatively quiet class D airport. We do see a fair amount of bizjet traffic, and the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard flies A-10's from their base at the north end of the field, but apart from the occasional military transport, it's rare that we would see anything larger than a Citation or Falcon on our 9,000

Virtual Yellowbird

2005-02-24T20:42:00.005-05:00

The virtues and pitfalls of PC based flight simulators for student and certified pilots have long been debated, and I won't attempt to contribute much to the arguments except to say that I have found them to be useful in preparation and familiarization even though they cannot replicate the very real physical sensations of actually controlling an airplane. Before I ever set foot in a small plane

Sharing the Sky

2005-02-18T22:56:00.000-05:00

Every pilot knows the incomparable exhilaration of solo flight. From a solo student's first unsteady trips around the pattern to the epic voyage of a Lindbergh, nothing can match the experience of setting forth alone into the strange uncharted world above the ground. A pilot alone in his aircraft experiences an intimacy with nature that can be experienced in no other way. To be separated from

An Evening in the Pattern

2005-02-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

Last night we went up to get in our three night landings for currency. We started on 02 while it was still light, then switched to 33 after dark. It was a nice evening for flying, and we got some good crosswind practice on 33, as well as some experience sharing the pattern with a variety of traffic. There were three of us in the pattern for 33, and the tower hade me extend downwind for 02 by

Around the Block

2005-02-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, we took to the air again, for a venture that I had long considered. With a pleasant afternoon and a few hours to spend, we visited a few airports that we had not yet landed at. Our trip took us up to North Adams, then south to Pittsfield and Great Barrington, and then west to Columbia County, NY, where we have been previously, but not solo. Departing to the northwest. On a cold day

After the Storm

2005-02-04T15:35:00.000-05:00

One week after the Big Storm, Yellowbird and I, having dug ourselves out, went aloft to survey the Winter Wonderland. Taxiing up Bravo for an intersection departure from 20. A week after the storm, snow is still evident on the pavement. Climbing out to the north. From 2,000 feet, the fruit of the snowplows' hard work is easily seen. Over Hatfield, looking south towards the Holyoke range. The

Snow Day

2005-01-24T12:17:00.000-05:00

The blizzard came and left us with a good amount of snow. How much is hard for a layman to measure, particularly with the drifting, but it looks like at least 12 inches, and it was enough to cancel just about everything on Sunday. Coming back from church (I missed the cancellation notice) I stopped off at the airport to get the snow shovel from the hangar. They were just starting to dig out, and

Cold Day Flying

2005-01-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

Weather and a busy holiday schedule have kept Yellowbird and I on the ground since mid December. In fact, her New Year's Day oil change has been the only time she has stirred in four weeks, and that was only for a 10 minute ground run to warm up the engine. Sunday afternoon provided a rare opportunity to get some exercise before another mild winter snowfall rolled in that evening, and we were

Third Time's a Charmer

2005-01-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

During July of 2003, which a whopping three hours of dual instruction time in my logbook, I picked up a copy of the Aviation Consumer Used Aircraft Guide for some summer leisure reading. At that time, my knowledge of general aviation aircraft was limited to what I picked up as a kid from reading spare issues of the AOPA Pilot magazine during the early 1970's. Now, as a middle aged adult, I was

01/03/2004

2005-01-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

On a rainy Saturday morning last year, I collected my Cardinal research materials, hopped in the car, and headed east from Westfield. This was the second expedition in my search for a Cessna Cardinal. My quarry this time was a 177B advertised by a dealer at an airport near Cape Cod. Three hours later, I met Steve in his office in the small terminal. He was kindly older gentleman, the kind you

Prospecting

2005-01-02T21:31:00.005-05:00

Now that we've changed the oil, it's time to do some detective work on the old oil filter. This will involve cutting the filter open and inspecting the filter element for any debris that might be a sign of trouble within the engine. As even a healthy engine grinds its way towards its next overhaul (or its next catastrophic failure) it will normally generate a small amount of metallic debris in

One Year Ago Today...

2005-01-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

...I met my first Cardinal. The path that led me from blissful ignorance of such a thing as a Cessna Cardinal, to curiosity, to fascination, to determination to own one, and finally, to blissful ownership, was a long one, but by the end of 2003, with the ink still wet on my newly earned Private Pilot license, I was ready to go Cardinal shopping. My first lead took me to southeastern Massachusetts

Let's Change the Oil

2005-01-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

Today, At exactly 2250 hours on the engine, according to the tachometer, Yellowbird got a fresh helping (8 quarts) of Shell 15W-50 oil. Her last oil change was done during her annual inspection in August of last year, about 29 engine hours ago. 25 hours is often quoted as the recommended interval between oil changes. Yellowbird has an oil filter, (not all small aircraft have one) which means that

The Year of the Yellowbird - 2004

2004-12-31T22:47:00.001-05:00

In 2004, Yellowbird and I logged 90.9 hours of flight time. In that time, she burned about 840 gallons of 100 octane low-lead aviation gasoline (for an average hourly burn rate of 9.2 gallons per hour) and drank in about 30 quarts of oil (approximately 14 quarts of which were drained during oil changes). We logged 259 landings, and if the laws of physics and good piloting were honored, then we

A Bit of Cardinal History

2004-12-30T10:13:00.005-05:00

Cessna's Cardinal (model 177) was introduced in 1968 and was supposed to supplant the venerable model 172 Skyhawk, production of which began in the mid 1950's. The Skyhawk is considered to be one of the most popular light aircraft ever produced. It is easy to fly and relatively inexpensive to operate and maintain. Its simple design and construction have seen only a few changes over the last

Who is Yellowbird?

2004-12-29T10:33:00.002-05:00

Yellowbird is a 1974 Cessna 177B Cardinal. She is one of over 4,000 Cardinals built between 1968, when Cessna introduced the Cardinal, and 1978, when Cardinal production came to an end. She actually rolled out the factory door at Wichita, Kansas, in October of 1973, and according to her logbook, she spent the first several months of her life close to home, apparently doing demo flights for

Welcome

2004-12-28T14:31:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the blog of the Yellowbird, my 1974 Cessna Cardinal. I will soon be posting accounts of our adventures in the air as well as other stories of interest. Stand by...