Mary was home from Florida this week, so we were able to complete the aircraft paperwork and mail it by the April 15th deadline. I have also figured out all the charts we need to get out to Colorado, fly the race, and fly back from Iowa - and when to order them so that they will still be in date by the time of the race. Altogether we need 17 Sectional charts, 17 IFR charts, 13 sets of IFR plates, and 6 Airport/Facilities Directories. You can get an idea of the sheer size of the undertaking if you bear in mind there are only 7 Airport/Facilities Directories for the entire country!
Mary flew N29SP this week, and confirmed what my instructor Bruce Everett and I observed which is that the plane was burning quite a lot of oil. The long and short of it is that two of the four cylinders are off to be rebuilt. Although this is not much fun for owner Adelle, it does mean that with reconditioned cylinders and an annual inspection in May, the plane should be fighting fit for the race! No doubt we'll have to spend quite a lot of time in May flying in the new cylinders, which will be a great opportunity to practice our teamwork and cockpit resource management skills.
