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First GA flight

drcrews

drcrews

New member
Supporting Member
Shreveport, LA
Aircraft Year
1976
Aircraft Type
112/A
Reg Number
N1432J
Serial Number
432
I took my family (my wife and two boys (11&16) on our first cross country flight destination this past weekend, from Shreveport to Branson, with a stop-off in Hot Springs. It was my wife’s first flight in a GA aircraft!! She really enjoyed it and said that she loved the back seat and how roomy it was. (She even slept some during the legs of the trip, in between watching some downloaded “shows” on her phone with her nose noise cancelling headset.) We had STRONG headwinds there and back (25+ knots) but, it was smooth as silk until we got to the lower altitudes near the airports. 32J handled the winds in stride, even a 14G20 knot crosswind take off in Branson. And, funny enough, it was the first time I’ve ever used autopilot. My old plane did not have it and I haven’t flown any other planes with it either. What a game changer…I haven’t had the plane long, and never really learned to use it until this trip. WOW! Even if it’s old, my STec-30 with alt hold worked flawlessly and reduced the workload tremendously! So glad I bought a Commander and didn’t settle for anything else…. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sounds like a great first trip - hopefully they'll be many more.
Autopilot is one of those things that you just didn't know you needed until you have one. Then you never want to be without it. It is a great tool to reduce workload.
 
Sounds like a great trip. And I'll echo Joel - an autopilot is really necessary for anything other than a brief sunny afternoon site seeing flight. I love my S-Tec 30 w/alt hold.
 
I get lot of very positive feedback from the passengers sitting in the back seat. They say it is like flying in the business class in the airlines, they feel so much comfortable. Similar feedback from pilots who fly other GA aircraft as well.

Also agree with the comment about the autopilot, it makes it so much more relaxing on long cross country flights. I have the KFC200 with altitude hold, coupled to Garmin GI275, works great.
 
Awesome Rodney! Let's meet up at Lufkin sometime for a good hamburger!

We are flying this weekend up to Fort Smith AR and then to Cotter for some trout fishing. A GA airplane makes this an easy trip.

Staying at the Gaston's Resort - they have a great grass strip. It may be kind of iffy weather but there are several nice airports nearby with good approaches. I love going to that part of the country!

Good luck on your next trip with the family.
 
Have a great trip, Stephen! Yes, let’s meet up in Lufkin soon. Would love to catch up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Stephen, I just saw something on YouTube and thought of you. The airplane owner was washing his plane inside his new hangar. If you’re not already doing it in your new hangars, a center drain or slightly sloped floor would be fantastic! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
drcrews Happy to hear your first trip was a success. Our Commanders are excellent cross country machines. Mary and I are looking forward to Vero Beach in March. We cancelled our trip to St. Augustine next weekend since I have to have our 22 yr old roof replaced. Adult priorities.....yea, they suck. ;)
 
Watch your W&B as those boys grow. How do I know?

Life is a barrel of fun.

Ken
 
100% agree. Already trading fuel for folks. The fuel hawk dipstick that Gary Mascelli recommended arrived just in time from Aircraft Spruce. It literally made the trip possible. Could not load any more than 34 gallons. We had major headwinds (25+ knots) so I decided to make a fuel stop. Branson from Shreveport is ordinarily 2 hours. But with winds like that, the normal hour long trip to the halfway point took closer to 1.5 hours. It was good to stop and let her get out and stretch legs, go eat lunch at a nice place in Hot Springs. I sure didn’t want to continue on over the mountains without adding more fuel. We did the same on the way home, because the winds switched direction 180 degrees! I’m hoping I can gain a little weight back to the UL by removing some old equipment. It would be great to get to 850, maybe even 875 with Carl’s battery. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
drcrews said:
Have a great trip, Stephen! Yes, let’s meet up in Lufkin soon. Would love to catch up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Rod, Let me know when Y'all decide for an Angelina County Hamburger!
 
drcrews said:
100% agree. Already trading fuel for folks. The fuel hawk dipstick that Gary Mascelli recommended arrived just in time from Aircraft Spruce. It literally made the trip possible. Could not load any more than 34 gallons. We had major headwinds (25+ knots) so I decided to make a fuel stop. Branson from Shreveport is ordinarily 2 hours. But with winds like that, the normal hour long trip to the halfway point took closer to 1.5 hours. It was good to stop and let her get out and stretch legs, go eat lunch at a nice place in Hot Springs. I sure didn’t want to continue on over the mountains without adding more fuel. We did the same on the way home, because the winds switched direction 180 degrees! I’m hoping I can gain a little weight back to the UL by removing some old equipment. It would be great to get to 850, maybe even 875 with Carl’s battery. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

The “fuel hawk dipstick” sounds like something I could use. Details please. Thanks!
 
From a previous post by Gary Mascelli, N453TC, and host of “Our Flying Adventures, It’s All About The Journey” YouTube channel. Gary said that the former owner of his plane had calibrated a fuel card that was extremely accurate and to this day, Gary still uses it. I hope I’m not being too presumptive, but it may work in all 112’s with the twin 34 gallon tanks. Gary’s plane and my plane are both 1976 models, so I believe ours are very similar. I ordered the 11” Universal Fuel Hawk dipstick that Gary spoke about in his post and updated the fuel calibration card for my plane.
c16d2f90f7afa8a798b47c647cd3efbb.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
drcrews said:
From a previous post by Gary Mascelli, N453TC, and host of “Our Flying Adventures, It’s All About The Journey” YouTube channel. Gary said that the former owner of his plane had calibrated a fuel card that was extremely accurate and to this day, Gary still uses it. I hope I’m not being too presumptive, but it may work in all 112’s with the twin 34 gallon tanks. Gary’s plane and my plane are both 1976 models, so I believe ours are very similar. I ordered the 11” Universal Fuel Hawk dipstick that Gary spoke about in his post and updated the fuel calibration card for my plane.
c16d2f90f7afa8a798b47c647cd3efbb.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Thanks Rodney! I inherited one of the fuel hawks from my seller, but no fuel card. This will be great.
 
Great! Just make sure it is the 11” universal fuel hawk. I thought they were all the same. Nope. Someone gave me one specifically for a C182 one time. I had a different one for a C150 as well, so they are different. Glad I could help! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Neat! I have been using full = 34 gal. Tabs 24 gal and the edge of the fuel level is visible straight down below the tab as 15 gallons.
 
That’s pretty dang close, Chris. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Hi Guys,
I often receive incredibly positive feedback from passengers in the back seat, who compare the experience to flying business class on an airline—they find it exceptionally comfortable. Pilots accustomed to other GA aircraft share similar sentiments.

I also agree about the autopilot; it makes long cross-country flights much more relaxing. My KFC200, paired with the Garmin GI275 and altitude hold, works flawlessly.
 
Just curious. Do you have two GI-275’s? I’m looking at doing a panel upgrade and have the stec-30 with alt hold. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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