Dave's Web Logbook

Renting a Piece of Ground

2010-11-10T14:49:00.002-05:00

I struggled through numerous difficult decisions, many of those all of us must face. I once told a friend that flying is nothing more than an expensive love affair, it is an affair that takes time as well as money. When last I posted I had neither, today only slightly more but the desire has become intense.

So with my wife's counsel we decided to make an investment in our future and signed a purchase agreement for an airplane. I just got a call from the seller, closing should be in two or three weeks.

Yesterday I contacted 7N8 to rent a tie down spot and get on the waiting list for a hanger.

LSA

2010-07-31T12:56:00.002-04:00

More than 300 EAA members stuffed the "Meet the Administrator" forum at Oshkosh on Thursday, welcoming FAA administrator Randy Babbitt with unusually strong applause as he was introduced by EAA chairman Tom Poberezny. He said he's been coming to EAA Oshkosh long before he became the administrator.

He said he was "so impressed" with the success of Light Sport Aircraft in the aviation industry, pointing out that 8,700 new LSAs have been delivered since the ASTM validation standards went into effect in 2004. More than 3,500 pilots have earned licenses in LSAs in the past six years, according to Babbitt and their safety record is "marvelous". He said that the government / industry partnership in developing the LSA standard was a prime reason.

I've been watching the LSA news for awhile now. Is this something to be seriously considered? The FAA thinks so. Any opinions?

The Code

2010-03-17T16:13:00.004-04:00

Code of Federal Regulations: Sec. 61.57

Recent flight experience: Pilot in command.

(a) General experience. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, no person may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers or of an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot flight crew member unless that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days, and--
(i) The person acted as the sole manipulator of the flight controls; and
(ii) The required takeoffs and landings were performed in an aircraft of the same category, class...

Barbossa: First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner .

It has been awhile. Too long. So even if the code says 90 days, my own personal limitations have been exceeded. I'll have an instructor in the right seat the next time I go up. Too conservative? Not for me.

The bill for the insurance company is on my desk.
The 'soft economy' has left us with just one wage earner in the house. My job is in transition, as IBM sold my division (of 600 people, labs, equipment, etc) to Dassault Systemes. Hopefully I won't have to move.

Its just really hard to justify the expenses right now. So I've decided to go dormant once again. To wait for a better time, another opportunity.

aargh

Decision Criteria

2010-02-19T09:17:00.008-05:00

I could hear the wind buffeting the vinyl siding when I got out of bed at 6:00AM. My "Flurry" weather clock said it was blustery in Reading, but I needed more information before I could make a decision.

Most of the area airports were reporting some winds, but many were only 10-15MPH and close to runway heading. So far, my monthly escape into the blue was a Go. That was at 6:30Am. Each half hour it got a bit worse, picking up speed and veering more out of the Northwest. My backyard weather station showed average wind speed to be increasing.

Hmm, what am I comfortable with? Gusts to 20MPH at 45 degrees to the runway is unacceptable to me. If I check the performance data (Fig 5-8) I'm still within the envelope for the crosswind component for the airplane, but what about me? If I were flying every week maybe, but once a month even with my experience, has degraded my abilities. So what is a reasonable metric?

Gusts less than 18MPH within 30 degrees.

So I've set my "rule of thumb" for guidance, now what are the current conditions? Rats. Not only Wings, but all of the local area fields are outside my criteria and the trend continues to get worse.

Reservation from 02/19/10 10:00 to 02/19/10 12:00 has been canceled.
Weather - gusty winds

Closed for snow removal - airplane not available

2010-02-12T10:28:00.003-05:00

"The worst winter weather in a lifetime" said the local meteorologist. I've been shoveling snow for two days and have a narrow slot down the driveway for the vehicles to get through. Evidently the airport has the same problem. Most of the planes are still snowed in and the taxiways are all iced over. The skies are clear, but I just can't get to them.

7N8

2010-01-14T20:34:00.005-05:00

There was no weather! Miraculous! After weeks of cold, blustery, wind swept winter days with cold front following cold front, today there was no weather. The temperature must have reached the high 40s with virtually no wind. One high over Maine, another over North Carolina left Pennsylvania VFR. Time to go out to the airport.

Another first, with her busy schedule actually clear for the afternoon, my wife was able to come with me for her first flight in the Cirrus. That raised the stress factor a bit as I was very excited to show off this wondrous airplane. She is prone to motion sickness, so for her to get near an airplane takes courage...and flying with me, well she is one special lady.

I took my time with all the ground procedures and let her see what I was doing as I explained the "why" behind each task. Start up was a bit long as I didn't want to flood the engine. I was stingy with the primer and fuel pump, anticipating a warm start. Once I primed her a bit she jumped to life. Taxi and run up were normal. The first attempt at take off was aborted (wind noise - door not latched properly). That gave us a bit more time to get comfortable and enjoy the other aircraft using the field. The second attempt went well.

Butter Valley is within 3 miles of our house, but the tiny field won't support a Cirrus. I could land but would not get off again.(Runway 34 1535 x 24 asphalt, remainder turf). We headed in that direction for some sight seeing and a low approach. Along the way I proudly demonstrated the avionics and pointed out familiar landmarks. We finished up with obligatory fly by the house and headed back to Wings.

Mission accomplished. We had fun. Hopefully this will lead to some more significant adventures when the winter weather subsides.

Sr20

Time = 1.1 hours

N47

2009-12-18T08:59:00.005-05:00

I stood outside the new BestBuy and watched the Cessna 172 fly overhead. "You could almost touch his wheels" said another shopper. "Isn't it Great!", I replied.

Thursday saw the high pressure area arrive bringing some cold crisp air and beautiful clear skies. I have learned to really appreciate VFR weather here as it is seldom seen. However I was a bit discouraged when I checked local METARs and found that many local airports were reporting winds gusting over 20. Wings was still 'blue' but there were a lot of 'pink' airports displayed nearby. TAFs looked promising.

The preflight was cold. I was sorely tempted to skip the fuel sumps as thought of getting that cold fluid on my hands was not at all appealing. Too much training and safety seminars quickly put that foolishness out of my head. (I was careful.). Start/taxi/run up were all normal. It was gusty and the T.O. required a bit of dancing on the rudders but nothing too difficult. Wow, visibility was probably a hundred miles, just gorgeous.

The mission was a simple one. VFR over to Pottstown Muni, and check out the landing pattern to see how it looks from a pilot's perspective flying over BestBuy. The winds weren't too bad, and the 'nuclear windsock' at Limerick they were mostly out of the north west, Unicom confirmed they were using RWY26 with one in the pattern. I flew just a bit deep to enjoy the view, and rolled out on final just prior to the store, about 500 feet or so. People are still very tiny at that height.

Full stop, taxi back, checks complete and off again. Wind was not a factor. Departed to the south to go and find KLOM. Philly could easily be seen in the distance. CTAF had a few doing some work there. I made my call, flew over the field at 2500' outbound to the quarry and turned back inbound descending to pattern altitude. One in the pattern in front of me, I waited until abeam him on final to turn base. The low sun on the horizon made glare a factor, but what a beautiful sunset. So pretty I had to have another view. So once more round the pattern and touched down just before the sun went below the horizon. aahhh.

Sr20
Time = 1.1 hours.

* It was 17 December 1903 at Kill Devil Hills that Orville took to the skies in the first powered flight. Wilbur would fly later that day setting a distance record. Today we should all take a moment to thank them for what they did for our obsession.

Cold Front

2009-12-01T08:46:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago I scheduled some time with the CFII to practice some IFR procedures (primarily ATC communications). Some of the GPS approaches at KACY looked interesting and I wanted to see how the avionics would handle the missed approach and holding with multiple way points. I planned a cross country that would take me around and through the Philadelphia Class B into a towered airport.

The weather was IFR. A real cold front was moving in from the west and the rain showers and low ceilings arrived by mid morning. Just perfect for the exercise I had planned. A preflight briefing with the CFII cleared a lot of misconceptions (what does pressing the OBS button do?) and refreshed a number of concepts about GPS navigation. I got a weather brief from Flight Service and filed a plan down and another back from KACY. Preflight was soggy but normal.

An idiosyncrasy at Wings is the need to use a cell phone to call Clearance Delivery from the run-up area. My headset allows a cell phone to be attached, but I was unable to get a call out until I disconnected it and called directly. I made a mistake. Cleared as filed, I thought my Void time was in 5 minutes, instead he said call back in 5 minutes. So, I took off without a clearance. Never a good thing to do as it tends to annoy the Air Traffic Controllers.

As I started to enter the overcast at about 3K, the CFII told me to look out at the wing. Ice. A call to (my now friendly) ATC got an immediate clearance to descend and assistance to execute the GPS RWY24 (Mazie). My transitions were sloppy but I made a nice landing back home.

So in addition to getting a release form ATC before T.O, I should have been aware of the OAT on the ground and not relied so heavily on the wx briefing (frz lvl 9k), especially since I knew the weather was related to a winter cold front. Situational Awareness.

An excellent training flight.

Sr20
Time = 1.0 hours
Actual = 0.2 hours

N31 - 69N

2009-11-17T13:40:00.003-05:00

The weather has been lousy. It was already bad before the remnants of Hurricane Ida pushed north and damaged the Jersey shore. I had hoped to join the Northeast Flyers for a lunch at KLNS, but flying was out of the question for me and I just wasn't up for a rainy day drive. It wasn't until mid-day on Sunday that I finally saw the Sun.

Monday morning looked good; blue skies and moderate winds with temperatures close to 60, and when a late afternoon conference call got canceled I decided to call Wings to see if the Cirrus was available. It was all mine for the afternoon.

My objective was to visit some old 'haunts'. The very first entry in my (now well worn) logbook was a local flight out of Slatington (69N). I was asked if that flight included two wings, goggles and a leather helmet, but the truth is it was a grass strip with one hanger and an airplane I would later fly did have to be prop started. My instructor used Kutztown (N31) as 'checkpoint' before letting his students solo. It was noted for the large hump in the runway. I guess he figured if you could land there then you could handle 80% of the runways you might encounter as a student.

While this was essentially just a daytime tour, I wanted to get some practice using all of the systems so I set N31 as a way-point and used 69N as my final destination. All ground procedures went well and I felt very comfortable in the cockpit. I waited at the hold short line for an Eclipse Jet to land and clear the runway. Autopilot was set for a climb on course Heading (060) at 900 fpm and target altitude of 4500'. Passing 1300' I dialed in North and announced my departure. With everything "green" I switched to the map on the MFD, confirmed that N31 was my next on the GNS430, hit direct/enter/enter and engaged GPSS with the Nav button. A slight turn to the left and I was riding on the purple line...pretty slick.

The plane leveled at 4500' as programmed, I checked the gauges and completed checklists and enjoyed the ride. I loaded an approach but had no intention to activate it. I just wanted to mentally brief what was needed and do the set up. It was about this time that I remembered to turn on the hand-held to get the picture at the top of this post. (I'll have to make this a part of my preflight checklist.) A right turn at N31 and off to Slatington. (I didn't see Kutztown since I was right on top.) I switched to Allentown Approach to listen in and when close gave them an advisory that I was in the area. 69N is right on the northern boundary of the Class C and I wanted to sight see just a bit. They now have a paved runway, about a dozen hangers and a bunch of airplanes tied down. They grew up.

Unfortunately Kutztown didn't. I found the airport on the way back and was sad to see the big yellow X's down the runway. The diner is still there, but no cars in the lot. I don't know when the property will be developed.

A quick turn around my house (still there), and time to return to wings. I hand flew it the rest of the trip and found KLOM to be pretty busy with two in the pattern and 3 more entering from the south. They gave way to me and I entered on the 45 to RWY 06 without any problems. My pattern was a bit tight, speed a little fast but a nice landing (on center-line) and easy roll out. As I started back a helicopter announced he would be landing on the taxi way. A brief chat confirmed he would land well clear of me as I told him I would take the throat up to the terminal.

A nice flight.

Sr20
Time = 1.2 hours

Alone

2009-11-03T09:52:00.004-05:00

It had been awhile. The last time was more of an after thought as I was running out of currency in the Tiger. That was then. Now, this flight was important to me. I've been so focused on flying the system, I needed a chance just to fly, to enjoy the freedom of being alone in the airplane.

The weather was good, but as I have come to learn living in the Northeast, it is always a factor. A low overcast had many of the airports to east listed as marginal VFR, and as I watched the clouds from my office move in I wasn't sure I would be able to go. By 2:00 it looked a little bit better so I packed my bag and started the 45 minute trip to Wings.

As I walked out to the airplane my instructor was helping another student with his preflight for a Cessna. Only a brief greeting as I focused on the work at hand. Preflight, start, taxi and run up were all normal, although much quieter. My confidence level was very good and I was actually quite relaxed. Take off and departure were fine, and I did use the autopilot for the climb and level off. I flew north and dialed in Butter Valley (7N8) to let the airplane fly by my house (it was still there), disengaged for some hand flying, easy turns, climbs and descents, and then headed back to Wings.

I got the weather, listened for traffic and entered via the 45 for a full stop RWY 06. Very good speed control, nice pattern, but landed left of center line. A familiar voice keyed "nice work" from the Cessna at the hold short line.

It had been over three years since the last solo flight. All who read this take note...don't wait that long.

Sr20
Time = 0.8 hours.

*Note: It took less time for this entire evolution (out and back) then it took to drive out to the airport.

1N7 VOR RWY25

2009-10-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

BFR - complete

Sr20
Time = 1.7 hours

LNS VOR 26, VOR/DME 08

2009-10-09T10:30:00.005-04:00

Wednesday's winds foretold the change in seasons, cold fronts from the northwest chasing warm fronts from the southwest. My backyard weather station recorded winds at nearly 35 mph and checking the local airports all reported high winds. Fortunately I was scheduled to fly on Thursday. It was a beautiful autumn day.

The original plan was to fly north to 1N7 for a x-country validation check, but after reviewing my notes it occurred to me that I had never completed my lesson plan out to Lancaster. So I suggested this to the CFII as an alternate plan as we taxied out to the run up area and he obliged.

A simple flight plan to PTW, then to BOYER into KLNS. I briefed the VOR RWY26 approach in the run up area and departed to the north. The CFII acted as my simulated ATC providing clearance, heading and altitude changes. George and I got along just fine. I had a moment of confusion when cleared to intercept V457 and go DIRECT to DETTE, otherwise the approach went well. I wanted to exercise this because it has multiple step downs requiring vigilance of vertical speed and altitude control. I felt very comfortable using the STEC to accomplish this. We terminated the approach with a T&G.

Next was the set up for the VOR/DME 08. This one is interesting for the arc. I fumbled just a bit to get set up, but overall felt quite comfortable with the system. I was cleared DIRECT to JONJR for a Circle to Land RWY 31. As I was working through my brief I noted that the entry into the missed approach holding would be a teardrop. Nope. So I looked again and the CFII pointed out that hold is defined by the RAV 168, meaning it would be a parallel entry (No, not on the cusp) Good training on this one in use of the alternate navigation sources. While the MFD is great for showing progress, it is really nice to have 'old friends' like the tail of bearing indicator showing which radial you are crossing. Again, while not perfect, I felt comfortable controlling the system to get me where I wanted to go. Flying downwind I was informed that this would be a half flap (50%) landing which went well. We departed the area heading for home.

Along the way he failed my PFD. While you do lose attitude and directional gyros, you retain course deviation and GPS navigation. So you still have all of the means necessary for a complete approach. We had a good discussion about capabilities and continued with the well worn GPS 06 circle to land 24 at Wings. Nice landing. (...and a good lesson on setting the parking break.)

SR20
Time = 1.8 hours

KTTN VOR-A, KDYL VOR-23

2009-10-02T09:53:00.012-04:00

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Lately, I've been feeling like an old dog and when I read this piece it didn't help.

The key paragraph for me was this one: The ability to learn new operating procedures, new aircraft systems and such definitely becomes more difficult as a pilot ages. Recent research on learning has found that older people tend to rely on their previous knowledge, and don't retain newly learned material in long-term memory as well. Thus when pilots set out to learn something new such as a different FMS, they'll rely on the skills and general knowledge acquired over a longer period of time. These studies have shown that older participants (60 to 70) were slower and made more errors than younger pilots, especially on tasks requiring more information processing. One possible cause may lie in changes in cognitive processing associated with increasing age.

Well, I'm feeling a bit better now. Maybe some new neural pathways have been developed and maybe the extra study and time spent running the GNS430 simulator really made a difference. Certainly the patience of a good instructor helped, but all combined to allow me to have a good, solid flight yesterday.

The weather was just OK. A controlling high pressure area over West Virginia was holding back a slow moving cold front over the Great Lakes. Winds from the previous day had subsided and we were left with a broken-overcast layer at bout 5k. Temperatures have dropped down into the 50s. The Plan was to practice two VOR approaches emphasizing the Avidyne, Stec and GNS430 systems.

The Schedule was tight. I had managed to squeeze in a two hour slot to accommodate the airplane, instructor and my home/work availability. So when I got to the airport I immediately went out to the airplane to start the preflight. I only had to wait a few minutes until the CFII arrived and strapped in. After a brief chat about the approaches I had selected, I started the ground procedures and taxied out to the runup area. I set up the radios here and went through the briefing for the first approach. An interesting aspect about the VOR A at Trenton (Mercer) was the overlayed holding patterns. The initial pattern is aligned along the ARD 261 radial, the missed approach pattern is aligned with the ARD 109 radial. On the MFD this is depicted by a bold line for the initial and a normal line for the missed...I mention this because it confused me at first glance, a different look then how they are depicted on the NACO plates. (Old dog stuff)

I held off briefing the KDYL approach, only because I wanted to simulate an actual missed at Trenton and test myself on getting setup for going to an alternate.

Departure was normal as I took headings from the CFII and then from ATC. When directed to go direct I knew what to do and why to do it. I actually had to wait for the airplane to catch up, what luxury! The autopilot entered holding and I was directed to respond when ready for the approach. On the inbound leg, when I was ready, I was directed to take another turn for traffic (OBS button). Next inbound leg I was cleared, managed my vertical speed well (pushed the correct buttons), leveled at pattern altitude and entered a right downwind for RWY24. T&G back to ARD for the the next approach.

This one came at me much faster. My focus here was to insure GNS430 was set up with the correct destination in order to load the MFD with the proper approach. A little fumble, but did well enough. I'm stilled impressed when the plane follows the purple line and does a beautiful procedural turn. Again the vertical speed was fine and I leveled at pattern altitude. SBJ is the VOR for this approach and is about 23 miles from the airport. The radial accuracy at this distance is pretty wide, and the CFII made the point that in actual conditions you might be a mile either side of the runway. We entered an upwind leg to avoid traffic and terminated with a full stop.

At the hold short line the CFII provide some insight to my prior question about deleting the flight plan from the GNS430 to facilitate entering a new new destination. There is a menu item that allows you to do that, but a better option is the "remove approach". A more 'selective' cleanup, this lets you to use the system more efficiently (using things like 'invert FP' to get back home.) An uneventful departure form Doylestown to a VFR entry back at Wings. This was a fun flight.

At the debrief the CFII told me that I had shown a lot of improvement and asked what I had done wrong. The list in my head was loooong, but clearly he had something in mind so I said it was a 'perfect flight'. During the last approach, even though briefed, I had failed to properly set up the comm radios. Dumb.

So, the next one will be a short x-country to allow me to demonstrate the whole package. I'm anxious, and I'm ready.

Sr20
Time = 1.6 hours.

PTW VOR-A

2009-09-18T21:16:00.004-04:00

Finally, the weather was good. A cold front had stalled up in Canada leaving the weather here fairly good. I made the trip along Rt73 out to Wings in the sunshine. It was great.

I was a bit nervous since once again it had been two weeks, but I also had the touch of confidence. I am learning this stuff and felt that I could perform if I just allowed myself to think through instead of react to the situation at hand. I was ready to see what I really know about the system.

The airplane had been flown already so I knew to use the warm start procedure. The destination was quite close, therefore all the radio set up and briefings were done in the run-up area. Take off was normal, actually smooth and I refrained from clicking on George right away. Instead I climbed to 1300 and departed to the North manually. Once comfortable I exercised the knobology for the climb and set up the approach. He brought me in from the north, cleared me for the approach with one turn in the published holding pattern. So with George in Nav mode, I slected the VOR as my source, engaged approach mode as the CDI came alive and used the GNS430 flight plan to scroll down to the proper holding fix. As you can see from my track, I didn't select a great enough rate of descent to get down to the MDA before going missed.

