Thanks Rick

    Rick Rumble (of Rumble in the morning on fm99) stopped by the Hospital the other day and brought his cat Mittens with him.  He often talks about his cat on the morning show.  We got to talking about our geriatric cats (my cat Bucky is pushing 20 and Mittens is 18 years old) and I thought it would be a great picture of the two of them together as they represent over 200 cat years of experience!  They were both decked out in their "Old Man" hair cuts.  This style allows them to keep themselves clean… a cats version of a "no fuss" hair-do.  I think this will be the next big thing in geriatric cat hair styling.  

The subject of the FiXit project (see previous posts) came up (OK… I shamelessly brought it up) and Rick graciously agreed to put a link to this blog on his page.  He is a great supporter of animal welfare.  One of his cohorts on the show is Shelly who is also a great supporter of animals.  Our community is very lucky to have them out there keeping people informed (and entertained!).  

OK, its back to work and a second cup of coffee.  Thanks for your support, 

bye for now, Robin

First Leg over Water

Started looking at my planned rout to St. Croix for my Final Fix Project (see previous posts).  I have laid in a course that includes the first stop in the Turks-Caicos Islands.  The Providensiales island has the only airport with fuel for the Cherokee Six (100 low lead AvGas for those of you who do not fly).  This type of fuel is getting very expensive and may be on its way out in the not so distant future.  There is a search for some replacement fuel for the aging General Aviation fleet… so far none is in production to any great amount (AOPA is working on it).  I am sure that something will come around but until then we have to make due with the good old petrol.  There are also engines in the works that run on diesel fuel which is what the jets run on so there is no real shortage of that type of fuel (and its less expensive).  These conversions can be very expensive so I don't see that in the near future for the Six.  

    Any way, back to the first leg over water… the distance is 509 nm to the MBPV airport and it will stretch my limits on the Six.  I can carrie 84 gallons of fuel when the tanks are full.  There are 4 tanks on the Six so I have to be aware of each tank as I don't like to run the tanks dry… the passengers don't like it when the engine hick-ups when the tank runs dry.  I burn about 12 gallons per hour when I am "leaned" out and the Six will do approximately 119 knots at these settings.  So with 80 gallons and 12 gph, you get approximately 6 hours of flying and keeping 30 minutes of reserve.  

    The first leg is about 509 nm and if there is no head wind, you could fly it in 4 hours and 18 minutes.  The problem is that there is a high pressure weather system that likes to hang off the eastern part of the Bahama Islands and that create a head wind while flying south.  This could greatly increase my time on this first leg.  We will have to check the weather and the winds aloft closely to make sure we can make this first leg safely as a head wind could push us back an hour or more and that could push us close to our legal limit!  A 20 knot head wind will put us at 5 hours and 8 minutes.  Luckily there are other islands around but if I can make it to here, I don't have to clear customs twice and pay all the departure fees required in the Bahamas.  I will need to save my dollars as I am sure the fuel will be high priced.  I know that I will need to contact the FBO in the Turks-Caicos Island Airport but that will be long distance and I will need to look up the code for that Island.  Oh well, thats for another day.  Too much math for today!  Back to the coffee.  Bye for now, Robin.

Fly-In and Pups

The Final Fix Project is still on track.  We are continuing to make plans for October.  I am still continuing on my quest for an IFR rating.  This is making me a better pilot and consequently safer!  For those of you that have been through the rating you know how much effort it is to push through.  Also for those of you who are not professional pilots (and IFR rated) and have to make a living doing other things, you know how much effort has to be applied to push this through.  I sometimes wish that I could just concentrate on just flying for a couple of months.  That would allow me to get some of the ratings that are on my bucket list.  Well that's what a bucket list is for… life would be less interesting if everything came easy ( I wouldn't know about such things, in other words, my life is interesting enough!).

Went out to the airport to visit the fly-in and exhibits.  The local War-Birds Museum was there with several of their planes.  The CAF was there also.  Helicopter and airplane rides were being offered.  Lots of food and fun including a Corn Hole tournament.  These gatherings are a great place to meet aviation enthusiasts.  I love seeing all the wide eyed children looking at the shinny planes.  Also some of the bigger children were putting on a show with  RC planes.  What fun!

