I was on the road all week, for three days of meetings in Long Beach, CA. It was quite a let down to come back to cold and snow Friday night.

Winter Day at Smiths FallsI went out to the airport this afternoon to clear the snow from in front of the hangar and get a short flight off. But, despite a lengthy preheat, the engine did not crank strongly, and I never got it started before the battery expired. I fear that I have once again been afflicted by the recent woes that have caused many RV owners with Odyssey batteries to complain. The older Odysseys had a very good service record, with most users getting many good years of service. The newer ones seem to work for a year or so, then suddenly lose most of their capacity.

I don’t have time now to research other options, so I’ve ordered another Odyssey, which should arrive this week. I’ll look into other batteries that are physically compatible, and have good reviews, in case this happens again.