FlyingMonkey Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Ha... I am sitting out on the patio at the Chateau Élan drinking a beer in Sebring right now! The flight was literally perfect. Went as mentioned above, KWDR - 15J - X60 - KSEF. Used flight following the entire way, but got dropped about 60 miles out from Sebring when Orlando got busy. That was my first FF experience, and it was overwhelmingly positive. Easy to do and the controllers were very nice. Got one traffic call out that was a factor and I climbed to avoid, and one I never saw that was later declared no factor. Cruising at 5500 the air was dead smooth, I could fly with two fingers the entire time until I descended below 4000 on the destination end. I got a late start and wanted to beat the winds (aborted on Friday as SEF was 15G25), so I accepted the additional fuel burn and cruised at 5400rpm. 114 knots indicated, and 130-134 knots ground speed! The trip was 400nm and only took 3:20. The airplane loved cruising at that rpm, everything stayed cool and there were no issues. The winds here were 11G18 with 20 degree cross, but the landing was no problem and I didn't realize how windy it really was until I parked and the airplane was rocking a bit. I got out and was surprised how gusty it really was. Anyway, a great trip and now I'm not apprehensive about flying long distances anymore. Thanks guys for all the great advice that help me get here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Nothing really scary about flying long distances. Worst thing that happens is some weather crops up ahead, and you end up having to land short of your destination and wait it out. I've had to do it before, and it's something I factor into my long cross countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 127kts TAS is great speed for a light sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 CT, keep in mind my OAT probe readings are contaminated by warm exhaust air. It said 72 degrees outside temp... I bet it was actually more like 62-67. I had the heat on the first half of the trip. So 127 knots TAS is probably not quite accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 You had us worried. Are you going to wait for your plane to be finished at Sebring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 You had us worried. Are you going to wait for your plane to be finished at Sebring?No, I don't want to rush them. They say they normally take a week for the annual, plus I'm having an autopilot installed, so I'm leaving it here two weeks, flying back commercial tomorrow. Worried? Flightaware.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevez2436 Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Andy Glad the trip worked out as planned! You will love autopilot. My CTLS came with a TruTrak and it worked flawlessly on all my trips from Clearwater to Baton Rouge. It was linked to the Garmin 696 ... I activated the autopilot once I reached 500 AGL and from there it handled the climb and leveled off at my cruising altitude like a champ. Other than occasionally checking that the trim was good, I didn't touch the stick again until I entered the traffic pattern at my destination airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralarcon Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Glad to hear everything worked out well. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mocfly Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Next stop AIRVENTURE 2014! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted May 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Next stop AIRVENTURE 2014! Ha! Maybe 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.