The good news was I understood how to translate my clearance into the proper system sequence to get the airplane to execute the approach. Good stuff! Missed back to holding (learned a trick or two about the rev button) and did approach number 2. This time I chose about 900 fpm descent which got me down in time, and again executed the missed.

The big lesson: He asked me to execute the VOR-B into Pottstown Muni (N47) from the holding pattern. It is always a bit messy to thumb through the approach plates, find the right one and get setup. No paper approach plates in this airplane, insted you load the MFD. Getting this done smoothly will take some polish, but after multiple attempts I did get it done. I also needed to load the GNS430 and found that N47 should be inserted in the enroute section, not under the approach section. I have some research do for homework here, to find the easiest way to set this up. I think pressing and holding the clear button might eliminate the current flight plan allowing insertion of the new destination to be a bit easier. It was a good exercise.

Home to a VFR entry to runway 24 with an acceptable landing. I was really happy with this one.

Sr20
Time = 1.7

A difference

2009-09-13T11:22:00.004-04:00

We were a bit shocked when the sun peeked through today, after all its been nearly a week of gray skies and gloomy weather. I had a flight scheduled for Friday (9/11) but when I got up for my first conference call I knew it wasn't going to happen. Ugly clouds and a low pressure area generating gusty winds and rain showers was positioned right over Philadelphia. If the water temperatures had been 20 degrees warmer it could have been a tropical storm, instead it was just "Canc- Wx".

Disappointed, I sat back in my favorite chair and picked up the latest issue of "The Aviation Consumer" and started paging through. I liked the article by Bertorelli on page #4, EFIS Report Card. "Glass panels require a lot of consistent usage. It's comparable to using a computer program. If you don't use it every day, you won't know all of the features or be proficient in operation...flying once a month won't do it." Amen to that.

A simple example; going from en-route to a vectors to final. The 'old way' was to brief the approach, ensure navaides were set up and identified, current weather, etc. When the controller said 'Turn Right heading X, you turned right heading X. The 'new way' has the same setup, brief, etc, but a different flow. You see, you're not flying the A/C, George is, and you need to translate the commands so George can understand them. So, "Turn right heading X" means checking on the PFD where the heading bug is, ensure the heading function button is active, push the right hand knob to center it. Next check the autopilot, go from Nav Mode to Heading Mode. Now twist the knob on the PFD to the correct heading. (also, set up the GNS430 to activate vectors to final...but you would do that anyway if you had one installed.)

Does that sound like MORE work? Actually it isn't, its just different.You do more then 'just turn to X' using the old way. Your scan is minding altitude, your checking position with the tail of the needle, trimming, watching for the roll out heading, etc. That all seems natural to the point it almost becomes automatic. Telling George to do it takes care of the flying and more, and all agree that the 'situational awareness' is fantastic, but pushing the buttons is not (yet) automatic. That's the difference.

Procedures

2009-09-05T17:15:00.002-04:00

Finally good weather. Fall has come to the Northeast, temperatures are about ten degrees cooler and the skies have turned to blue.

After another two weeks to fly my easy chair thinking about knobology and procedures, I felt pretty good about getting back into the cockpit. (Not over confident by and stretch, but knowledgeable enough with GNS430 and S-Tec 55 to get from Point A to Point B.)

The CFII suggested we do the VOR-A at Allentown. Now, I've been around enough to know that VOR-A approaches are not necessarily simple. Most have little tricks or nuances that if missed during the setup will almost always cause a missed approach. This would be no exception.

The ground stuff was normal (and not perfect). My mindset was different as I was convinced not to let my errors block my attention to other things. Among these other things, I should have set a more aggressive rate of climb on the autopilot for after take off. Otherwise climb out and departure were normal (and while cautious I was pushing the right buttons.) The CFII did a great job of quizzing me on the approach setup, questioning what needed to be done, where was I on the approach what I should be doing, etc. I'm finally starting to manage the systems, not ahead of them but at least with them. I had set up the approach to go to HOPPS, and worked the navcomms in the GNS430 to define that intersection. When the Controller approved vectors to final I altered my plan and chose the right option. And here I had a brain fart. You see, this approach has a dog leg, 210 into FJC followed by 182 outbound, so my brain told me that 182 was the final approach course. Wrong answer. Now, I had FJC dialed in, I had 210 dialed in and I hit approach mode when my CDI came alive, but my slow cooker of a brain was still trying to reconcile the FAC. In my mind, this means a lot of twisting and turning to get this to all work out. Nope, the plane can handle it just fine. What it can't do is start the descent unless I tell it to. So, I should have started a pretty aggressive descent at BOUNCE, instead I was worried about what was going to happen at the VORTAC. Blew it.

The Tower was very nice when I told him we were going missed and I'm sure he was glad that we were leaving his control to the south. I switched and then canceled Radar Services with Allentown and headed home. One more head work error setting up for the VFR entry. I've always crossed the field 2500' to descend to pattern altitude for RWY24. KLOM was landing RWY06, so again my head was...well not screwed tightly where it should be. The CFII helped me save some dignity by having me fly North to avoid traffic, essentially giving me another shot at it. I got the speed off and flew something resembling a pattern to an OK landing (not great and left of center-line) .

This was actually a good flight. I messed up a lot, but I've been in this place before. I haven't made all possible mistakes, but a large enough percentage that I can start moving forward. I have just a hint of optimism, a dash of confidence, and a better idea of who I am. The journey continues.

Sr20
Time = 1.2 hours

Incomplete

2009-09-05T16:44:00.002-04:00

The weather has been a real challenge this year. While I had scheduled about four sessions, three were canceled before I got to the car for the drive to the airport. Some has been frontal activity but most was just convective buildup. It didn't seem to make much difference what time of the day I tried, weather was a factor.

So I was happy to take some time off on a Friday morning that looked like I could get some time in. Unfortunately It wasn't going to stay clear long enough for me to get my work done. By the time we got out to Lancaster the weather data in the aircraft was showing red and purple blotches on the final approach course. So, with ATC advising us that the cells were ominous we changed our plans and diverted to KLOM. I chose the GPS06 circle to land RWY24. The landing back home was a good one, in gusty cross winds.

So some progress is being made, but not nearly as fast as I had hoped. Basic airwork is fine, and I enjoy hand flying the plane. Headwork is below average; I'm still not thinking like an IFR pilot and making mental errors that I allow to distract me. The most important thing holding me back are procedures. Fortunately, that is something that can be corrected. I'm frustrated, but part of this endeavor is learning more about myself in addition to the airplane and it's systems.

Sr20
Time = 1.1
0.5 Actual

* I was sitting in my home office enduring yet another conference call while looking out at gorgeous blue cloudless skies. Flying west at about 3000' I saw a four engine piston aircraft. Yes, a B17, probably out of Lancaster following the airshow. Pretty darn cool.

Pattern Work

2009-08-08T09:08:00.002-04:00

When I got up the weather was gray and foggy, some light showers following the cold front which had brought very heavy showers during the night. A quick check of the weather maps convinced me that we would be VFR by flight time.

I had studied the arc approaches out at LNS, run the GNS430 simulator and felt comfortable that I could replicate them in the aircraft. So, for that and a variety of other reasons decided that it might be good to spend some time in the pattern. It was a good choice.

I have always liked the landing pattern. It offers a little bit of all phase of flight, and the reward of a smooth landing is wonderful. As always, it was time well spent with the instructor. A few bad habits were identified that I can hopefully correct for the next flight.

A great way to spend an afternoon.

Sr20
Time = 1.2 hours

New Airplane

2009-08-01T19:46:00.001-04:00

from Montgomery County Aviation

CIRRUS ALERT!

MCA is proud to announce the new arrival of the Cirrus Perspective SR 20. For all you G1000 lovers this is your opportunity to check out the next Generation Cockpit and explore all that Cirrus Perspective has to offer. Please call today to make arrangements for your intro flight. We will be having a Cirrus day at the field in the near future so all of our students can come and experience what Cirrus and MCA have to offer. We also have a desktop simulator to help expedite your training at a minimal cost per hour.

Also for the Avidyne lovers we have added another SR20 to the rental fleet as well as the SR 22 which is also available should you have the desire to step up and experience truly the best flying aircraft in the industry. Cirrus is second to none when it comes to cockpit awareness and safety.

Simple NDB Approach

2009-07-31T09:51:00.008-04:00

Two weeks since my last flight because the weather in the Northeast is still marginal. I guess I've been spoiled by flying in the Atlanta area. Yes, the weather gets ugly there too, but you can plan around the thunderstorm activity. Planning here is just impossible, so finding a good weather day is mere chance. Thursdays seem to work well for the current cycle.

Having spent so much time on the VOR approach with a holding entry, I wanted to see what the autopilot would do with an approach with a procedural turn. Quakertown (UKT) provides an NDB 29 (with GPS overlay) which includes some step downs along the way.

Preflight was normal, she needed some gas but the oil looked like it had recently been changed. The rest of the airplane looked good (I'm still thrilled to be able to fly a plane like this.) I finished my checklist and turned the key..and waited. No joy. What I should have known prior to start was that the airplane had been flown that day and was still warm...requiring the warm start procedure. Following the normal/cold start procedure flooded the engine. **Note to self, ask if the plane has flown when I pick up the key. Yes, the engine was warm when I checked, but I attributed that to sitting in the sun.

The rest of the ground procedures were normal and comfortable. I let the take off roll go too long, but otherwise the departure went fine. Setup and entry for the approach also went well. I am truly amazed at what the system can do. In the 'old days' I would perform the 5(I used 6) Ts: Time (for reporting purposes), Twist (CDI to outbound course), Turn (to the outbound course), Time (outbound for procedure turn), Transition (to new airspeed/altitude/or configuration), Talk (position report). While I audit those factors, the airplane is capable of aviating and navigating the approach entry hands off. The trick is being able to tell the airplane (through the GNS430) what you want it to do, and there are always a variety of ways to do that. My training is to understand all of those options and to understand the optimal use of the system at any given time.

So, once PT inbound I wait for the 'needle to come alive' to put the autopilot into Approach mode. Now I'm on the final approach course inbound and can make my first step down. How? There is no vertical guidance so I can set a vertical speed and automatic altitude capture, or just push the Alt button when I reach desired altitude. FAF requires a transition (half flaps) and descent to MDA. Again, options to be considered on how to do this with the various modes of the autopilot and I dutifully try each one. (CFII must be going nutz as he has told me this a dozen times, but my training requires me to make the mistake with each unsatisfactory option to fully understand the ramifications.) My rate of descent was too shallow so we missed and headed back for published holding.

A brief discussion about approach plates. Previously I would look down at my kneeboard and see the entire picture. Header, planview, minimums, etc, I would would cross check that plate a half-dozen times while on the approach. The chart function in the airplane has all of this information as well (and more), but it is divided into four views which can be displayed by cycling the view button. I'm getting comfortable with this but still lack efficiency. In this case I could have found and used the optimum vertical speed, but didn't...another lesson learned.

The training I've pointed out above is all secondary to the real key to controlling this technology; mastery of the GNS430. It is simply not good enough to have a basic understanding of some of the functions. This again became clear setting up for the 're do' approach from holding. Choosing the complete approach from Proc button (my choice) tells the airplane to do the whole approach with procedural turn, but realistically, if you're in holding already you don't want that. So understanding what options are available and where they can be found is vital if you expect to utilize the suite effectively.

This was a great exercise, the flight concluded with a GPS 24 back home..no issues. I'm always delighted to fly by Willow Grove (NXX), a former 'stomping ground'. Landing was OK.

Sr20
Time = 1.9 hours

Select the Navigation Source

2009-07-22T13:20:00.006-04:00

I wanted to go back to PTW to see if I really understood all aspects of the system. I had learned a lot from my last adventure over there and I hoped it was all coming together.

I was fortunate to pick a day between storms, fronts and other weather makers. The Northeast is still being hammered by ugly weather, so picking a time in the afternoon has a really a low percentage of getting airborne. I got out to the airplane as soon as possible, got the preflight done and buckled in. The CFII came out in a few minutes and told me a new Cirrus had just arrived. It is always good news to hear about additions to the fleet, and I look forward to taking advantage of flying a brand new airplane.

The ground procedures flowed normally, and the takeoff went well. As I started puching the buttons on the GNS430 the CFII stopped me. I had chosen direct-to GOOGL..why? Why not just activate the approach? His question was aimed at establishing standard procedures, not the functioning of the box. It was then that another puzzle piece fit into place. I had been studying the manlas for the GNS430 looking to find out why I fumbled seeting up navigation. Sometimes its the simple stuff and the CFII finally got it into my skull, you must have the correct source slected on the PFD BEFORE hitting the the autopilot NAV button.
My eagerness to engage George made me skip that key check. Hopefully a lesson well learned (again). Additional points were made in holding and setup, breifing and execution of the approach. This resulted in a full stop and taxi back for takeoff.

The weather check showed some interesting activity over at Wings. A little purple surrounded by red and yellow on the map didn't look inviting. The buildups were beautiful, but not anything I wanted to get close too. Listening to ATC confirmed that they were overloaded with traffic around the Philadelphia area trying to get around this nasty stuff. We decided to find a clear spot and wait for a few minutes. So I decided to 'hand fly' this pretty lady and relax a bit. Eventually the controller was able to fit us in for a GPS 24 back at LOM. By that time the trouble had moved south and it allowed a nice clean approach and landing.

SR20
Time = 1.9

FJC V149 LHY V408 V483 FILPS

2009-07-14T19:15:00.007-04:00

The CFII suggested that we go out of the local area so that I could get a better appreciation of the departure, en route, and terminal phases of the flight. I suspect he thought I would head south, or maybe east to the beach, but I have a bit of history with Poughkeepsie and decided to venture up to Dutchess County.

I used Fltplan.com to pick the route and it provided a very simple PTW-FJC-HUO into KPOU. The CFII filed as I went out to preflight. No problems, engine start was normal, but during the taxi out I cut the corner a bit sharp trying to avoid another parked plane and got stuck on the grass. Another embarrassing start. I did get the opportunity to perform a warm start.

The rest of the ground procedures were normal, I spent the time in the run up area to program the GNS430. I also learned that getting Clearance Delivery doesn't work using the A/C radios, so the SOP is to use the cell phone. OK, so here I am with headset, bifocals and cellphone trying to take copy my clearance...you can bet it is not 'as filed'. I took down all the fixes and completed the read back. Later, the CFII suggested that I could challenge unreasonable routing's by asking if changing desired altitude might improve the route. I managed to fumble through it and the CFII helped out by re-programming the GNS430. Klutz comes to mind, but somehow we got airborne.

As you can see from the track, TRACON took us north before going east. Eventually we were cleared direct and requested the LOC 06 circle to 24 approach. All other procedures and communications went well, but my set up for the right downwind was WAY too close and actually turned into a modified left base to final. Landing was OK and we went over to Richmor Aviation to stretch our legs. (So if I ever do get the opportunity to fly up on business, I must find a way to expense the landing fee.)

The trip home was a little more direct, with most of the trip used just to enjoy flying. The weather was great and I got to see an old friend, the monument at High Point NJ. I was taken there as a boy on day trips, and passed it a few times as a pilot, including my first xcountry flight. Approach asked me if I had the weather at wings, and while I had been listening, we were still too far out for a clear transmission. Old school, there is a much more sophisticated way to get the weather IF you remember it is available. The flight ended with a LOC 24 back at LOM. Nice landing.

Progress is being made. Satisfactory when I'm on my plan, but not so much when forced to improvise. Think ahead of the autopilot when getting vectors, know what it means to the GNS430 to proceed on course or go direct to the next way point. Most of all, rely on the GPS for the primary Navigation source. While the VOR CDI is an old friend, GPS is driving this system.

Sr20
Time = 3.0

Actual

2009-07-10T17:22:00.008-04:00

I scheduled the plane and instructor three times last week. I only got the first one in, the others were canceled due to weather. I had driven out for each flight, actually started the preflight for the one scheduled in the afternoon, but the cumulus built up so rapidly I only got the the sun shade off the glare shield before the CFII said to forget about it.

As I drove out this morning the conditions were better. My weather maps and forecasts all showed lots of low pressure, but no weather makers in the local vicinity. I was pretty sure this would be a go.

The object was to become familiar with the navigation/autopilot systems again. A VFR flight out to KRDG for the ILS 36 followed by an approach at KPTW and finish up with another (LOC06) back at KLOM. The preflight/startup/taxi were all normal...not uneventful, but normal. He gave me a simulated clearance direct PTW, direct HUMEL direct RDG, and I spent a bit of extra time in the run up area getting that all programmed into the GNS430.

I felt good, not necessarily ahead of the airplane, but able to keep up with it. The first big lesson was when to engage the APR function on the autopilot. Since I did that late, the rest of the approach was catchup, which ended in a circle to land low approach to runway 31 and then out to DUMMR for holding. My 'knob-ology' is getting better and at times I can actually anticipate what will/should happen next. However, the chart function in the plane lack some intuitiveness, and I still need to work on my approach/missed approach briefing. We spent some extra time driving the racetrack while I discussed options for setting up the next approach, and while we did that the clouds started to blossom. Requested and received IFR clearance. It has been a very long time since I've seen the inside of a cloud.

The setup and execution for a repeat ILS RWY 36 went well, and so did the published missed approach. A few more turns and I requested to go back to Wings via Pottstown. Instead he gave me direct to BUNTS and then Phila approach approved the LASBE transition. Having selected the right transition in the GNS430 meant I merely had to activate the approach...slick stuff. No issue with the rest of the procedure, I cancelled IFR, broke it off at 1500 feet to enter the traffic pattern. Setup was OK, but horrible airspeed control resulted in a Go-Around. The next attempt (not perfect) led to a nice landing.

Progress. The puzzle pieces are really coming together now. This one felt very good.

SR20
Time = 2.7
Actual IFR = 0.8

Back in the Saddle

2009-06-30T09:20:00.005-04:00

Don't move to Pennsylvania for the climate. The weather has been more like Seattle than Philadelphia, only the rain has been harder and more frequent. Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. Lots of activity at work, family events and the horrible weather here in the Northeast had me grounded for six weeks.

I was afraid the traffic going through the little towns and villages along Rt 73 would be heavy during the morning rush hour, but the trip in wasn't bad at all. I got to the airport early and sat for a few minutes in the car composing myself. Nervous. The CFII made it easy, talked about the long layoff and mentioned that so many students were struggling to stay current. This flight would be used to knock off the rust and get comfortable in the cockpit again.

So we did a simple VFR flight to the north, a few truns, climbs and descents an entry and two landings. Most of it came back to me, but my pattern work and landings were lousey. Unassisted, but way below my expectations.
The primary objcetive was accomplished, I had fun.

SR20
Time = 0.9 hours

A better Perspective

2009-05-27T07:51:00.004-04:00

Canc: Wx. It was marginal at best. A cold front had moved just south of the area and the low pressure area had lots of crud associated with it. Some airports were still reporting VFR, but most were changing to IFR and many were reporting high gusty winds. Since I wanted to do that )@#^ approach the conditions might be sufficient, but the other work in the pattern might not get done due to the winds. The trends predicted the weather to get worse.

So I drove out to the airport anyway, just to see the actual conditions at the field for myself. As I was getting out of the car my CFII called to offer his opinion and I decided not to go. I went into the office to cancel the flight and schedule another for next week. (If the weather ever breaks I'll try to go sooner, but the 'weather guessers' say its not going to get flyable for awhile.)

The Owner was sitting behind the desk and asked how things were going. I'm making progress, but not as fast as I thought I would. I love the airplane and am having fun, I like working with his staff and the CFII, so things are good. He has a deep background in power plant and systems technology and started asking probing questions about my last 'non-flight'. Evidently resetting the autopilot cb really should not have fixed the problem. He suspects that the controls were not neutralized properly during the check which may have lead to the failed servo indication. Interesting.

...and then the other systems questions started popping. The engine had been at low idle for awhhile, did I consider pushing the power up and burning off possible build up? Why does the book say do a mag check at 1700 RPM (not 2000 like it is for most other aircraft I've flown)? Why do you check to insure the flap light is not on when you do the battery check during preflight? How can you tell if the external lights are working from cockpit indications? What are the nominal engine indications during takeoff or cruise? What key indicator engine indicator should you monitor during Takeoff and climb out? Have you noticed that when you disconnect the autopilot the electric trim doesn't respond immediately?

...and many more "why's" and "how's". It was a good workout, and I'm afraid I didn't do too well. This is partly due to my current perspective. I realize the systems work is important, even vital for single engine operations in IFR conditions, but I'm still at that stage focused on checklists and procedures. I've yet to graduate to the "why" kind of questions.

