I have a new plane! How did that all happen? Well, let me tell you about it. Remember the new pilot friend I made at the airport after I had landed? We went into Halls Crossing and spent the afternoon together checking out stores and going fishing. Well, we got to talking about our flight adventures and how our planes handle in the air.
To put it simply, Jim wants to do an even trade with our planes. I was surprised, because his Cessna is much newer than mine! But I love planes, so I wanted to hear him out. We're going to head back to the airport to take a closer look at his Cessna.
Look at this bird! She's truly a beauty. It's a Cessna C172N Skyhawk II. Jim is going to let me do a test flight with it to see how I like the handling and feel of the plane. We're just going to make a quick flight over the lake to the Bullfrog Basin airport. I mentioned the last time how I like to have a full tank on my adventure, so I'm going to fill 'er up so that I can truly get an idea how this Cessna can handle the weight.
You'll see that the dashboard is a little different than my old Cessna. The radio stack is more simplified, and there is no autopilot. I'm okay with that, because I haven't really used it. My flights are usually short, and even so I like keeping my skills sharp with the instruments. Jim, on the other hand, has been in real need of an autopilot system since he goes on long flights. So our trade may be very beneficial for the both of us!
The new plane is loaded up, and we are ready to taxi to the runway.
We're taking off from Runway 01, and wow! This plane was BORN to fly! I didn't have to pull on the yoke hardly to get her airborn. It was as if she wanted to be in the air herself!
We're going to fly a little north to one of the canyons and then turn west. This will take us over Lake Powell which we traveled across on the ferry yesterday. I was amazed by how smooth she went into the turn. I must say, I am very impressed by this plane.
I've already announced my intentions on Unicom that I'll be landing on Runway 19. Originally, I had thought about doing a "touch and go" and then returning to Cal Black Memorial. However, I must say that I am completely SOLD on this plane! I love it.
The landing was excellent. It felt just as smooth as my own plane, if not better. I called Jim on my cell phone and told him that I agree to the trade. He was very happy about that, and I'm very happy with the trade. I can tell that this bird was loved and well-cared for. Jim just needed some extra features that he didn't have. I had the features I really didn't need. It was a win-win situation, and I look forward to our next flight in our new plane!
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