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West Michigan Flying – July 2009

In July of 2009 the Frey Family took a trip to West Michigan to see friends and family.  I hadn’t had any good rental options over the previous few months as my plane (N9526J) had been totaled by a pilot flying the plane that I used to rent (N41568).  I took the opportunity on the trip to West Michigan to fly some of the planes at Dodgen Aircraft in Allegan, MI where Lori’s family lives.  The owner of Dodgen is Jason Blair who is a National Association of Flight Instructors Master CFI. I had heard about Jason from flying in Allegan and he recently was teaching on a video blog that I have been following presented by the EAA.  Here is a link:  Earning My Wings

I contacted Jason and we met on the Monday morning of our vacation. I used the opportunity to not only get checked out but to complete a Biennial Flight Review (BFR).  I was a bit nervous and studied for a few things prior to the review.  When I met with Jason the nervousness went away.  We went for a beautiful flight in a Piper Warrior up the coast of Lake Michigan and did a few procedures and returned back to Allegan.  The ground portion was also very laid back and I easily got signed off to rent their planes and my BFR completed.

The next day I offered to take Kathy (Lori’s Mom) and Hannah flying.  Kathy is originally from Muskegon so we decided to fly there (KMKG).  We had a very nice flight again up the coast of Lake Michigan.  I even let Kathy take the controls for a bit and she did very well.  I think she was nervous when I was reviewing charts and pretending to look away but I still kept an eye on things.  We had a very nice lunch at the airport in Muskegon and returned home.  Kathy even let me do some steep turns and she enjoyed them.

 

 

I was determined to get a bunch of flying in so the following day I rented another Piper Warrior from Dodgen and flew up to Saginaw, MI (KMBS).  My friend Bob was teaching summer school up there and we met up for about an hour just to catch up.  It was a good excuse to get up and fly for a couple of hours (as if I needed one).  I logged almost 6 hours of flying in the 3 days.  I also believe that this week gave me the bug again and that is why only a couple of weeks later I made an offer on another plane that I now own.

Click this link to view more pictures of the flights

Dover NASCAR Weekend

It is already that time of year again when the NASCAR races come to Dover.  We only live a couple of miles from Dover International Speedway.  Over the few years that we have lived here I have had a couple of opportunities to go to the races but none quite as good as this year.   A friend of mine at work was able to get me a “Cold” pit pass that was good for the whole weekend.  On Friday we got together and spent some time touring the pits, the Nationwide Series garages and the inside of the track.  We were down on the track when the guys were practicing.  On Friday afternoon we went down to pit road for the introductions and to see Samantha Doorn sing the National Anthem.  Samantha is the daughter of one of Jeff’s co-workers at Kraft.  It was quite an experience to be right in the middle of the action.  Unfortunately, right after the drivers started their engines it started to rain.  The race was rained out and postponed until Saturday.  That evening my friends and I hung out in Dover Downs and got a tour of the facility.  There were a lot of events going on and we even got into a celebrity pool tournament that had a few of the drivers and Hershel Walker.

The crew started the day early on Saturday morning with Jeff, Andy, Eric and Kenny meeting up and tailgating in the parking lot.  Andy cooked up some excellent brats and we had a burger, chips and of course a few beers.  Jeff and Eric went into the infield for the start of the race.  It was neat to be so close to the drivers and see all the action on pit road.  Pit road isn’t the best place to see the race so after a few laps Jeff and Eric went out to catch up with Andy and Kenny.  On the way they stopped in one of Eric’s friend’s suites just to say hi.  Then they continued on to the Turn 4 area where Andy and Kenny were camped out for the race.  It was great to get all those different perspectives of the track.  Jeff picked Joey Lagano to win the race and right up until the end of the race it looked like Kyle Busch was going to win it.  In the last few laps Kyle had a tire issue and Brad Kaslowski swooped in to take the win.  Joey came in second.  Most everyone was happy that Kyle didn’t win though.

We weren’t sure if we were going to stay for the truck race.  It had been a long day.  Right at the last minute Andy and I decided that we would stay.  I have never seen the truck race so it was something I wanted to.  Andy and I went back into the track and took a seat in Turn 1.  It was a good race.  Again Kyle Busch dominated and made it look easy at each restart weaving in and out of the others.  Right at the end of the race he had another tire problem and wasn’t able to recover.  There were a lot of cautions for tire problems but it was still a good race.  Afterwards, Andy and I dragged ourselves out of the stands and headed home.  It was a very long day but also a very fun one!

Even though I had a pass that would get me into the infield I decided that two days of racing was enough for me and I’ll watch the Sprint Cup on TV.  It was an excellent experience and I’m thankful to have good friends to be able to share the experience with!

 

Lawn Care Season….