It was great hanger talk. I'm not sure that all of the questions could be answered by studying the POH. This conversation provided motivation to learn more about the airplane...and enjoy the journey to becoming proficient again.

Preflight

2009-05-20T13:18:00.002-04:00

Why bother? The airplane had just been flown, the engine was still warm. Everything looked great, so why bother with all the ground procedures...Turn and burn, Baby!

...eh, not so fast. During the autopilot check in the run up area I didn't get any pressure from the roll servo. Pitch servo was weak and the electric trim didn't seem to have full range. Since I REALLY wanted to revisit the PTW LOC28 with my new understanding of the the navigation/autopilot system, this was a key element for my flight. So, we back taxied to the ramp area for some trouble shooting. It turns out resetting the autopilot circuit breaker did the trick.

We rolled back to the run up area and continued with the checklist. As I pushed it up to 1700 RPM I noticed the #1 cylinder was not responding. (Was it off line during our taxi? Not that I noted, but I didn't specifically look at it either. I just remember seeing green.) Pop Pop, etc. CHT at zero, and EGT below 200 seemed to indicate she just wan't firing. Back to the ramp.

So I got to see how to take the bonnet off and got a good look at the engine. Smaller then I expected and what a beauty. Spark plug changed, buttoned up and subsequent check proved that a failed plug was the problem.

Unfortunately the delay went beyond my planned endurance. So while we had a simply georgeous Pennsylvania afternoon, I was unable to take advantage of it. Rats.

Sr20
Time = 0.6 hours.

LOC RWY 28 (PTW)

2009-05-13T10:28:00.012-04:00

The weather was just perfect. Very few clouds in the sky and mild temperatures made it a perfect day for flying. I got to the airport on time and spent a few minutes with the CFII to go over the last flight. (VFR entry and pattern altitudes, where documented, etc...no, not necessarily in the Airport/Facility Directory.)

Ground work went fine. I took my time setting up the radios on the ramp and was introduced to pulling up charts on the MFD suing the select function rather then loading them from the GNS430. It is pretty much the same method of selecting letters by scrolling through the alphabet. The rest of ground procedures including run up, copying simulated clearance and take off all went well. I engaged the Nav function too soon on departure (still on vectors so should have stayed in HDG mode) but the rest of the air work was OK.

Objectives: Terminal Procedures. The LOC 28 approach at Pottstown is pretty straight forward. Holding pattern in lieu of a procedural turn, Googl Intersection is the Initial and Final Approach Fix and is defined by the final approach course (276) and a radial (160) from the East Texas VOR (ETX).Missed approach is a climbing right turn heading 090 until intercepting the ETX 160 then back to Googl to hold. No tricks involved, all in all as simple as they come.

So if this was so easy how did I end up with this spaghetti?
It all has to do with with interaction of the GNS430, and understanding of the reference points it uses and how it tells the autopilot to fly the various aspects of the approach. The last time I was IFR current I used a GNS430 along with with two CDIs and one with a glide slope. (Also had an ADF that I never used.) My transition is to take the knowledge I had then and apply it to what I have now...in some cases that can't be done.

First Attempt: Late transition, and used too shallow a descent on the autopilot (-500) so never had a chance to get down to the MDA. Executed the published Missed Approach. ETX is in the VLOC2 so I look for my #2 CDI. Don't have one. So I stumble figuring out that I can use the Bearing indicator and wait for the tail to fall to 160. OR, better method would be to switch the source for the CDI to VLOC 2 while flying the HDG of 090.

Once on the 160 Radial then what? Let's go direct to Googl. So, I open the FPL on GPS1, find GOOGL and punch direct. AHAH! Which GOOGL? It makes a difference for the logic of the system. So it took me some time to understand the differences and how it would effect the track the autopilot would choose to fly.

Another Attempt. There is a subtlety setting up the source and switching from VLOC1 to GPS1. You must insure that you GPS is selected prior to initiating NAV GPSS mode, otherwise it generated a "Fail" message. I also asked about timing. There is a timer incorporated under the function button on the transponder. The GNS430 can also be used to provide time to the fix. In all attempts I forgot to use either one.

Final attempt: resulted in a full stop landing.

Next I set up to return to KLOM. Used the Menu button on the GNS430 to reverse the flight plan and planned for the GPS 6 circle to land 24. I copied Radar Vectors, took some heading changes and briefed the approach. My setup was slow, slightly overflying the final approach course. I did get all of the correct indications and understood what the system was presenting and knew it was correct. However I lowered flaps too soon and allowed the airplane to slide above the glide slope as I prepared for the pattern entry. The landing was good, although to much speed on final forced a long roll out.

Fantastic learning session.

Sr20
Time = 2.0 hours

Approaches (Simulated)

2009-05-09T08:18:00.007-04:00

Different day, different time. I went out to the airport Tuesday evening hoping to get in some actual instrument time, and nearly got through the preflight before we decided to cancel. The weather in the Northeast has been terrible for flying over the past week. I rescheduled for Friday at 11:00AM.

The weather for Friday was forecast to be IFR with embedded thunderstorms. What a pleasant surprise to find the sun shinning. I got to the airport on time, briefed what we wanted to do and I went out to preflight. I still had a few nagging questions that the CFII patiently answered. Ground procedures at a non towered field are finally coming together.

Objectives: Practice flying in an IFR environment.

It had been a long time. I remembered to put my kneeboard on but forgot to take my time copying the simulated clearance. Frustrating to be unable to even copy and readback a clearance correctly, but even here helpful tips about local procedures filled in gaps on what to expect from ATC.

The takeoff and climb out were normal, although warmer temperatures and higher humidity had an effect on performance. It was about this point when the airplane started to get out in front of me. I had not made the mental adjustment to go from VFR to IFR flying. I was concentrating on checklists and hand flying the plane when I should have engaged the autopilot and begun setting up for the next event. So while I concentrated on pushing the "Done" button on the MFD I wasn't working on the procedures necessary to fly the plane in IFR conditions. Aviate/Navigate/Communicate; all suffered.

...but, I learned. Slowly. First the ILS into KABE, Accepted radar vectors, played with the GNS430, and really worked on the relationship between the autopilot and the approach, which was the point of the whole flight. Understanding what the autopilot is programed to do fly the approach for both precision and non-precision approaches.

The ILS went fine but the missed not so well. When it came time to enter holding I was unsure of the entry. Why? I didn't know the outbound holding course. Why? I struggled to find it on the chart. Ah, but the root cause was that I failed to brief the approach! You can play with the toys but the fundamentals can't be ignored. This would bite me again over at Quakertown. Once the CFII helped me find the right chart view, the holding entry calculation was obviously a teardrop. The airplane flew it perfectly.

We left holding and flew to KUKT for a non precision approach with a procedural turn. I was only slightly behind the airplane as I set up the communications and navigation radios. Anxious to get the autopilot set, I pushed the approach button on the outbound leg which told it I was ready for steering for the final approach course. Correcting that, the airplane flew a beautiful procedural turn to set us up for the inbound course. Without an approach brief (which should have been done in the previous holding pattern) I got confused looking for the MDA on the charts.

Enough fun for today, we wisely opted for a visual approach at home base. I was able to use the system to load the airport view and plan for the entry. The approach was high, I made good corrections and a nice landing.

Wow, what a wakeup call! In a previous life this would have been a 'down'. Fortunately I can be educated and am anxious for another try at this.

Sr20
Time = 1.9 hours.

GNS430,Waypoints and Enroute Procedures

2009-04-29T06:29:00.008-04:00

Hot. Temperatures for the past few days had been in the 90s and a cold front was moving from the west. I would have expected thunder bumpers in Georgia, but here the air was just slightly unstable, with gusts showing up on some of the METARs. Nothing that would keep us from flying.

My prep work was much more extensive this week. I 'flew' every checklist at least once, ran numerous flight plans through the simulators, pulled out the POH and went over some the systems pages, and in general thought a lot about what I was trying to do. I arrived at the airport much more confident and ready to fly.

Objective; finish up the enroute procedures, correctly enter the terminal area and fully exercise "George". The CFII choose to go to Schuylkill County /Joe Zerbey (ZER), POTTSVILLE, PA, Elevation: 1729. Looked to be about a 20 minute trip which should give me time to exercise the system, and myself.

Preflight was normal. Clean oil and a loose screw on an access panel meant she had probably just finished a 100 hour inspection. Ground work was all normal as was the takeoff. We had the opportunity to go through the Auto Lean procedure and with checklist complete began concentrating on the MFD. Charts, trip and nearest pages as well as a review of the weather information (there was some turbulence out there due to the heat).

Next my focus switched to terminal procedures. 12 miles out so I started to get the plane ready. MFD said the airport was on the nose...but I didn't see it. 8 miles, still not in sight. So I triple checked the MFD and it appeared to be just beyond I81 on the other side of the mountain. 5 miles, no joy. At this point the CFII suggested I change the range on the display and with that it became clear that KZER was not in a valley but on the ridge. Beautiful.

Not the best entry I've ever done. But a good lesson in using the available information in the plane to understand the 'lay of the land' and how to make adjustments for a VFR landing pattern.
This was a great choice to do some landing practice. The steep drop offs forced me to concentrate on the runway and the proper procedures. I had a misconception about the deployment of the first notch of flaps which the CFII finally corrected, and there were a few other kinks that I was finally getting straightened. Not perfection...but close to competent, and my comfort level is getting better all the time. I can be trained.

So we departed there and headed for home. I used the system resources to monitor the trip, and was introduced to the Cirrus Satellite Entertainment System. No joke, cool stuff. We discussed and input the GPS 06 approach (Circle to Land) using vertical guidance on the GNS430. That is a page I had not seen before which I think will be very useful. (When do you begin your descent?)
We broke off the approach at pattern altitude, made the necessary transitions to enter the pattern for a full stop at home. (I blew the landing...too nose high...I hate that.) Taxi back, shutdown, etc all normal.

I'm getting there.

Sr20
Time = 1.9 hours

Cirrus Sr20, glass panel, flight training, introduction S-TEC 55x

2009-04-22T13:08:00.006-04:00

OK, so that title should tickle just about every search engine out there for anyone who might be interested in this blog. My son convinced me to add Google Analytics to see who was actually reading this thing so this entry might prove to be interesting.

The weather looked a lot like last week. Three or four fronts were moving through the area and brought very heavy rains with them last night. The next big event was a cold front still moving east across western Pennsylvania. It was going slower then predicted and while ugly, it was still out further then we intended to travel. Flight conditions were definitely 'iffy'.

My preparation was weak. I'm at the stage where I know a lot and I know that there is a lot I don't know. At times I'm completely comfortable, but most of the time...well not so much. I remember the level of proficiency I once had and am eager to get there again, but my knowledge is insufficient at this point. So I went into this session with mixed emotions. Eager to perform but afraid I wouldn't meet my own expectations. I didn't let myself down.

The objective was to get an introduction to enroute procedures using the autopilot. I planned a short hop out to Lancaster (KLNS) which should provide enough time to run the standard checklists and start polishing my use of the GNS430 and its use for terminal procedures.

Rather then humble myself in front of the whole world I'll suffice to say that I made errors from the time I turned the key on until I pulled the mixture to cut off. I clearly need to fly my easy chair a few times before I go up in the airplane again. Having said that, I will also say that this was truly an amazing learning experience.
I anxiously took the runway ready to go. All in the green and accelerating nicely the CFII asked if I heard it? That whistling sound? I initiated the abort. My door wasn't closed properly. BE AWARE! Once clear of the runway a good slam solved the problem. The next try was successful.

The CFII patiently had me go through the climb and cruise checklists and reviewed the auto-lean functions with me. I spent a good deal of time discussing the most efficient way to set up the communications radios. The real 'break through' event was the use of the MFD. That weather supposedly staying west of our destination, wasn't. Deep dark storm clouds were rolling in over the destination airport so the instructor used this to his advantage by pointing out the weather page and going through all of the information available. Truly GREAT stuff.

...and with that knowledge we decided discretion being the better part of valor we would return to Wings. Here again a great discussion on setting up the GNS430 (what if you need to change your full approach to use vectors to final instead?) and interlocking with the S-TEC-55x. You've got to know what you want and be prepared with options.

Next was landing pattern practice. I love this, which is not to say that I have mastered it yet. As you can see my patterns are consistently...inconsistent. Even this shows progress because I KNOW what I'm looking at and what I'm trying to achieve. Some subtle tips and cues from the CFII definitely helped me to get in front of the airplane. The altitude analysis shows I'm leveling off late for the downwind. The deeper pattern is actually the better one and even here I feel high on final. Tuning is required, but overall I'm quite comfortable, especially once over the numbers. Here again I'm learning to be professional. Treat her like a lady with smooth adjustments...close the throttle, don't chop it.

The #1 objective of this entire evolution is being accomplished. Even though I'm still kicking myself for all the stupid, clumsy mistakes I made I still had a grin on my face the entire way home from the airport.

Sr20
Time = 2.2 hours

Weather Picture

2009-04-14T16:58:00.004-04:00

We were scheduled to depart about 5:00PM local, but the weather gods had connived a horrid plan to keep me on the ground. 3 fronts around a low pressure area, temperatures and dew points nearly exactly the same and gusty winds just to make the stew a little more unpalatable. I knew by noon that we wouldn't be able to make it.

I've had a good run of luck using Tuesdays as my flying day. As I reach the halfway point in my transition training I hope I'll be able to keep my schedule on the same day.

Simulated Instrument

2009-04-11T07:28:00.010-04:00

A warm front was slowly moving north and its associated low pressure area was dragging some rain showers along for the ride. The forecast was gloomy, 70% chance of showers, low visibility and low ceilings. So as I looked at all of the weather information at 8:00 am I was pretty sure my flight in the evening would have to be canceled. But...it really didn't look too bad here at home. Perhaps there was a chance the 'weather guessers' were wrong.

I got out to the flight school early and immediately went in search of my CFII. He was in a deep discussion with other instructors about some of the latest simulator technology so I made myself comfortable in the lounge. There I listened to another instructor talk about an adventure with another pilot who had incorrectly set an altimeter. Hanger talk, I love it.

Objectives: Enroute procedures, terminal area procedures, and always my favorite; landing pattern.

Preflight and ground checklists are finally becoming comfortable. I'm not 100% smooth yet, but at least I get that 'uneasy feeling' when I've broken sequence or missed something. The cockpit is becoming familiar enough that I don't feel like a stranger. So as another 'company traffic' Cirrus landed while we waited at the hold short line, I was ready to go and made my call. Immediately my instructor was on the brakes. Huh? (We don't do position and hold anymore...two years of rust has an effect.) Wait until the aircraft has cleared the runway before taxiing into position.

Sub par takeoff as I allowed the plane to drift left prior to rotate. Climb out on course and checklist all went well. He reintroduced me to the auto-lean function, which I understand, but will have to perform before it is a part of me. Then he asked if I wanted to put the 'foggles' on. It take a few seconds to adjust with my bifocals and when he gave the plane back we were in a steep turn to the left...and here is one of the real jewels of flying glass. The attitude gyro..uh, indicator, is HUGE.

We picked up vectors for the ILS into KABE. I squirmed in my seat a bit as I haven't flown any approach in a long time. Again the instrumentation in the plane is magnificent. Even with a weak scan it is very easy to see course and glide slope deviation as it is displayed right where it should be on the PFD. I was pleased that I could stay ahead of the airplane and didn't suffer from the 'snakes' (chasing the needles). Got down to mins, foggles off for an acceptable touch and go. Then we headed out for holding at the missed approach point. My only problem here was trying to find a clock for timing. Of course with GPS you really only have to follow the magenta road.

Next he introduced me to the wonders of the autopilot. Immediately evident is that pilot skills must change. The airplane can handle most of the 5Ts, make the necessary wind corrections and adjust the inbound leg by itself. The pilot becomes a systems master, insuring all are working properly and using his head to plan for the next event(s).

So, what is the most efficient way to plan for the next event? I asked the CFII to take the airplane and demonstrate how he would set up for an approach at KLOM. With a variety of radios, navigation aides, onboard checklists and approach plates, it can be a daunting task to get a systematic flow to insure the all are efficiently doing what they should be doing. The autopilot did the flying, right down to mins where I took it for the landing.

The CFII asked if I wanted to work on the landing pattern. I always answer "YES" to this question. Unfortunately I still wasn't as crisp as I can be. You simply got to know speeds and power settings, and I didn't. Without a good pattern you won't have good landings. The last was 'in the groove' and I was happy with it. The instructor wisely ended the session on a positive note.
I'm anxious to go again.

Sr-20
Time = 2.4
Simulated Instrument = 0.5

Kick the Tires, light the fires

2009-04-01T12:22:00.008-04:00

I'm sure it was really never that easy. As A/C have become more complex the ground procedures to check the myriad systems the pilot depends upon have by necessity become more involved as well. This session focused on those procedures.

The weather was perfect. A beautiful day sandwiched between a fast moving cold front with embedded hail storms and another stationary front funneling rain showers along the low pressure area.

Objective: Familiarization with enroute procedures and practice in the landing pattern. The CFII suggested that we go to Reading (KRDG).

I'm becoming more comfortable with the preflight and initial cockpit procedures. The flow of items make good sense to me. I still bump my head, takes me awhile to adjust my seat and get it started but I'm confident that will improve. As we finished the break check an Eclipse Jet taxied through the ramp area..what a shame.

My attention turned to getting the plane to the run up area. MFD switched to engine functions and checked to insure HSI and turn indicator track properly and manage the speed, with occasional right brake to counter torque. Then make sure the nose wheel is centered once turned into the wind.
Next came the "Run Up", actually the Before Takeoff checklist. I did 'OK" with most of the steps. finally got the autopilot check, although I got confused trying to set the trim when I failed to disconnect it. My major stumbling block this time was the memory items. Anxious to push the power up 'precisely' 1700 RPM, I forgot how I was going to check the alternators and voltages. Rats. Another lesson learned.

We took some time to set up the navigation and communication radios on the GNS430s. Using the chart function on the MFD to find frequencies, approaches and airport data needed for the trip is great.I've made a note to switch my current chart subscription to Jeppeson. Checklist complete, it was time to move to the hold short line.

Unfortunately I couldn't get the plane to turn right. Try as I might to release the left brake I just kept going left. After shutting down we found the left tire was flat. Fortunate to find it here, but nonetheless disappointed our session was over...except for the walk back to the office.

Sr-20
Time =0.6

Footnote: We had a very good discussion about the use of the airframe parachute. Another well known blogger had written an excellent analysis of the situation and what contributing factors may have led to the use of one in Gaithersburg. Key was the discussion about solid head work and decision making that must accompany the added sophistication the Cirrus designs provide.

Making Friends

2009-03-25T10:01:00.005-04:00

My new checklist in hand, I walked out to the ramp alone to start the preflight. I wanted the chance to poke around a little by myself, nothing too invasive, no access panels removed, just a good thorough hands on inspection. It helped me to make sense of the process.

Next I asked the CFII to stress ground procedures. While he and I both knew I would be getting plenty of practice on these, there were a few steps that I just didn't get and wouldn't feel comfortable 'bumping' against them each time we got ready to fly. He did a great job in forcing me to hit each step. It took longer to get in the air but gave me more comfort sitting on the ground. The autopilot check makes sense to me now, as well as a number of other steps on the list.

As we started the take off roll the CFII had us abort, he heard the whistling sound of a door not quite closed. Something new for me to take into my takeoff readiness check. Evidently Cirrus doors have a minor issue with latching completely closed. Once clear of the runway I gave it another good slam and resolved the problem. The next attempt at a takeoff was successful and after cleaning the aircraft up we turned north to the practice area.

Objectives: High work. Steep turns, slow flight, power off and power on stalls, and always my favorite, introduction to the landing pattern.

Weather: Fantastic. Cool, dry air with not a cloud in the sky.

The plane performs well, the pilot has a way to go. As you can see from the picture, none of my work was to PTS, but it was a real learning experience. As I said before, the sidestick is not an issue. After a few turns you forget about it and attention moves on to other things. My mother gave me a good analogy. If you've ever moved a favorite clock in your home, you get a little confused when you look to see the time and it isn't there. The VSI is great, the altimeter OK, airspeed and percent power are just not a part of me yet. Of course, figuring out where everything is and making corrections effects the overall scan. I'll get there, just not there yet.

