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Running in place

I went out to the airport today to run the engine. It's been two weeks since the last time I ran it, which is also the last time I went flying, and I wanted to run it again this weekend if possible. With the Camguard in the oil, I could probably get by without running it for three or even four weeks, but it certainly never hurts to run it more frequently.

The runway resurfacing project is not yet done, so if I'd wanted to go flying I would still have had to use the grass runway. As it has been raining the past few days, I wasn't sure how soft the grass surface would be, so my plan was simply to run the engine until it was warm, and also to put fuel in the tanks. If the plane is going to sit for any length of time, it is better to have full tanks, as there is less air in the tanks from which water could condense. Since I've owned this plane, I've yet to see any water when I've sumped the tanks, but it's still definitely possible that someday there will be.

While I was out there, a couple of planes did take off from the grass. I think they were both rental planes, so it's likely they were students. I briefly considered actually going flying, but I didn't know how soft the surface was, and I didn't trust that my plane would be able to take off in the available distance unless the surface was dry and firm. So I followed my original plan, ran the engine for a while, then taxied over to get gas.

After I filled the tanks, I walked over to the FBO to wash my hands. I also went up to the front desk and chatted with them for a few minutes about the runway. The second and final layer of asphalt had been laid this past Friday, and the plan was to paint the markings this coming Tuesday, weather permitting. The current forecast for Tuesday is for showers in the afternoon and evening. Hopefully it will be nice enough for long enough to get the job done.

If all goes to plan, the new runway will be open for use next weekend. In addition to the new surface, they widened it by six feet which will make a noticeable difference. I was told that this is the first time they've fully repaved the runway since the 1940s. I'm really looking forward to using it when it's done.

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