The two pups and their mom (that we did emergency C-section on) came by the Hospital the other day.  They seem to be doing great.  We were able to remove the surgical staples from her incision as it has healed up (see post on 6-17-12 for rest of the story).  Even though these pups are looking great and hopefully we will find good homes for them, there are lots of pups that are not so lucky.  This is a reminder of why we are going to St. Croix… to hopefully make a difference.  

Ok, finished up my cup of coffee and its time to get to work.  Thanks to all that are supporting this project.  Bye for now, Robin.

IFR GPS update

Continuing my pursuit of an IFR (instrument flight rules) rating, see previous postings to catch up on this pursuit.  This training will increase the safety factor for my mission to St. Croix and the Final Fixit project.  It will also lay the ground work for future missions.  

Cards for GPS and MFD

In order to continue my IFR instruction in the Six, I need to keep her GPS up-to-date.  That requires me to keep the data cards up dated with Charts and Approaches. This is so critical when you are flying IFR as you have to depend on your instruments to get you from point A to point B safely.  I have a GX 60 Apollo unit.  It is older (as avionics go) but still rock solid.  It is very expensive to upgrade so I will continue to use it as long as its reliable. It is however getting so the only place you can get regular updates for this GPS is through Jeppesen online.  In order to take advantage of this service, I have to acquire a 3 in1 adaptor that will fit into a PC computer.  I looked on line and eventually contacted Jeppesen.com online support.  After a lengthy "chat" with Jake, I was able to acquire the adaptor and update service for my GPS and MX20 mfd, for Eastern North America.  The adaptor was $100, the GPS service every 56 days for a year was $410, and the one time update for my MFD was $70 (I figured it need to be updated as the last update for the MX20 was in 2003).   They will have to send me the adaptor before I can get the updates… it's a holiday week so I will have to be patient, meanwhile, Happy Fourth of July!

    As always, thanks for your support and we will continue this adventure together!  Bye for now, Robin.

IFR rating pursuit!

Started, or should I say continued my quest to become IFR rated.  For those of you who are not steeped in aviation, IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules (although some would say it means I Follow Roads!).  This type of rating is the next step in advancing your piloting skills. It will allow me to fly through weather that you are not allowed to fly through with a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) rating.  

An IFR rating is the foundation upon which other ratings are based. It requires ground schooling (which I completed about 18 months ago) and a knowledge test by a certified testing center (which I passed about 6 months ago).  Then you must complete the flight training with a Certified Instrument Flight Instructor (CFII) which I started about 7 years ago but had to abandon until I could complete the ground schooling.  Hey, some of us just like to take our time… had other things to do.  Anyway, I was able to get up with my previous instructor (Rick) and we started out as though it was just yesterday that we were practicing for the check ride… both of us had a little more gray hair, and a lot more stories to tell!  There have been a lot of changes in aviation in the last 7 years.  For one thing, almost all of the NDBs (non directional beacons) have been decommissioned and GPS has become the norm.  However a lot has remained the same… "fly the plane Robin".  Rick put me through the paces to see how much I remembered on "flying by instruments".  Folks, it was a little tough at first but eventually things were coming back to me.  We practiced Slow Flight, Power-on and Power-off Stalls as well as climbing and descending  and turning to a particular heading all while under a "hood" (view limiting device).  The tolerances are very close (100 feet in altitude and 10 degrees heading).  After about an hour, the instruments "get into your head" and one of two things happen… either you become very comfortable with how to make the plane do exactly what you want (almost by instinct) or you start to over analyze how to make things happen and the whole thing becomes a jumbled up mess!  Eventually the instinct becomes a normal part of flying.  This is why pilots train for hours on end.  I have to admit the challenge is exhilarating and I can't wait for the next session! I know I will be a much better pilot with this training… Thanks Rick!

This type of training will make me a better pilot and increase my safety factor as I plan my trip to St. Croix island and the Final Fix mission.  Thanks to all who are supporting this nobel cause.  Bye for now, Robin.

