When the servo came back from the factory and reinstalled, the aileron cables were improperly strung, causing them to rub and bind up. I just happened to catch this error on my preflight inspection. The cables had to be restrung. After that, a test flight revealed the rigging had not been set properly.

Over the next few months I noticed weak autopilot operation. Eventually this was traced to an incorrect setting of breakaway torque on the roll servo. S-TEC traditionally ship new servos with the torque set low, expecting the authorized dealer to set the torque to spec before installation. Avionic Systems did not check the torque before reinstalling the "repaired" roll servo. The labor to remove and replace the roll servo to correct this improper setting cost the better part of a thousand dollars. But finally the autopilot was working properly.

Close, but no cigar. Once again, the autopilot ceased to function upon the arrival of cold weather. One year and two thousand dollars later, the original problem remained. I was obliged to hand fly N2469R all eight hours to Tucson, two thousand dollars in Hillsboro Aviation repair bills notwithstanding.

This time I decided to get directly involved with the issue. I am not trained in avionics, let alone the S-TEC autopilot. I am not an authorized S-TEC dealer and repair station. I did take the odd college course in control systems back in the sixties. Under my direction we isolated the problem to the solenoid clutch in the roll servo. The rated 12 volts was not enough to make it engage. I did confirm the solenoid coil had the correct DC resistance. I was able to get a slight response by boosting the voltage to 20 volts.

Time to pull the roll servo again. I left instructions to check the servo immediately before removal, immediately after removal, and later after giving the servo a chance to warm up. The intent was to positively document the temperature sensitivity of the roll servo malfunction. These instructions were ignored. A subsequent bench check at my insistience indicated normal operation at room temperature.

And now the finger pointing begins.

Sunday Feb 6. Don't worry if you can't see the Flying M airstrip in this photo. It's about the middle of photo, above the houses. The hill that sits where many pilots would like to turn base is visible halfway up the left side of the picture.

Scattered clouds hugged the Coast range and foothills. Unlike December 5th, the cloulds were moving and I was able to make a nearly normal approach and landing. Pilots pray for CAVU (Clear And Visibility Unlimited), but this weather has its own beauty and grandeur. Of course, you can't be too wedded to the idea of actually getting there when you wish to.

The glideslope needle was still acting up. I pulled the KX155, and connected a pair of wires to the glideslope output. The next time the glideslope needle quits I can check the signal on the wires to isolate the problem. I also cleaned the card edge connector very carefully.

With the "instrumentation" in place, the glideslope needle has not misbehaved since. Must be some undocumented corollary to Murphy's Law.

Back in Janurary I definitively determined that the original problem with the roll servo had never been corrected. The roll servo was sent back to S-TEC for a second time. The second time it came back it still had not been checked for cold sensitivity. So back it went, and this time S-TEC sent one with a different serial number.

Hillsboro Aviation's radio shop was too busy to check the stall torque on the returned unit, but S-TEC promised this one was properly set. This time one of Dirk's mechanics installed it in a fraction of the time Hillsboro Aviation charged me for. By following my suggestions, Dirk's junior mechanic did not need to disconnect the aileron cables to install the servo. The servo seems to be working properly, but only time will tell.

TAF KHQM 011410Z 011412 00000KT P6SM SCT120 BKN200
     FM1900 27008KT P6SM SCT200
In English: great visibility and 12000 scattered; 20000 scattered after 11 AM.

As we crossed the Columbia on the way to the coast we noticed a marine stratus layer extending about 10 miles inland. Astoria's weather robot was reporting 1000 foot overcast. Hoquiam was below basic VFR. Conferencing on the 122.75 air-to-air frequency, we decided to check out the newly reopened Landing Strip Restruant at Elma, 4W8. Right: Doug, Debbie, Jim, and myself.

The 11th I flew up to Hoquiam for lunch at Lana's. Disconnecting the window opening support on the pilot's side allows the the slipstream to hold the window fully open. This allows pictures to be taken without interference from the window. The pictures below were taken with a Canon 75-300mm Image Stabilized lens. The image stabilization allows a slower shutter speed to be used shooting handheld. Below: Small houseboats and small moorage east of Astoria.

METAR KHIO 231653Z 19013KT 10SM BKN021 OVC041 09/05 A3020 RMK AO2 
TAF KHIO 231128Z 231212 19008KT P6SM SCT030 BKN050 TEMPO 1218
     -SHRA BKN030 OVC040
     FM1800 20010KT P6SM SCT025 BKN045 TEMPO 1823 4SM SHRA
     BKN020 OVC040
     FM2300 26010KT P6SM SCT030 BKN050 TEMPO 2302 -SHRA

During brunch the rain started. I watched the Easter egg hunt on the porch. Sitting next to me, Ken snared the Easter Bunny with his cane and both of us got a candy Easter egg. Ken first started out in the area in 1918. There are some things old men can get away with that younger ones cannot.

