We finally got a chance to fly back to Lynden today so we could finish up the work on our 206. We waited for a couple hours for the weather to improve before leaving. The flight up was uneventful (which is usually a good thing!). The weather was marginal, but easy to get around. Once we found a "hole" (as we call it in aviation), we were able to fly above the clouds most of the 
way. And I didn't do any of the flying this time, so I got to take a few more pictures than normal. It wasn't until we got up around Bellingham that we had to find another "hole" and fly back down under the clouds so we could land at Lynden. Overall, the trip up took us just over 2 hours, a marked improvement on Wednesday's 2.5. Once we landed in Lynden we got right to work on the 206--and then it started snowing. But it's not the kind of snow you usually think about floating out of the sky. No...this snow was like little miny ice-balls, kind of like miniature hail. Combine that with a driving wind and it really hurt! So we huddled under the wings of the 206 every now and then as these showers went by. All in all, it took another 2 and a half hours to finish up the job, but the good part is, that fixed the problem. The airplane runs like it should now! So, around 3pm David took off in the 172 for home, and I 
took off 30 minutes later. I filed for an IFR flight plan on the way back so I wouldn't have to worry about flying around, over, and underneath all the clouds. Here's what it looks like when you're flying through clouds in a small airplane. Quite a different picture from the morning. I don't know if you can tell, but the windshield (and the wings, tail, and tires) are coated with a thin layer of ice. Flying through a lot of clouds when it's cold out sometimes coats the airplane in a layer of ice, which is a potentially hazard situation if you have no way of getting out of it. 3,000 lb. ice cubes don't fly very well!
way. And I didn't do any of the flying this time, so I got to take a few more pictures than normal. It wasn't until we got up around Bellingham that we had to find another "hole" and fly back down under the clouds so we could land at Lynden. Overall, the trip up took us just over 2 hours, a marked improvement on Wednesday's 2.5. Once we landed in Lynden we got right to work on the 206--and then it started snowing. But it's not the kind of snow you usually think about floating out of the sky. No...this snow was like little miny ice-balls, kind of like miniature hail. Combine that with a driving wind and it really hurt! So we huddled under the wings of the 206 every now and then as these showers went by. All in all, it took another 2 and a half hours to finish up the job, but the good part is, that fixed the problem. The airplane runs like it should now! So, around 3pm David took off in the 172 for home, and I 
took off 30 minutes later. I filed for an IFR flight plan on the way back so I wouldn't have to worry about flying around, over, and underneath all the clouds. Here's what it looks like when you're flying through clouds in a small airplane. Quite a different picture from the morning. I don't know if you can tell, but the windshield (and the wings, tail, and tires) are coated with a thin layer of ice. Flying through a lot of clouds when it's cold out sometimes coats the airplane in a layer of ice, which is a potentially hazard situation if you have no way of getting out of it. 3,000 lb. ice cubes don't fly very well! My flight time is now 396.2; so that leaves 3.8 left in four weeks. Thanks for all your prayers and support; it is being put to good use!
No comments:
Post a Comment