Monday, February 02, 2009

Tried to Knock the Rust Off. No Joy.

The IFR Pilot tried twice this weekend to return Mike Hotel to the skies. No joy either time, despite clear blue skies and crisp temperatures that would have allowed the IO-360-C1C6 to taste flight for the first time since October!

Saturday, the only accomplishment was to get the A4 stuck in the snow. "All Wheel Drive Quattro" does not make an A4 into a snowmobile. As a result, my visit to the hangar consisted of removing the snow shovel, digging out the A4, and returning the snow shovel. After which, I drove home. Ugh.

Sunday, following a melting spell that extinguished Saturday's snow drifts, and with MS at the wheel, we tried using the Home Base's snow plow to clear the hangar apron. Once again, foiled. The snow was simply too wet and heavy to move. Plus, the tires on the plow seemed to be lacking in traction. We even tried bringing the IFR Pilot's snow blower back to life. Not having run in the several years that it has been stored in the hangar, the outlook wasn't optimistic. It turned out that we could bring it back to life, but the motor just didn't sound right -- it was revving way to high and even when we attacked the snow, we just could make a dent in it. FOILED ONCE AGAIN.

So, the IFR Pilot replaced the GPS chips and the IFR charts, and we went home. Bummer, dude. We'll try again this weekend, if Momma Nature cooperates.