After a while the rain let up but the weather was unsettled with a tailwind at times. I planned on encountering windshear and was not disappointed.

The glideslope needle went dead again. The extra meter I had connected directly to the radio showed the radio was providing a good signal. The problem was in the Bendix/King (now Honeywell) KI-209 panel indicator, a connector, or the wiring harness.

May 5 Eric examined the indicator and noticed the same evidence of cold solder joints on the rear connector he had seen on other KI-209 units. He resoldered the connections and the indicator was reinstalled. Only time will tell if this was the actual problem.

In the meantime I think I'll leave the extra meter connected for a while just in case the King indicator fails when clouds are below localizer minimums.

The disadvantage of the temporary lash-up is that the meter casts a shadow on the manifold pressure gauge if I'm using the dome light instead of the glareshield light at night. This isn't a problem locally where the night lights are bright.

The freezing level has been frustratingly low most of the year so far. This has reduced the amount of IFR flying I've been able to get in. Tuesday May 16 I did manage a flight to Astoria and back, with two instrument approaches to Astoria. The weather was lower this time, with clouds down to about 1000 feet. The glideslope was working perfectly this time.

This time the problem was with the marker beacons. When Avionic Systems fixed and reinstalled the KI209 glideslope indicator May 5th they disrupted the adjacent marker beacon antenna connection.

The approach was going quite well until I started wondering why I hadn't heard the outer marker. A quick check showed the marker receiver was set correctly. But in the distraction I allowed the needles to wander more than they needed to.

The approach was smooth until I penetrated the stratus layer. The wind shifted and I had to adjust my heading 5 degrees or so to stay on course. The light turbulence required several adjustments to the descent to stay on glideslope. Even with the turbulence it was easier holding glideslope than it has been on sims without turbulence.

The clouds did not have a smooth bottom, so I started seeing more and more glimpses of land as I descended. It took a moment or two to spot the runway, and then I started the missed procedure. Seattle Center let me fly directly to the procedure turn for the VOR approach. After the VOR approach, Center gave me a vector to join the airway back to Hillsboro. I turned on the autopilot which graciously followed the heading bug and later the VOR. I had purposefully hand flown all the interesting parts of the flight. The remainder I left to George.

Sunday the 21st I decided to fly down to Bandon (S05) to look at a Twin Commander 520. Most twins are not suitable for shorter airstrips, but the 520 performance specs indicate it can get in and out of short strips as well as a Skylane. Its high wing mounted engines provide excellent ground clearance for the propellers.

The plane was advertised in the Sunday Oregonian for $29k. "Nice airplane, no damage." I talked to the owner about the plane and decided it was worth a look. Maybe I could get the plane fixed up the way I'd want for not much more money than I have in my Skylane. It was worth a look-see anyway.

The weather forecast was hopeful.

 TAF KOTH 211730Z 211818 32010KT P6SM SKC BECMG 2123 34013G23KT
     FM0300 35010KT P6SM SCT005
     FM0700 02004KT P6SM OVC005 TEMPO 1015 1/2SM FG OVC002
     FM1600 VRB03KT P6SM VCFG BKN005 
KOTH 212115Z 30011KT 10SM CLR 18/13 A3016 RMK AO1 SLP213 50003=
KOTH 212155Z 31011KT 10SM BKN008 16/12 A3017 RMK AO1 SLP213 50003=
KOTH 212255Z 33011G17KT 9SM OVC004 14/12 A3018 RMK AO1 SLP220=

Tuesday's forcast again called for clear skies at the coast. This time the valley was under cloud, so I would have to file IFR for the trip.

But the Newberg VOR was off the air. The airways going south from Hillsboro use the Newberg VOR, so I couldn't legally file IFR unless I was willing to fly a somewhat roundabout route, or cheat with the GPS. (My GPS is not legal for IFR.) Later that morning Clinton paid the light bill, and I filed. I climbed out through a layer of stratus and was on top in a few minutes. I ran out of clouds about 10 miles from North Bend, and proceeded visually to Bandon. Smoke from a forest fire generated a bit of haze, but ended up not being a problem.

