Weston Irr Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Well I finally got her! "Lola" After swooning for the past few months I couldn't be happier to join the club. Picked up in Wisconsin and my first flight in the plane was over 1000nm to Montana. Had to divert slightly north away from building storms. Having weather on the Dynon really made that task easy as we were aware but kept getting more information throughout the flight effortlessly. Overnighted in Rapid City and got a chance of a lifetime to do a flyby of Mt Rushmore on our way west. Overall I just cant say anything bad. The CTLS is such a comfortable cruiser with so much capability. We operated near Max Gross most of the flight and still felt like the plane had power reserves and could climb as high as we needed, even in mountains. Peaked out at 10,000ft DA on the final leg of the trip. Coming through Mountains I am very familiar with but having the synthetic vision on the Dynon gave a really high level of confidence near terrain. We didn't cross any major ridge systems since I prefer to follow canyons and valleys as much as possible staying slightly above local peaks. happy new CTLS owner!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 This is a great post. Congratulations, you made a great choice. I had a CTLSi for 2.5 years and loved every minute of flying it. I decided I wanted to do more camping and landing on out of the way grass fields so I bought a Husky. I fell in love with camping at 60 years old... Looking back at the CTLS vs a Lycoming engine'd airplane I can say that you guys in the Flight Designs are way ahead of the ball game. Low fuel costs, reliable plane, comfortable, long legs (I need to plan more trips to the gas station now during long flights), parachute, great visibility and superb avionics. Dynon makes a great product, it deserves more press. I am happy with my Husky choice because my mission changed, but, I am envious of you guys in the Flight Designs... and don't let anyone tell you that the Flight Design, because of its low weight, is a bad flyer in tough winds... it is not. It handles ably and bounces around no more than a Cessna, Piper or Cub like plane. Have fun with it Weston... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyjr Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 30 minutes ago, AGLyme said: don't let anyone tell you that the Flight Design, because of its low weight, is a bad flyer in tough winds... it is not. It handles ably and bounces around no more than a Cessna, Piper or Cub like plane. Couldn't agree with you more, it's not a heavy plane but it can handle a lot more than most people think. Love my CTSW, only thing I ever want more of is speed and that's really only on 350+ NM cross country trips. I fly from the SF Bay Area to Southern California often (heading out this weekend again) and I sure would love to bring that trip from 3 hours to 2.5 or less. I'm filling the speed need by joining a local flying club with, amount other planes (slower than the CT), a Mooney and 182 with rates low enough to justify using them for the longer trips. Edit: I personally have no issue with 3 hour trips, it's the significant other that get's restless after the 2 hour mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towner Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Congratulations on your new plane! Sounds like it was an awesome flight home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill3558 Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Nice airplane! Welcome to the group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Very nice CT... Did the airplane come with the main gear fairings? I hope so because they're pricey and make the airplane look a lot sleeker IMO. Functionally little difference, but just a nice to have. You're going to love that airplane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weston Irr Posted July 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Flying Monkey, Yes it did but it has the tundra tires installed and the pants wont fit over them. My field has 2 grass strips I have been practicing on so I think I'll keep the tundras on for while. Overall yes I couldn't think of a plane I want more in the price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrassStripFlyBoy Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Greetings and great post. I fly mostly off grass and the smaller tires work fine, only when you're on the really soft (spring thaw type soft ground) do I sort of wish I had tundra. The major factor of smaller tires is they wear quicker, but if plane has Matco brakes (better alignment) that can address things too. What city are you near, I sure hope you're close to Bozeman? I'm about to be travelling there regularly and would like to meet up. Regards, Darrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdarza Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 Congratulations - Nice ride !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weston Irr Posted July 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 Darrell, Bozeman is the next airport to me west. I fly out of Livingston which is a whole lot less busy. Let me know when you're heading this way I'd be happy to have a fellow CT owner show me some tips and tricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted July 16, 2021 Report Share Posted July 16, 2021 Congrats on “joining the club”. I plan on flying to Kalispell in a couple weeks from Tucson, AZ. If it works I would be happy to stop by for a chat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weston Irr Posted July 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 Duane, That would be great! PM me sometime when you think you are heading up! I was considering a flight out to Polson which is at the south end of flathead lake. Maybe the timing would work out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 6 hours ago, Weston Irr said: Duane, That would be great! PM me sometime when you think you are heading up! I was considering a flight out to Polson which is at the south end of flathead lake. Maybe the timing would work out! Will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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