The plane is a Lady. She flies smooth, handles well, stalls clean but lets you know it if you're uncoordinated. Take all the gadgets out of her and she would still love to fly. She also has a few quirks. I've never been a fan of electric trim and really miss that big wheel next to my right knee. The glare shield is useless for a reference point, as it cants toward the pilot giving the illusion that you need to add some left rudder. I'm sure there will be more, but nothing that will detract from my overall impression of what a fine aircraft those Klapmeier boys have put together.

The landings are sweet....but different. Can you say F_L_A_T? Forget what you think about what a flare should look like. This girl likes her nose down as she lands a bit faster then most planes I've flown (70kts). When your eyes transition down to the end of the runway, DON"t use the glareshield for alignment...you really don't need that left rudder you think you do. Otherwise, no problem. Did you ever wonder how to get from the runway to the ramp..charts on the MFD with a real time display of where you are on the field. Nice. I'm still not sure of my 'speeds & feeds' which bothers me. I'll work this week to nail all of the landing pattern numbers, flap configurations, etc. My scan is improving and I felt very comfortable with the final landing at home base, but I was not as precise as I could be in the pattern.

Overall, a very long way to go. This was a great flight and I know I can do this again. The CFII went a long way to help me get some confidence back.

Sr20
Time = 2.5 hours

Overwhelmed

2009-03-16T19:15:00.004-04:00

A warm front south of us was being held in place by some disorganized High pressure areas to the west, put precipitation was creeping up behind the front making the weather 'iffy'. At least we wouldn't be 'winded out' like last week.

The first flight is always difficult for me. Nothing feels comfortable, not sure how to adjust things and haven't started any kind of standard operating procedures. Its awkward just to get into the thing. The CFII patiently took me through the preflight and all checklists, added insight as to the 'why' behind some of the items and carefully led me through all of the ground procedures. My seat wasn't adjusted correctly, I couldn't comfortably reach the parking break and I never got the headset volume quite right to hear him over the other radio. Immediately obvious is that this is one sophisticated airplane. My challenge will be to understand all of the information being presented and be able to take corrective action on what is being displayed.

Once the avionics master is on, the checklists are displayed on the MFD. Starting, taxiing and runup are all normal, and all different. (Check to make sure you can overide the autopilot servos?)

Takeoff was fine, the side stick was not an issue. Plenty of rudder control even early in the roll. The roll is a bit longer then expected, but not bad. She loves to fly and easily holds a 10 degree pitch up. Clouds are about 4K, visibility maybe 20 miles. The problem is looking outside as there are just too many beautiful displays/maps/functions inside the cockpit.

The flight took us up to the North, over close to Pottstown then back home via a GPS approach. I did some basic airwork; climbs descents and turns, but the real introduction was to the systems. The GNS430 is an old friend of mine, but having two and understanding how they feed the navigation and autopilot systems is new to me.

The flight concluded with a beautiful landing by the CFII. At this point I'm speechless.

SR20
Time = 1.5 hours

A New Beginning

2009-03-05T09:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I went out to Montgomery County Aviation (MCA) and signed up for the Cirrus SR20 IFR Transition Program. I also purchased a POH and made arrangements to get some renters insurance. The 'flying fund' took a major hit, but I'm really excited about having the opportunity to fly this system. What's next?

"Study the manual and the important numbers for the airplane (Vspeeds, Weights, Engine, etc.) and Monday will consist of introduction to the airframe, and preflight procedures, followed by your initial flight, straight and level, turns, climbs and descents and I will demo the first landing, time permitting you will get an opportunity to go for another lap around the pattern to try your own hand at the landing. Don't worry too much about the panel, or understanding the avionics system yet, the initial two lessons focus on aircraft control."

Wow

Cirrus SR20

2009-02-28T17:57:00.004-05:00

I went out to Wings to talk to an instructor about the DA20. eh, no. I really don't fit well in a C152 anymore and a smaller cockpit just wouldn't entice my wife to go for that summertime hamburger. I was disappointed.

As I sat discussing my options the two instructors started talking about the rest of their fleet. A price sheet was produced and as I scanned down it was clear that I would be paying more then previously planned. On the other hand, no fees to join or monthly dues to pay. The instructor fees were in line with what I had paid before, and the gas surcharge concept was in effect here just as it was in Georgia. So, it would be roughly $35/Hr more and would include a glass cockpit. For just a bit more I could fly the Cirrus.

I had one of the guys take me out for a tour. There is something exciting about looking at airplanes, especially new ones. Two 2007 SR20s and one Sr22 of the same year sat on the line. It would definitely be a change from the other aircraft I had flown, as well as a challenge to learn the sophisticated systems. I wanted to let this idea 'percolate' a bit. Then he mentions the "deal".

A few more questions and I left to ponder the situation. I talked it over with the CFO and she was pretty positive about it. I spent some time on the web investigating the airplane and downloaded the Avidyne Simulator. OK, this stuff is cool.

Can I do it? Can I climb this mountain again, learn all of the rules and regs, master the new systems and fly a different airplane. Its time to find out.

Finding a Home Base

2009-02-09T09:38:00.004-05:00

Where to begin? I pulled out my sectional to see what was in my local area.

I want to keep my commute under 1 hour. As much as I love to go flying, more then an hours drive will definitely inhibit how often I get to go. (and that drive out 'just to see what the weather is like' just won't happen.) So I drew a range circle on the map and came up with the airports on the chart above. One by one I made a visit, and one by one I scrubbed them off the list. A few phone calls, web searches followed by trips out to the candidate airports were disappointing. Lack of facilities, or instructors and very little to choose from in selection of rental planes. This was not going to be as easy as the great environment I fell into at KRYY.

Then I read a blog from someone flying out of Wings Field in a DA20. Not a Tiger, but something a bit different from the Cessna 172/Piper Warrior standard issue kind of rental. It won't meet my IFR requirements, but for a sunny day trip for that elusive hamburger it might be fun. The fleet also includes some C172s, an Arher II and even a Cirrus should I get interested. This might just be the place to start again.

A cold, dreary Pennsylvania Day.

2009-02-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

Light snow had been falling all night but just a dusting remains on the ground. Temperatures have stayed in the low 30s, the sun peaked out just a bit around mid-morning but quickly went back behind the clouds before it could warm us any further. February is a long, hard, cold month up here with little hope of Spring coming anytime soon. Its the 'grind it out' time of year.

There was a ray of hope today. I passed my medical. As we get older this becomes more of a challenge each year, for all the obvious reasons. Weight, blood pressure, eyesight, all seem to be going in the wrong direction, but at least for today this body was good enough.

Time to begin again.

Pitch or Power?

2007-02-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

Not flying anymore, so no new GPS tracks or flight statistics. I'm back to just reading about other people flying (sigh).

I came across a piece in the February issue of Aviation Safety. "Author Ray Leis' advice that glidepath corrections should be made as follows: "Pitch controls altitude and power is used to control airspeed."" Ray responds: "Why not fly the ILS in the same way the best designed autopilots do?"

I humbly disagree. I have found that for me, it is best to eliminate as many variables as possible. If I can make airspeed a constant (say trimmed at 90 kts), then if course is steady (sometimes a big if) then the only correction I need make is for rate of descent. I do this by adjusting power. Nose attitude holds the airspeed and subtle changes to the power setting can be used to get that 500 (or so) ft/min rate of descent.

If I'm low and fast (or high and slow), adjusting speed first with nose attitude is usually enough to stabilize the descent. Regardless, I always adjust for constant speed first. I first learned to fly precision approaches when all we had was a DG and a voice on the radio on a dark cloudy night, no needles. I was taught to get on speed, and wait until the controller said "Going slightly above glide slope". At that point I would reduce power to begin my descent. That's what works best for me.

Now, as to why not fly like an autopilot? Probably because I do better with one variable at a time, whereas the autopilot can handle many.

A Door Closes

2007-01-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

Subject: Resignation

Joe, Bob,

It is with deep regret that I must resign from participation in Superior Flight School/Flying Club. My wife and I have decided to relocate to north east Pennsylvania (KABE) for family reasons.

You have an outstanding company, and I seriously doubt I will be able to find a situation even closely comparable to what you have established at RYY. As you know, I fell in love with the Tiger, but also had some great experiences with 'the high wing wonders', and have had a great time learning to do wheel landings in the Decathlon. You have put together a wonderful staff, and I especially want to thank Andy for the hours he put in knocking off the decades of rust needed to give me back my confidence.

Thanks again for a simply fantastic experience.

Dave

Back in the Air

2007-01-06T17:03:00.000-05:00

I received this email while still on vacation in Pennsylvania:

"Just a quick note to let you know that the Decathlon, N5030G, has returned from its engine overhaul. Moose and Allison are completing the "break-in" process of the engine as we speak. We anticipate having it available for training this weekend."

Followed by this one a few days later:

"Please remember you have the following reservation on Saturday:

8KCAB N5030G beginning 01/06/07 10:00A until 01/06/07 11:30A"

The weather on Friday was horrible. A line of nasty stuff reaching from the gulf up through South Carolina blew through with heavy rain and a few whirlwinds. The forecast for Sunday was bad due to a cold front moving in from the northwest. Fortunately, Saturday was beautiful. We had light fog in the morning due to the unusually high temperatures (60s) that cleared off by mid-morning to reveal a beautiful blue sky. Visibility was better then 20 miles.

I got to airport before the CFI/owner, in time to get the Decathlon out of the hanger and start the preflight. I was nervous. It had been a long time since the last flight, and the airplane just didn't seem familiar to me. Plus, I was intimidated by my new instructor. I'm always a little nervous when someone I respect is looking over my shoulder. Humility is good for the soul. Once he arrived I briefed him on my plans to use his airplane. I was disappointed to find out that his insurance requires 100 hours tail wheel time before I can solo. Since my logbook still shows less then 50 hours, its unlikely that will happen this year. So, I need to decide what my new objectives will be.

Once I climbed into the airplane I got more comfortable. The CFI coached me through the start and the ground procedures went well. We decided to go over to Cartersville (VPC) to get away from the traffic at home. He discussed stick position while taxiing the plane in windy conditions. Run up was normal.

Tower advised "No Delay" on the takeoff due to traffic and we departed to the west. He briefed me on his preferred climb and cruise settings as we enjoyed the beautiful calm morning. VPC was busy too, with two already in the pattern and another two joining behind me. (I remembered why I don't like to fly on Saturdays.) My initial pattern was too wide, and my traffic extended too deep forcing me drag it in. The CFI asked for a 3 pointer. I failed to hold my corrections long enough to counter the crosswind which resulted in a slight skid on landing. Not my best. Full stop and a taxi back gave me time to appreciate what I had done, maybe a 5 or 6 after a 3 month layoff.

The next two weren't much better, but my comfort level soared. The airplane was becoming familiar again, and the CFI was becoming a new friend. I love flying.

I decided I could use some observation time, and asked for a wheel landing demonstrated at RYY. The CFI took the airplane and I sat back and watched (keeping eyes out for traffic.) Tower cleared us for a right downwind following traffic on final. As we turned base tower called traffic, a NORDO (No Radio) on left base. After a few s-turns and adept maneuvering he demonstrated a beautiful wheel landing. I learned a lot.

It was about 38 miles out to VPC, 25 miles back. We climbed to 3590 feet and reached 158 mph over the ground.

8KCAB
Time = 1.3

2006 in Review

2006-12-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

This was a good year.

My objectives were to fly about once per week, roughly 50 hours, complete my Instrument Proficiency Check and possibly get checked out in a taildragger.

Accomplishments:

44 hours in 2006. It would have been more, but I got 'shut out' in the 4th quarter due to aircraft maintenance.
IPC was completed on the first flight of 2006. I also got checked out for instrument flight in the G1000 system. I flew a handful of times 'in the system', enough to feel comfortable flying into Class B airspace. Less then an hour of actual.
I all but got checked out in the Decathlon. I am very comfortable with the landing pattern, but failed to get the sign off due to maintenance. (I'm 'Grandfathered in' as far as the endorsement goes.)
I flew my wife for the first time at night, ever. A beautiful flight on a thundering Fourth of July.
I flew my Mom & Dad for the first time ever. Just a few minutes in the smooth morning air around Falcon Field, but an unforgettable time for all of us.
Quality time in the Tiger (AA5B). I actually feel that most of 'the rust' has been knocked off when flying this airplane. I have a 'feel' for it and know where the envelope is.

Money...well, I spent it. The chart shows a rough breakdown of where the money went. I'm glad to say that most of it went into actual flying costs (not that headsets, charts, etc are not important too.) I spent less then last year, but flew more hours, that's a good trend.

Objectives for 2007:

Very difficult for me to project right now. I'm in the process of moving my base of operations from warm, sunny Georgia to cold, windy Pennsylvania. I'm not sure what the future will bring, but will let you know once I get figured all out.

Time 2006 = 44.0

Reservation canceled

2006-11-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

Reservation from 12/02/06 10:30A to 12/02/06 12:00P has been canceled.  Aircraft in Maintenance 

There are huge financial advantages in belonging to a flying club and renting airplanes.  The club I belong to has over 15 planes ranging from the newest Cessna's with G1000 to a '78 model with steam gauges. I have loved flying the Tiger and most recently really got a kick out of learning to fly the Decathlon. There is just no way my limited budget would have allowed me to experience so much variety without being part of the club.

There is of course a downside. The owner decided it was time for an engine overhaul and the plane I want to spend my money on has been down for maintenance since my last post. He is still waiting on parts and I, well I'm just waiting.  At least I don't have to pay for it.

I got it.

2006-09-30T15:07:00.000-04:00

The weather was spectacular. The seasons have changed here and morning temps have been cool in the low 50's. The visibility was a little less today, but still better then 10 miles.

Objectives: Landings

I got out to the airport a little early, in time to preflight before my instructor arrived. Many of the staff and instructors were on a "Fly Away" down to Florida, followed by a Caribbean cruise. So it was quiet when I went into the office to get the dispatch kit. By the time my instructor came back the plane was ready to go. Information Xray, and again we decided to save some time by staying in the pattern.

During the taxi down to the run up area for 27, my instructor asked if we should start with 3 pointers and ease into the Wheel Landings. No, I had been thinking about this all week and was "chompin' at the bit" to try Wheel Landings again. Takeoff was normal, and performance was great in the cool air. No traffic for distractions, I concentrated on speed and rate of descent. My gaze transistioned from the cockpit down to the far end of the runway and I waited. Patience. Squeak, and I gently but deliberately pushed the nose to the take off attitude. Beautiful. It was at least a 9 on the pretty landing scale.

But was it a fluke? Back around again, speed dead on, nice rate of descent and bingo...two in a row. This time I got a small jounce, but corrected it nicely for extra pretty points (9.5). One more time around and I know I have learned how do this. (I realized I no longer had a 'death grip' on the stick, but used the gentle touch of three fingers with my thumb to finesse it onto the deck.)

The next one we were asked to fly a close pattern for traffic. Too fast and too high led to the expected result, a go around. I felt good and decided to see if I remembered how to do the 3 pointer. Slower speed (below 70) and put the stick in my gut when the mains touched. (maybe an 8). I'm ready for the check out ride next week, and told the instructor the next one would be a full stop.

Another full stall with just a bit of jounce (6.5) but I taxied off on Bravo 4! It usually takes two more exits before I'm slow enough to get off the runway. (Change that to a 7)

Obviously a Great day!

8KCAB
Time = 0.7

Wheels

2006-09-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

I called McCollum ATIS to find out what the conditions were at the field. Information 'Juliet' said the clouds were broken 1100' and broken at 1800' with light a variable winds. I looked out the front door to see low dark gray clouds with little patches of blue peeking through. I called the club and asked if it was good enough for the Decathlon to do some T&Gs, and my instructor said 'it was getting better'. I took that as a yes.

Objectives of this flight: Wheel Landings.

When I got to the airport the plane had already been fueled. As I approached I noticed an access panel missing under each wing. I never saw that one before. (Maybe this was a 'catch the dumb student' preflight trick?) Nope when my instructor came out he noticed the same thing. Seems that the owner had been out playing and popped them doing some aerobatics. No big deal, and not a hazard to flight, the rest of the preflight, and ground procedures were normal. We decided to stay in the pattern for the workout.

The winds were picking up a bit as we finished the runup, to a fairly good left crosswind. Good, I need the practice. Takeoff was normal, as was the pattern work. My 'arm chair' flying had convinced me that I was trying to do it all wrong last week. I was really trying to make the Wheel Landing like a full stall. Nope, can't do it. They are DIFFERENT! The Wheel Landing is more like a very, very low pass. It should almost be a surprise when the mains touch. The key word here is PATIENCE. The airplane will land when it wants to, you just can't force it. So, in my mind the sequence is to set up on the proper approach speed (75), with power on to minimize the rate of descent. Get into the 'belly of the flare' and wait. It worked! (well, kinda sorta.) The touch down was good (squeak), but I failed to coordinate the nose attitude. Jounce!

The other thing about a wheel landing is the Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO). See, the airplane is flying slow( just a bit above stall), and you are trying to pin the wheels on the deck. If they come off the ground because you didn't nail the nose position and you still try to pin them down...well, it gets ugly fast. Porpoise is an understatement. I got some good practice exercising the 'go around'.

Progress was made on each pass, and one was actually very good. I learned a lot! During this work the winds continued to increase, and at one point the tower called 20 KTS. (That's a lot for a taildragger, especially since it was still coming off my left side.) I see the picture now, just a few more circuits should do it.

The final full stop was planned as a full stall (3 pointer) and I executed it well. A great way to end the day.

8KCAB
Time = 1.0

Introduction to Wheel Landings

2006-09-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

Last time I mentioned that there were two options when landing a taildragger; 3 point (full stall) landings and wheel landings. I got a taste of 3 pointers last week, and while not perfected I'm getting comfortable with them.

Wheel landings are a bit different. My preparation for this flight included spending some time on the internet:

In a wheel landing, the airplane is flown onto the runway under power, instead of stalling it on without power, and the two mainwheels touch down first. Once that's done, power is taken out while the airplane is held down on the runway. This is done by keeping the wings at a very low, or perfectly flat, angle-of-attack (AOA) in order to not develop lift: the tail of the airplane is kept off the runway to flatten the AOA until speed bleeds off below that needed for flight.

I also listened to two good Podcasts from Aero-news.net. Part One stressed the differences in taildraggers due to aerodynamic forces and discussed the work needed for a tailwheel endorsement. Part Two talked about landings.

Another good source I found stated:

The key difference between the three-point landing and the wheel landing is sink rate. Successful wheel landings require minimum sink rate. If the airplane at all settles, falls, or sinks toward the runway in the last few feet, a wheel landing will be difficult or impossible. And if the pilot flinches and applies back elevator as the main wheels touch down, the airplane will rebound into the air. At this point, the pilot needs to react quickly and efficiently--either convert the landing to a three-pointer or add power and execute a go-around. The wheel landing occurs at a higher ground speed than a three-point landing. Consequently, wheel landings tend to use up more of the available runway. It's also easier to instigate a pilot-induced-oscillation (PIO) during a wheel landing.

So, my prep work completed, I was ready to try this stuff out.

The weather was just beautiful. Excellent visibility, with small little puffy white clouds meant it would be a good day to fly.

Objectives of this flight; Landings

I got to the airport a little early, in time to see another student doing some T&Gs in the Decathlon. I sat on the picnic bench enjoying the weather and watching the show. When they were done the other instructor recommended to refuel with about 5 gallons on each side. I did the preflight and checked to be sure the fuel caps were on tight. My instructor arrived and we discussed going to Cartersville, but opted for home field. The winds were light and variable, the runway changed from 9 to 27 when I called for ATIS. The run up and takeoff went well.

The rest of the flight was spent driving around the pattern, giving me the experience and sight picture to fly the airplane into the landing. One was particularly good, with mains squeaking as the touched, but I was too slow to pin the tail down. (It went from a '10' to a '5' real quick.)

I never really got the picture with wheel landings. My approach was good, speed control good, but when I got into the flare I tended to push the nose down BEFORE the mains were on the ground. Not good.

So again, I have the concepts...Ideas about what I need to do, but haven't developed the techniques yet to execute the maneuver. Other airplanes allow you to 'pad' your speed just a bit. 5 Knots is not critical in them, but an additional 5 knots in a taildragger is going to cause a 'jounce' every time. It is a matter of precision. As the instructor said; "after a day like this, you can't wait to come back for more." Its hard work, but it puts a smile on my face just thinking about it. I can hardly wait until next week.

8KCAB
Time = 1.9

3 Points

2006-09-09T17:59:00.000-04:00

Conventional Gear airplanes provide the option of using two landing techniques. The first is a full stall, or 3 point landing. The airplane is flown close to the ground at ever slower speed until it stalls and settles to the ground. The second, called Wheel Landings are flown a bit differently and just might be discussed next week.

