Flyin Tony
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Posts
- 735
Well just got home after going to PAO to get a bite to eat.
I wanted to get my FIRST SPIFR flying through maybe a 1000ft ovc. Well that didn't happen. I wanted to goto SMX and eat at Pepper Garcia's. Looking at the weather they had no clouds. Looked around down south in SAN area, and nothing. Looked up in SFO area and had clouds that were going to stay around for the next few hours. I have never been into PAO and wanted to head up there to check out a P210 at Westvalley that they have for rent. About an hour later we get to the airport and the ask the fuel lady for some gas went she was putting gas in a PA28. So we fix alittle air leak in the plane. Then I see the gas hag throw the nozzle on the ground and the truck turn off. No biggy still had some stuff to do. Anyway she get down to the plane and fills up all the tanks and off we go. We get out over PMD at 10,000 and temps are in the neg and the clouds are getting lower (about 12K at this time). Over BFL we get 8,000 and stay there untill the motor starts to take a crap on me! Flip on the Fuel pump and it gets going for another 3-5 secs and starts to die again. Mixture Rich throttle all the way in. Then I look at what tank I got the gas on, Left Aux 15gals been using that tank for about 1:30 now. Switch to the main and we are off and going again. I even told ATC we may have a problem. After all that fun stuff, we are somewhere on V485 around ROM I get a block alt down to 7,000 to get some IMC. No Porblem we get done in the clouds and I look at the temp. By this time is right at 0, I had the autopilot on and was looking at the wings here and there to make sure i wasnt getting any ICE. We are in and out of the clouds at 7,500. Drop down to 7,000 again and watch the wings and the water to run off. After about 5 mins the water is not running off its turning into frost. By this time I was going back up to 8,000 to get out of the clouds. Just as we get in VFR the whole wing is frost. I stay at 8,000 for the next 10-20miles. ATC calls out for us to stay at 8,000 for a 172 that was around us in IMC. I dont know how he wasnt getting what I was getting but I got out of that ASAP. By this time were on V485 about 10 south of SJC and ATC tells us down to 6,000. I went down about 1,000 FPM to get to higher temps below. We get in IMC around 7,600 and stay in it untill SJC. We are then vector around and told that its going to be 5 mins before we can get into PAO. So were Vector around and then told another 5mins, that 10 mins turns in to a hold over SJC for a total of 25mins. There is a strong wind out of the south that didnt help us on the way there. Its almost like it came out of nowhere. After 25mins of holding we get into PAO. On the ground we get parked walked around for a bit looking for a place to eat. Find out everything is closed. We walked down to the golf course and there is a little bar with hotdogs. After we get them the girl tells us there 4.00 each. We get out of there and head back to the plane. By this time its getting dark. Taxi to the gas pumps and there ask for a VFR on top before I shut down the motor. So thats not a problem. I get gas and get back on the coms, there is a 182 that just came in and said the tops were 9,000. No biggy untill he says he was getting bad ice through 6,000-9,000. Well thats it for the night. We get to the hotel and I called the weather and sounded like tomorrow could be a GO! I look out side around 6am and its all cloudy. I call FSS and they say ice around 040 up too 090 and a PA31 with mod mix at 090. We wait about 3 hours and its still not a go. We rented a car and now Im home. Still Waking and talking!!!!!!
I wanted to get my FIRST SPIFR flying through maybe a 1000ft ovc. Well that didn't happen. I wanted to goto SMX and eat at Pepper Garcia's. Looking at the weather they had no clouds. Looked around down south in SAN area, and nothing. Looked up in SFO area and had clouds that were going to stay around for the next few hours. I have never been into PAO and wanted to head up there to check out a P210 at Westvalley that they have for rent. About an hour later we get to the airport and the ask the fuel lady for some gas went she was putting gas in a PA28. So we fix alittle air leak in the plane. Then I see the gas hag throw the nozzle on the ground and the truck turn off. No biggy still had some stuff to do. Anyway she get down to the plane and fills up all the tanks and off we go. We get out over PMD at 10,000 and temps are in the neg and the clouds are getting lower (about 12K at this time). Over BFL we get 8,000 and stay there untill the motor starts to take a crap on me! Flip on the Fuel pump and it gets going for another 3-5 secs and starts to die again. Mixture Rich throttle all the way in. Then I look at what tank I got the gas on, Left Aux 15gals been using that tank for about 1:30 now. Switch to the main and we are off and going again. I even told ATC we may have a problem. After all that fun stuff, we are somewhere on V485 around ROM I get a block alt down to 7,000 to get some IMC. No Porblem we get done in the clouds and I look at the temp. By this time is right at 0, I had the autopilot on and was looking at the wings here and there to make sure i wasnt getting any ICE. We are in and out of the clouds at 7,500. Drop down to 7,000 again and watch the wings and the water to run off. After about 5 mins the water is not running off its turning into frost. By this time I was going back up to 8,000 to get out of the clouds. Just as we get in VFR the whole wing is frost. I stay at 8,000 for the next 10-20miles. ATC calls out for us to stay at 8,000 for a 172 that was around us in IMC. I dont know how he wasnt getting what I was getting but I got out of that ASAP. By this time were on V485 about 10 south of SJC and ATC tells us down to 6,000. I went down about 1,000 FPM to get to higher temps below. We get in IMC around 7,600 and stay in it untill SJC. We are then vector around and told that its going to be 5 mins before we can get into PAO. So were Vector around and then told another 5mins, that 10 mins turns in to a hold over SJC for a total of 25mins. There is a strong wind out of the south that didnt help us on the way there. Its almost like it came out of nowhere. After 25mins of holding we get into PAO. On the ground we get parked walked around for a bit looking for a place to eat. Find out everything is closed. We walked down to the golf course and there is a little bar with hotdogs. After we get them the girl tells us there 4.00 each. We get out of there and head back to the plane. By this time its getting dark. Taxi to the gas pumps and there ask for a VFR on top before I shut down the motor. So thats not a problem. I get gas and get back on the coms, there is a 182 that just came in and said the tops were 9,000. No biggy untill he says he was getting bad ice through 6,000-9,000. Well thats it for the night. We get to the hotel and I called the weather and sounded like tomorrow could be a GO! I look out side around 6am and its all cloudy. I call FSS and they say ice around 040 up too 090 and a PA31 with mod mix at 090. We wait about 3 hours and its still not a go. We rented a car and now Im home. Still Waking and talking!!!!!!
