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| Taking up N7625F again! |
After finishing the pre-flight, I pulled the plane out of the parking spot (while maneuvering around a now-derelict DC-3 hogging three tie-down spaces!) with the tow bar. We hopped in, went through the checklist, and I got the engine started. I taxied us a short distance and I conducted the engine run-ups to check all the systems and instrumentation, as standard procedures required.
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| Try maneuvering a plane around with a tow bar while this behemoth is on the ramp! |
Once run-ups verified that engine gauges were in the green, I continued taxiing the plane over to the runway. We departed on Runway 30 and go airborne. Before leaving the vicinity of the airport, I stayed in the pattern to do one touch-and-go landing; the reason for this was because I heard on the ground that there were reports of turbulence. So I flew the pattern to determine how the air was to help me make a decision. It ended up not being so bad. I did one touch-and-go on Runway 30 and then we departed to the south.
I started the scenic flight with a few circuits around the Payson LDS Temple for the benefit of my passenger. After circling the Temple a few times, I decided to take us over to Provo to practice some landings there and to show what it's like to fly into a towered airport. As always, I tuned into the ATIS frequency and then called up the tower. Much to my surprise, the tower controller directed me to enter the right downwind for Runway 18 and not 13. I knew the winds were favoring more towards 18, but it's been a while since I last used this runway (not since I was still flying at UVU!) so I was thrown off a little bit by the different view and visual cues. But I managed and was able execute a proper approach to landing on Runway 18 flying the right-traffic pattern and get a touch-and-go in.
After getting airborne again, I decided to head back to Spanish Fork and do some more touch-and-go landings there. So I called tower and let them know of my intentions and the approved me for a straight-out departure and eventually cut me loose. I tuned into Spanish Fork's CTAF and made my position reports on the radio followed by an entry into the left pattern for the same Runway we departed from. I did two more touch-and-go landings before departing to the south again.
Following the second touch-and-go, I decided to take us south of the airport again and asked my passenger if she wanted a shot at the controls, which she accepted. I walked her through it and assisted with the controls as she took us through a couple of banking turns. She didn't do too bad! After flying around the valley a little bit more, it was time to head back in so I took us back to the airport, where I entered the left downwind for Runway 30 and configured the airplane for landing. I made the full-stop landing and then vacated the runway at the next available taxiway before taxiing back to the ramp. After carefully maneuvering around the DC-3 and other aircraft parked on the ramp (and thanks to some marshalling assistance from one of Platinum Aviation's flight instructors!), I went through the shut-down checklist and successfully shut the engine down, signifying another successful (not to mention fun!) flight. After that, we took a selfie!
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| Obligatory selfie after landing and shutting down the engine! (Photo credit: Allison Hale, my lovely passenger!) |
We secured the Piper Cherokee on the ramp and called it a great outing! Thanks Allison, for joining me on my tenth flight hour flying the Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser! I don't have as much flight time in the Cherokee compared to the Diamond DA-20-C1 Katana; but the Cherokee has grown on me!
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