Atlanta, March 16, 1996
While browsing through my Moni logbook I was amazed at all the trips I've taken in my little airplane. In my first two years my Moni took me airport hopping and to small local fly-ins within 200 miles of Atlanta, including some over the rugged Smokies. There's nothing like scratching for thermals in a box canyon while flying a KFM powered Moni (actually any hill looks like a canyon in a Moni). In 1988 I took the plunge and decided to try and fly to Sun n' Fun. That was a solo journey since both Jim Bass and John Goodman had common sense (chickened out) and trailered their Moni's there. I made it to Lakeland but lost 2 prop bolts on my way home and got as far as Thomaston, GA (70 miles south of Atlanta). Jim came to the rescue in his C- 182 and I trailered the Moni home.
In 1990 Jim and I set off to be the first two Moni's to fly into Sun n' Fun. This was the infamous trip were I experienced two KFM crankshaft failures in one week! In those days I was the navigator since I had a Loran in my airplane. The antenna installation was flakey to begin with but we didn't get lost. The trip to Lakeland as I recall was wonderful, and I noted in my logbook that 7.5 gallons of fuel were consumed in 4.5 hours it took to get there. On the return home leaving Valdosta, GA the crank broke right over Cook County airport in Adel. Once again, Jim came to the rescue bringing my trailer down the following day.
The fall of 1990 saw my last flight with a KFM. I spent the next 9 months, with Jim's invaluable help, putting the Rotax 447 in my Moni. I won't bore you with that story since its been told already in past issues of the newsletter. Next major trip came to be Sun n' Fun 1992. This was the trip of the "junk yard dogs" (Jim and I painted shark mouths on our airplanes). We were flying our Rotaxes direct drive and I was finally able to go to Lakeland and make it back home without any outside assistance (other than Divine intervention).
My main recollections of this particular trip were that it was extremely windy the day we got started, so much so that we had to get clearance from the tower in Valdosta to let us walk the airplanes to the ramp after landing! I got to meet Ron Wright for the first time and once we got to Lakeland we had a ball. Frank Beeler had his pretty yellow tri-gear and he kept the dirt off it every day. Jim thought he was trying to make us look bad. We got off to a late start on our leg home out of Lakeland. Jim was having some sort of ignition problem (weak front cylinder) I believe. We were racing the clock to get home and we stopped for gas in Montezuma, GA. There wasn't a soul, or a gas pump for that matter, at that airport. We were forced to takeoff and nurse these almost out of gas Moni's to Perry a short but agonizingly long (for me anyway) 20 miles away. Once gassed Jim and I went our separate ways since he lives southwest of Atlanta and I to the northeast. I don't recall the time but it was getting kinda dark when I arrived. I can fill that square in my Moni logbook.
No sooner had we arrived from this journey we decide to do the unthinkable, fly three Moni's to Oshkosh. This is one for the record books. I'll try to make it brief. The synopsis is that we encountered bad weather prior to our first fuel stop which forced us to divert. John Goodman had a brake failure which took more than 4 hours to repair. My Loran was inop, Jim's radio didn't work (he could hear but not Xmit), Jim's trusty boat Loran worked flawlessly in Atlanta but promptly got lost once we were in Kentucky, he still had weak ignition in his front cylinder but couldn't tell us when his engine burped. We're just following Jim along when suddenly over London, KY he pulls up abruptly and makes a 180. WTF! The radio freq buzzes with questions. Do you have engine trouble? Can you make it to the airport? Is the engine running? Suddenly Jim makes a 180 and he signals with his arm to 'press on'. Boy there's nothing like random shots of adrenaline to make your day interesting, not to mention our communications arrangement. We got in late into Cincinnati, John's wheel hub broke on landing busting his prop. He trailered back to Atlanta the next day. Just another fun filled day of Moni flying.
The weather gods smiled and Jim and I had CAVU the following day and we made it to Oshkosh without much fanfare. Got to meet Denny Paup and many other Moniacs and we had another swell time. In an effort to correct his engine problems, Jim removed the Rotax, and replaced points, condenser, leads to that front cylinder. Open heart surgery on a hot summer day with all sorts of scrounged tools, right in the heart of Mecca. After a few hours, Jim had her running again and we hoped the problem was corrected. I bought a Trimble Flightmate GPS and I've thanked the Lord ever since. A GPS is the single most important piece of equipment (well, second to a reliable engine) while flying cross- country in the Moni. Don't leave home without it.
The return trip still had Jim with no radio and the front cylinder was still weak. The weather was crappy south of Cincinnati and the GPS paid for itself many times over. Total time on this adventure 19.9 hours.
Next major trip was to be Sun n' Fun 1993. Once again it was very windy when we started. John decided not to go. I met Jim in Griffin, GA and then we hauled the mail down to Lakeland. GPS was clicking between 120 and 130 kts. ground speed. The payback came when it was time to land. John flew down the following day and the three of us returned together. Jim was still having a weak front cylinder and I don't remember if his radio worked but I'm sure it didn't. Forty miles south of my home airport a gremlin caught up with me and forced me down in a pasture. This gave me the excuse to build a new cowling, get a new canopy and build some wing tip extensions.
