Well, here's a little update for anyone that cares.
After being in the shop for almost 4 months, I was getting very anxious to get her out of there. I suppose I wasn't mentally prepared for just how long everything takes with aircraft. A week can go by just whilst you're waiting on some silly part to be sent...
Getting forced out of the shop by an overly keen new owner..
Finally, Morris, the mechanic, said she was getting close. We got a hold of an instructor with some Aero Commander time and he came up with me (IO - we flew a Trinidad there and back). But it didn't work out for various reasons. I knew it was time to call JimBob again who'd helped me ferry it back from Detroit. He's not a certified instructor, but you can't find anyone with more experience in these aircraft.
Had to be jump-started during all tests, as battery was crap. The joys of old aircraft...
JimBob flew down to meet me in Northern California and I'd promised to fly him back up to Washington and get familiar with the aircraft along the way. On the way up the left generator quit, which was annoying, but thankfully I had one more.
Old school, to say the least. I swear that tumbling big AI is original...and it's terrible.
Long story short, the training and familiarisation process contained amongst other things: shutting one engine off and landing feathered, doing insane short grass strip landing and t/o and tons of normal t/o's and landings until it felt right. After half a day it was time to do my first solo takeoff and it went pretty well, if I may say so myself. The weather was terrible. We did most of my circuits in about 800ft ceilings and it was wet, wet, wet.
Up in the wet Washington/Oregon area, one has to contend with drizzle and 800ft ceilings. Feels just like ole Blighty..
Anyway, after JimBob deemed me capable enough not to kill myself, I was let go. Battling with myself, I launched from Portland to the west as the weather looked slightly less c**p that way. It would be an all too familar read in the NTSB report: "Inexperienced pilot, little time in the aircraft, CFIT, etc". I didn't want to be that guy, but at the same time I was dying to get to fly her, on my own, just us, not anyone babbling in my ear telling me what to do. But first I had to get out of Jim's narrow strip with all his ex-Navy and retired Pan Am airline pilot neighbours watching me. I managed, but it was probably not too pretty.
After about 3 hrs of weaving and bobbing around in the valleys of Oregon, I had to give up and land at Roseburg. I'd not come very far in my journey - it had mainly consisted of going down a valley, chickening out and turning into that CFIT guy I desperately wanted not to be. Anxiety ran high. But I wasn't giving up quite yet. Evening was coming and I thought I'd give it one last poke. I found a opening towards the Pacific and managed to snake my way to the coast, but by this time it was almost dark. I tried to get south, but it was jammed with clouds into the sea. I landed at a little field by the coast called Cape Blanco, but soon realised it was nothing there that could provide for me for the night (note to self; always have a sleeping bag in the aircraft, always have some dry food and always keep a warm jacket or pullover there), so I launched to the next one north which was Bandon State. Refuelled and decided this wasn't much better, so I fired up with the aim to go north again to the next really big airport, Oregon State. By now it was dark and and as I taxied out my landing lights, taxi lights and all the interior lights went black! That was a sign as good as any that there'd be no more flying that day. I could barely see the taxiway as I taxied back to the apron.
I managed to rustle up the last motel in Bandon, only to find there was no taxi service in the whole town. I walked about 3 miles in pitch blackness until finally the friendly town cop took pity on me and drove me into town.
Next day, the weather looked slightly better, but not by much. I launched south following the coast. The wet Pacific air that comes in can only rise as the coast is so rugged, so it turns into low lying clouds immediately. It's stunningly beautiful, but not flying friendly. I tracked the coast, bobbed and weaved, often with a mist layer below me and an overcast above and barely any sight of land. The hum of two engines was reassuring and I'd never have dared on one. Finally there was a wall of clouds going down to the sea. It looked a little bit better out towards the ocean, but even with two engines, I'm not brave enough to do a 50nm mile detour, half empty tanks, not knowing if I can make it back into shore on the other side... It was turnaround time. The three airports I'd passed were all impossible to get into with the clouds, as they nestled in the hills. Finally I got into Little River, fuelled up an sat it out. Not a soul in sight on any of these smaller airports.
A Coast Guard Hercules thundered by and I asked him over the radio how it looked towards the south and he said it was getting better, so I decided to give it another try. As I came closer to San Francisco, the same bl**dy wall into the ocean again. Standard procedure in SF, I might add - weather is always crap there. But there was just a hole big enough to fit a Commander through towards the inland, so I took my chances with that wormhole. And lo and behold - inland was pretty clear and the trip back to Stockton was uneventful.
The aircraft ran like a Swiss watch. Not a hickup. If you don't count the electrics, that is. Or the generator...
Don't know what the problem is, but the annual is due soon so that will be dealt with then. More downtime to look forward to!
So, how is she to fly? She stores energy really well and a 500ft climb is just a pull back - don't have to touch the throttles or anything. Very stable and much better on one engine than the Seneca I trained on, which surprised me as this is much heavier. My approcahes were always dead on, something I'm not known for being good at with the Cessnas... She's just stable as a rock and makes your job easier. Insane rudder control with that big paddle and we did some slips that could rival a Cub's. And JimBob did a short field t/o that blew me away: 3/4 flap and pull back fully aft on the yoke as soon as she rolls and she's off the ground at about 45kts. I couldn't believe it - pretty impressive for such a big bird. In cruise, I pulled back on the power and ran her about 20-22" and 2500 rpm (geared engines, so the RPM is higher than on direct drives) and this gave about 140kts in speed and about 29gph. This is at sea level - up high I think it would be more like 23gph. Knuckles to the firewall, she does about 160kts in ideal conditions. Certainly not the fastest twin around, but not the slowest either. 23gph isn't bad - I know a few Bonanzas that burn that!
I put 13 hours on her solo in these two first days and I have another 5 planned for tomorrow. It's great to build up the confidence in her and get a "feel" for everything. I trust the main systems completely, now I just wish the electrics and that old tumbling ancient AI could be dealt with.. All in due time. It's easy to try to do too much and all at once. I'll fly her with her avionics and instruments as is for a while and not overextend myself. Just buying gas will take care of that for you all by itself - I'm skint after these two days!
Other problems: We had a broken tach angle reduction gear on the right engine, and that was the reason she burned so much oil. Or at least that's what we thought. Right engine still burns a bit too much oil (albeit less than before) and it spits it out on the nacelle and it streaks back. A quick drain is leaking, so that could perhaps be the cause, but it could be a ring as well. The annual will tell. Tomorrow I will fly down to Aircraft Spruce in Corona and buy some 120W thick oil to see if that helps. Engine runs great, has great compression and produces great power, so somehow I don't believe it's anything fatal.
Here's a very patchy video of my trip back (as I was too busy weaving and bobbing to capture much), but please don't ridicule for the unintentional wink - I was chewing a mint to calm my nerves.