There was nothing special about the weather today. Possibly a scattered layer at 5000, but mostly haze with visibility about 5 miles. Nothing that would keep us on the ground.

Objective of the flight: 3 Point Landings.

I got to the airport a little early for my flight. The owner of the aircraft had the bucket and hose out washing it down. (He warned me not to smash any bugs.) He finished as my instructor arrived and we completed the preflight. Ground procedures were normal (once I remembered to plug in my headset).

The takeoff; this one was actually pretty good. My 'arm chair' flying at home had uncovered a major error with my scan. At the most critical time (raising the tail) I wasn't looking far enough down the runway. I was able to correct this and had pretty good control. Not wanting to allow any drift, I "snatched it" off the ground instead of letting the airplane accelerate and fly off.

We departed to the north to practice some stalls. The nice thing about this airplane is that it really stalls. No mushy, slushy bubbling along, it just sounds the horn breaks clean. I like that. Power on and power off both act pretty much the same.

OK, back to the pattern. I picked up my bearings quicker, but was having a slight problem picking up tower calls. I don't like that. I'll check my batteries to see if I can boost the volume a bit. Traffic was called as base, but was really downwind for runway 9. It turned my pattern into a long straight in. My "arm chair flying" had also uncovered a flaw here. I was flying into the flare too fast. So I really concentrated on speed control as I got into the landing position. It worked well, not great but acceptable. The instructor rode the controls pretty closely and I liked that. That immediate feedback of where the stick should be coupled with the visual cues for nose attitude really gave me the sense of where the plane should be.

The next takeoff went well. I felt very comfortable with the controls and let the airplane fly this time. It felt better. Again traffic pushed us a bit deep on final but it really wasn't a problem. I lined up a bit left but made my corrections. Got on speed and descended to my spot. This was nice. No help from the instructor, this one was mine. And it worked well.

The next takeoff also went well. I'm OK with takeoffs now. Nose position probably needs a bit more fine tuning, but rudder control is no longer a problem. This time the approach was short for traffic, and I carried a bit more speed then I would have liked. A small 'jounce' but under control. I'm learning. The primary objective was met...I had fun.

We flew 70.4 miles, climbed to 5738 feet and reached 133 mph over the ground.

8KCAB
Time = 1.2

Conventional Flying

2006-09-03T10:54:00.000-04:00

There was a time when the third wheel was located on the back of the airplane. When they started putting it up front it was considered unconventional, tricycle gear. Since it was so much easier to control the airplane on the ground (including take-offs and landings) the tricycle configuration became standard and conventional gear went the way of the manual transmission. So, like sports cars, conventional gear is found on really fun airplanes.

My preparation for this transition included two books: Conventional Gear, Flying a Taildragger by David Robson, and The Complete Taildragger Pilot by Harvey S. Plourde. I think Harvey's book is superior by providing more analysis of the aerodynamics, especially what causes the 'jounce'. I also studied the Pilots Operating Handbook for the Decathlon and took the written test required by the Flying Club.

The weather was iffy. Ernesto had just passed through to the east of us and some of its remnants were stirring up the air. Bases were anywhere from 1200 broken to 1700 overcast, and nearby Dobbins AFB (KMGE) was reporting variable ceiling height (CIG). No showers and an occasional hole with blue sky peeking through kept me optimistic during my short drive to the airport. Due to some scheduling changes, my flight had fortunately been pushed back to noon, and when I arrived my instructor was still out on another (instrument training) flight.

Objectives of this flight: Introduction to conventional flying.

My log book says my last flight in a taildragger was 1.5 hours solo in an Aeronca 7Ac up in Slatington (69N) during the fall of 1970. My instructor at that time had limited me to full stall (3 point) landings, and I don't remember the limits on crosswind component. FAR 61.31 (i) (2) says that I'm grand-fathered in for my tailwheel endorsement, but 36 years seems to be just a bit long between flights for me to be safe. I wasn't sure that this was 'like riding a bicycle', so I scheduled plenty of time to get checked out. Note: the Decathlon is a fully aerobatic aircraft. However I didn't think it wise to put my already overloaded frame though 3.5 g pull ups. Just too many pounds and too many years since I did that the last time. I'll forego the aerobatics for now.

My instructor arrived and we introduced ourselves, talked about experiences, etc, and what I wanted to get out of this training. I mentioned spin training, soft field operations and just getting back to basics. Preflight and ground ops were straight forward. This airplane has a constant speed prop (which I haven't played with before) but otherwise the cockpit is pretty basic. Taxiing is not unlike the Tiger, just a bit slower and the need to anticipate corrections sooner. I got through the runup with a few embarrassments, but overall not too bad.

Ah the takeoff. All of the studying told me what would happen. My mental rehearsals warned me what might happen. Even so, the darn airplane went heading for the weeds on the left of side of the runway as soon as I lifted the tail. (Torque, P-factor, winds...Whatever, the airplane goes left and pushing the rudder full right is NOT the correct response.) Just plain ugly.

Once airborne (thankfully) we headed north to a practice area over the lake. Unfortunately the clouds were too low to allow any stalls. So I just got familiar with the controls, slow flight, etc. Sitting on the aircraft centerline and flying a stick instead of a yoke...Is FUN! I'm falling in love again.

Well, let's go try some landings. First, where is the airport? No GPS, low clouds, can't see Mt Kennesaw, where the heck am I? My instructor pointed out the bridge that marks about 9.5 miles northwest of the field and slowly I got my bearings. ATIS remained the same and I was cleared for a right downwind. My spacing was good, speed was good, altitude a little sloppy (-200), but I was comfortable. Nice line up on final, good rate of descent to my spot, everything was good. I got into my flare a bit high, held it off and...'jounce'. The third landing was pretty good. (I could only log one of them though.) We took the next taxiway and went back for more.

OK, so what is the 'jounce'? When you land a tricycle gear plane, the mains touch and you lower the nose. The angle of attack (AOA) is reduced, reducing lift. In a taildragger, after the mains touch you lower the tail, increasing the AOA and therefore the lift and up you go...jounce.

The next iterations were similar, showing some slight improvement. Lets just say that I'm getting the picture but it is not yet fully developed. So, was this a successful flight? This is FUN stuff! Humility is good for the soul, so that part of me is very healthy right now, and I still have a smile on my face.

We went 73.3 miles, climbed to 2647 feet and reached 135 mph over the ground.

8KCAB
Time = 1.3

* Note: Olathe did a great job with the 96c. Overnight air got it back quickly and I'm happy with the results.

Cartersville, Georgia

2006-08-21T15:16:00.000-04:00

I received a notice from the Flying Club stating that "Currency in aircraft type AA5B will expire within the next month." I had spent so much time and effort learning to fly the G1000 that my first love had been neglected. It was time to go have some fun.

The local weather hasn't changed much. It is, maybe 10 degrees Cooler, but we are still in the summertime cycle of hot, hazy mornings turning into dark noisy CBs in the afternoon. I scheduled the Tiger for an 11:00 (L) go to bounce in the local area for about an hour. There were no applicable NOTAMS, and nothing else in my planning indicated any reason not to play hooky and go flying.

Objective of the flight: re-familiarization with the Tiger.

Ground procedures all went well, and my comfort level was high. Even after a month away this airplane still felt like home. I decide to depart to the Northwest and try the new GPS approach at Cartersville (VPC). Runup and takeoff were normal. There was a thin cloud layer at 3000 ft due to the power plant stacks, so I snuck above it and leveled at 4500 ft. It was very smooth air, trim it up and hands off kind of flying. I dialed up VPC in the GNS 430, pushed enter/enter and followed the purple line. Checked the AWOS, (no surprise,) and found a Robinson helo and a Baron were inbound to the field when I checked CTAF.I did my calculation to figure out the holding entry, then reported outbound at DACEG (probably mispronounced it), about 10 miles north of the field. The GPS confirmed my entry (teardrop) and I did my 6 T's. One turn in the pattern was good, so I decided to opt out of the approach and dial up the LOC 19 instead. This was interesting because the frequency has changed, and I wanted to confirm that the new freq was in the updated data base. (Yes, I'm still a skeptic.) It was, and I flew the rest of the approach as a straight in.

Another lousy landing. I HATE THAT! The truth is, I gave up on it and allowed myself to 'drop it in'. Not horrible, but when you can do better you should. That was just plain being lazy.

Departed there and headed for home. Just for completeness I dialed in KRYY in the GNS430 and drove down the purple highway. ATIS was 'November" and they were still using 27. Once I got south of runway centerline I called the tower and was surprised with a RIGHT downwind "call 1.5 from the field". So, I dropped the left wing to get north of the field and descended down to 2000 (pattern altitude). I was number 2 behind a Cessna (company traffic) on a 2 mile final. I haven't flown a right hand pattern in awhile (or left hand for that matter...Shooting approaches are mostly straight ins), so my spacing wasn't great. However my airwork was good, found my traffic in plenty of time and made a great (finally) landing back home.

AA5B
Time = 1.0

*Update; The 96c is in Olathe getting tweaked a bit. Hopefully I'll have tracks and stats on the next update.

Electric Airplane - 2

2006-08-14T20:33:00.000-04:00

The evening weather for the past few weeks has been typical for the deep south. We've had clear blue mornings, high humidity with building thunderstorms by the late afternoon. Our temperatures have been over 100 degrees providing enough energy to the cells to make them nasty. My plan of flying in the evening after their dissipation just wasn't working. I cancelled last Thursday for weather and decided to take some time off from work to try and get up before the weather got too bad. I used the down time to take the written test for the C172s. I needed more time with the operating manuals, and this was a good way to do a review.

Objective of the flight: Instrument work with the G1000 system.

I got to the airport about 10:45 (l) under MVFR conditions. There were lots of scattered and broken layers below 5000 Ft, but no airmets or sigmets. So it was a perfect day for some actual IFR! The plan was to use the G1000 and autopilot to depart RYY, fly over to the Rome VOR, enter holding for the ILS, hand fly the approach to mins, then execute the missed, transition back to cruise and hand fly a GPS back home. I filed a flight plan, got a weather brief, picked up the dispatch kit and went out to the airplane.

Preflight was normal (I found all of the 13 fuel drains) and the prestart checklist went well. I still had a slight problem with the start by probably advancing the mixture to rich too quickly. Overall I feel comfortable with the ground procedures now. I was 'Cleared as filed' and entered the squawk into the transponder. I'm not completely at ease with the softkeys yet, but can get the job done with a little forethought. Entering the flight plan information was a snap, really no different then the GNS430.

Takeoff was normal, and we were 'in the goo' by 1500 Ft. The autopilot worked as advertised by taking us up to 4000ft on course to the Rome VOR. I got the checklists complete, leaned the mixture and prepared for the approach. AWOS for the weather was as expected (bottoms at about 1000 Ft), no gyro to align, we were pretty well set up for the approach. Approach Control told us to report KAREL (IAF) inbound. This fix is defined by the Final Approach Course (007) and a radial (284) from the VOR. I made a mistake here. I misread the active and standby navaids and DEselected ILS from the active box. After a bit of confusion I realized the error and corrected it, but it is a small example of the transition that has to occur using the G1000.

The actual approach went well. The very large attitude indicator and digital VSI make flying the ILS much easier. However I do miss the turn and bank indicator for establishing a standard rate turn following the missed approach. (The little bar at the top doesn't quite do it for me.) Following the missed it was back to the VOR for holding(!) before getting cleared for home. I was only just entering the holding pattern when the "cleared direct" was given.

I went direct to the Initial Approach Fix (IAF) for the GPS RWY 9 with no problems. The transition from IFR back to visual went well as I picked up the runway immediately and made a nice adjustment to reach my touchdown point. Then I made a lousy landing. I hate that. I recovered well, but not the way to end a flight.

C172s
Time = 1.4 (with about an hour of actual)

* I had another achievement last week. I passed my medical! I'm good for another two years.

** The 96c is not doing too well. Garmin Tech Support has asked me to send it in for repairs. No track or stats for this flight.

The Electric Airplane

2006-07-27T10:43:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't given up Blogging, or flying for that matter. I had scheduled this flight for two weeks, but cancelled for weather both times. (Last week I actually got the preflight done, only to put the tie down ropes back on when I observed lightning in all quadrants. I got back to the office just before the rains hit. On a related but separate topic, my computer took a hit. The only one that could run the G1000 software got toasted. (Creating this image took about 3x as long due to lack of processor power.)

Today the weather was good. Summertime convection and high humidity had built some cells in the local area, but no lightning and only occasional rain meant we could go.

Objectives of this Flight: Introduction and orientation to the G1000 system.

I like technology and this was just too cool to pass up. Plus, in all my time in the sky I have never flown a new airplane. Yes, it is a little pricey but the 'geek' factor is way high. In addition to the glass cockpit, the additional functions and acronyms (AHRS , ADC, TIS, Mode S transponder, Weather datalink receiver, Automatic Flight Control System) are truly wonderful. I had to give it a try.

I actually started with a written test required by the club for all who wanted to venture into this 21st century aircraft. It forced me into the various flight guides, Pilots Operating Handbook (POH), and even FAR/AIM for a few of the questions. I mentioned that I had the simulator running at home until the computer got fried, and still plan to spend some time at school running that.

I got to the airport about 7:00(L) just as my CFI was returning from another flight. I got the dispatch kit and went out to preflight. Since this is a new model, I went strickly by the book (13 fuel drains?!?!). I notice that some things I typically check (flaps & lights) weren't on the list. The CFI briefed me on his plan, which was essentially to implement the enroute automation features available. He stressed the use of the autopilot and what interfaces were and were NOT there. We would use the typical training route: RYY, RMG, 47A, to RYY.

Sitting in a new plane is great. All the plastic works, everything is still clean. It is oh, so much better then a new car. Startup is different with a fuel injected engine. Interesting that the very important "advance mixture to full rich" is on the next page. (More POH study for me!) After the brake check he took the plane so I could play. I entered the flight plan, experimented with setting up frequencies, and validated what I had learned about the Audio panel, etc. Runup was normal with no 'new' or unexpected items.

Take off was smooth, the biggest change being to arm the autopilot at about 200ft. Set for best rate of climb, all I had to do was sit back and monitor. And what a LOT to monitor! I was initially overwhelmed. There was simply too much data to comprehend. The huge attitude gyro is great, but where is the RPM, what are the vectors on the MFD, where are my nav and com frequencies? I was looking at the right stuff, but wasn't comprehending what I saw.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate - back to basics. Fly the airplane first, and the flight instruments make that easy. Ah, the engine instruments are over there on the MFD (co-pilot side) and its pretty easy to see if they are 'green'. Am I enroute to Rome? Yes, the purple line is still there, and the CDI works just like before, just prettier. OK, leveling off at 4500ft and all I have to do is adjust power. Pretty easy. All right, we're leaving RYY airspace, time to tune in Cartersville CTAF. Nearest/airport, select frequency just like the GNS430. I can do this. OK, lets switch from GPS direct to KRMG to the Rome VOR. Select the new source to the CDI, bingo bango off we go. Slick. Go back to GPS, no problem.

what's going on over on his display? All the engine stuff is there, but he has some additional cool stuff. This is the first time I used Traffic Information System (TIS) and liked it. NEXRAD showed where the clouds were and it also has the Terrain functions. I'm falling in love. Note: this could be a very difficult plane to fly in VFR conditions. There are just too many cool colorful things to look at inside the cockpit.

Enroute to Cherokee County we let the autopilot takes us down to 3500, played with "lean Assist" function and discussed emergencies. Then we made the turn, and contacted ATC for the ILS27. "Radar contact. Come left to 180...'. I turned the heading bug and she obeyed. In the digital world, 179 is not close enough as the panel gives you a precise readout. Although NOTAM'd out, since VFR, we went ahead with a coupled approach. WOW. All I had to do was set the correct power for my approach speed and this 'high wing wonder' did the rest...on path, on glideslope. I took it at about 200ft (set up perfectly) for a nice landing. Simply awesome.

C172s - G1000
Time = 1.2

Franklin County, Canon Georgia

2006-07-13T10:26:00.000-04:00

The weather was good. The high pressure in the Atlantic was holding a cold front to the north and the associated clouds could not quite reach Atlanta. Few to scattered at 6000ft with a slight chance of thunder-bumpers in the afternoon, winds were calm and mostly out of the west.

Objectives of this flight: practice enroute procedures.

I got to the airport about 7:00 (L), picked up the dispatch kit and went out to the airplane. Panel lights were still squawked as inop. Normal preflight and start, but an annoying back-tone on Comm 1. (I played with the various volume controls/squelch adjustments and finally eliminated it after I accidentally pulled off and replaced the button on the GNS430.) As I was doing my runup a beautiful RV9(?) made a low pass. He was clearly having some fun as he pulled nearly vertical to enter a left downwind.

Take off and climbout were normal. I climbed to 3500 completed my cockpit checks and prepared for my "x-country". The GNS was set for 'track up' instead of my preference for 'north up', which I quickly changed with the menu button. I always keep a log of important data I'll use along the route. For this flight I wanted to replace a lot of that information by using the GNS430. Instead of writing down all of the CTAF/Unicom/Tower frequencies, I wanted to use the Nearest/Airport page to pull them up as required. This worked well. It turned out to be very convenient and less prone to error.

I am not pleased with fuel management procedures in this airplane. I can lean the engine by looking at the RPM, but GPH is only a guestimate from the POH. So it looks to me like you do the plan, then stay way conservative with the GPH calculations.

I seldom play with the autopilot, since I have had less then stellar results. This one proved to be no exception. The "wing leveler" had a very annoying oscillation as it constantly tried to hold a heading. I put Electric City (ELW) in the Nav2 VOR and tried to use it to track there, but had the same poor results. No heading bug, no real tracking mechanism meant it is pretty much useless. I wouldn't trust it in actual IMC.

After my problem with the flaky directional gyro, I wanted to play with the vertical compass card on the GNS430 (Nav/page 3) and was pleasantly surprised. Not only does it provide the simulated DG, but also has the pretty purple line showing where your track is in relation to the airplane. Very nice.

There is nothing out in North East Georgia, unless you like poultry farms. I arrived at 18A about 8:30 made my turn, climbed to 4500 and headed for home. This part of the trip was pretty uneventful. I put direct-to KRYY in the GNS430, selected vectors to the ILS27, activated it, and got lined up for a straight in about a gazillion miles out. (The only mistake I made was calling 10 miles out, when I was actually 10 miles from AKONE.) I was little high/fast on final, but acceptable for a night landing. I made a nice touchdown.
AA5B
Time = 1.9

*I downloaded a new patch for my handheld. Unfortunately my "Flightbook" software fails to accept any data from the new level of code. No stats until/if I can get this glitch fixed.

Independence Day

2006-07-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

The weather started out bright and sunny, but by mid-afternoon a high pressure ridge to the south had provided enough moisture to allow some clouds to form. The local METARs had a few at 5000, scattered to broken at 7000, and a few nasty cells. Most of those would be dissipated by the time we planned to take off.

The route would be pretty simple. I wanted to go east to Athens (AHN) for a good look at the weather, then up to Lake Lanier for an aerial view of the fireworks. After that, head south and pick up vectors for the ILS 27 back home.

I got a call from the flying club GM around noon time that they were shutting down to celebrate the holiday. He would leave the dispatch kit with the FBO and I could have the plane for as long as I needed it. After the flight, I could just drop it off with them as well. GREAT!

We got to the airport about 8:00 PM (local), took the cover off and started the preflight. She needed gas so I went for my cell phone to make the call. Kathy asked what I did before we had cell phones? Hmmm, well, I usually had a plane captain that took care of that, and before then I would just fill it up myself. I've gotten spoiled. The rest of the ground work was normal, and ground had us taxi to runway 09 for take-off. She made a very nice takeoff from the right seat.

I took back the airplane and continued the climb to 5500ft, noted rain showers to the north and the bottoms of the broken layer seemed to be about 7,000ft. Visibility was about 4 miles, so I decided to go back down to 3500 ft, where the visibility was closer to 7 miles. The nice thing was it was a very smooth ride. Once east of the rain showers I turned north to head up to the lake. Along the way we could see a few eager neighborhoods launching their rockets creating tiny fountains of color. About this time the panel lights went out.

Lake Lanier had a small shower over it and we brushed the edge washing the airplane as we passed KGVL. It appeared that most of the firework activity was centered on a peninsula about midway on the western edge, so I made some easy turns there while trying to stay out of the shower. ( Just some minor turbulence when I got a bit close on one pass.) By 9:00 the show was really starting and we could see some activity in all quadrants.

