Soaring Through Summer
Thanks for joining me. I hope you brought some snacks, a cold bevvy and your reading eyeballs cause I've got A LOT to share. Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight... we'll avoid most of the turbulence :)
My trips on the 727 have slowed down a little bit due to the auto industry's annual re-tooling break. Sometime around June, the industry switches over to the new year model (gasp. 2025?!) and consequently, takes time to replace tools at their plants. Obviously, this slows down production and thus, the need for the gas-guzzling museum jet dries up. However, I have managed to pick up a few new airports, like Memphis and Columbus. Real exciting places.
I have had a few remarkable trips that reminded me just how special this job is. Back at the end of May, we had a trip through Greensboro, NC (home sweet home). I texted my parents to ask if they wanted to come see the airplane while we unloaded our cargo. What I failed to tell them was that we were already late and it would be about 2 am before we got there. Well, bless their hearts, they stayed up to see me. Through bleary eyes and tired voices, they expressed how awesome it was to see me 'at work' (a traveling office if you will...). We snapped a few quick photos before they left to get some sleep and I pried my eyes open for a few more hours until we landed in Michigan. We never got another Greensboro trip after that, which further solidified how special that night truly was. And if you know about my parents' recent life changes (good ones I promise!), you also know that that opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime.
While the Greensboro trip takes the cake for the most meaningful, a more recent excursion takes the cake, icing and plate for the longest. Fancy yourself a little coast-to-coast hop? Well, I didn't. At least not at the time I got called. After having been up all day, my phone rang with the sweet little song of insomnia. The wince was noticeable but the hopes of an old, routine trip dismissed my initial disdain. Dispatch said our cargo pick-up point was on the west coast. Dollar signs spun in my eyeballs so rapidly my brain shut off and I stopped listening to the rest of our destinations. Make that mileage pay work! After receiving the full trip paperwork (with ALL the airports listed...) shortly after, my dollar sign eyeballs got real big and suddenly twitchy. Michigan - Washington - Florida - Michigan. Ha. ha. ha. WHAT.
I wiped away my tears with my almost tangible Ben Franks that taunted my already tired eyes. Quick maths predicted about 11.5 hours of flight time, About 3.5 hour legs, lest you forget the 5 hour haul in between. For those 11.5 hours we babysat a single, (albeit very important) little 4500lb engine across the entire mainland. I thanked it for being there but asked why it couldn't have left 8 hours earlier.
And for those inquiring minds, legally we were required to carry another crew member on board to cover a leg so that the whole crew had a chance to rest at some point. I soldiered through the first two legs and slept on the way back from Florida. And slept I did.
Some plane spotter managed to snap a few photos of us departing Tampa! We turned quite a few heads that morning.
Swimming Scoop:
THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me in my swimming side quest a few weeks ago in Traverse City! It was an amazing swim and truthfully, very healing for me (not to mention the positive financial impact on the vitality of the watershed as well!). It was the first 'race' I had done since I retired in 2022 and I promised myself that I would swim for fun. No competition, no times, no fight to the finish. After swimming for 18 years, this was the first opportunity I had to prove to myself that I could see swimming in a different light. And I am SO thrilled (and honestly relieved) to say that I had such a blast just swimming in the beautiful blue bay. The 2-mile open water course was fairly simple to navigate but the weather proved to be a bit of a battle (pardon me and my indoor swimming). For starters, the temps were manageable but a ~crispy~ 65. The sun stayed comfortably nestled in some bipolar clouds that nurtured a particularly obstinate wind. While the clouds figured out if they reallyyyy wanted to rain or not, I sat tucked (quite literally) into my sweatshirt (shoutout Enfinity!!). I had forgotten long pants. Meanwhile, Garrett sat snug in his jeans and sweatshirt asking me if I was cold or not. :)
The water temp felt GREAT once I got in and I couldn't get over how good the water felt. It was cold, crisp and clear. I started my swim off casually, finding a nice spot where I could swim by myself without being too close to anyone. With the wind churning up whitecaps, I bobbed up and down doing my best to spot the orange course buoys. As I put in my wind correction angle (apparently this applies to swimming too?) I hoped that when I opened my mouth to breathe it was going to be air, not water. I got used to the chop pretty quickly and soon I was more distracted by the multiple aircraft flying overhead than the turbulent waters. In my efforts to have fun, I stopped swimming, treaded water, and took my goggles off for a minute or so to watch the airplanes. That was my favorite part.
Unfortunately, I do not have many race photos (sorry I was busy) but Garrett was sweet enough to take one before the start of the race. He also drove me all the way up to Traverse City and back when we couldn't take the RV-10 which was the original plan. We stopped at a cute farm stand and food truck on the way home for some post-swim grub. Very thankful for him.
Speedy Shenanigans:
Ladies and gentlemen, we have turned on the fasten seatbelt sign as we are about to experience some rough air. Please buckle up as we fly straight through this 'thunder'storm :)
The WRX started talking. More specifically, the clutch got chatty. And that means one of two things... Either the rear main seal decided it no longer wanted to do its one job or my clutch was croaking out its last words. It pained me to drive it knowing I was only adding work for myself so I spent some quality time in the Forester. I knew in the back of my head that it was about time to replace the clutch. But I also knew that Subaru rear mains love causing trouble. Either way, the transmission or the engine needed to come out. Flip a coin for which way is easier, but I chose the engine route. I figured there would be some miscellaneous leaks I needed to address anyway...(isn't there always?) The original plan was to conquer the entire project over a weekend at Garrett's but I decided I wanted a shot at this myself. I had a garage and tools didn't I? Armed with YouTube and a can-do attitude, I loosened the 10mm on my battery; the beginning of a very large, very intimidating project.