Frank Crook, of Crook's Flying service (above), got out the paperwork for the Twin Commander and told me a few things about Twin Commanders in general. N4152B was built in 1953. Some parts of the airplane were 47 years old and looked it. The panel and avionics had been modernized subsequent to that. During the checkout I noticed the turn coordinator ran down and stopped quickly, and opined it was not long for this world. It failed while we were still in the cockpit. I was uncomfortable with several of the airplane's design features, so there was no need for a careful inspection or flight test. It would have been an imposition to ask the owner to take me up in it unless I were really interested in it.

Since the weather was improving at Hillsboro, I decided to launch VFR for the flight back and pick up an IFR clearance if necessary. Eugene radio was reporting flow control into Hillsboro. Flow control into Hillsboro?? That's a new one on me. Both planes must have been returning that hour.

The upper Willamette Valley was still overcast, so I picked up a clearance to Hillsboro. The ceiling was well above the 3000' Initial Approach Fix for the VOR-DME approach to Hillsboro, so I asked for that approach even though I didn't have a legal DME to locate the 6 DME fix or the Missed Approach Point. I descended into the stratus layer and for several minutes I was in and out of clouds. A few times cloud shapes threw optical illusions at me, and I checked the instruments extra carefully to see who was telling the truth. It was a visually interesting ride.

As expected, I broke out at about 5000', cancelled IFR, and flew VFR to Hillsboro.

After landing near noon, I decided to wait a few minutes to see if some of my friends would show up. I spotted an Ercoupe in the landing pattern. The Ercoupe is a unique design, one I've never seen in the air. I walked from the porch to the edge of the strip to watch the approach and landing.

As I watched the Ercoupe approach, I didn't notice an airplane preparing to take off. I don't know how long the airplane was in position to begin his takeoff. Some people identified it as a Piper Supercrusier.

As the Ercoupe approached the other plane started his takeoff roll. They were headed for each other. Fortunately the Supercruiser broke right near the far end of the strip, and the Ercoupe started a go around. The Ercoupe's 85 horses struggled to gain altitude. I had a bad feeling until the plane reappeared on downwind. The pilot was able to thread his way between the trees.

After he landed the pilot was most upset at the absence of proper radio communications from the Supercruiser. I limited my comments to observing that some of the planes flying into Flying M Ranch are NORDO (NO RaDiO). Some pilots' brains are NORDO too.

Pilots have to keep their eyes out of the cockpit. The Flying M Ranch is no exception. Elk, horses,kers, bicycles, motorcycles, SUVs, and NORDO aircraft frequent the strip. In pilotspeak: deal with it.

Wednesday the 7th I got in four hand flown ILS approaches to Hillsboro. Clouds were down to about 1000 feet AGL. Pilots call that easy IFR, but I wasn't complaining since I still don't completely trust the glideslope needle that was recently fixed. While I was at it I confirmed the marker beacon receiver was not responding to marker beacons at Hillsboro. Tower asked me to check Hillsboro's new PAPI; it was unlit.

Sunday the 11th was just too wet for a Flight to Flying M Ranch. With the weather that rainy I had a vague feeling I'd read about a local accident. Monday the FAA reported a Friday accident at a Hillsboro airport. No injuries, but Stark's 182 sank in 4 feet of water.

It was close to sunset and I didn't know if I would be able to land at Flying M Ranch. Landing to the west near sunset is unsafe because of the glare. I was fully prepared to have dinner at Salem if I couldn't land at Flying M. A broken layer graciously kept the sun out of my windshield and eyes long enough to land. I did have to taxi to the end of the runway before I could see well enough to find a parking spot. I parked next to the "Spirit of Tillamook", a 1942 Stinson V77 "Gullwing". The Restruant had a special combination meal with three different types of meat that made the flight worthwhile, and not that high in fattening carbohydrate either. After a great dinner and conversation I walked out to the strip to see Reber's Milkstool (Piper Tri-Pacer) take some of the girls up for a ride. Guess I have the wrong type of airplane. Then we watched the Spirit take off. We felt the sound of its round engine in our chests.

With darkness approaching, it was time to leave. On the way back I flew over the ABATE LOM twice. Again not a peep out of the marker beacon receiver. Obviously Avionic Systems had not bothered to fix the antenna connection they disrupted May 5. It still hasn't been put right as of July 7.

(Later I checked the marker beacon antenna with my MFJ antenna analyzer. The antenna was fine. The problem was a short in the connections to the marker receiver.)

Dick replaced the main gear with legs from an older model, and the beefed up nosewheel fork comes from the larger 206. These changes increase the prop clearance, a weakness in later Skylanes.

People used to mistake N8833X for a Skyhawk. Now they mistake it for a lightly loaded 206. This isn't your Father's Skylane. Not any more.