Experience I recently had

[dkalwishky]

On 8/24/03 I flew over to KGFZ (Greenfield, Iowa) to a flight breakfast and to visit their musem again. Upon landing, after I turned off the runway the pilots side tire blew out.

A volunteer worker (he was a member of the sherifs reservves) helped me put the plane up on a four wheel cart thingy so I could taxi out of the way. He helped me get the tire off and looked around the airport for one I could use to get home (55 miles away).

I called Exec 1 at IKV (Anleny, Iowa) and they had one of the pilots fly over with a replacement tire and tube, he even helped me replace it.

I had my wife and daughter ride back with the other pilot, I wanted to be sure I wasnt going to have any more tire problems. I like ot make the first flight by myself after any work has been done "just in case". I watched the other pilot start up, I started up. My plane felt funny, it was still sitting funny. I shut down and the guy from Greenfield was motioning to my NEW tire that I just put on. It was flat. I got out of the plane and noticed that the other pilot was shutting his plane down.

I looked at my tire, sighed and went over to see what the other pilot was doing. When he tried to taxi off of the grass and onto the concrete taxi way, there was a lip up and he cracked the nose gear wheel pant and took a chunck out of it.

I went back to my plane to see why my new tire was flat and after some troubleshooting the guy from Greenfield and I realized that I had not tightened the valve stem. I tightened it down but it still had a slow leak. After talking to several "older" more experienced people around there it was suggested if I cap off the valve stemm with a metal cap instead of the plastic one it will hold the air for some time and I should be able to get back home safely.

I choose to do that, I loaded my wife and daughter back into the OTHER 172 and we all departed.

As we got back to IKV (my home base) I slowed way down for the approach and landed with one wing low and held the new tire with the leaky valve stem off as long as I could. When the wheel setteled onto the runway it help up and the roll out was smooth.

I taxied back to my hangar and drove up to the FBO in my truck to pick up the family. I saw the pilot who had just flown my wife and daughter back was doing something with his car. I went over to assist and found out he had locked his keys inside. He got a piece of welding wire and was able to "jimmy" the door open.

At this point I realized that I had had enough of flying and airplane for one day. The temp outside on this fine day as 95 degrees and virtually no wind. I was swaeting like a pig from all the work we did on that crazy wheel.

Both the folks at Greenfield and my home airport went well out of there way to help me when I needed it. It just further proves to me that there are good, decent people left that are willing to help out a stranger (the guy at Greenfield) or existing customer (my home base).

Dave