I was painstakingly meticulous in writing down every connector I unplugged, labeling every hose and organizing all my nuts, bolts and screws. I fought with bolts tightened by Hulk himself, snapped a transmission bolt, googled dumb questions and picked my way through the 1500+ page service manual. It took me a few days to get the engine ready to be lifted out. Garrett was nice enough to come over and help me with the extraction process. Now with an engine sitting on the floor of my garage, it was time to get to work.
I had already ordered all of the parts I thought I needed. Upon some investigation, the rear main seal was still gainfully employed but the clutch had breathed its last. In its last moments (painfully instigated by yours truly), it had taken the liberty to smoke the flywheel so much so that I was unable to reuse it. +1 flywheel added to cart. Along with some gaskets and other random parts that teleported themselves into the nethersphere, I placed another parts order and took those extra days to clean up the engine with ungodly amounts of PB Blaster. I'd at least be able to tell now if I had any more leaky seals.
Once I had all the right parts, the clutch job went smoothly. I also replaced the aforementioned gaskets, some hoses, a connector, and a very sad looking clutch inspection plate cover. It *SOMEHOW* had taken a little journey in between the pressure plate and the flywheel and got itself chewed up. So many questions...
Now, looking clean and mean, my engine was ready to be put back where it belongs. I had done 95% of the work by myself and I was quite worried that I had missed something or messed something up. I wouldn't know until I put it back together! The process of putting the engine back into the car and lining it up on the transmission studs basically takes an act of God. Well, I had a Garrett and that was close enough. He rangled the engine onto the studs with only slight difficulty (read: he has done this so many times before) and then we were ready to put everything back together! I attempted to work backward from my notes that I had taken when I took everything apart, but I quickly realized (totally not because Garrett was already five steps ahead of me) that it was just a puzzle and everything had its spot. With the engine bay looking more like it should and new fluids circulating, it was time for the first engine start. Miraculously, the engine turned over and sounded normal! To say I was relieved would be an understatement. And to say I did it all by myself would be pure nonsense. Text chains, Google searches, and YouTube history would tell the real story. I am endlessly appreciative of Garrett, his (hard-earned) knowledge, and his time. Looking back, I am glad I took the leap of faith in tackling this project at my house. Having vastly expanded my own knowledge, I now feel the slightest bit less intimidated by the thought of engine projects. Every little bit helps as I continue to toy with the thought of a future racecar. I am still far, far away from ready (for a lot of reasons), but I can only go up from here!
Flash forward a few weeks, everything is still running great! (knock on some wood. thx) With the exception of a quick clutch/brake pedal box replacement, the WRX is back on its feet and has shut up for now. The only noise I'll entertain now is the turbo. achoooooo
With bright skies ahead, I relish in recapping for y'all the AMAZING few months of racing I have had the pleasure of experiencing. Three events have gone by since May and each one was better than the last.
Firstly, Rev Up at Gingerman Raceway in May was a unique one. Garrett's RX8 wasn't quite ready for the track yet so he would be spectating, but our friends had brought their cars. We all had a great time making fun of Garrett because he didn't know what to do with his hands. Many hot dogs were eaten, beers drunk and hot laps ripped. Good times.
A few weekends later, the much-anticipated Gridlife Midwest Festival (also at Gingerman) was at hand. The RX8 was dialed in with a revised fuel system and brand new brake system that Garrett had painstakingly (and impressively) engineered himself over the winter. The car came together beautifully and the new brakes were a strong contender in helping him break 1:45 for the first time with a 1:44.0. As always, I was stoked to see some fast racing from both him and our other friends who ran PBs as well! Midwest always becomes a bit of a blur when I look back on it, but the pictures help me relive some of the best moments.
Last but certainly not least, the crew and I made the long trek out to Lime Rock, Connecticut, for another Gridlife festival a week ago. We had attended this event for the first time last year and quickly concluded that it was NOT one to miss. The serpentine track nestled comfortably in the rolling hills surrounded by rich, green foliage is basically out of a movie scene. Pictures can only do it so much justice... Its position in the hills (Appalachian mountains to be exact) make it a relatively quick, fun track with average lap times around the 1-minute mark. The RX8 put down a respectable 1:01, which is also a new PB for Garrett. It helps that it wasn't a totally new track for him this year!
We had quite a few crew members join us and a rather respectable little caravan that included a double-car trailer. Some of my friends are very talented at capturing great action shots (shoutout Steeeeeeeven). I hope you can get a glimpse of the enthralling atmosphere that is Lime Rock...
Bonus #1
Whew. You made it. I hope your bevvy is still cold and you have some pretzels left. We have begun our initial descent. A quick note on Oshkosh 2024! I did attend this year, but, unlike last year, I was only able to stay for a few days (PTO wya?). Regardless, I made sure I spent my time wisely. And by that I mean posting up on the side of the runway in my lawn chair, with my water bottle and sunscreen watching airplanes land for the whole day. Even though my father quizzed me relentlessly on every airplane that passed by (I'm getting better I promise), I could not have enjoyed my time more.
Bonus #2
We've landed! My parents I mean. They have officially landed in Michigan and they are here to stay (until it gets cold of course)! I do not have the words to express my excitement that they have found such a perfect, lovely home close (enough) to me. It is a beautiful hanger home on a paved runway. The airplane sleeps feet from the front door and can be roused to fly on an effortless whim. Not only does this house fulfill my dad's dream, it also provides me the irreplaceable opportunity to spend more time fly-I mean with my parents and dogs.
Well. Thank you for flying with me as we breezed by a jam-packed few months. Things will quiet down a little bit as we head into Fall, but I'm sure there will still be much to write.
Cheers!
Olivia Carter