Virginia Tech, Garmin's app, Treadmill Dog

Still working on setting the final route for the flight to St. Croix for the Fixit Project.  This will have to be planned carefully.  The first leg will be from Hampton Roads to Ft. Lauderdale.  This will not be so critical as there are plenty of places to stop.  On the second leg it will be more important to pick out the best destinations for a fuel stop.  Tentatively I will be stopping in the Caicos Islands for a midway fill up.  This will be about 4 hours into the final leg.  Will continue to investigate!

The Virginia Tech Campus from 1000 feet!

Flew up to Virginia Tech this weekend it is good to keep my flying skills up.  I saw my son Chris at the Vet School.  He is in "clinics" and will be graduating in May of 2013.  I am naturally very proud of him.  It was great to see him and I look forward to seeing him as a full fledged Doctor.  While I was there we went out to the local Macado's sandwich shop for a meal.  It was great catching up with him and his girlfriend Ellie.  Ellie is a third year student who is currently doing research on type II diabetes as a summer project.  I think she will make the veterinary profession very proud, and I look forward to great things from her (and Chris)! 

Tested out Garmin's App for the iPad pilot.  There were a few things that are driving me crazy.  I am not sure if it is because I am not very familiar with how it works or if it is the app itself.  One of the things that I felt was very annoying was that the screen turned off every couple of minutes.  Now I know that there is a way to turn off the setting but the Foreflight app turned it off automatically.  It is very hard to make the adjustment happen in the airplane while it's bouncing around in the air.  My fingers are a little on the fat side and that makes it even harder to hit the right area of the iPad.  I also could not call up the frequencies for the airport of destination and that was down right frustrating!  I did not find it very intuitive.  By the was do NOT wear polarized sunglasses with the iPad as you will not be able to see the screen.  I don't think this is going to be the one for me!

We have been having a great time at the hospital teaching our Doggie Day Care dogs to walk on a treadmill.  I was not sure that it was going to be possible but my son Mark has been working with several members and really has a "nack" for making it happen.  He seems to have a real connection with the animal world so it did not surprise me.  I have included a short video for any of you that doubt that it can be done.

Back to work, it's surgery day today.  I am looking forward to the challenging cases!  As always, thanks for your support.  Bye for now, Robin

Life Rafts and Trixie

Looked into renting a life raft for the plane and there are several companies available.  It looks like around $300 for the week at Aviation Survival.com … money well spent!  I will continue to look for the best deal, it will be important to have a safety net for the open water trip.

Abbey Animal Hospital is a place where the whole range of emotions occurs on a regular basis.  We celebrate our successes and morn our losses.  It can be mentally exhausting to go through a busy day.  One recent case involved a very gentle and mature Skipperke dog named Trixie.  She presented to our hospital with a very large and growing mass on her chest.  The mass had grown so big that it was rubbing on the ground and causing excoriations and some bleeding.  The owner and I were very concerned.  The problem with masses that are so big is that the surgery to remove them is never easy… but something had to be done.  Trixie still had a lot of life left in her and none of us were ready to put her down.

We put a surgical team together with some ideas on how to remove this very large tumor.  One of the main complications about taking this tumor off is the size of the hole that is left.  It takes some planning on where to take the skin to make the closure.  I have experience with this type of closure but each time is still a challenge.  I decided that the best form of closure in this case was going to be an advancement flap.  This type of flap uses the adjacent skin to advance into the wound area.  Fortunately there is some extra skin on the abdomen from which this flap can be made.

After making a rather large incision we had to clamp off the vessels which were extensive.  We had to use all the clamps in one pack and most of the clamps in a second surgical pack.  At one point I thought we might have to do a blood transfusion.  Once we ligated all the vessels and removed the tumor, the real work started.  It takes more time to close this type of wound then it takes to remove the mass.  I was able to create the flap and secure it in place.  I placed a drain to prevent fluid build up.  I then closed the rest of the incision from side to side.  I felt that I got a good closure but that there was more tension on this incision then I wanted.  So it goes.  It is now in mother nature's hands.  

On the 5 day check-up Trixie was in good spirits.  She did have some drainage from the incision, but it might be due to her increased activity.  We were able to remove the actual drain with instructions to keep the incision clean and continue with the antibiotics.  We will be rechecking in several days to keep an eye on the incision.  It was great to see Trixie back with her owner!

Another Monday come and gone.  Thanks to everyone for all the support.  Stay tuned for more developments.  Bye for now, Robin.