Time: 1740Z (1040 MST)
Flying time: 2.8 hrs. (cumulative 25.8 hrs)
Landings: 2(cumulative 69)
Aircraft: Mooney N5533Q (Mooney M20C?)
Flight: NM51-FMN-NM51
After a two year hiatus my log book now has a new entry: "Introduction to complex aircraft, XC to Farmington." Basically a sightseeing trip, we flew from Sandia Air Park (NM51) in Edgewood to Four Courners Regional Airport for a "$100 burrito" --- we'd planned for $100 hamburgers, but the restaurant had nice green chile so we changed it.
It was a pretty flight, very smooth air most of the way and the visibility was typically great. Flew past Cabezon Peak to the west of Albuquerque, then north along the mountain range west of the Jemez Mountains (the Nacemientos), and then intercepted V-68 most of the way in.
John handled all the radio work, mostly because I'm so rusty I felt I'd rather have him do it and avoid the flubs. Neither did I land or lift off the plane, but it was my plane except on final approach and takeoff. Lovely. The Mooney zipped over the ground at speeds up to 163knots, and the trip was great. My first flight with an adjustable pitch prop and retractable gear. It was like driving a sportscar after years of driving a station wagon.