We departed the area by about 9:15 and headed south to intersect an extended OBS line for the ILS27 approach. This is when the REAL show started. Gainesville, Buford, Duluth, Alpharetta, Roswell, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Smyrna as well as Kennesaw all had things going on. To make the flight even more interesting, some of the cells had not dissipated as we saw a few lightning strikes out in the distance. (I would later learn that Atlanta had to postpone activities at Centennial Olympic Park due to lightning.) Absolutely a beautiful display!

I called the tower at AKONE and was cleared for a visual Rwy 09. The fireworks were still going as we approached midfield and Kathy asked if we could stay up a bit longer. Wow, what a great thing to hear her say. I wasn't about to push my luck and continued with the landing. "Cool landing, is that what you call a squeaker?"

We covered 95.8 miles, climbed to 5015 feet ( but stayed at 3500 for most of the flight) and got up to 151 mph over the ground. This was the first time Kath had flown with me at night.

AA5B
Time = 1.4

* I forgot to turn the GPS off. After flying we were starved, so went over to Waffle house for a late evening dinner.

Thomaston-Upson County, Georgia

2006-06-08T08:07:00.000-04:00

I love flying VFR, and the weather called for clear skies and unlimited visibility. However, I also like flying in "the system", and the Tiger has a new Garmin 430 and I haven't 'scratched my IFR itch' in awhile, so I decided it was time to go back into the Class B. Since the weather was so nice I would try to fly directly over downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and see the city lights. The last time I tried this I got vectored way out to the west and barely scraped the controlled airspace, so I looked for a destination that would increase my odds of overflying the city. KOPN looked pretty good, had an ILS and was only about 60 miles away.

Objectives of the flight: IFR in the Class B and a night landing.

I got all of my planning done and called Flight Service for a weather briefing and filed my flight plan. I still think its great that you can do this from home with a computer. I got to the airport about 15 minutes late to find my instructor manning the desk. One of his other student pilots had asked to observe radio procedures and wanted to come along. While he may have been more interested in how to handle calls at an uncontrolled field, he would surely get some experience with radios on this flight.

Preflight and ground procedures were all normal. Ground control was ready with my clearance when I called for taxi. I was astounded; "Cleared as filed, climb to 3000, expect 7000 in 10 minutes, Atlanta Departure on 121.0 squawk 5211". AS FILED! Fantastic, I would fly over the city in daylight on the way down, and come back over the city lights! Wonderful.

RYY was busy. I guess that's to be expected on a beautiful day in the evening. Bizjets and Cessnas, and even one guy on floats were all trying to get in and out. When I got the call it was 'lights, camera, action,' and we were rolling. All gauges were good and we were airborne. Switched to Atlanta Departure and waited for "radar contact". "68Romeo your Mode C is not working, say your altitude". Hmmmm. Responded, cycled and punched the darn thing. "68Romeo you are radar contact, come left heading 180 climb to 4000 report reaching." Rats! Off/on, check the breakers, punch the ident all no joy. I guess Atlanta would be safe for another day.

I checked in at 4000ft and told him I would still like to do the ILS down at KOPN. So we flew down the west side of the area underneath the Class B shelf. As we got within 15 miles we were handed off and asked for our intentions. Without the Mode C he told me to expect the full approach, go direct to YATES (IAF) and report procedure turn inbound. I went through my setup (nice to have the Garmin) and turned to go direct. hmmm, the directional gyro wasn't doing to well. Timed out bound and did the procedure turn and checked the DG again - 20 degrees off. Turned back inbound - 20 degrees off. Turned on final - 15 degrees off. Well that stinks.

*Trivia - While preparing for the flight I noticed the number in the circle was different then the minimum altitude at the final approach fix. (Its the same for the ILS at RYY.) So that number indicates the Glide Slope altitude at the FAF, the number underlined is the Glide slope intercept altitude."

So we executed the missed approach there and started for home. Very smooth air as the sun set, adjusted the panel lights and stretched a bit. The 430 kept us aware of the various airports along our route as we listened to the (light) traffic buzzing around Atlanta. Poof! The panel lights went out. GNS is still on, radios are working, AMPS/VOLTS are OK. No CBs are popped. OK, so probably a fuse. Tough to check, so I tell my passenger not to worry about it and we pull out our flashlights. Rats.

The rest of the trip home is pretty uneventful as we coordinate our flashlights and get ready for our arrival. I let him do the checklists as I arrange for vectors to the ILS back home. OK, bad call. Trying to do vectors at night without panels lights and a flaky DG is not smart. It is doable in VFR and very smooth air, just not too smart. I just should have set up for the visual. Anyway, the approach was uneventful to a full stop.

Sorry, I forgot to turn on the 96c, no track or stats for this flight.

AA5B
Time = 2.5

Cherokee County, Georgia

2006-06-01T21:24:00.000-04:00

The summer season is really starting to roll down here. Temps have been in the low 90s, and both warm and cold fronts have made the air very unstable. An approaching cold front had the weather guessers calling for thunderstorms this afternoon, so I thought for sure I would be hanger flying. Fortunately the weather never developed as predicted, and while the radar looked kind of ugly, the air was actually pretty nice. Definitely nice enough to go flying. Now that the weather has turned warmer I'll have to change my routine and either fly before the build ups or after the dissipation. I prefer later.

The objectives of this flight: some T&G's at a different airport.

I got out to the airport about 5:30, picked up the dispatch kit and went out to the airplane. To my surprise the Garmin 430 was finally installed! Toys! I decided to stick with my plan and fly up to Cherokee County (47A), but would enter the pattern via a GPS RWY 4 approach. Normal startup and ground procedures. Winds were from the east so I had a RWY 9 departure, turned north and immediately got set up for the approach. Pretty much a standard "T" GPS approach, made interesting by the step downs on the final course. It leaves you at 650 feet AGL at two miles to touchdown. Full flaps and a healthy slip got me there, but it was an effort to get down.

Three bounces and I departed for home. Since my path took me right over the lake, I decided to do some slow work including a power off stall. I like this airplane. Normal entry for a straight in back home resulted in a nice landing. I flew 95.8 miles, reached 151 mph and climbed to 5015 ft.AA5B
Time = 1.1

Cedartown, Georgia

2006-05-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

The weather was great. A weak cold front had stalled just south of us yesterday, turned stationary for awhile and had been over come by a high pressure area in the Gulf turning into a warm front moving the other way. Clear sky, 10+ miles visibility and calm winds made for a perfect late afternoon flight. Cornelius Moore Field in Polk County GA is about 25 miles due west of home base. 4000ft of paved runway it is very busy on weekends with Skydivers. I usually avoid it for that reason, but I figured there wouldn't be any traffic on a Wednesday afternoon.

Objectives for this flight: Stay current in the Cessna 172. Hard to believe but my last logbook entry for a C172 was March 30th, so it was getting close to the 60 day limit for the club. I scheduled the airplane and arrived at the airport at about 5:30, just as it was coming back in. I got the dispatch kit and walked out to the airplane with just a slight sense of unfamiliarity. That went away quickly when I bumped my head on the extended flap during the preflight. It became very comfortable when I turned on the avionics master and the Garmin 430 sprang to life. I like this! Comm 2 has Ground dialed in with ATIS on standby, the 430 has the Tower as active and I can put the Unicom on standby. TOYS! (I love 'em.)

The plan is to fly west to the DALAS intersection, do the VOR/GPS RWY 28 into 4A4, then turn north to the Rome VOR and try the GPS-A back into 4A4. Next depart Cedartown and go over to Cartersville via ERLIN for a few T&Gs and return home for a visual full stop. That should give me some good use of the GPS, cover all the checklists and procedures, and have some fun as well.

Ground procedures all went well. Takeoff was normal and I climbed to 4500ft while heading toward DALAS intersection. The high wing does limit visibility compared to the Tiger, but I have to admit I really enjoy flying this plane now. She's a friend. My traffic is an Experimental, but he departs by the time I'm procedure turn inbound. Its nice to have the place all to myself. Checklists complete, there are some rather intimidating trees close to the end of the runway, so I come in a bit high (according to the VASI) but make a nice touch down.

So, depart to the north, use Nav 2 VOR to go to RMG and take a turn in the holding pattern to reverse my course. UNICOM is still quiet but I make my calls at the VOR inbound, 5 miles, and 1 mile approaching the field. It is hard to see the runway down in the trees. Once over the field I time for 20 seconds and make a standard rate turn to the left for 90 degrees. I'm pleasantly surprised when I raise the wing to find myself just where I want to be. Another comfortable landing there and I turn north for ERLIN. Checking my watch says its time to go home, so I skip the Cartersville leg and head for Lost Mountain. It is just a beautiful day. Entry back home is uneventful. The most difficult part of the day is pushing the plane back into its slot. Steering is just a bit different on the Tiger...and today I had to push up hill.

I flew 114 miles, climbed to 4669 ft and reached 155 mph.C172
Time = 1.3

Mandy and the Tiger

2006-05-20T18:12:00.000-04:00

A long cold front stretched from the Great Lakes down to Atlanta and then back up to the Northeast giving New England floods of 'biblical proportions'. The precip wasn't quite so bad in the south but we had unstable air and wind gusts higher then 25 kts. Even when right down the runway, that's getting out of my comfort zone. My flight the previous night was cancelled due to high winds and very powerful isolated storm cells which moved through like freight trains.

METARs were still reading high winds, but now they were in the teens and forecasted to subside. No reported thunderstorm activity so I thought we could give it a try. On the drive to the airport we saw a few little puffy ones, and the winds seemed to be much better. We arrived about 4:30 local and watched some light airplanes taking off which just confirmed that we could go.

Mandy helped me take the cover off and do the walk around. Just back from a 100 hour inspection, everything seemed to be in order. Still some mix up with the avionics shop, so no new equipment to play with. Startup took a few extra cranks, I suppose because it had been sitting for awhile. After she started everything looked normal.

Ground told me to follow a King Air out taxiway bravo to the end of Rwy 27. As I got out of the ramp area a King Air was just about to take the runway. I mistakenly thought he was my traffic. Another pulled in behind me. No issue as I had room at the end of the taxiway to do my run up and be out of his way, but I'll remember to look more carefully next time.

It was a busy day. We watched a number of planes land including a Citation, a C172 a few helicopters and a an RV. Lights, camera, action and we were ready to go. Smooth take off and climb, I planned to go up to 4,500 but passing 3,000 she had a problems with her ears. So, I went back down to 2,500 and headed toward Cartersville (VPC). After a few minutes she felt better so I continued a gradual climb with no further problems. I let her fly a bit and she made a beautiful 360 degree turn. Later we headed up to Rome for a couple of T&Gs. She liked it.

Departed there and headed for home. As we got close to our housing development I circled to see if we could find our house, but no joy. So I called the tower, entered the down wind for a visual and made 'squeaker'. I like the Tiger.

We flew 128 miles, 156 mph over the ground and got up to 4891 ft on a beautiful clear day.

AA5B
Time = 1.5

Northern Hills

2006-05-05T08:06:00.000-04:00

The weather had been unstable. Driving back from Georgia Tech the previous night I encountered pea sized hail and gusty winds. The slow moving cold front was still in the area stirring things up, and during my short drive to the airport I saw a 'big ugly' to the south. Once at KRYY all sectors but south looked OK, and the radar confirmed that going north should be acceptable.

My plan was to fly up to Campbell, TN(1A3). Just on the other side of the state border and the north Georgia mountains. My planner said it would be about 60 miles and take about 40 mins to get there.

Objective of the flight: Practice pilotage. I decided to 'hop" from one airport to the next, while keeping a close eye on the weather.

I had a slot from 6:00 to 8:00 local, but when I got to the airport the Tiger was out. Not a big deal since I was very flexible with my plan. I was surprised though, because until recently I had been one of the very few flying it. I just thought I would have it to myself until the new avionics were installed. (The shop got all the equipment, but there is some issue coupling the autopilot to the GPS. Maybe next week. The good news; a new DG was installed!)

All ground procedures were normal. Smooth takeoff and as I turned to the north I noticed some little puffy ones at about 5000ft. I leveled at 3500ft and headed toward Cherokee County. The air was smooth and visibility better then 8 miles. My predicted heading was validated with the GPS. So far, so good.

As 47A passed under my left wing I made the turn and climbed to 4500. Winds were calm, visibility still good and I began to see that the cloud deck was going from scattered to broken, and coming down. As I passed Pickens County I had a decision to make. The highest peak on my route looked to be 4262, and the quad height was listed at 4400 ft. The layer was still broken, so I could probably sneak through and get above it. But why? When out for a joy ride, discretion is the better part of valor. Time to go home.

I put 49A under my left wing, made the turn, descended to 3500 and headed for home. About 25 miles out I dialed up approach and asked for vectors to the ILS. Misty haze made westward visibility a problem, but I picked up the PAPI just inside AKONE (about 5 miles). I set the power just below the yellow arc, sat back and enjoyed the view. Zero wind. Flaps down, I ballooned a bit (need to work on that, maybe more nose down trim), but made a 'squeaker'.

A very nice flight. 5026 ft, max ground speed of 163 mph and a total of 114 miles.

AA5B

Time = 1.2

* Colorized track by goFlying.

Angels Over Atlanta

2006-04-29T16:49:00.000-04:00

No, I didn't fly, but I can do an awesome low pass. This event was reserved for the professionals, and it showed. I was an invited to attend "Family Day" with a Marine friend, at NAS Atlanta on a beautiful Friday. This is the practice day for the show but is only open to 'special guests' and I was honored to be invited.

The schedule of events included: Sean Tucker flying a Columbia, (showing that you can get out of very unusual attitudes in a GA airplane), Manfred Radius, doing aerobatics in a Sailplane (beautiful), Dale Snodgrass in an F86 (now that is a low pass!) and of course; The Blue Angels.

The show opened with The United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Parachute Team. Zero wind made their job easy, but no less impressive.

I had never seen an F86 demonstrated and it was just WOW. The current line fighters definitely have the power and awe, but the classics still show beautifully what energy management is all about. Another first for me was watching Rick Svetkoff fly an F104 Starfighter. A Kelly Johnson design, this airplane has always been one of my favorites (yes I built the Monogram model when I was a kid.)

Some other old friends were also there. Mentors, Trojans and Trackers; although I hadn't seen them in sometime, the orange and white still looked familiar. This one clearly wasn't airworthy because oil wasn't dripping profusely from the cowling. It was fun to complain about the ugly old girl back then, but it is probably the closest thing to a WWII fighter I will ever fly. (It actually has a speed brake...and needs it!)

There were some real beauties on display as well. There has been a recent internet poll going around asking who is/was the best aviator. Silly yes, but always good to start an argument while hanger flying. My vote goes to Doolittle, and not just for the raid on Tokyo, but for his lifetime contribution to aviation. Anyway, we watched a gorgeous B-25 land and taxi over to the static display area. I've seen the movie, read the book, and still can't believe he and his Raiders got those things off the carrier.

I can't close without mentioning another friend. The reason I moved down to Georgia was to support the Lockheed Martin company design and build the pinnacle of modern aviation, the F22. (Yes, I'm a fan of the F35 as well, but am not as intimately involved with that airplane.) It is always good to see the leading edge and in this day and age, great to know that it is ours.

*An unexpected update. Seems that the low pass that Dale Snodgrass (Top Gun grad, Navy Fighter Pilot of the Year) did in Atlanta, wasn't as low as he can go. See "Gear-Up: Those Who Have, Those Who Haven't Yet" in Avweb.

Peachtree City, Falcon Field, Georgia

2006-04-24T16:03:00.000-04:00

It's a long way from Slatington, Pa. My parents are down visiting, celebrating my sister's X0th birthday and I scheduled the Tiger to give them a little tour. I said if the weather was good I would fly down to Falcon Field in the morning and give them a ride.

The weather was great! A stationary front stayed north of us, held in place by a high pressure area to the south. Hazy misty mornings, but absolutely still air. Perfect for what I wanted to do. The plan was to pick them up, maybe go down to Calloway Gardens and return home after some easy maneuvers.

Objective of the flight; Give Mom & Dad a ride in the Tiger.

I got to the airport a bit late due to rush hour traffic. (Working out of a home office, I don't have to put up with clogged roads all that often. I can understand road rage.) Fortunately the plane was in good shape and ready to go. Start, taxi and runup were all normal. I was in the run-up area by 9:00. I departed VFR to the southwest, planning to stay beneath the shelf of the Class B airspace. I picked TEMPO intersection as an intermediate fly to point, just to be safe. The Tiger still doesn't have her new avionics, so once again I was glad to have my handheld.

The flight down was fine. I always enjoy the adventure of flying to a different airport, and although Falcon Field is close (less then a legal cross country), its new to me. ASOS gave winds as calm, and one other call on CTAF was using RWY 13. This worked out great, so I just used a long straight-in ( a slip took care of the extra height on final) and landed just about on time. The four of them were waiting as I shut down on the ramp.

I have always tried to let passengers know that some people don't like to fly. It isn't like being in a car, perhaps more like a boat. Some of the sensations are fun, some are not. I told them all that if for any reason they weren't having fun we would return immediately.

Mom climbed in the back, Dad sat in the right seat. People are familiar with the seatbelts in cars. They aren't quite sure what to do with the 3 ends presented to them (usually two, because one is hidden behind or next to the seat) in an airplane. Headsets can also be confusing. I explained everything, took time to see if that had any questions or fears, and made my way to the runway. No problems. Dad took the plane at about 1500ft and departed the pattern to the southwest. Gentle climb, easy turns, not too hot, and smooth smooth air. Mom was fine in the back seat, and the vent for the Tiger was providing plenty of air. No problems.

My sister had soloed at Falcon Field XX years ago, so was already comfortable, but her husband had not flown in small airplanes before. I assured him once again that if he would only let me know of any discomfort that we would come back to land immediately. This part of the flight also went well. She made some easy turns, and did a nice job maintaining altitude. He seemed to enjoy the view and was able to pick out a number of landmarks.

Overall, this was just a great flight. GPS says that it was 53.6 miles down, 42.8 with Dad & Mom, 48.6 with Sister & brother-in-law, and 68.7 on the way back. Max speed on the way home was 171 mph, and Dad took us up to 4401 ft when he was flying.

AA5B
Time = 2.5

Back to Sammie's

2006-04-16T12:29:00.000-04:00

It was a clear but windy Saturday, the day before Easter. The Flight School had arranged for a speaker to discuss his frequent trips to the Bahamas. I figured it would be something good for Kathy to hear, and I could top it off by a late lunch at Sammie's.

The objectives of the flight: get Kathy in the Tiger and go somewhere.

Absolutely beautiful skies with winds gusting to 18kts right down the runway. We got the dispatch kit and went out to the airplane. She helped me take the cover off, loaded her gear inside and did the walk around with me. We climbed in, adjusted seats and belts, although she couldn't get quite comfortable with the shoulder harness. Normal start and taxi, and I left the canopy cracked for air on our way to the runup area. She was nervous, worried about getting airsick.

Runup was normal, and no clearance since I decided VFR would get me maximum flexibility should we need to alter our plans. Takeoff was fine, although the gusty winds made her a bit uncomfortable. Passing 1000ft I gave her the airplane, pointed at a prominent landmark and told her to continue to climb to 4500ft as I completed the checklists. She did well, and although I didn't notice it, we were still in some little "bumps" at level off. I figured it out after a bit, and climbed to 6500ft where it was glass. However, you pay a price, indicated 140mph was just over 100mph groundspeed on the handheld GPS. We flew southwest, intercepted Interstate 20 and flew west. Outbound would take a bit longer then planned.

"I'm glad you like this, but it just seems like too much work." Well, at least she wasn't sick.

We flew just south of KANB (staying away from R2102A) and over Talladega Raceway. The VOR is located just east of the airport, and I flew approximately 260 outbound from there looking for KPLR. I spotted the airport early, but it was nice to have confirmation on the GPS. Initial CTAF said that they were landing on 02, but later I heard departing on 20. I decided to overfly the airport and enter on an upwind leg for a RWY 20 left hand pattern. That worked out well. Normal landing (floated a bit and corrected for x-wind) and taxied over to the restaurant.

We landed about 20 mins late due to the headwinds, and met another couple for another great Sammies Hamburger. Kathy's friend was kind enough to give a mini tour of the airport, including a peek at his fine Cherokee hangered there. Just a wonderful afternoon.

