N291DR 2.0 Airball data gathering flight

Another Airball flight. This time, I was doing GPS assisted IAS calibrations.

I took off from KRHV and took a right turnout departure. Then I realized one of the pressure sensors in the probe was plumbed backwards. Yikes. I puttered for a while then decided to come back.

I realized that the easiest thing to do was to simply change the firmware to negate the reading, and call it a day. I did that and went up again. Another right turnout departure.

I spent a long time around 5,500' MSL over the private airfield in a valley East of KRHV, doing 3-legged passes at different airspeeds, including ones where I put in about 10 degrees of yaw in one direction or the other, tried to hold a constant heading, airspeed, and altitude, and recorded the GPS readings.

Back to KRHV for my second landing of the day. It was a rather grueling 2 hours, but fun! Hope the data looks good!

N291DR 1.1 Airball data gathering flight

Quick flight over the hills East of San Jose to try out a new probe placement, on a boom on the wingtip. 1 landing at KRHV. I tried a short landing with power and full flaps, and I made my exit on taxiway B easily, but I still floated a lot,. I was doing around 50 kias over the fence, but should have slowed to around 40 kias on short final. Next time.

N291DR 1.7 Frasier Lake and Airball data gathering with Lisa

Flew KRHV to 1C9, hung out with pilots at 1C9 for a while, then flew back to KRHV. 2 landings total.

N291DR 2.9 Flight to Las Trancas

I just joined the Recreational Aviation Foundation which means I'm allowed to land at Las Trancas (17CL). I set out today to see if I could do it.

First I flew to Frasier Lake and did 3 landings (maybe they were 4? let's say 3) as a refresher and to practice short and soft field technique. I then blasted off West to see 'sup.

I had been warned of the rotors coming off the cliff beside the Las Trancas runway. Today was calm, but I wasn't going to risk it. I did low passes to gauge the wind before making a good short field landing. The runway is on top of a plateau with beach cliffs on either end, so the temptation is to come in with too much height, and then the fear is that one will fall off the other end. ;)

On the way back I flew over KSJC midfield.

N291DR 1.8 Flight to Byron with Sam

This was Sam's first flight in a small airplane. He ended up with me, in an LSA, in the afternoon, going towards the Central Valley (there was fog towards the coast). Lucky him?

Takeoff was uneventful, and we flew to Byron and landed in a rather gusty wind on Rwy 23. We walked around and talked about planes, then took off straight out Rwy 23, flew around Mount Diablo, then landed at KRHV.

My first attempt at landing at KRHV was rather embarrassing. I came in fast, tried to "rescue" things by making it a wheel landing, bounced, and ended up going around. My next attempt was successful, though nowhere near as short as I would like.

In general, I think I need more practice doing basic landings in gusty, cross-windy conditions. I think I was actually better at these when we first got 1DR, when I was practicing all the time.

N291DR 1.6 Flight to Hollister with Lauren

I took my friend and neighbor Lauren for her first ever small plane flight!

We took off uneventfully to a clearing but somewhat bumpy late morning sky. On the way South, I demonstrated what the controls did, and of course the Dutch roll exercise turned her stomach! Yikes! We then motored down and took in the scenery. I decided not to try to land at Frasier Lake, because of the bumpiness, but we landed at Hollister instead.

After talking with some glider folk and gawking at some Cal Fire planes, we took off again and came home -- I had to return the plane in time for my co-owner to go on a trip. Lauren took the controls for quite a while and did really well. Landing at KRHV again was un-eventful.

N291DR 2.1 Practice flight to E16

Routine practice flight to E16, doing landings. 6 landings at E16 and one at KRHV.