Last solo Cirrus flight - for a while
This morning I snuck out to the airport nice and early to avoid the persistently windy conditions we have had recently. The goal was one last flight solo in the beautiful Cirrus SR22 Turbo I have been blessed to fly so often these last few months.
I took my time with the preflight. If anyone had asked me why I would have told them it was because I hadn't flown her in a month, but the real reason was that I was simply soaking in the privilege. I kept her in the hangar to stay out of the 25 degree temps so I wouldn't feel rushed. Just as she has been since she was first built, she was in near perfect condition.
I opened the hangar door all the way up and watched the sun's rays slide up the cowling. I grabbed the tow bar and leaned back to put some weight in the direction I wanted her to roll. Out on the ramp I ran to drop the hangar door and get back to the cockpit before the cold sank in. I threw my winter coat in the back seat, closed the cockpit door, and grabbed my "engine start" checklist.
She rumbled to life instantly. I simultaneously throttled back to 1000 RPM while increasing the brightness on the PFD to max. While verifying good oil pressure I eased back the mixture for max RPM.
"Williamsburg Traffic - Cirrus Two Sierra Romeo - taxiing to runway 31"
I ran through the full electronic checklists down at the runway threshold and sat there for a moment to just take a little breath. A smile crept on my face as I turned onto the runway centerline and brought in the throttle. Since the engine was not fully warmed yet I didn't go full throttle - need to keep the manifold pressure from redlining.
Rotation speed came very quickly so a tiny bit of back pressure on the side yoke let the plane know she could fly whenever she was ready. She apparently thought that some altitude seemed like a good idea because we were soon climbing out at ~1500 feet per minute.
I set the autopilot and pointed it to the north to visit a brand new airport - Tappahannock - KXSA. I fought a ~20 knot headwind on the way up there, but I sure didn't care - that simply meant more time to take in the sights. I throttled back to 65% power burning around 13 gallons of gas per hour. Even with the power back I was still seeing 150 knots of indicated airspeed.
After picking up the current weather at KXSA on their AWOS I set up for landing. I touched down and taxied over the the terminal building to get a closer look.
I chatted with the gentlemen on UNICOM and made sure he knew how much I liked the new airport. It was nice to bear witness to general aviation building up and not tearing down. I lazily taxied back to the runway to depart and blasted off to head back down south again. I circled my house a few times and passed by another Cirrus in flight, then chased down a big barge in the James river - I gave him a wing waggle just in case he was looking up at the time. All too soon I was heading back to land at JGG.
After putting her back in the hangar I gave her a quick pat and thanked her for the great times. I expect we will have more in the future, even after I have moved down to SC. John has promised to bring her down from time to time so that I don't get too lonely. :)
That last flight was truly one of the best I have had. It brought me up to 60 hours of Cirrus time - a number I am proud of. I was completely relaxed the entire time, yet not at all complacent. I simply enjoyed the entire trip with no shred of anxiety or particular concern. I had no goal but to be up in the sky and it was a wonderful time - one that I won't soon forget. I need to remember that a flight with no special mission is something to seek out from time to time.
I took my time with the preflight. If anyone had asked me why I would have told them it was because I hadn't flown her in a month, but the real reason was that I was simply soaking in the privilege. I kept her in the hangar to stay out of the 25 degree temps so I wouldn't feel rushed. Just as she has been since she was first built, she was in near perfect condition.
I opened the hangar door all the way up and watched the sun's rays slide up the cowling. I grabbed the tow bar and leaned back to put some weight in the direction I wanted her to roll. Out on the ramp I ran to drop the hangar door and get back to the cockpit before the cold sank in. I threw my winter coat in the back seat, closed the cockpit door, and grabbed my "engine start" checklist.
- Batt 1 and 2 - On
- Strobe - On
- Mixture - Rich
- Throttle - Full forward
- Fuel Pump - primer setting for 4 seconds
- Throttle - open 1 inch
- Fuel pump - boost setting
- Propeller - CLEAR!
- Ignition switch - engage starter
She rumbled to life instantly. I simultaneously throttled back to 1000 RPM while increasing the brightness on the PFD to max. While verifying good oil pressure I eased back the mixture for max RPM.
"Williamsburg Traffic - Cirrus Two Sierra Romeo - taxiing to runway 31"
I ran through the full electronic checklists down at the runway threshold and sat there for a moment to just take a little breath. A smile crept on my face as I turned onto the runway centerline and brought in the throttle. Since the engine was not fully warmed yet I didn't go full throttle - need to keep the manifold pressure from redlining.
Rotation speed came very quickly so a tiny bit of back pressure on the side yoke let the plane know she could fly whenever she was ready. She apparently thought that some altitude seemed like a good idea because we were soon climbing out at ~1500 feet per minute.
I set the autopilot and pointed it to the north to visit a brand new airport - Tappahannock - KXSA. I fought a ~20 knot headwind on the way up there, but I sure didn't care - that simply meant more time to take in the sights. I throttled back to 65% power burning around 13 gallons of gas per hour. Even with the power back I was still seeing 150 knots of indicated airspeed.
After picking up the current weather at KXSA on their AWOS I set up for landing. I touched down and taxied over the the terminal building to get a closer look.
I chatted with the gentlemen on UNICOM and made sure he knew how much I liked the new airport. It was nice to bear witness to general aviation building up and not tearing down. I lazily taxied back to the runway to depart and blasted off to head back down south again. I circled my house a few times and passed by another Cirrus in flight, then chased down a big barge in the James river - I gave him a wing waggle just in case he was looking up at the time. All too soon I was heading back to land at JGG.
After putting her back in the hangar I gave her a quick pat and thanked her for the great times. I expect we will have more in the future, even after I have moved down to SC. John has promised to bring her down from time to time so that I don't get too lonely. :)
That last flight was truly one of the best I have had. It brought me up to 60 hours of Cirrus time - a number I am proud of. I was completely relaxed the entire time, yet not at all complacent. I simply enjoyed the entire trip with no shred of anxiety or particular concern. I had no goal but to be up in the sky and it was a wonderful time - one that I won't soon forget. I need to remember that a flight with no special mission is something to seek out from time to time.
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