Super Seawind Ready For Flight – Almost

Super Seawind

Super Seawind-Last week my friend Jay and I reinstalled the cowling. This inched my airplane another step closer to completing the required maintenance of the annual. In the prior week, I cleaned and inspected the heating and ventilation, HVAC, system, shortened the ventilation scat hose, charged the airframe batteries and I installed cowling vibration dampers.

The good news it the cowling came off and went back on very smoothly. What a relief that was! I guess, as Jay said, “We’re finally getting good at it.” Now there’s the fun part of updating all of the records both in paper an on line. For the latter, I use www.PlaneLogix.com. It’s fairly easy to learn and all the inspections and records are searchable by date, name, or category. For example, I can list the inspection history with just a few clicks.

That’s really helpful for a potential buyer or any maintenance person. By knowing what isn’t done, an inspector or service person can know what isn’t done and thus needs to be accomplished. Helping to cheer me on were our Holland friends Jack and Anneke. They were having fun make-believe flying this Super Seawind. I had as much fund just watching them. It sure is pleasing to get people into the pilot’s seat and watch their imaginations soar.

THE FINISH

The finish line isn’t far away now. I should be flying it again in a couple of weeks if all goes well. My plans are to first complete ground testing and checking all systems and then do some local landings and re-check everything. Then if all is well, I’ll fly off to other airports and practice more take offs and landings. When I’m comfortable with that, I’ll throw and inflatable kayak in back and head off to some lakes to do the same on water. Wouldn’t it be cool to taxi up to and dock my Super Seawind at a restaurant and watch how people respond to that? That’s half the fun! I also look forward to flying to Martha’s Vineyard a few times this summer and tool around with my bicycle and of course, my cameras so you can share in my adventures too. I’m most excited about landing and staying at a Maine lake lodge – just for R&R and a sense of peace with Mother Nature. The beauty of flying is that I can get to my destination in only 25% of the time it would take to drive there. That works for me!

ALSO READ OSKOSH AIRVENTURE SUPER SEAWIND STYLE. THE PEOPLE WE MET, THE THINGS WE EXPERIENCED