Alright, back at a computer now.
Leslie did her medical with Dr. Bruce at shortly after 10AM. Despite her two years of surgeries and other dramas all due to drug side effects, because they'd been communicating beforehand and prepared, she was in an out within an hour with her 2nd class medical. We decided that the three of us, along with Jason, another of Dr. Bruce's clients who's nearing his private checkride, would go out to lunch. We'd head back to pick up Kent when he arrived. We talked to Kent and found that he was just launching, since he was relying on my earlier estimate of "noonish" for lunch.
When we got back to the airport, we still hadn't heard from Kent. Though he was in the DA40, the headwinds were around 30Kts, so it was taking him a while. We couldn't track him, since he wasn't in the system. I kept watching for him, and finally I saw a low wing T-tail on final, and figured it was Kent. I headed out and figured what the heck, I'd video his arrival.
Well, I started to worry when I started hearing this grinding noise from the plane, saw him heading to the right side of the runway, and then stop. I heard the engine rev, but the plane didn't move. Dang! I thought that maybe he'd gone off the edge of the runway, though I hadn't seen any evidence that the plane was out of control.
Anyway, I headed out to the plane after leaving the video and and update with Leslie and Dr. Bruce. The right main was flat, though on the runway. The fairing was grinding on the runway, and it was obvious the plane needed to be towed off the runway. Unfortunately, to get a dolly under the wheel involved removing the fairing first, and then sliding the dolly in with three of us lifting the plane with our backs, because the jack wouldn't raise it high enough.
About this time, one of the flight instructors radioed that she was inbound. Though there was a radio in the tug, she was too far out at that point to hear us. No worries, though, because we knew that she could be reached before she attempted to put down on our heads.
Kent and the wonderful folks at the FBO worked out what tire he needed and where they could get it. Dr. Bruce flew Kent in the Seneca to Illinois Valley (KVYS) to get the tire, while Leslie and I went out to Einstein Bagels for a second lunch with Kent's friend Roger, who was enjoying his first GA flight! (He commented that he couldn't even feel anything was wrong until Kent added power and he didn't feel the aircraft moving. He thought the drifting to the right was just the wind pushing them on the runway.)
We walked back to the airport, Kent and Dr. Bruce got back with the tire, the tire was installed, and we all talked for another hour or so. We launched around 5:15. The headwind turned into a tailwind, and we were seeing 150Kts in the Sierra. It turned into an all-day affair, but we had time chatting with folks and enjoyed ourselves.
Of course, I didn't do the approaches I needed to do to get instrument current again, but...
I know that there were some who couldn't make it, so here's your chance!
Glad it all worked out thanks to Dr. Bruce.
