Flying

I took a friend flying today for the first time. She'd flown commercially before, plus she'd been in a glider, but never in a little plane and never with me. It was a beautiful day. Calm winds, but a little hazy. I felt we'd never get off the ground. We got to the airport late because she'd forgotten her sunglasses. Checked the Archer...no fuel. Towed it to the pumps, fueled to tabs, and got back to my checklist. Get ready to start the plane....no keys. Get back out, find the guy with the keys, get back in, and FINALLY get up in the air.

We flew over our house, flew over Em's school, and went back over her house and Lisa's house, where Maicy, Ella, and Lisa were having a picnic in the front yard. I waved my wings at them, which freaked Colleen out. Ix-nay on the Ings-way she yelled!

They I punched Galt into the GPS and tried to find it, which I was successful. By that time it was SO hot in the plane, I wanted to go back and land. Colleen balked, so we flew back over Mundelein. As we were flying over the school again, I noticed something red and shiny zip right underneath the plane. My first thought was that it was an orange ball on a high voltage line, but I knew that there wasn't anything like that in the area. Still it made my heart pound. I knew it couldn't be an aircraft, too small too fast, even for a remote controlled plane. I stared a bit more, and realized it was a balloon. A small mylar red shiny party balloon!!

We flew back towards the airport and I looked down, and maybe 200 feet underneath us, going 90deg away from us, zipped another GA plane. So close I could read the tail number! Yikes. Stuff like that makes flying NO FUN.

ON the radio at about the same time, another plane down south of us called in an emergency. He said the engine was surging and he wanted to get it down ASAP. He said there was a field right beneath him and he was putting it down there. Yikes! Another plane was right beneath him, and a 3rd plane pointed that out to him. Right as he was coming down, the engine recovered so instead of landing, he called and said "I'm fine, and am continuing with my flight as planned"! I'm yelling out loud LAND, DUDE!!!! He said he was going to his planned destination, but I hope he found an airport and landed it right then and there.

I decided to come in to land because is was just too hot up there for me. I called for the winds and active...good thing because the winds and switched directions 180deg! Had I taken the runway that from which I'd departed, I would have come in with a tail wind. Glad I called and checked! My passenger said "make this a smooth landing"....crap, to me any landing that you can walk away from is a good landing to me! But I brought it in smooth as silk. Ate up most of the runway trying to do it, but that's ok, my passenger was happy.

Landed, post-flighted the plane, realized the HEAT had been on. No wonder it was so hot!!

Oh when I arrived at the airport, there was a beautiful 414 sitting on the ramp. I walked in and told the guy I was here to fly the twin. Go right ahead he says, the keys are in it! Ahhhh I wish.