Date: Friday, February 8, 2002, 3:01:37 PM Subject: RHV to SBA to SZP, Best Forward Speed, and Paint job beginning Howdy all, Reid-Hillview (RHV) to Santa Barbara (SBA) and Santa Paula (SZP) ================================================================ Yesterday, I departed Reid-Hillview for a brief stop at my home airport, SBA, and then flew to Santa Paula (SZP) to leave my plane for its two month "restoration" and new painting. The weather at RHV was overcast, reported at 4000 but more like 3500 and descending, so, after refueling and paying the modest tie-down fee ($7.50 per day), I skedaddled out of RHV as quickly as I could, around 12:30pm. The clouds were around 3500 ft, and descending slightly as I flew to the SE, but there was a large "hole" in the clouds, from which bright light was shining, so I did a turning climb, keeping well clear of the surrounding clouds and got above the lower layer to find myself below another layer at about 8000 ft. So, I flew SE (direct PRB) at 7500 for a bit, between two layers of clouds. With solid clouds below at 4000 ft. and clouds above at 8000 ft., it was very strange -- kind of like IFR, but actually VFR without any actual horizon reference (except far off to the east, at about 9 o'clock to my position). As usual, I had the auto-pilot on, and was flying with frequent reference to my AI and cross-checking the HSI, GPS, and VCC just to be sure. At one point, I saw another plane also in between the layers flying at my same altitude from my 10 o'clock position to my 2 o'clock, about 3 miles off (according to my TCAD). There was quite a bit of crosswind, too: there was almost a 10 degree difference between my heading and the desired track. I switched back and forth between the GPS course and the VOR course to PRB and flew by hand to practise tracking to a course with a cross-wind in IFR-like conditions. As I approached and flew past PRB (which I couldn't actually see), the clouds below started rising to meet the clouds above, except that the area to the east was clear, so I turned east and kept 1000 ft. above the clouds, and a couple miles abreast of the rising slope of the clouds to my right. As I climbed above 8200 ft., the clouds peaked (like a soft, fluffy mountain top), and then descended slightly. I got back on the direct track to GVO (the Gaviota VOR west of SBA), flying a gentle descent over the descending clouds, until the solid bank of clouds stopped just NW of Santa Maria. At this point, there were few clouds on an otherwise sunny day, so I decided to fly lower, at about 3500 so I could sight-see better: view up close the farms, towns, and general terrain, as I flew direct to GVO. Best Forward Speed ================== As I cleared GVO, and contacted SBA approach, there were several airplanes in the area, some also on approach, others in the pattern, on a slightly windy but otherwise sunny, beautiful day for flying. The controller urged me to to maintain "best forward speed", apparently in order to overtake and create some spacing with another, slower approaching Cessna. I was in a descent from 4500 ft down to 1000 ft TPA, with a tail wind, so I was already making really good speed at about 153 kts. I couldn't help myself when I replied in a Scottish accent, reminiscent of Scotty from the Star Trek TV show: "Cherokee 84R, Kepten, I'm given' 'er all she's got." She came back to me with an obvious chuckle and said "Thanks." I put down at SBA, parked at my FBO, unloaded the plane of all extraneous stuff (extra headsets, emergency life vests, water bottles, etc.), and then took off for Santa Paula (SZP). The flight to SZP was its typically short 15 minute flight, but as I approached, there were five planes in the air or doing T&G's. It's a busy little airport! As the FlightGuide advised, I entered the upwind for runway 22, and sequenced through crosswind, downwind, base, and final into a nice landing. I taxied to the Santa Paul Aircraft Painting facilities, at the NW end of the hangars, and shut her down. "Restoration" and Paint Job =========================== Kevin Barr, the owner met me, and, after pulling the plane up to his "dismantling" hangar station, we did a one hour walk around the plane to record details for the "restoration" part of the work: * The top and bottom engine cowls will need quite a bit of work -- there are areas round the mounting screws where the fiberglass fabric is showing. * the area below and behind the ventilation duct has bubbling paint, indicating that the heat from the muffler and exhaust pipes is not sufficiently shielded. So, I'm having some improved heat shielding installed -- to protect the new paint job. * the oil lid hinge will get replaced -- with an extruded-type hinge, instead of the aging, rolled and loose hinge. * the STOL kit wing leading edge is debonding in a couple of places -- so this will be examined, and possibly rebonded. * the wing-tip fuel drain values are old and leaky, so they'll get replaced. Walt, the owner of the A&P shop across the way from the paint shop, explained that it is no longer possible to replace parts on the valves: apparently, the company that had been providing replacement parts got sued by someone who mis-installed them, and so they stopped making them. [Another fine example of lawyers acting as virulent pathogens] * the aging and leaky co-pilot door seal will get replaced (the floor carpet was rather wet from the last rain). * the silicon sealant around the windshield will get replaced -- silicon doesn't hold paint, and the previous owner(s) apparently re-sealed the windshield with silicon instead of a paint-compatible sealant. * the silicon sealant around the rudder beacon will get replaced (same story -- apparently, silicon is the lazy mechanics' universal sealant). Kevin says that there are several excellent sealants that hold paints but mechanics don't seem to bother with them. * the wing root seals will get removed and replaced as part of the paint job. Unless this is done, the paint shops apparently just mask up to the rubber seals, and then do touch-up detail painting. In addition to not looking very new, the wing root seals age and become brittle. * a high-quality heat shield will be placed on the interior of the lower cowl * all non-structural screws and fittings will get replaced with new, stainless steel ones. Structural screws and fittings will get cleaned with a glass-bead blasting process. We have the design down to two schemes, with one color selection to make. It's kind of like naming a baby -- sometimes, you just don't know which name is right until the baby pops out! So, even though the plane is now being torn down, we still have a few weeks before we have to have final decisions on the paint scheme and colors. I'll let you know how it goes. -- Best regards, Alan K. Stebbens , N4184R, PA32-300, SBA