First international flight . . . .

If all goes well, KSRQ to MYAT will be the first international flight over the Easter weekend.  A two hour flight to be at Green Turtle Club!

What data plan . . . .

Garmin is least expensive.  Choices are everything I would ever need for a year:

. . . or just NAVDATA:

What would you do?

Keep in mind, I need Bahamas and Mexico!

The plane is in my name . . . .

Update:  the FAA uses an automatic database that determines which county a zip code is in.  My registration, it was wrong and they fixed it.

But somehow the FAA think Bradenton is in Dade County!

A first aviation video from a wonderful videographer . . . .

This was arrival at KAPF, Naples Municipal.  Fuel is cheap there.  You can Uber to the zoo to feed the camels.

But the best part was the flight down the beach from Sarasota.  We live in a beautiful area!

Aviation headsets should not be this hard . . . .

First headset, Kore.  Second and third headset, Faro PNR and Faro ANR.  Fourth headset, Lightspeed Zulu 3, also ANR.  I admit I started at $149.00.  Went right through $349.00.  Now at $850.00 I hope the Zulu 3 solves the problem.  I understand my issue is side tone and Lightspeed says this:

• It also has an exclusive user adjustable mic gain adjustment to get the audio and side tone just right for all voices.

So far every headset I have tried does not have my voice in my ear or my passenger's ear until about the third or fourth spoken word.  ATC hears me 5 by 5 but it's annoying when I cannot hear myself or my passengers can't hear me from the first spoken word.  Safety is of course an issue, too.

David Clark was nearly my next try but they are at $895.00 and I understand Lightning is getting rated right up there next to Bose, who is at $1095.00.

Thank goodness for Amazon's return policy!

And the plane is named, Alexandra . . . .

Follow the directions when you are installing lettering.  Do not let the backing get wet as you are positioning it.  Good that doityourselflettering.com offers an installation guarantee!

Clean takes an hour and a half . . . .

The plane was clean when when I picked it up.  It got dirty over the last three weeks.  An hour and a half basic labor and 12 ounces of Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax, about $2.50 worth, and the plane is clean again.  At issue is whether I will continue to wash the plane myself or whether I will hire that work out.  At $500.00 to detail the interior and exterior, I think I may be doing the work myself.  Especially if the Wash and Wax keeps the plane looking at least as good as it does right now.

I will say that Target has better prices than Walmart for the Wash and Wax.  Wonder how they decide they can sell it for $8.39 and Walmart wants $9.97?

TFRs for TRUMP

Going to Camp Gary for a weekend is always a wonderful time!  In Stuart.  All Florida.  All outdoors.  Sometimes fishing.  Sometimes bows and arrows with inanimate and animate targets.  Walking in the woods.  Good friends Gary and Karen!

This time there was a twist.  Traveling to KSUA from KSRQ was by plane not car or Harley.  The trip over was as calm as any trips have been in niner niner five.  A tiny bit of clear air turbulence when descending from 5500 but all in all a great flight learning more about the autopilot and the G1000 cockpit.  The plane is a dream and it's starting much better now too with a new battery!

The excitement over the weekend:

• The ride over (It wasn't hard to avoid the TFR for Trump but you can sense how he affects General Aviation when he is in Palm Beach.  KSUA was packed with jets that normally would be one airport south.)
• The local flight circumnavigating Lake Okeechobee
• Building a squirrel slinger
• The walk through the woods
• The absolutely calm return trip learning how to lean the plane to less than 12 GPH, still making speeds greater than 130 knots
• The greased landing at KSRQ, which may be my best one yet.

The next cross country with Gary and Karen will likely be to Green Turtle Club but the FAA needs to send a permanent registration before I can leave the country:

• Green Turtle Club

The next cross county though may be to see Barry and Mary, landing at KSGJ.

Takeoffs are optional, landings are not . . . .

Steve of Dolphin Aviation happened to take this video.  Not sure why he was watching, but it shows Niner Niner Five flying by.  I wonder if the actual landing was one my instructor liked or shook his head at!  (smile)

What's in a name . . . .

The Harley is named Lacey.  The plane may soon be named Alexandra.  What you ask, is the association?  It's pretty simple:

Queen Alexandra's birdwing

Insect

Ornithoptera alexandrae, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 cm. It is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.

Scientific name: Ornithoptera alexandrae
Phylum: Arthropoda
Higher classification: Ornithoptera
Rank: Species
Order: Butterflies and moths

The joy of ownership . . . .

The mission today, fly a few miles over to Lake Wales, KX07, for fuel.  It is $3.50 per gallon there.  Almost $6.00 at Sarasota.  It was calm and an easy, pleasant flight.  Fueling was simple enough too except you had to stand on the fueling hose to keep it from retracting on its own.  The spring in the rewind mechanism is strong enough to retract 60 feet of heavy hose, and there is quite some force when the hose is fully unreeled.

The mission became interesting when departing.  The plane wouldn't start.  The battery was too weak.  After a half dozen calls because the FBO did not have the means to help, a local pilot and skydiver said he had a start cart and we were again running reasonably soon.  Good voltage.  Alternator must be good.  We flew home without incident and the plane started after shutting it down on the ramp in Sarasota.  But . . . .

A new battery and install:  $500.00.  Corporate Aviation will have it installed Tuesday.  The joy of ownership . . . .

The ride from her old home to her new . . . .

It worked.  The plan, I had a stopover in DTW coming home from Asia on Friday.  My instructor Don could take Friday off and catch a commercial nonstop ride to meet me.  Saturday and Sunday were available for the the ride from her old home to her new.  Watching the weather.  Watching the weather.  Watching the weather.  It ultimately looked like it's possible.  So I didn't get on the commercial flight home after clearing customs and Don and I went to Port Clinton!

I got to see the plane for the first time Friday night and was thrilled.  Exactly what I bargained for and expected.  The seller Joe is the consummate gentleman!  The next morning, watching the weather, there were some concerns but we lifted off at 0900 in calm winds and clear skies after signing a few papers.

The flight plan for the KPCW to KAVL leg is here.  The briefing, here.

The first hours of the flight were interesting with a few altitude changes to stay clear of weather but then all was clear and smooth and back to 8500 ft.  We made KAVL about 1215 after being routed in and around the mountains and valleys.  Fuel used 38 gallons.  Then it got better.  We made KSRQ just after 1600.  Ground speed was often more than 160 knots.  Fuel used 66 gallons.  Overall a little less than 15 gph.  N65995 spent last night in her new group hanger at Dolphin Aviation.

The best part of the voyage, the autopilot!  It was good to just watch outside and inside, becoming familiar with the G1000 panel, Traffic, and SVT.  The worst, FSS said they didn't see the flight plan when I radioed to open it, so we simply used Flight Following.  Flight Following is comforting but best practice is having a Flight Plan, too.

Flying N65995 is going to be too cool!