For the last few years I’ve contemplated getting a lawn tractor.  I was either being too cheap or felt guilty for riding around so I would find an excuse to put it off another year.  Our yard isn’t really that big but it does grow very fast and I have been finding it increasingly more difficult to find the time to mow it.  In the peak of summer I usually have to mow about every 4 to 5 days or it gets too long and is very difficult.  This year I finally broke down and upgraded the Troy-Bilt self-propelled mower to a nice 46″ Troy-Bilt lawn tractor.  I even got a bagging attachment which should help keep the yard looking clean and ready for the kids to play in the backyard.  My wife calls it a toy….I call it a tool.  Whatever you want to call it, hopefully it will save me some time and help keep my yard looking the way I like it.  Here a pictures of both my mowers.  I also have a Troy-Bilt pressure washer.  My neighbors are going to think I own their stock!

N9526J – Damaged by Another Plane

I’m too sick to explain too much but N9526J may have been damaged beyond repair today when another aircraft hit her when trying to land at 33N. The pilot was flying N41568 which is a plane Jeff used to rent as well. The pilot amazingly was not injured. A Cessna Skymaster was also damaged that was parked next to N9526J. It is a sad day!

Here is a link to the story in the Dover Post:  http://www.doverpost.com/news/x679799326/3-plane-fender-bender-rips-off-wing

Click here to be taken to the information and pictures of N9526J.

Flight to Georgetown, DE

It was a beautiful February day so Jeff decided to go flying.  He called up Andy P. to see if he was up to it as well.  Hannah and Bryan also joined in the fun.  Andy had flown with Jeff one other time a few months ago.  They flew from Delaware Airpark (33N) to Georgetown, DE (KGED).  There they topped off with relatively inexpensive fuel and had a drink at the restaurant.  On the way home they flew out over the Delaware Bay and up the coast.  They circled Andy’s house where he took some pictures and then they came into land.  Total flight time was 1.4 hours with a couple of landings for the day.  Everyone had a great time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just a short post to say that the website has been recently updated and that new pictures were added to the Family, Hannah, Bryan and Kids categories.  We hope that you like them and that you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008 has been a year that has flown by for the Frey Family.  The Family went on vacations to the Outer Banks of NC and to Disney World in Orlando, FL.  Hannah is in her second year of pre-school at the YMCA.  Bryan is all boy and continually getting into everything he isn’t supposed to.  Lori stays busy working at the YMCA, taking the kids around to their multiple activities during the week and chasing Bryan around.  Jeff continues to do well at Kraft and was promoted to Business Unit Manager of the Desserts area in September.  We hope that all of you have had a good year and that you have a wonderful New Year!  We would love to hear from all of you.

C-17 Flight – Niagara Falls

Jeff and Kevin Ripley were lucky enough to get nominated to participate in Employee Appreciation Day for the Air Force Reserves at Dover Air Force Base. They were nominated by Doug Shelton, a Kraft employee who is currently activated in the Air Force Reserves. They had breakfast and a nice presentation about the history of the base and the Reserves. They also had a tour of the base with tours through the distribution warehouse and also the kennels where they train the drug and bomb sniffing dogs. A great lunch was served and afterwards they were treated to a flight in a C-17 Globemaster III from Dover, DE up to Niagara Falls. The group loaded up in the cargo bay of the C-17 and then were treated to multiple visits up to the cockpit. A few performance maneuvers were executed by the pilot which showcased the abilities of the C-17. The first was a shortfield take-off with a quick climb.  Enroute they were treated to a zero-G climb to level off. Finally, on final approach they were put into a 60 degree bank turn and then into a short field landing. The pilot said that he had the aircraft stopped in about 800 feet! What a great day.  It was much more than I ever would have expected!

Click this link to view more pictures of the flight

Itching to Fly!

I just thought I should post quickly about how I’m really anxious to get back up in the air again with N9526J.  The last time I flew was at the end of August to get the biennial IFR Cert done which passed with no issues.  I flew up to Cross Keys Airport (17N) in New Jersey to visit Alron Avionics.  Since then the plane has been grounded for the annual inspection and repairs.  The annual has gone relatively well with the engine checking out with compressions all in the mid-70’s.  The attitude indicator was sent out for rebuild as it has been somewhat erratic lately.  The bad news is that when it came back and was installed it was not working.  My mechanic shipped it back out again to get repaired.  During this annual I had my Nulites installed.  I think they are going to be a nice addition to the plane and will make it possible to fly the plane at night.  Lights for the 6-pack, suction gauge and engine instruments were installed.  The other gauges already had operational lights.  I also had the vacuum pump replaced because my old one was a Rapco rebuilt pump in an Airborne core.  Parker sent out a service advisory telling all Airborne pump owners that they need to replace the pumps because they are no longer supported.  My old pump worked fine but due to the uncertainty and possible legal issues I decided to purchase a new Rapco vacuum pump.