But now we had to get back. I did a mini-preflight, carefully taxied around a C182 that had parked on the grass next to us, and made my way out to the runway. Thorough run up and a nice take off, I extended it just a bit to fly over the lake. This is very pretty country.

I flew back the way we came, 5,500ft wasn't too bad, but not glass either. Since she seemed to be doing well, I decided to ask for vectors for an ILS, just to show her the ATC side of things. This was a mistake. Leaving 5,500 for 3,000 started to get bumpy, and the vectors took us too far east. While she enjoyed listening to the radio calls, and got some appreciation for an approach, she was also tired after a long day and a big meal. "I'm glad I didn't eat the whole hamburger." Once on final we were back fighting the headwinds, which made for a rather long approach. She did well with all of this, but I should not have imposed the extra 25 mins just to show her what an approach was like. A little burble on short final had her ask if I was OK, but a smooth landing calmed her down. Cracked the canopy before clearing the active to get some air.

This was a great day for me. She enjoyed it too (but not quite as much.) We traveled over 250 miles, got up to 7023ft, and reached 183mph.

AA5B
Time = 2.8

Lee Gilmer Memorial Field

2006-04-06T21:46:00.000-04:00

Spring has come to Georgia. While cold fronts still push their way across Alabama, most of them move north before getting to Atlanta. We've had some breezy weather (and a few early morning thunderstorms) but most days have been good for flying. 10 miles in light haze, better then 5500 scattered and just a slight southerly crosswind meant I could make my 4:00pm reservation.

Objectives of the flight: 1) solo the Tiger, 2) play with the navigation (without the Garmin 430), and 3) see how she handles on an ILS. My plan was to fly over to Cartersville (VPC), then to Gainsville (GVL) and the ILS back home.

I took my time with the preflight, and carefully reviewed the checklist after my walk around. I still have that "new" feeling, and wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Startup and taxi were all normal (nice to have the canopy open for the trip to the runup area). Once use to the differential braking, the ground control on this plane is great. Runup complete, I was tempted to leave the canopy open for take off, but didn't. Climb out enroute to VPC goes fine, and the visibility is superb.

Rather then just enter the pattern, I decide to do the Loc 19 just to see how the needle lines up. Call traffic and find three in the pattern, one is entering on the VOR A that goes too close to the power plant cooling towers, and another is inbound at the FAF for the same approach I'll be doing. I can see the guys in the pattern, I'll keep looking for the other two. By procedural turn inbound, all heads are accounted for and the LOC needle is right on. A Seminole is on downwind and I do a 360 to take interval on him (I got what I needed out of the approach). My two landings are a bit fast, but OK. Depart Cartersville and head east.

Gainsville is about 60 miles to the east, so I have a little time to play navigator. ENSOR intersection is about half way there, so I head for it. I have One VOR, and no GPS, so this should be interesting. My basic airwork suffers (but not too bad) as I twist radio frequencies and the OBS knob. You know, this stuff still works. Once I've convinced myself that I can do it, I go back to the 'easy way' and pull out my handheld GPS. (Nearest function, find GVL, direct/enter/enter and the purple line shows the way.)

GVL is located on the eastern edge of Lake Lanier, a beautiful reservoir and one of the main boating spots for Atlanta. It looked like everyone was out on the water. One other plane was shooting the Loc Rwy 4 so I gave myself vectors and followed him down for a low approach. Missed at mins and headed west.

After climbing to 4500 ft, I got my only Comm Radio tuned to ATIS, then switched it over to Approach, listened for a bit, and found they were not too busy. 'AMICEATM' complete, I called for vectors, was given a squawk and a heading to fly. And another heading to fly. And another heading to fly. Finally the controller asked me what heading I was on and when I confirmed he cautioned me that I was still too close to the final approach course. BING! The first 'M' in AMICEATM stands for Marker Beacons on AND Magnetic compass (align Gyro.) I had done this correctly going into Gilmer, but not for McCollum. It was about 30 degrees off. (Ouch). OK, so how many time will I do that again? (Note the squirrelly blurb just prior to the ILS.) I 'fessed up' and the rest of the approach was normal.

Very nice landing at home. Except for a minor seat problem (adjustment lever came off in my hand when I tried to push my seat back to get out) normal shutdown and clean up. After tying her down, a beautiful old Twin Beech came down the taxi way. No paint, just polished aluminum and just wow. I traveled 190 miles, a max speed of 165 mph(!) and got up to 4735 feet.

AA5B
Time = 1.9

Tora, Tora, Tora

2006-03-30T07:55:00.000-05:00

Back in the Tiger! The log book says that last flight in a Tiger was back in June 2005.

Objective of this flight: get checked out in the American General AA5B.

I reviewed the POH to get familiar with the speeds and systems. (No prolonged descents at 1850 to 2250 RPM. Start the engine on the left mag, etc.). I got to the airport a little early so that I could take my time getting reacquainted. I bought a brand new laminated checklist and walked out the airplane. She is not a showgirl, looks like some hail damage, numbers are faded and walk areas on the wings need work, but she still looks good to me. The engine compartment is the cleanest I've ever seen, and the interior is nice new leather. A new stack (including a Garmin 430) is expected to be installed this week.

I'm excited to be back in the Grumman again, and nervous (although I shouldn't be) to have an instructor looking over my shoulder for the check out ride. I don't want to disappoint him. The plan is to stay in the pattern, do some T&Gs, and if we still have some daylight, go north and do some high work.

Startup, taxi and runup are all normal. (WOW, as I'm taxiing out a Piaggio Avante lands. Just Gorgeous! OK, when I win the lottery...) RYY is busy. There must be 3 or 4 planes doing the ILS, as well as traffic in the pattern. While I still enjoy just sitting in an airplane, the CFI is ready to go. Change in plans, lets depart here and go over to Cartersville.

Take off is normal, however the nose attitude is much lower then the C172. I can actually see where I'm going. Airspeed is in MPH with the inner ring in Knots. Climb at about 105 mph. Its a beautiful spring evening out there, and the visibility from this airplane is spectacular.

Two other airplanes in the pattern, with another entering on the 45 about 5 miles out. I make the calls and take interval, ask the CFI to show me one so I can get the picture again. Round out is a little lower as is the nose attitude on the flare. My turn.

I call crosswind and hear chatter about the pattern being so busy. It makes me laugh (4 airplanes is NOT busy.) First landing goes well (I'm in love again.) The next has to be extended very deep due to traffic, but also goes well. Downwind on the next he pulls the engine. Best glide is 83 mph, I look over my shoulder and extend the pattern a bit. This airplane likes to fly. Base is still high, full flaps before turning final and a full slip brings her down nicely. Straighten out and he tells me to execute a go around. No problem. Let's go home.

Normal entry back home (well, actually by this time I'm more familiar with the ILS) and no traffic. Cleared to land. Here I break one of my rules, no chatter once on base leg. I guess the relief and excitement got to me. I missed a tower call, and he caught it. Lesson relearned. Landing was not great, but acceptable.

Overall a very good flight. I'm going to love flying this airplane.

AA5B
Time = 1.6

Rome, Georgia

2006-03-27T08:48:00.000-05:00

Nate had come home from Spring Break with a brand new Student Pilot's certificate for a Sailplane. Now he wanted to compare what he had learned with powered flight. Well, any excuse to fly sounds good to me.

Objectives of this flight: VFR flight rules, touch and goes, and radio communications.

Cold fronts have still been passing through Georgia stirring up the air. Ceiling and visibility was great, but preflight planning showed winds were gusting up to 20 kts with nearly 90 degree (variable) crosswinds. Forecast was for the winds to subside later in the day.

We arrived at the airport about 6:00pm local. The plane was already back from a previous flight so we were able to get the dispatch kit and start the preflight almost immediately. I took some time to brief him on the plan. He would handle the radio with ground/tower, and after takeoff fly to the Rome VOR. Enter the pattern trough the ILS approach, do some bounces, depart and get vectors to the ILS back home with a night landing.

Taxi and runup all normal. His communications work was good. (Listening on his transceiver over the past few months definitely helped.) The pattern was busy for a Sunday afternoon and Tower was able to squeeze us in for takeoff just in front traffic on base. He made a nice takeoff with a gusting right crosswind and climbed to 4500 on course to the VOR. The expected turbulence was nil. Since this was a VFR flight, I had him get outside reference and told him to fly just left (south) of the cooling towers at Cartersville. (I never realized that this is a coal powered generating plant.)

I explained 'AMICEATM' and set him up for the ILS 01 at KRMG. He had flown this on MS Flight Simulator, so thought this would enable him to make a nice comparison. I walked him though the parallel entry, timing and intercept for the final approach course. The whole time I was talking to traffic. Two other planes were using Rome, one in the pattern and one on a VOR approach behind us. No factor, but I relaxed once we all saw each other. Having a landing light on at dusk really helps. He did a nice job all the way down.

I knew it was a left hand pattern, but what was the pattern altitude? (Note to self; check this in the Airport Directory BEFORE getting into the pattern.) I guessed at about 1100 ft (missed approach height), it turned out to be 1440 ft, so obviously the first approach was low. Corrected to 1500 ft for the next orbit which worked well. Finally, he had learned to do slips in the sailplane, so I flew a high (+300 ft) approach and slipped it in for him. Not as dramatic as a sailplane, but effective. Departed the pattern and headed for home.

It was full night time now and as always, beautiful. Cartersville passed under our right wing and the air was smooth as glass. Nate did a good job of maintaining 3500 ft as I dialed up Atlanta Approach to see if we could get vectors. Ran into a minor problem here, as the GPS display was dimming too far. When I pointed my flashlight on the sensor I could get it bright enough, but then in would automatically dim back to a low level. While this works, it was distracting so I asked the chief pilot about when we got back to the school. One fix it to go to the last AUX page, select Display, and go from AUTO to MANUAL with the small knob.

"Squawk 0123 (did I hear that right?) maintain 3500 and fly heading 110." Nate flew and I did the readbacks. Nice smooth turns and good airwork on the ILS. Cleared to land #2 behind a Caravan. No problems. A great evening flight. We went 149 miles, got up to 4747 feet and a max ground speed of 147 mph, and we had fun.

C172p
Time = 1.6

Just Practice Approaches

2006-03-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

My flying partner put together a list of objectives to consider when planning our flights. He summed it up this way:

So we have three categories of flying:
I.  Fun Cross Country
II. Instrument Approach Hopping
III.Busy Cross Country with Instrument Approaches.

After the serpentine approach I flew last week into KPLR, I decided I really need to work on II. The objectives of this flight were 1) basic airwork and 2) simulated instrument approaches.

We both arrived at the airport at 4:00pm local, after a rather stressful day at work. Conference calls, email, phonemail and powerpoint presentations were still unanswered and incomplete, and I was weary from the confrontations and compromises made throughout the week. I sensed he felt about the same. However, there is just something refreshing about preflighting an airplane on a beautiful Springtime afternoon that helps to melt the real world away.

The plan was for him to take the first leg, do the ILS at KRMG to a low approach, then the ARC/GPS at C22 to a full stop. There we could switch seats and I would take us east to 47A for a GPS low approach, and finally vectors for the ILS back home to KRYY. Nothing new here, we had both flown these approaches before. Weather was not predicted to be a factor.

Preflight was normal except for one point. The plane had just come back from a previous flight, and when I checked the oil it was down around 4. I had another quart put in. I was told that I should have considered that there was still oil in the engine and that this was probably an overfill. Well, maybe. It may have put me over 6, but definitely under 7.

Taxi, runup and takeoff were all normal. He had his foggles on before passing 2000 and climbed on course to 4500. There was a broken level above us at about 8000, little bumps in the air and smog/smoke drifting in from the west. We also had an annoying 'tornado' in the airplane due to fact that we couldn't close an air vent.

His first chore was to track inbound to the VOR, then enter holding for the procedural turn. Rome isn't that far away from Cobb County, so he was kept busy with checklists and instrument procedures while I looked for traffic and checked in with the other folks using the VOR and landing pattern. He got a little behind the airplane trying to do his 'Ts' and 'AMICEATM' but overall flew a pretty good approach down to mins. We could have made the landing.

Missed there (carefully watching for cross traffic) and climbed back to the VOR. Opposing traffic was inbound to the field and the smoky haze made seeing him difficult. We passed well clear, no factor. Next setup was for the GPS into Centre Municipal in Alabama. The IAF happens to be about a mile Southeast of Cedartown, so I was glad for the silence on CTAF. I didn't want to be in the middle of a shower of Skydivers.

He used the GPS as primary and backed it up with the VOR. The arc went very well and he rolled out nicely on course. As we traveled the 15 miles to the airport, we both noticed a discrepancy in the needles. The VOR had us right of course, while the GPS had us dead on. I advised him to stay with his primary. Haze obscured the field until about 5 miles and at that point I knew that the VOR was giving a better indication. (I would have expected the GPS to be more accurate.) When he took the foggles off at mins he was forced to do some "fancy footwork" to set up for the landing. He concluded with a nice landing.

Time = 1.5

C22 is just a little field about a half mile from nowhere. Nestled away just on the other side of Weiss Reservoir, its the home of about a half dozen airplanes and is (I believe) a rest stop for the local arm of the airborne State Patrol. An old building with a head and not mush else. Sprint service was not available.

We stretched our legs and switched positions (headsets, flight bags, etc.) and I got my foggles and approach plates ready. My copilot checked the oil, seemed to be OK. So we jumped in and started her up. Everything looked good so I made the call to back taxi on 27. This was something new for me as I haven't had many opportunities to take off from small fields like this in a long time. It was only after I had gotten to mid field that I thought about the run up. Hmm. Well, I took position and just did a 'quick' run up before takeoff. No other traffic around so this was probably OK, but in the future I'll do it before taking the active. Also, doing anything 'quick' requires extra vigilance. It opens up all sorts of opportunities to miss things.

Takeoff and climb out on course normal. Local brush fires only made the haze worse, but we were flying east now so the visibility wasn't quite so bad. I leveled at 3500 direct to the RMG VOR. That acts as a feeder fix for the GPS RWY 4 Cherokee County. Airwork and procedures were good. I really felt "on" with enroute procedures and airwork. Maybe a minor 'flub' or two enroute on the radios, but overall I flew up to my standards.

The approach went well, although my copliot thought I was a bit high on final. It was hard for me to tell as I had foggles on and by now it was night time. He told me that the '5 clicks' worked and as I neared the final waypoint I executed the missed. I was very comfortable with course control.

Next task was to prepare for the ILS at RYY. I climbed up to 3000, roughly heading East and dialed up Comm 1 to talk to ATC. We were assigned a squawk and told to fly south while he tried to find us. AMICETAM complete, radar contact and vectors to the final approach course. However he allowed us to pass through the localizer before the final vector to intercept. This is when having a GPS is so helpful for situational awareness. We both caught it, but it was great to have it confirmed by the 430. Just as I was approaching the FAF he called to have us turn north to allow closing jet traffic to pass. Actually this was good news since I wanted to fly this one on speed rather then sprint down the glideslope. Vectors back around and we were once again ready to go.

This was one of those few times when I was 'wired' to the gauges. The needles were dead centered on the donut, speed was good and rate of descent was just about 500 fpm. Corrections were minor and seldom did I get outside the ring...until about 500 feet above DH. Bing(1), the course needle jump about 3 points to the right! This was NOT me! Copilot said he was watching the airplane move left of centerline, but the needle was dead on centered until the jump. I made the correction, completed the checklists and made an 'OK' night landing.

Back at the school we asked a CFII about it, and he verified that I had VLOC selected, no red flags, etc. We'll play with it now to see if it can be reproduced. The good news here is that I'm very comfortable it wasn't my airmanship.
C172p
Time = 1.3

This was a big confidence builder. Airmanship is getting back to where it should be, procedures are becoming natural. I Still have a way to go, and am learning more about 'practical' flying every flight, but I'm finally comfortable.

*Good news: I learned that there is a good chance that a Tiger will be back in the fleet soon! While I have learned to enjoy the 'high wing wonder' I'm anxious to get back into a Grumman.

Pell City, Alabama

2006-03-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

The objectives of this flight: 1) enroute IFR procedures, 2) non-precision approach, and 3) that $100 Hamburger.

It looked like the planets had aligned and weather gods had finally agreed to allow us to venture west to Pell City (KPLR) in St Clair County, Alabama! While we had originally scheduled the airplane for 9:00 am local, we decided to wait for the remains of the windy cold front to completely pass and rescheduled for 3:00 pm. I arrived about an hour early so we could brief and do a final weather check. I had filed IFR from home (still very cool, although the AOPA Real-Time Flight Planner was down due to a Jeppesen server problem). The weather was very clear and not an issue. I decided to exercise some cockpit management and asked the Safety Pilot if he would handle all communications during the flight. (Since he is working toward his IFR rating it would give him some experience talking to the controllers, and with some reservations, he agreed.)

I filed Dalas/V325/GAD/STAMP/KPLR which uses STAMP as the feeder fix for the GPS RWY 20 into Pell City. I warned the copilot to expect HEFIN with V321 up to GAD and that was what was given. Clearance Delivery warned us of an annoying whine on our radio, and without missing a beat my copilot said he would tell "the pilot to keep it down". Earned him a chuckle from them and a snarl from me. Runup and take off went fine, although it took a little longer then normal for Tower to hand us off to ATC. Level at 6000 we were getting bounced around a bit, so I had the copilot ask for 8000, which is pretty high for this old bird, but she was able to maintain a 500 fpm rate. It was smooth at 8k and just about above the scattered layer. It was fun to slice a few of the wisps up there. We were cleared "our own navigation" direct GAD. We passed about 10 miles south of Cedartown (4A4) and heard the "getting ready to unload" message from the Sky Divers there. (Maybe Nate?)

During the climb my copilot suggested that I lean the mixture. I have always left that as an item on the cruise checklist, but he does it during the climb. What is the best practice here?

My enroute airwork was OK, but not as crisp as I would like. At one point I got 200 ft low, unexceptable, but overall the trip out was fine. I had some time to play with the autopilot, and it did well in both Navigation and Heading modes, although I kept my eye on it closely and it didn't behave as well as I would like passing waypoints. (Seemed to initiate the turns late.)

We asked for and were granted the full GPS RWY 20 approach. I put the foggles on and went through my checklists. Pretty standard fare, left 90 degree at the IAF, right 90 degree turn outside the FAF with about a 3 degree glideslope. I got down OK, but the course work was terrible. I never really captured the final approach course and struggled with large serpentine curves. (Mine is the yellow track.) Ouch. Clearly I need more practice.

There were two other planes in the pattern (uncontrolled field) including a homebuilt (Challenger?). When I took the foggles off I could see he was on final infront of us, and felt the spacing was pretty good. I misjudged how slow he was going and executed a go-around when he failed to clear the runway in time. One lap around the pattern for a nice landing at a strange field.

So this was a good trip out to St Clair County airport. We reached 8351 ft (Updrafts through the tops of the clouds) went 131 miles and reached a max ground speed of 141 mph.

C172p
Time = 1.8

Sammie's Touch 'n Go is listed in the $100 Hamburger Guide as the best 2006 Fly-in restaurant in Alabama, and you won't get an argument from us. We called the flight school to insure no one had the airplane after us, and to let them know we would be back late. You can taxi right up on the lawn in front for place to park. It is a large 'log cabin' style building decorated with extensive aviation memorabilia. While they opened a bit late, the service was good and the hamburgers were great. Wash it down with a little "sweetea" and you're good to go. Very reasonable price (especially since my copilot paid), it earned every one of the 5 hamburger rating. I'm already looking forward to a return trip with Kathy.

The trip home was his, night time. He called and got a Wx brief and decided to go VFR to potentially take advantage of an approach at Talladega or Anniston. The front had stalled in southeast Georgia, and there were some clouds in the area, and even forecast for possible thunderstorms there, but our route should be fine. The plan was to fly east , stay south of the restricted area (R2102-A), then head Northeast to Cartersville (VPC) and pick up vectors for the ILS 27 at home.
Startup and taxi were normal ( except going on the grass instead of asphalt until away from Sammie's) and runup was fine. We called a few times to make sure no one was on final, then taxied into position for take off. 5 clicks on the radio and the lights came on. I'm sorry, I think that is really cool and just plain beautiful!

