Magnifique!

We had another magnificent day today – temperature around 30° Celsius and hardly any wind to speak of. It seems that summer’s arrived at last so maybe now we’ll be able to start getting a few longer flights in.

I went over to Malbec in the afternoon with the idea of taking 56NE’s covers off and seeing what needs to be done to get it ready for sale. I was delighted to find when I moved the tie-down block under its right wing that the little Blue-Tits’ nest that had contained 3 almost fledged babies when I disturbed it a week or so ago was empty, so evidently they survived the experience and eventually flew out.

I fitted the new rev counter that I bought a few weeks ago and wasn’t very happy with the connections, that seemed to be a bit loose. However, when I started the engine it seemed to work fine, so I decided that I’d clean the screen and come back later for a flight to see if everything was otherwise OK. I thought that conditions would probably be about right after around 7.00 pm, and I wasn’t disappointed.

They were absolutely magnificent! I’d prepared just a short flight landing at Galinat and then flying out overhead Condat, the airfield that Wim and I visited a week or so ago, Terrasson and the ULM airfield to its east and then back via the north of Condat and Wim’s airfield at Plazac before landing back at Malbec. I got one of the most pleasant evening’s flights that I’ve ever had.

I was immediately struck by how basic 56NE now feels compared 77ASY, but it’s hardly surprising because it is. The take off went well and I was immediately struck on climb-out by how exposed you feel without doors on, so now I understand why some passengers that I’ve carried have said how insecure they feel! But more to the point, I immediately found that even though the engine revs were normal, the new rev counter wouldn’t read above 4000 rpm.

What a nuisance! If it’s faulty, which seems likely, I anticipate that there might be a problem returning it as I’ve had it for a couple of months or so, but I’ll have to wait and see. I also noticed that the airspeed indicator seemed to be considerably under-reading, but that seemed to sort itself out after a few minutes and I guess that was one of the results of the aircraft having stood for so long. And finally, one of the EGT readings also dropped off to zero, an intermittent fault that I’ve noticed previously which I think is probably also down to a poor connection. So a few jobs to deal with then, before 56NE can go up for sale.

Here are a couple of shots that I took of 56NE ready to go at Malbec.

But despite all these little niggles, the flight itself was fantastic. It was inconvenient not having a properly working RPM gauge but I practiced a couple of approaches at altitude and was satisfied that things would be fine so long as I just monitored my airspeed and the approach angle to my selected touch-down point. This proved to be so when I landed at Galinat, which was a perfectly good landing, if not a greaser.

I only landed long enough to taxi to the top of the runway, switch the engine off and record my flight time. I noticed that there was a visiting flex-wing parked nose-in and covered up for the evening in 56NE’s old parking place. I then switched on again and took off, heading in the direction of my house, which I flew overhead (too close for a photograph, unfortunately) before heading for the airfield at Condat.

Here are a couple of shots that I took as I flew by. I described it as being a bit like an aircraft carrier deck after landing there last time, and the pictures show what I meant, as did another more so, that I took on the way back (see later).

Here’s a shot of what Condat is more famous for, though – it’s large paper mill which I guess must be one of the largest employers in the area.

Now a couple of shots that I took while approaching Terrasson from the west. The conditions were lovely but the quality of the shots leaves a bit to be desired, for some reason. I’m thinking that another new camera may be in the offing.

Now a shot of the ULM airfield to the east of the town.

My route back to Malbec took me past Condat again, but this time to the north of the airfield. I took another shot which very clearly shows how it sits on the top of and very close to the edge of the escarpment with an incredibly steep slope on its eastern side down to the plain and the houses below. I’m not sure I’d like to have a house down there, though, seeing how the shadow was beginning to creep over them.

And a final shot that I took from overhead le Bos de Plazac looking towards my house, which is in the small group in the distance. The hay has nearly all been cut now and any left on the ground for more than the few hours is drying out incredibly quickly (thanks Tim!) due to the temperatures we’re now experiencing.

I had a peach of a landing back at Malbec despite the rev counter problem, and I can only say that my practice landings and touch-and-goes in 77ASY at several local airfields have proven to be a godsend. Having taken the opportunity to go back to first principles, I’m much happier now landing at Malbec and I’m going to make sure that Victor does exactly the same when he returns to Fleurac and gets the Rans S12 into the air. Nice landings on short strips are 99% confidence 😉