Pilot Life: Rescue Flight Up to Aurora!

After getting back to Salem following my quick cross-country flight with my friend Carolina, I got a call from one of the board members of the flight club asking if I would be able to fly up to Aurora and pick up an instructor and his student, who experienced mechanical issues in the Cessna 172N Skyhawk my uncle sold to the club. After getting over the initial surprise at the request, I accepted. This was turning out to be a not-so-good day for the club fleet; one of the M-model Skyhawks had an emergency landing due to intermittent engine failure and is now grounded as of earlier in the day, the other M-model 172 is apparently gone for the weekend, my uncle's former 172 now having mechanical issues, and the club's high-performance Cessna 182M Skylane is gone for an extended period of maintenance, leaving just the club's sole Piper PA-28 Cherokee. Not only that, but it turns out that I was the only pilot available who was checked out in the Cherokee when I got asked to do this favor!

After asking one of the club members to give my passenger, Carolina, who I just took flying a ride home (exercising the privilege of being members of a tight-knit aviation community group!), I did a quick pre-flight and walk-around and pulled the Cherokee that I just got done flying BACK out of its hangar and hopped in!

N5174E had some issues while up in Aurora.

So I got called in to take N1636H to rescue some stranded pilots!
(Also because I happened to be the only one checked out in the club's Cherokee who was available at the spur of the moment!)

After getting the engine started and got the latest ATIS information, I got my taxi clearance from Salem Ground and taxied out to the Runway 34 run-up pad, where I did my engine run-ups and checks. After getting cleared for takeoff, I got the trusty Cherokee airborne and flew north. Aurora isn't that far away, so I immediately tuned into their ATIS to get the weather before calling up tower there; they sequenced me in behind an aircraft shooting an Instrument approach for Runway 35. I will admit, I do get nervous flying into Aurora on occasion just because of how busy they are on a day like today. I just kept a watchful eye out and made an uneventful landing on Runway 35. I requested taxi over to Willamette Aviation on the north end of the airport where the stranded club members were, which was granted.

After pulling into Willamette Aviation, two pilots came up to the plane; without even shutting the engine down, I unlocked to door to let them in. I got acquainted with club instructor Scott and his student Barak, who informed me that the 172N was having magneto issues. Glad to have me come pick them up, I proceeded to take these two guys back to Salem. I called up Aurora Ground and requested taxi for a south VFR departure. After getting taxi clearance, I taxied the Cherokee over to the run-up area. After getting the run-up done, I requested takeoff clearance; I had to wait for some traffic up the pattern, but I eventually got us airborne. Tower also requested that we extend our upwind due to an incoming corporate jet coming in from the north.

After being instructed to turn left downwind from the runway, I set course for Salem. Flight instructor Scott, asked if we could play with the Cherokee's autopilot that's now coupled with the new Garmin GNX 375; we ended up flying back into Salem on autopilot! I picked up Salem's current ATIS information and then called up tower, who instructed us to make a right downwind for Runway 34. After making an uneventful landing, I taxied the plane over to the fuel pumps, where we topped off the tanks. After that, we taxied back to the hangar, where Scott and Barak helped me push the Cherokee back into the hangar for the final time today.

They thanked me for flying up last-minute to pick them up and we went our separate ways after that. In spite the brief chaos when I got asked to do this and the overall not-so-good day (I never said this was bad day!) with the club fleet, I'm glad I was able to lend a helping hand because that's what we members of the tight-knit aviation community do for each other, we help each other out when $#!% hits the fan. On top of that, the club board agreed to not charge me for this flight as well, so I got a free hour of flying in today!