Back in August I went out to mow the grass around my plane at 33N and found that the airport had already mowed the grass hit the aircraft at least 3 times.  They did a significant amount of damage to the right aileron and fuselage.  I was quite upset as you can imagine.  I worked with the airport manager and they took responsibility for it.  Normally they don’t mow within 15 feet of the planes.  My mechanic is now making the repairs.  The ailerons were both re-skinned (one of which I am paying for because of a previous ding).  They look perfect, even the paint! Now the fuselage damage is going to be patched.  Total damage caused was over $5,000!

So, hopefully in the next couple of weeks all the issues will have been addressed and I’ll be back up in the air again.  I can’t wait!!!

Homebrew Session – Simcoe Select IPA

It has been quite awhile since I homebrewed, but yesterday I brewed up a batch with a couple of friends.  This was the first batch that I brewed this year.  Andy, Eric and Russ came over in the afternoon and we brewed a batch of Simcoe Select IPA that I bought with a gift certificate from Midwest Homebrewing Supplies that Lori and the kids gave me for my birthday.  I’ve used Midwest for quite a few years as they have quite a selection of good quality extract kits. 

The Simcoe Select IPA is loaded with 3 oz of Simcoe hops that are added throughout the boil.  1/2 oz is added at the beginning, 1/2 oz 20 minutes into the boil, 1 oz at 40 minutes into the boil and then a whole oz right at the end of the boil for finishing.  The wort had a nice strong hoppy aroma that I love (and Lori hates)!  I look forward to drinking it in 3 to 4 weeks. 

Here’s Midwest’s description of the beer:

“LIMITED EDITION RECIPE KIT – Throwing caution to the wind, we’ve decided to put this rare hop into a recipe kit while supplies last. With 3 oz. of Simcoe, a whopping 68 IBUs and a ABV of 6.5%, this potent IPA is guaranteed to please.”

The guys really enjoyed the brewing process.  Andy is an experienced brewer but both Eric and Russ had never done it before.  We sampled a couple of homebrews that I had from my last batch which is a Scottish Ale that the guys said reminded them of New Castle.  I showed them the brewing process and how detail oriented I am in making the best quality beer I can.  This includes using bags for the grains and hops, using a cooling coil to quickly cool the wort before pitching the yeast and straining the wort a couple of times before it makes it into the primary fermenter.  The guys seemed interested in brewing again so maybe we can start up an informal club.  Andy suggested that the next batch be a lager that he can ferment in his refrigerator.  We had a great time and cleaned out most of the beers that were hanging around in my refrigerator.  I look forward to getting with these guys again to bottle and sample more beers.

Flight with Gary M. in N28679

Gary called up Jeff on Friday afternoon and asked if he was interested in going for a Saturday morning flight. Of course I said yes.  There has been kind of an inside joke that Gary has been avoiding flying in to Delaware Airpark (33N) and this was a perfect opportunity for him to come down.  Gary called me up around 9:45 and told me that he was on the ground.  I quickly hopped in the truck and drove the short trip to the airport and met Gary.  After a quick visit to my plane to grab my headset Gary and I hopped into N28679.  We taxied to the run-up area and heard some other pilots in the area of 33N.  One was on a final to runway 9, low approach only but winds were favoring runway 27.  To me this sounds like a recipe for disaster so Gary questioned the aircraft about his position.  The pilot seemed rather confused and then called off his low approach and said he would be entering the downwind for 27.  Just at that time a Bonanza also announced that he was coming in from the north to enter a downwind.  I wish I had more pictures but they were very close to each other right around mid-field downwind and I would bet at least one of them didn’t see the other.  Then, to top it off the Bonanza was in the lead on downwind and told the other aircraft to turn his base and land which he did.  Only problem is that the Bonanza also turned his base.  Both were on final at the same time and the Bonanza touched down while the other plane was still on the runway.

Finally after the traffic cleared Gary took off and we headed across the bay.  He took the GPS 32 approach into Millville (KMIV) and did a very good job.  The picture is when Gary was under the hood flying his approach.  A little rough landing and Gary decided to go around.  The second one was better.  Gary is a bit hard on himself on the landings but what pilot isn’t?  After Millville we took off and headed towards Cape May (KWWD).  Gary circled the ferry terminal and then we entered a downwind for runway 28.  A much nicer landing.  After a short stretch and me trying to shake off an upset stomach we jumped in the plane.  Gary has flown with me twice and on both occasions I have gotten a little queasy.  This is rare for me but Gary is probably afraid to fly with me again.  We then headed back up the west Jersey shore and crossed back over the bay north of Dover’s airspace.  A straight in approach and Gary’s best landing with me of the day back into 33N.  He kept the fan running while I jumped out of the plane and I snapped a couple of more pictures of him taking off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Gary for the nice flight!  Sorry for scaring you about me getting sick.  Next time will be better.  Click here to see Gary’s blog post of the flight: Gary’s Flight Blog

This is a new tool that I just installed on my website to be able to edit and embed maps directly from the blog.  Let me know what you think.

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