March 27th Flight from Wilmington, DE to Atlanta’s Fulton County airport (KFTY): This was my first flight with Michael J as my copilot, and not with Jeff. Jeff has a ton of knowledge in how to fly and maintain this airplane, but he often leads me to the next thing I need to do instead of letting me make a few mistakes and get my process sorted out. I missed Jeff on this flight, but it was very good for me to do this on my own.
I did not disappoint myself. Starting the right engine first, I failed to turn on the ignitors before I introduced fuel. Argh!! The good news is that I recovered quickly and shut off the fuel to let the starter run for a few seconds. I started the left engine properly (all while Jeff was outside watching me screw up), and then went back to do a clearing procedure on the right engine. I got that started and surely won’t do that again. It helps to make your own mistakes and figure things out. Note: Jeff understood what I’d done and praised me on the clearing process later on.
Sun Visors: We don’t have any. This mornings takeoff was on RWY 09 – right into the sun. I literally set power, rotated, and held my left hand up to shield my eyes. I think I held my hand up for the entire flight down, since it was clear skies at our altitude and the westerly wind pointed my face directly into the sun. This is something that absolutely has to be rectified, and I didn’t think about it until now.
As soon as I got home I asked Jeff to look into permanent visors. For now, I purchased two kiddie shields for cars to protect me on the return flight in a few days. I also borrowed Jeff’s stick-on green sunguards, and will order some of those as well. I had to do something as the flight down was brutal in the sun.
Clients: Our clients had commitments that determined our departure right around 5:30 pm. I was more concerned about delays in our departure than on weather for this flight, as both pilots were up and at it before 5am. I decided early that we’d overnight in Atlanta and then fly home in the morning, simply because I didn’t want to fly tired at night. Risk mitigation.
The clients arrived right on time (Thank you!) and we got on our way.
Planned flight at FL200: The altitude chosen kept us in the clear, but we did suffer winds at 90kts! and a headwind in the low 30’s. Every now and again I need to remember to look outside and thank God for the opportunities I have to experience this. I can be pretty amazing at times. In the pictures below, you can see the terrain depicted on the G600Txi primary display on the left, and the view out the window on the right. Those dark lines in the clouds are an indication of the terrain below them.
I had been concerned about adequate fuel reserves in my planning, particularly if I was wrong, but my estimates work out great and we landed with over an hour of reserves – exactly as I’d hoped.
Customer Service: I have to note that Hill Aircraft (where we parked for the night and fueled), our Uber Drivers (to and from the hotel), and the Holiday Inn Express West front desk folks, were all exceedingly helpful and cheerful. Even after being up all day and flying for the last 3+ hours – they put me in a great mood. Southern hospitality is alive!
Summary: The airplane performed well and the newly repaired autopilot exceptionally so. The avionics in this machine are not nearly as capable nor as integrated as my own airplane, but I can work with it safely. We used the ice protection on the way down, but not very much. This is a nice airplane and it’s fun to fly.
I will say that doing this is also work. There is quite a bit of preparation that goes into this. I love the challenge, however, and enjoy being able to fly it home, as in this case, rather than stay in hotels.
Fly Safe!
Frank