Max flies an Aerostar from Gainesville to Miami for his father's birthday dinner. The video covers a Williston fuel stop and weather on the way.
What the video covers
Written in our own words. It only describes what the video shows and says.Planning the birthday trip
Max explains that his father lives in Miami and that he lives in Gainesville. He says the family group chat has a dinner at 8 o'clock for his father's birthday, while he has just arrived at the airport at 5 o'clock. He has preflighted the Aerostar and is completing a final walk around. The plan is to fly south to Miami, with a quick fuel stop in Williston, and to arrive in time for dinner. He says the flight is about an hour and 15 minutes, compared with a five or five and a half hour drive. He then reads through the Aerostar checklist.
Starting the engines and flying to Williston
Max starts the engines, counting five Mississippi before moving the mixture to idle cutoff and cracking the throttle open. He checks oil pressure and repeats the start sequence for the left engine. After taxi, he sets flaps to 20 degrees or just under 20, checks the elevator in four corners, sets rudder trim, pressurization, bleed air and door seals, and sets the altimeter to 3015. He says the wind is gusty. He calls the tower as 12PX, ready for departure, and receives the instruction to taxi up to hold short of 7. The tower clears 12PX with Runway 7, clear for takeoff. He repeats his engine failure plan: if an engine is lost on the ground, stay on the ground; if an engine is lost after rotation with the gear down, push the nose forward and return to the ground. After takeoff, he retracts the gear, raises the flaps, and heads toward Williston, levelling off at 1,500 feet.
Weather, cruise and arrival
After landing at Williston, Max taxis to fuel and says the aircraft can get him to Miami in time for dinner. In flight, he says the weather may require a diversion around some weather in Central Florida. He says he is staying VFR at 17.5 and will request a pop up if needed. He sets cruise power at 30 inches, 2,200 RPM and 60 per cent power, reporting 39 gallons an hour and 215 true airspeed. Later he reports 38 gallons an hour, 210 true airspeed and 17,500 feet. He says he was wheels up around 6 o'clock and expects to be wheels down about 7.15, then get to dinner. Max says his microphone died for part of the trip, that the flight took just under an hour and 30 minutes, that he diverted around weather, and that he made it to the birthday dinner.