I was ready for Sun n' Fun 1994 but when I showed up at Griffin to meet Jim there was no Jim. His weak front cylinder had finally caught up to him. Two engine failures on takeoff roll were enough to ground the airplane. We flew his Mooney to Lakeland instead. The problem turned out to be a bad ignition coil.
Then the unthinkable happened again. Somehow we talked ourselves into flying the Moni's to Oshkosh again. This time Jim comes prepared. He's got an extra hand held transceiver, a brand new Garmin GPS he bought at Sun n' Fun plus a new coil.
Stay tuned, next issue I'll recount the highlights of this Oshkosh trip and I'll get into the reason for this article, to share with you our latest Moni adventure, Sun n' Fun 1995.
Last issue we left off just prior to Jim's and my departure to Oshkosh 1994. Jim came prepared with a spare handheld radio and a brand new Garmin GPS.
We meet at Winder and the local weather has somewhat low ceilings and haze but it's supposed to be really nice to the north of us. First problem to be solved is to figure out why Jim's rear tank is not feeding properly. Jim finds a clogged fuel line and soon we blast off towards Jasper, GA. Within 30 minutes I've lost communications with Jim. When we rendezvous in Jasper Jim informs me that both his radio and GPS are inop. So much for being prepared. Turned out his voltage regulator crapped out and in the process fried everything that was hooked in to it. His headset would not fit the hand held radio so we went into town to get an earpiece at the local Radio Shack. We're only 70 miles into our Oshkosh jaunt and we're already down to partial communications and one sole navigator. Some things never change... Jim could hear me but the built-in mic was useless while the engine was running. We agree upon a set of signals and mic clicks for communications and on we go.
The weather did indeed improve nicely the further north we went. I didn't do much talking other than asking Jim if everything was OK, I always got three reassuring clicks for "yes". We made it into Oshkosh just before the airshow. My Moni with the long wings wouldn't fit down the row of airplanes so I had to park separately from the rest of the gang. We had five Moni's there. Denny Paup flew in from Carroll, IA, Bill Hiller brought his as did our illustrious editor, Glen Eisenbrandt. We had such a good time that week I lost my voice. Jim purchased a headset adapter and we were back in business as far as communications were concerned, or so we thought. Just prior to our departure we discover that Jim's push to talk wouldn't work and we were back to hand signals. The return leg got interesting...
We had a very long taxi out and wait prior to takeoff. We took off to the north and the procedure called for a turn eastbound then southbound along the lake shoreline no more than 500' AGL until well clear of the airport area. While we were darting along at 500' I happened to notice that my front CHT had gone through the roof! I flip the switch to read the rear CHT and it's reading normal. The engine is running solid and at first, I suspect a bad probe but I throttle back anyway. The needle slowly comes down and I nurse my Moni to the Dodge City airport. Turns out that the 100LL fuel combined with that long taxi fouled the front plug something awful. A change of spark plugs fixed the problem but during the remaining 9 hours of the trip I couldn't help but wonder if I had done some damage to the engine. Fortunately, there were other things to think about, like flying around building thunderstorms and dealing with worsening visibility conditions due to haze as we progressed southbound.
Kankakee, IL (IKK) is our 'usual' pit stop but I was planning stopping at the next airport since there was a nasty thunderstorm pretty much right over IKK. I'm tooling along giving myself plenty of room between me and this monster when all of a sudden Jim pulls up along side me and starts waving frantically. I couldn't recognize any of his signals so I slow down and shut down so he can talk. He proceeds to tell me that he's almost out of gas and that we need to land ASAP. I tell him how far it is to the next airport and get a 'no way' for an answer. I tell him the obvious, that there's rain, lightening and who knows what else in IKK. Jim says, "I don't care we need to land there." Oh boy! We were west of IKK when all this got started at about 7500 MSL. I start a descent and see nothing but black with occasional flashes of lighting right where my trusty GPS says the airport should be. Jim isn't loosing me from his sights, he's glued on to me better than my wingtip wheels. As we circle around this hummer we're finally able to approach the airport from the east side. We fly through some rain but the visibility is good. Unicom is still reporting gusty winds but the heavy rain has subsided. It's pretty bumpy on the way in but we both make it on the ground OK. It's a long taxi over to the ramp. When we get out of the airplanes there's only very light rain falling, it's bright and sunny to the west and very black to the south/southeast. The ramp looks glassy smooth with all the rain it had just received. This was one of those religious experiences that you can only experience in a Moni. Got a great picture out of it and once on the ground we were able to laugh about it. Other than poor visibility due to haze, the rest of the trip went uneventfully. My hobbs meter recorded 18.9 hours of unadulterated ____________ (it's a fill in the blank kind of question).
