In this week’s pilot vlog we’re departing Shepparton Airport to track Southbound back home to Moorabbin. The departure is from an uncontrolled airport without ATC communication on the ground, so we have to depart visual and pickup our IFR flight plan with an airborne call.
En route I also take a look at how the Cirrus Lean Assist function works. The fuel injection system in the SR20 allows us to lean the mixture ‘lean of peak’, in other words to keep reducing the fuel flow past the peak temperature. This gives a great fuel economy rate as demonstrated in this video.
The flight was also a chance to thank Air Traffic Control for everything they do for us pilots. One of my favourite things about flying IFR is being in constant contact with ATC. I’ve only flown a few times solo at the time of writing, but already ATC have helped me so much in understanding how the system works and helping with traffic separation and information. So if anyone from ATC is reading this or watching the video, thanks for everything you do!