California Flying

I went flying this past weekend... in California. I've posted about the plane I'm looking into buying. This past weekend I looked at N7049R, which you can see here.

So, as a result, I have two new airports to add to my list of airports at which I've landed, for a total of 30 airports. Livermore Municipal Airport (KLVK), where the above aircraft is based, and Harris Ranch Airport (3O8).

Below is a map of with marking of where I've landed...

Overall, the plane is really nice. It is a Cessna Skylane TR182 RG. It is a little bit roomier than a Cessna 172, the engine puts out 235hp and it is a retractable gear airplane. The plane has a lot of really cool equipment, including an autopilot (with flight director), a stormscope (which finds lightning strikes), and an electronic engine monitor that helps determine how much to lean the mixture. Additionally, if you look at the pictures, the plane has an HSI. I've heard many good things about HSI. An HSI is an intimidating instrument when you first look at it. There is a lot of information available in the instrument and does not look like that information is easy to interpret. The instrument takes some getting used to, but after a few minutes it's actually easier to read and understand than a standard CDI instrument and is much more comfortable to use. Especially during an instrument scan during IFR flight. The additional information means there is no need to add instruments to your scan when you are navigating by GPS or VOR and when you are on the glideslope during an approach to landing.

Lastly, this plane will cruise at 160 knots, but on our flight we were easier on the power and loafed along at about 150 knots over the ground at 6500 feet. In contrast, a standard Cessna 172 will cruise at about 100 knots, so the 182RG will get you there much faster and allow you to fly further with its 88 gallons of fuel capacity. By flying this plane, I was able to log 1.4 hours in a high performance and complex aircraft.