Jim promised me and swore up and down that on our next Moni adventure together he would be truly ready, with a solid electrical system, radio, navigation and headset. I politely suggested that he restore his Moni. After all, it's serial no. 14 and has been flying for over 10 years. On top of that, it must be one of the highest time Moni's around and has served as a test bed for all kinds of wacky projects. I can't tell you in print what he told me about my suggestion.
This long introduction leads me to the real reason for this series of articles. We have taken many trips in these airplanes but I haven't really ever documented any one of them in any great detail. I pledged that I would one day write about one of our trips for the newsletter and so I chose Sun n' Fun 1995.
Going away from home for an extended time and distance in a Moni poses some interesting and unique problems. First off, there is very little room to carry any of your personal belongings. You must carry with you the essentials, such as enough oil, tools and some spare parts to get you out of a bind (extra spark plugs, ignition leads, plug caps, fuses, tie wraps, batteries for GPS, fan belt, and anything else that you can think of.) Basic rule here is: if you carry it along, you won't need it. A small bag of toiletries and one day's change of clothes wraps up my list. Don't forget the camera. I carry it on my lap. There are fleeting moments while you're flying of incredible beauty and serenity. I always try to capture them somehow. Don't be caught wishing you had one. Second problem with long trips, there's always the chance that you'll either break down or the weather will mess up your plans. You must be flexible and have a Plan B to get home. Other than that, you simply don't sweat it (yeah, right!) and enjoy yourself. As the saying goes: "Don't sweat the small stuff, and remember, it's all small stuff."
The enjoyment factor grows exponentially if you've got someone to share it with. I am most fortunate in having Jim Bass as my friend, mentor and Moni flying buddy. If it weren't for Jim none of the great memories from our trips together would have been possible and my flying experience would be so much the poorer. The Moni will teach you a lot about flying and being a good aviator. Although it's only you strapped into that airplane, it's reassuring to look over your shoulder and see another Moni trudging onward alongside. You're there to help your buddy if he's in trouble and vice- versa. I always feel something special when I see Jim's Moni flying alongside, no words are spoken, yet there is a unique bond between the two of us that has evolved from our experiences with the airplane. People probably think we are crazy to be flying these little airplanes to such far away places, I think we do it because we build, learn and delight in the endeavor. Besides that, it's just plane (pun intended) fun and adventurous.
We set a tentative date to launch for Sun n' Fun of Saturday April 8th. Denny Paup was in such desperate need of a vacation and some warmth and sunshine, that he made plans to arrive in Tampa Saturday and pick us up at Lakeland that afternoon. The contingency plans got too complicated so we just didn't plan on any bad weather or any breakdowns. Denny's flight couldn't be late either. One week prior I took a bag with clothes, more oil and tie downs over to Jim's so a friend of his would take them to Lakeland for us by land. Then our communication problems began. I called Jim Thursday night after work and we discussed our rendezvous plan. We would meet over the little town of Jackson, GA at 9:30am at 7500'. When we talked again Friday night, Jim was convinced we had agreed upon meeting over Forsyth, GA, a town further south from Jackson. We went back and forth on this for a ridiculous amount of time. Jim's the kind of guy that hates going in the wrong direction when he's on a trip and I didn't want to have to get up too early in the morning. We finally compromised, we'd meet over Jackson.
The Weather Channel promised good weather although it looked like we were going to have headwinds. I set off to Winder, 50 minutes from my house looking upward at the clear skies wondering what adventures lie ahead. I saw four hot air balloons hovering over the country side. Those guys do get up early in the morning and they have an off airport retrieval to look forward to every time they fly. Makes Moni flying look good.
I bought gas, loaded up all my gear, did my preflight, noted the Hobbs meter at 432.8, took a picture and was ready to begin the journey to Sun n' Fun 1995. The Rotax 447 consumes an average of 3 GPH and the stock 4 gallon tank isn't terribly practical if your trying to go somewhere. I've added a rear aux. tank behind the seat holding 5 extra gallons and I've got it plumbed so I can feed from either the front or rear tank, or I can also transfer fuel from the rear tank into the front one. Jim has 4 fuel tanks in his airplane, the stock main tank, two 2 gallon tanks mounted just ahead of the sparbox on the floor of the hat section, and a rear 2.5 gallon tank behind the seat. He can feed the engine from any one of those four tanks.
As I taxi out I get a radio check and I notice the winds are from the southwest. I taxi towards runway 23 as a C-180 comes in for a landing. We exchange a few pleasantries. They're headed for Sun n' Fun as well, stopping over to pick someone up. I line up on 23, canopy closed, spoilers down, fuel selector forward tank, boost pump on. Throttle goes all the way up and the mighty Rotax starts singing its song. It's a nice cool morning and although we're somewhat heavy, the Moni is airborne just prior to the intersection of runway 31. There's a bump there that will get you airborne whether you're ready or not.
The folks in the 180 wish me a good trip as I turn left to a heading of 200° towards Covington, my first waypoint only 27 nm away. The air is glassy smooth and the visibility at least 20 miles. It's going to be a nice day for Moni flying.
You still with me? I warned you that it was long-winded. Continue with this story...
"Live long and fly safe ..."
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