So to cut to the chase...the battery on the airplane is pooched. I spoke to Dad this morning about the problem and he reminded me to "do the easy stuff first". Good advice. So before I got fussing with the starter motor and/or alternator, he recommended we make sure the battery was ok first.
DKX grounded on the ramp at St. Kitts.
I hitched to the airport this morning after calling Ken's buddy Elroy Lewis, aka Scout, who runs the ground handling outfit at Bradshaw (and handles Ken's Challenger). He was great and a couple of his guys found some jumper cables and we connected the plane's battery to a truck battery. With the mixture at ICO, I hit the starter and zoom, the prop spun like a top. Clearly the battery was the issue.
I pulled it out of the plane and we put it on charge at the maintenance shed and I said I'd come back after lunch. I hitched home and had swim, lunch and a snooze. At about 2 pm, I hitched back to the airport (the guys at the taxi stand by the hotel all give me dirty looks) and went to see the guy at the maintenance shed. It was locked up tight as a drum, with my battery inside! The guys had clearly quit early for the week-end.
I walked back across the ramp, in the blazing heat, and asked the guys in the AIS office if they knew the maintenance guy. Yes, they called the shed, no answer. Another guy thought he knew his cell phone and called him. Yes, he would come back to the airport. 20 min. later he pulls up, dressed in a t-shirt and bathing suit! It's island time mon! How anything ever gets done around here amazes me.
I put the battery back in the plane, hit the starter and....the prop groaned, moved 10 degrees and stopped. I tried the flap motor--worked fine, landing light--worked fine. It appeared that the battery has enough juice to run everything but the high draw item--the starter. So it's hand propping from now on. I'm so thankful that I once had a mechanic show me how to do it. Most pilots haven't a clue but in the Caribbean mon, you need to be resourceful.
When I got back to the hotel, I ordered a new battery from Aircraft Spruce and had it shipped to Fort Lauderdale Exec. airport. We need to stop there on our way back to return the raft and the PLB. Since the battery contains hazardous materials--acid--it has to be shipped via ground so I couldn't have it sent to the island. Once the engine is running, the alternator takes the load, so we shouldn't have any problems in flight.
So it looks like our trip to St. Barts is back on for tomorrow. It looks like the wind is still from the south which means runway 28 which is the one I practiced with Nicholas. The key is remembering all the reporting points and approach altitudes to fly. Piece of cake. Just like Jim Cole's strip (only this one has mountains on 3 sides and water at the end of the runway!)
If Kath has her eyes open, I'll have her try and film the landing!!
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