His golden opportunity came in 2016 when he found a nice M20E model, with speed modifications, on the market. The engine was fresh, the airframe was clean and solid; only the panel was old and would need updating. He and his wife, Marian, decided to take it on a test flight.

Garrie knew they were off to a rocky start when he saw the frown on Marian’s face as she climbed onto the low wing to settle into the cozy cockpit. “She had become accustomed to me opening the wide doors of my 68FG for her, as I have always done for her in the cars we drive.” Garrie tried to sell her on this aircraft by telling her how much faster the Mooney was than their Cessna. She wasn’t sold. She looked at the back seat and asked, “Where are the grandchildren go­ing to sit?”

Since it was clear Marian valued comfort over speed, Gar­rie began looking into other options. About a year later, N1946Q, a 1973 Cessna 177RG became available. It offered him most of the additional speed he wanted with the comfort Marian sought. “So, it was a win-win.”

Why Two Planes?

Garrie’s two Cessnas have two very different missions. The 1968 fixed gear (FG) is slower and ideally suited for lo­cal jaunts and sightseeing flights over the lake country. The speed of his 1973 retractable gear (RG) makes it a better choice for longer flights and cross-country trips. One of his favorite ventures is participating in the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh mass arrival flight to AirVenture each year.

He likes the snappier feel of his ’68 Cessna. Garrie has taken the back seats out to lighten it up so it’s quick and wieldy off the runway. The weightier ’73 Cessna, however, handles the summer bumps better, which makes for a smoother flight.

Landing the Retractable Gear Cardinal

These two Cardinals don’t just have different missions. They also handle quite differently, which Garrie discovered when he was doing his transition training with his longtime instruc­tor, George Wilhite. Landings were particularly challenging. Garrie would use the same approach he’d mastered in his fixed gear Cessna but the 68FG is more sensitive to pitch, causing Garrie to under-control the 73RG which is less pitch sensitive. The result was a sloppy landing. He remembers commenting, on more than one occasion, “This isn’t like flying the FG.”

George would simply reply, “Well, this isn’t your FG. It’s your RG. Now, let’s go around and try that again.”

According to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, there are about 60 gear-up landings each year. Some of these are the result of mechanical errors and malfunctions. I asked Garrie how he makes sure the gear is down before he lands. He had these practical tips to share with our members.

He credits his instructor for pounding in some important practices while he was training. First, while setting up for the pattern entry, Garrie starts his GUMPS (Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Propeller/Pump, Switches/Seat Belts) check. Then, when he lowers his gear, he doesn’t take his hand off the gear lever until he sees the green “down” light. By the time he en­ters the landing pattern, his gear should be down and on the downwind, he checks his GUMPS list one last time. Finally, he does a visual check for confirmation. He looks at his left tire and says out loud, “I see rubber.” He repeats this practice on the downwind, on base, and on the final approach.

This habit spared him a gear-up landing when his alter­nator quit and the battery didn’t have enough juice left to lower and lock the landing gear. It was later discovered the bracket holding the alternator had cracked and the alterna­tor had shifted, which loosened the belt. “On that occasion, the ‘do not take your hand off the gear lever until green light’ worked for me.” Garrie wasn’t in the pattern yet, so he was able to navigate away from the airport traffic, troubleshoot the problem, and pump the gear down manually.

He has since installed a mirror so he can also see his nose gear. If you’re in the cockpit with him, you’ll now hear him say, “I see rubber. I see nose gear.”

“The AspenE5/Trio AutoPilot and GPS175 work so well together, I believe the FAA will need to issue an AD to re­quire the installation of a cold-water spraying device that will squirt the pilot in the face every few minutes to keep him awake!”

Future plans are to install a Power Flow exhaust, which Garrie already has on his 1968 Cessna 177, to improve the plane’s performance.

Generally, Airworthiness Directives (AD) and Service Bul­letins haven’t been a concern but when the carry thru spar AD for both of his airplanes came out, Garrie had a few sleepless nights. In the end, his concerns were unwarranted. Both aircraft passed with flying colors. So far, he has not run into any problems getting parts either. He’s been able to find everything he needed through vendors and relies most often on Aircraft Spruce for his needs.

Taking to the Skies

Garrie has been enjoying aviation since he received his PPC in 1990 and his Cardinals have added to his experience.

“The visibility out of a Cardinal is second to none. They are very comfortable for the passengers and pilots to get in and out of.” Garrie flies about 100-120 hours each year and budgets for 10 gph at 160 mph.

Through the years, Garrie has made many wonderful memories flying with his family. But the one that tops them all is the photo shoot he and his grandson, Brody, did togeth­er for Cessna Owners Magazine last year. He looks forward to spending many more memorable moments with his family in the cockpit.