Rachel Brindle3d ago

Had the return-to-service flight today! Was going to be 3 laps in the pattern, and if all looked good, venturing further away for some maneuvers and, you know, enjoying the nice day up here.

Unfortunately, after the 3 laps in the pattern where things looked pretty good, shortly after the 4th takeoff, I noticed what felt like a partial power loss on climbout. This manifested as a very brief reduction in RPM (I don't fully recall, but I don't think there was a reduction in manifold pressure), lasting about a second before returning to normal. Still enough to give me the heebie-jeebies and call it. Re-entered the pattern and landed without any other incident.

I did just have the prop governor overhauled, so it could be that the governor is still breaking in. But I'm obviously going to have a mechanic look at it before I fly next.

#aviation #avgeek #AirplaneOwnership

Rachel BrindleMar 23

Yay! Just got the call that my airplane’s condition inspection is done! When we get back, I get to go write a giant check! And then also arrange for some avionics things to get addressed, because the shop I went to doesn’t do avionics.

#aviation #AirplaneOwnership

Show threadRachel BrindleMar 21
The main issue with just using velcro straps is going to be vibration prevention. I really don’t want this to vibrate against the center console panel. #VansAircraft #Aviation #avgeek #ExperimentalAviation #AirplaneOwnership
Rachel BrindleMar 21

#VansAircraft came out with a fleet-wide service bulletin to install egress hammers. Kind of a no-brainer, but I’ll admit to never having thought of this (fire extinguisher yes, egress hammer, no). https://www.vansaircraft.com/service-information-and-revisions/sb-00079/

This shouldn’t be hard to comply with - Vans sells these for $25 each, and assuming they actually ship relatively quickly (big if, for real. I see these are already on backorder), the annoying part is just figuring out where and how to mount it. Might be able to rivet some velcro straps to the center console and have that be the install method?

#Aviation #avgeek #ExperimentalAviation #AirplaneOwnership

SB-00079 - Van's Aircraft Total Performance RV Kit Planes

Because preparation is an important part of safety, Van’s Aircraft is recommending all RVs carry an Emergency Egress Hammer. (One is available on the Van’s webstore.) It’s important to note that egress hammers designed for automobiles may not be compatible with the aircraft use, since spring-loaded plungers designed to break glass are not effective on […] Read More

Van's Aircraft Total Performance RV Kit Planes
Show threadRachel BrindleMar 4
There’s a bunch of other issues that were found during this inspection. Nothing as big as the governor issue, though. Just a bunch of minor issues that are getting fixed before they become big issues. #aviation #avgeek #AirplaneOwnership
Show threadRachel BrindleMar 4

The symptom here was that the governor was slow to respond to changes in rpm. Notably, with prop full forward, it would allow you to exceed redline. Properly functioning governors aren’t supposed to allow that. Despite having a complex endorsement, I had either forgotten or never learned of this. I thought this was normal until CFI pointed it out to me.

#aviation #avgeek #AirplaneOwnership

Rachel BrindleMar 4
Oh joy. I need to get my prop governor overhauled. At least it’s not the entire engine getting overhauled. #aviation #avgeek #AirplaneOwnership
Show threadRachel BrindleSep 24, 2025

The coolest and most annoying part of this trip is that originally we were planning to take Amtrak Cascades up. Except our train was cancelled due to some maintenance issue. Thankfully, we were able to get a full refund, which went towards fuel and ramp fees at Boeing Field (KBFI). Yes, on an almost last-minute basis, we chose to fly ourselves up to Seattle. I am incredibly lucky to be in a position to do that.

Boeing field is the only airport I’ve ever flown into which has VFR procedures. Makes sense, because it’s super busy plus it’s 5 miles north of SeaTac. This information is listed on the Seattle Flyway chart, which I didn’t even think to check until after we landed and the controller asked us to review the departure and arrival procedures before we departed. It’s apparently pretty common that people don’t know of this, nor where the information is. I didn’t even know Flyway charts were a thing until a few weeks ago - yes, I had seen them on the back of a TAC (where these are shown on paper maps), but I never thought to ask about it, nor do I recall any instructor ever bringing it up. I think this is because flyway charts are specifically listed as advisory only and not for navigation.

I gotta get IFR current again. In the future, I would much rather just be on an IFR flight plan out of this airport.

#avgeek #aviation #AirplaneOwnership

Show threadRachel BrindleAug 26, 2025
Lol, like, an hour after I posted this, I got a text telling me they were finished. So… yay! Lucky me. #avgeek #aviation #ExperimentalAviation #AirplaneOwnership
Show threadRachel BrindleAug 25, 2025

My airplane has been in the shop for a week now. New transponder is installed and set up. During some tests, they discovered some leaks in my static system. Which… cool. Glad they’re taking care of that, even though I wish I had the plane available sooner. Also, glad they did this because I wouldn’t have known about it until conditional inspection time.

#avgeek #aviation #ExperimentalAviation #AirplaneOwnership