Redlands For Fun

I had to send a couple of instruments out for overhaul. For about a year now my Attitude Indicator (not he one that shows my mood but the one in the panel) has been dying a slow death. The bearings have been making noise after shutdown for over a year now and recently it has taken up to 15 minutes to stand up. However, a couple of flights ago it finally gave up the ghost completely and would just wobble and gyrate.

On our return from Phoenix Mother’s Day Weekend the Altimeter decided it was done too. We were descending out of 8,500′ and it got stuck at 7,000′ until I tapped on it and then it began working again. We leveled off at 4,500′ going over March ARB and when we began our descent again it stayed stuck until I tapped on it.

I pulled them out and sent them to be overhauled and got them back on Thursday, a quick turn around. I had my AP/IA meet me at the hangar to look over my work as I put them back in and sign off in the logbook.

With everything buttoned up it was time to fly and check the repairs. I pulled the plane out and started up the engine. Within about 15 seconds the attitude indicator was standing up perfectly. I stopped by the fuel island to fill up and met a guy in a V-tail Bonanza heading out to Bermuda Dunes with his two boys. He had stopped for fuel on his way from Torrance and was glad to be flying over the holiday traffic on the 91 Freeway instead of sitting in it.

Corona

It was a little windy, 10 knots gusting to 18 but coming almost down the runway so not bad. I took off to the West on 25 into clear skies and at 1,200′ banked left, coming around to follow the 91 freeway to the East as I climbed to 3,500′. I hadn’t landed at Redlands before so I thought it would be fun to head over there for a short little cross country.

It was hazy to the north so I tuned in to the ATIS at San Bernardino just to the west of Redlands. (Redlands doesn’t have any weather reporting). KSBD was reporting 7 miles visibility with plenty of room under a broken layer at 5,500′. Listening in to the CTAF for KREI there was no other traffic. I made calls at 10 miles, 5 miles, and 3 miles. As I reported crossing over mid-field and entering a right downwind for runway 26 there was a Cessna that joined the frequency inbound from the northwest.

After landing and taxiing back I got set for takeoff and waited for the Cessna that had landed behind me to to make one more landing. His first landing was a touch-n-go so by the time I had taxied and reset trim and flaps for take off (and snapped a couple of pictures) he was turning final again.

San Bernardino’s airspace is just one mile off the end of runway 26 so I took off and made a right turn to continue my climb on the right downwind. By the time I was at midfield I was 1,500’AGL and turned to the south crossing over the airport. 20 minutes after taking off I was rolling to a stop in front of my hangar, much better than a 45 minute drive (assuming no traffic) and a lot more fun!