Ramp Checked!

On Friday, I went out to take N7016G up for the first time in nearly 6 months. The last time I had flown our Cessna 172 was on the way back from my checkride. Long story short, it had thrown a valve through one of the pistons (thankfully NOT on my checkride) and had been waiting at Dillons Aviation in Washington, NC (KOCW) for an engine replacement and fresh annual. I started walking across the ramp to the aircraft, and noticed a couple of guys closely inspecting the aircraft. The FBO line worker on duty said "FAA's here doin' ramp checks." Based upon everything bad that I had read about the FAA, I considered just waiting in the FBO until they went away. But then, I thought "I'm legal, and the plane is fresh out of annual - what do I have to worry about?" So, I walked up and introduced myself. The FAA inspectors were genuinely very friendly and very chatty, and I think that they were just glad to have someone talk to them and not run screaming away or hiding behind tie-down ropes. The two guys (both were named Wayne) asked for my pilot's license and current medical and the registration and airworthiness certificate for the Cessna, which I produced promptly. They looked over the whole airplane and didn't note any discrepancies, so I was pleased! I have to tell you, it wasn't bad at all, and I was actually glad to talk to someone from the big scary FAA and have a positive outcome.

Well, after all that fun, I went out to become legal for carrying passengers in the 172. 3 full landings to a full stop were completed, and it was like an old friend. I just kept instinctively doing all the right things - you spend 50+hrs in an airplane, and you really get to know it! We had a Powerflow Exhaust and RAM160 STC'd piston upgrade along with the engine overhaul. It was a hot, humid day - 32°C, and about 2800ft density altitude, but that bird climbed like a Diamond! I was seeing 1000-1200fpm climb rates at 80mph. It stood on its tail and headed for the sky. Truly amazing performance from a tired 172. It was also faster at cruise -- I trimmed for level flight at 2500ft and saw the speed creep up to about 125-130mph, which is about 5mph faster than I saw before the upgrade.