Thursday, July 28, 2016

Catch up and a video

I have had no word concerning Lee. That can be good or not. It can either mean that he is making his way in life with no real problems, or that he died quickly before he could look for help. I prefer to believe the former. He should have had at least a weeks worth of failures before it got critical. Prey for Raptors this year is better than I have seen it in a long time. A family group of Red Tails was fledged down by the creek, and I never heard a hunger cry from any one of the three. That is unusual, normally they are begging constantly for food.

So, I have kept busy working on my plane, which seems to be somewhat constant, painting outbuildings, and staying inside while it is hot. My hydraulic brakes on my plane was a pain. It seems that one of the master cylinders worked fine, the other not at all. I ordered rebuild kits, and being mechanically challenged as I am, took about three tries before I found the right combination. I should also mention a quart of brake fluid when all it really needed was about 2 oz. Sigh! I got it all cleaned up though.

Most of my flights around here have been in the one hour range. A few out further, but for the most part I get a cramp in my butt, and most of the things that I want to see are within that range. I decided yesterday that I wanted to fly the length of the Oregon Canyon Mountains. I decided to carry 2.5 gallons of fuel extra, fly the length of the mountain, checking out the area between the Nev border and the Mountain. I would then land at McDermitt, refuel, and then come on home. The forecast was not all that favorable due to the winds and their direction, but when I got up in the sky it was windy but smooth at the same time. I decided to continue with my plan.

https://vimeo.com/176667136  - owyheeflyer

I don't mind the wind, if it isn't churning all over the place, You are a bit like a fart in a windstorm with my plane, so I prefer to fly when I am not bouncing all over the place.

On another note, I have put a deposit on a female Harris Hawk. Hopefully I can get her here in a reasonable amount of time with a minimum of trouble. Hopefully this one will posses the attributes that I am looking for. I have liked all of the Harris's that I have had, but I am afraid that I was a bit spoiled by the first one that I had. She was a dynamite hunting hawk, and none while pretty good, have met my expectations. I am getting a bit too old to settle for less than what I want.