Airport Tow
I finally found out what happens when your airplane breaks down while on the ground at the airport. You call the tower and they send someone from Airport Ops to tow you, and you get to sit in the plane during the tow!
I should clarify that the plane didn't actually break down on the ground. It failed its mag check during runup due to a failed left mag, and I couldn't get it to restart after I'd let it die. My club maintenance was immediately able to get it started (although the mag issue was still present) so maybe I just suck at cranking the starter.
Big Plane Envy -- Piaggio Edition
I've decided that this is the plane I would buy if I could. It's a pusher with a canard and I don't know what any of that really means in terms of flight characteristics, but man is it pretty! This one was sitting on the ramp at Palo Alto as I walked to my tiny Cessna 172 for more cursed flight training.
Here's Owen flying it from nearby San Jose Airport.
What Happened to 186CS
879HZ is now my favorite Cessna 172 in West Valley's fleet because it's actually clean inside and it has more advanced avionics. But 186CS was once my favorite. My first flight, my first night flight, the first time I felt that I "got it"... were all in 186CS.
I saw this while walking through the Palo Alto ramp area:
What happened to the prop?
Then I looked closer and... it's more than just the prop:
I guess this is what an engine overhaul looks like?