He climbed on course up to 3500ft to the TDG VOR, staying north of the airports and checking in on the CTAF for traffic. Visibility was good and the cloud bases still seemed to be up close to 8000ft. Passing KANB we noticed a 'dark spot' off to our left, and decided to stay clear (cloud?). Turns out it was a mountain. The VFR Sectional gives the quad height of 2500, but the IFR chart showed an MEA of 4000. He decided to climb up to 5500 just to be comfortable. Lesson here is that when you feel uncomfortable, do something about it. Going to 55 was a good decision. The rest of the enroute portion of the flight was uneventful, except for the shear beauty of flying at night. I said it looked like the earth was coverd in black velvet with amber jewels sprinkled all over. "King of the world" comes to mind.

We got our squawk but had trouble staying in radar contact. So we accpted an easterly heading with hopes that ATC would pick us up in time to turn us in for the ILS. Not much traffic on a Friday night, so keeping clear of everyone was pretty easy. Sure enough, we got radar contact back prior to AKONE (FAF) and were cleared (VFR) for the approach. Unfortunately, he didn't do much better then I did (serpentine approach) but made a nice landing. 150 miles, got up to 148 mph and a max altitude of 5927 ft.

Time = 1.3

This was a GREAT training flight. Enjoyable company, fine food, and a touch of adventure. Does it get any better the that? (Doubtful)

Gadsen, Alabama

2006-03-02T21:01:00.000-05:00

The objective of this flight: IFR enroute procedures.

The weather was 'iffy'. A cold front was slowly moving down from the Northwest pushing some clouds and rain in front of it. We had planned to fly to KPLR for a $100 Hamburger, but low ceilings and gusty winds made the Go-No Go decision hard. My practice pilot decided to wait for a better day, and by 3:00 I had just about decided to do the same. I called local ATIS one more time and found that at least around here, conditions had improved. So, why not go out and get some actual IFR time shooting the ILS?

By the time I got to the airport, winds were still gusty, but ceilings had gone from overcast to broken. So, I filed IFR to Gadsen Muni, just a waypoint on the way to Pell City, but in the right direction. I don't have much solo IFR time, so this could be interesting. It would give me a chance to practice, as well as play with the GPS a bit (what does that OBS button really do?)

Ground work was all normal, however my clearance came back a bit different then filed. ATC wanted me to go down to HEFIN, then up V321 rather then the shorter DALAS/V325 I filed. Longer route, but I was trying to get some enroute IFR time, so no complaints. *Note: "FAA has suspended all 'position and hold' clearances until further notice." First time I heard that one. Takeoff was normal, climbed to 4000 ft, expecting 6000 in ten minutes. Radar contact, I'm cleared direct GAD. (So much for planning.) I get to punch through a few little white puffy ones before getting on top, and the weather starts getting...nice. Where's my IMC? I guess the front ran out of moisture because the clouds got thin and then vanished. Head winds at about 40 kts with a bubble here and there, but nothing extraordinary. Maybe I can log a tenth.

So I enjoy the trip. Polish airwork, play with the 430, shoot a low approach (GPS RWY 24) and head for home. Vectors for the ILS are a bit interesting as I have two twins in the row behind me so am asked to keep my speed up. a 172 can only go so fast. It turned into a nice approach (although VFR) and a sweet landing.

221 miles, with homeward winds I reached 163 mph and was above the clouds at 6053 feet. This was a good flight. Every so often its nice to spend some time alone up there.

C172p
Time = 2.3

Athens, GA

2006-02-17T07:38:00.000-05:00

The objectives of the flight: 1) Practice Pilot for an Instrument Pilot, 2) Practice a non-precision approach, 3) go some place different.

The weather has been somewhat unstable. Ceilings and visibility are OK, but temperatures have been warm and winds gusty. Our original plan was to go west to KPLR, but after reviewing the METARS, Airmets and Pireps we decided to go east and avoid some turbulence. A series of low pressure areas and a polar cold front was slowly moving just northwest of us stirring things up.

Athens (home of UGA) is about 75 miles from McCollum so would work for his x-country time. We also planned to come back to Winder (KWDR - Spitfire Grill) switch seats, go up to Gilmer (KGVL - Lake Lanier) and finally home. This would roughly split the time and if running late, I still have my night currency.

The oil was a bit low so preflight took longer then expected. Groundwork was all normal and we took off about 4:30. Fairly good winds out of the south, but only a little turbulence. He but the foggles on and headed roughly east climbing to 5,500. Visibility was good, about 8 miles in haze. Interesting for me as we flew by a number of out lying airports a portion of metropolis Atlanta. We listened to various common traffic frequencies, tuned radios and in general practiced x-country procedures.

We immediately noticed that the GPS was setup for 'Track Up". Both of us prefer "North Up". It took me a minute to remember that this correction is found by pressing the Menu button, using the Map Options to change the settings.

The next task was to enter holding for the RNAV20 approach. I was taught to divide the directional gyro into three quadrants. For a standard pattern (right turns), 70 degrees to the right for a teardrop entry, 110 degrees to the left for a parallel entry, and the remaining 180 degrees for a direct entry. Find the Outbound Holding Course (OHC) on the DG, see what sector its in and make the appropriate turn passing the holding fix. (Time, twist, turn, time, transition, talk). However, does GPS change this? You can see the holding pattern on the display, so is it really necessary to pass the holding fix for entry, or can you just turn onto the purple line and continue with the approach?

He completed the procedural turn (holding) and headed inbound. Athens is a towered field and there was one other plane in the pattern for Rwy27. However he was well clear by the time we passed the Final Approach Fix (FAF). The PIC started his descent late and never really got down to the MDA, so we executed a low approach, made a left turn for a downwind entry into the traffic pattern. An uneventful full stop landing allowed us to taxi over to the tower to stretch our legs and change seats.

Startup, taxi and runup were all normal. Winds had subsided so my takeoff was smooth and subsequent climb to 4000 was uneventful. However we we running a bit late so decided to forgo Gilmer and just head for home. Upon level off I contacted Atlanta approach and requested vectors to KRYY. They were not too busy, but there was another aircraft with a similar call sign. Very smooth air, but haze obscured our vision looking west and made for a beautiful sunset.

The low voltage light came on, rats. The procedure is to turn off the avionics switch and cycle the master. This plane has a digital voltage gage in addition to the discharge meter, and it showed we would lose 2 tenths of a volt, gain a tenth, etc. Slight discharge was showing. I was about 30 minutes out. hmmmm. Cycled strobes, checked breakers, no help.

Well, I decided to let it be. Monitored closely, but decided it would be OK for now. I did feel better when we called the field in sight. Contacted tower for a straight in, and made a 'squeaker' night landing.

We traveled 208 miles, climbed to 5757ft and reached 154mph over the ground.

C172p
Time = 2.3

Better Circling with Math

2006-02-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

I read an article in this months IFR Magazine (Feb 06) by Alan Jeffs describing his method to determine a circling approach. I think this looks pretty good, but would like to hear from the more experienced aviators out there. (Modfications suggested by John.)

How do you do it?

Extrapolating on the theme, how about this for a VOR A type approach?

It was pointed out that staying within 1.5 miles of the airport should be a serious consideration. While not to scale, the approximate diameters indicate that this is a valid concern and should go into the planning, along with corrections for wind. (Thanks again John, for the clarification.)

The Right Seat

2006-02-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

Objectives of this flight: Safety Pilot. My job was to look outside and insure we stayed clear of clouds and other aircraft. The PIC had chosen to fly to C22 (Centre Muni) in Alabama, shoot a VOR DME (arc) approach, over to Rome for the ILS 01 and then back home via vectors for the ILS27.

It was a beautiful afternoon. A high pressure area was located just west of us pushing a cold front through earlier in the morning. Good visibility, few clouds and haze, but the winds were supposedly gusting up to 18kts. Forecast said the winds would be diminishing throughout the evening.

We met in the flight office at about 3:30, briefed the flight, discussed what duties he wanted me to perform and decided a VFR flight plan would not be needed. Normal preflight, startup, taxi, and runup. A little gusty on takeoff, but not too bad, he climbed 4500 heading west. Smooth air, nicer then forecst, sun in our faces, we flew right by Cedartown (A4) while listening for traffic. The First chore was to intercept the arc at ITZUN, arc around to the west and north for the final approach course of 270 into C22. The GPS makes the arc work really simple, and he did a good job staying ahead of the needles. He had a bit of a late start on the descent, made good corrections, but still ended up high on final and decided on a low approach and go around. Full stop was uneventful. It is a nice little airport and we saw no other traffic.

All checks normal, we left there heading for Rome. He used the GPS to fly to KAREL (IAF), standard holding patten with a direct entry for the procedural turn and started inbound. A Citabria was in the pattern doing T&Gs, so my job got a bit busier. We spotted each other in plenty of time and he graciously took interval on us as we went down to mins and executed the missed back to the RMG VOR.

Next job was to get radar vectors for the ILS back home. Atlanta approach was busy. It took a few minutes, but we finally got our squawk. There was at least one other aircraft with a similar call sign, so we both had to listen carefully for instructions. We decided it would be best for him to take off the foggles to give us another pair of eyeballs looking for traffic. Also, the sun was at a low angle and the haze was thick enough to really obscure everything when looking west. It was a tight approach, final vectors called for a sharp turn to capture the final approach course just at AKONE (Final Approach Fix). He did well keeping up with it, made a nice approach and a beautiful landing.

What a great way to spend an afternoon! We went 194 miles, reached 148 mph and climbed up to 4613 ft.

C172P
Time = 2.1

Into the Class B

2006-01-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

Objective of this flight: Get away from the patch and work the system. The plan was to fly down to Pine Mountain (Calloway Gardens) KPIM, shoot a GPS approach, come home over Atlanta for ILS 27 at McCollum (KRYY). We used to call them TCAs (upside down wedding cakes) reserved for the busiest of airports. While I've worked with Atlanta Center many times, this would be my first venture into the crowded airspace all by myself.

All the planning was done at home, my first time filing a flight plan from my home office. Weather was perfect VFR, not a cloud in the sky and very light winds. I got to airport just before 4:00, got the dispatch kit and went out to preflight. I had planned a 2130z departure, so had plenty of time to set up the radios. I expected a far different clearance from the one filed, so prepared myself to make the changes. To my surprise, I was cleared as filed, fly heading 260, climb and maintain 3000, expect 4000 ten minutes after. Cool.

Taxi, runup and takeoff were all normal. switched to departure, hit the ident button and waited. He was busy, but I always wonder how long to wait before reminding ATC that I'm waiting for radar contact. When he did contact me he had me turn to 180 and told me I would be on vectors down to PIM. (So much for the flight plan.)

This is GREAT stuff! Flying alone in Class B, talking to controllers, watching for traffic, just doing all of the 'stuff' I've been training to do.

I planned to do the GPS-A at PIM, which has an initial approach fix called JUKRU. I got a late frequency change and was passing the fix by the time Approach figured out what I wanted to do. No problem, I responded by going direct CARVA (Final Approach Fix) and playing the GPS to make it all happen. No problem on a clear day like this, I had the field in sight early and could easily have made the landing. Missed there and headed for home.

Again, the filed flight plan wouldn't work. Center didn't want me to fly directly over Hartsfield so I was told to go direct MIKEE. Ah, nice to have the GPS now, much easier to dial it in rather then find the defining navaids, set the radials and determine the correct intercept. A few minutes later I'm given vectors again, fly 360.

I asked for and was granted vectors for the ILS. Now this was really nice, as it took me directly over Dobbins AFB and close to downtown Atlanta. Very Cool! The rest of the approach and landing was uneventful. (Really easy when you can see the runway.) 215 miles, 5,090 feet and a max ground speed of 152 mph.

C172P
Time = 2.2 hrs

Local Area Bounce

2006-01-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

Objectives of this flight: Shoot some Touch and Goes. Instrument flying has been great, but my first love in aviation has always been the landings. That sweet squeak when the mains just kiss the asphalt and you feel the struts gently contract... well, if you don't know I can't explain it to you.

It's the middle of January and the temperature is in the mid 60's, clear as it gets and I have some money in my 'prepay' account. Got to the airport about 4:00. My CFI is sitting in lounge waiting for another student and asks where I'm going. After all this time and effort to get my Instrument ticket back, its hard to believe that I just want to go out and bounce.

Normal preflight, taxi and runup. Its busy today and I have to wait a few minutes before cleared for takeoff. The plane jumps into the air when no one is in the right seat. It has been awhile, no climb checklist since I'm staying in the pattern. (What are my settings and speeds?) It all comes back quickly. Tower calls, looking for traffic and making appropriate corrections for spacing comes easily now.

8 total, 4 good (3 great), 4 "OK" (1 salvaged...balloon), full flaps, half flaps, No flaps, and all with a mild (6-8kt) left crosswind. I had a smile on my face the whole time. "Peaceful", "At Home", "Comfortable" is how I would describe it.

Next time I'll have to wander away from the patch and go explore something, but today was a good day just to bounce.

C172P
Time = 1.1

*the track was created using Magnalox. (#1152 'Local Bounce'.)

IPC

2006-01-12T09:45:00.000-05:00

I had a personal accomplishment last evening. I completed my IPC (Instrument Proficiency Check) and am now allowed by the Federal Government (FAA) to fly in clouds. I can now use the radar systems of the United States (ATC), fly on designated airways and execute standard approach procedures into airports. I've always felt that the Instrument Rating was the most difficult one to get, and am pleased to have these privileges reinstated.

I arrived at the airport about 4:00 PM local, had a short brief with the CFI , grabbed the dispatch kit and went out to start the preflight. The cold front that passed through with such energy in the morning, had left behind a beautiful blue sky and unusually mild temperatures (65F). The preflight was normal (although getting up to check the fuel level with my 'bum' leg was a bit difficult.) All checks complete, I got to the point where you turn the key and....nothing. Dead battery. I don't believe in 'bad omens' but this was not an auspicious start. Fortunately another C172 (w/Garmin 430) was available so we jumped over to that one.

Taxi was a bit unusual as some paperwork needed to be delivered to the maintenance shop on the north side of the field. This was my first time over there in an airplane, but no big deal. The nice thing is, they have a 'formal' run-up area, felt almost professional to have a space to do this other then a taxi way.

The plan was to fly north up to Calhoun, do a 'mystery' approach somewhere, and come home with the ILS. I took my time and used AMICEATM to get set for the approach. Weather is obtained from CTAF, or use the Rome altimeter settings. The Rome frequency is not listed on the approach plate, so I used the GPS nearest function to get the frequency. I fumbled a bit getting GPS back to the approach, but no major errors. The clock was broken in the airplane, so I used a combination wristwatch and Westclok for the timings. Overall, the approach went well. There were strong crosswinds but I was able to keep the needle alive. I executed the missed there and headed for the holding pattern.

The intent of the 'mystery approach' was to have me control the airplane while reaching back for my approach plates, leaf through the binder to find the right approach, brief it, set up the radios and execute it. This simulates a contingency situation, the kind of thing that happens when for whatever reason, the planned approach doesn't work.

Key here is scan. Flying the airplane while searching for the approach is cumbersome, but good trim and constant scan make it doable. He chose the GPS RWY 34 at Pickens County (which can be found under Jasper). While I could easily dial in the GPS, I needed the approach plate to determine the closest IAF. The rest of the approach was normal, except that the last pilot had set the GPS for 'airplane up' instead of 'north up' which is my preference. I got slightly confused on the first turn as I tried to transition form the screen to the plate. (Later, we changed the preference.) The rest of the approach was uneventful. Missed there and headed for home. By this time it was getting dark, and it was nice to find that the panel lights worked! (I still had my flashlight at the ready.)

Climbed to 3000, headed roughly south and listend to ATIS for KRYY. I contacted Atlanta Approach and requested vectors for ILS 27. No problems. I was 'on rails' until the end where I zigged to the left a bit. Overall a very good approach and nice landing.

Assessment: The most challenging (and interesting) part of this 're-training' was the use of GPS. Tuning in and flying the needles came back rather quickly. However, adding the 'TV Set' into the scan, and prioritizing it properly was much more difficult then expected. Once I learned to relegate it to a secondary system, I did much better. (I spent far too much time trying to tune the GPS, when I could have accomplished the same thing by twisting a radio knob.) There is no question that the situational awareness provided is simply wonderful, but the other aspects of Aviate - Navigate - Communicate can not be sacrificed for that extra bit of added awareness.

C172P
Time = 1.7

Accounting

2005-12-23T17:02:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year, to look back and see what objectives were planned and how effective was I at accomplishing them.

First, I had no plans to start flying again this year. Life was/is still much too hectic for me to engage in another (very expensive time consuming) hobby. So any progress in this area has to be considered a positive. Once I decided to get involved, I had just three objectives: 1) Pass my medical. 2) Pass my Biannual Flight Review for Private Pilot. 3) Fly at least once a week. I planned to start on Instrument Proficiency next year (first half) and perhaps CFI after that.

So, results:
1) I scheduled and passed my 3rd class medical in March. The only restriction is I must wear glasses when I fly.
2) I researched the local area for flight schools. Assessed what I wanted to get out of the training, interviewed some instructors in March and April. I took my first flight in mid-April. I passed the BFR and soloed by the end of May. (Got checked out in a Tiger, then a Warrior, and finally the 'high wing wonder'.)
3) I started flying with 37 weeks left in 2005, I finished the year last night with just over 38 hours. Unfortunately it wasn't every week, but the intent was there.

In addition, I've worked hard on my instrument skills and am getting close to completing the IPC. CFI is still something to consider for next year. (Tailwheel endorsement, Complex a/c)

I underestimated the amount of study required. Books include: Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook and Instrument Survival Guide, FAR-AIM, Hayes's Instrument Oral Exam Guide, Eckalbar's IFR: Structured Approach. Various magazines, and of course web sites were all used to get back up to speed. (BTW, I didn't know what a Blog was last year. Podcast?) I also use Microsoft Flight Simulator and the Garmin 430 Simulator.

I also underestimated the 'flight bag'. Headsets (need one for a passenger too), charts, plates, and gadgets like GPS and Transceiver (not needed but definitely nice to have), and other assorted pieces of gear.

So, what about the cost? Roughly twice what I estimated (but then I got further along then initially planned). As my wife said last night "Not a bad investment."

My Christmas Present

2005-12-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

The objectives of this flight: Enjoy.

After all this time, I finally had a chance to fly with Mandy. The weather was great, a bit hazy but ATIS was calling it 10 miles. No clouds and only light winds from the west.

We started the preflight at about 4:30. I carefully explained each step of the procedure, pointing out what I was looking for and why it was important. Same thing once we sat in the cockpit. Gave it some time to sink in, allowed her to ask some questions, and tried to prepare her for what to expect. No surprises. Start, taxi and run up were all normal. Take off was as well, except for her gasps of excitement!

Very smooth air. Climbed to 4500 to get above the haze layer, trimmed it up and let he have the controls. Slow easy turns made easy by the sharp horizontal line caused by the haze. Talked just a little about lift, and why back pressure was needed in a turn. Then I gave some headings to fly, which she did quite well. No problems with airsickness, sinus problems or other distractions. So we flew south for a bit, to enter the pattern from the southwest, hopefully flying over our house. Pretty close, and we did identify our development, but not the house.

The haze mixed with the low light from the setting sun made very poor visibility. Tower was calling traffic within 3 miles that I couldn't see until behind my wing. Navigation lights and beacons just seemed to be a part of the traffic lights below. Entered left traffic number 2 behind a Piper on a right downwind. I was able to pick him up after a few tower calls, and extended the pattern just bit to follow him in.

Checklist complete, on speed, on altitude and the air is smooth as silk. Over the Mall on final, the Piper cleared the runway and it was my turn. Good landing.

"When can we do this again? I mean really?"

Does it get any better then that?

We traveled just 75.4 miles, climbed up to 4627 feet and reached the awesome speed of 135 MPH. What a beautiful night.

C172P
Time = 1.2

IFR 10 - IPC (almost)

2005-12-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

The objectives of this flight: The Instrument Proficiency Check. I planned the same route as last time, up to Rome, over to Cartersville, and back home. Weather looked good (a little gusty out of the NW, but not bad). Sky as clear as it gets.

However, it was a bit cold, so I got some hands on training on how to use the engine heater. The briefing and preflight were normal. Engine started well (no prime required). Taxi and run up without any problems. Took off to the west and put on the foggles, climbed to 4500.

Radio setup went well. RMG VOR in Nav2, RMG ILS in Nav1, GPS backing up our track to Rome. AMICEATM went fine. We discussed holding entry, and noted on my last flight I entered direct and typically this is a parallel entry. (I pointed out that my heading was 'all over the place due to poor airmanship setting up the GPS, so a direct entry was correct at the time.) Station passage, outbound to the entry, just waiting for the ILS to center. Did not happen, so I used the GPS (which recommended a direct entry) to establish myself outbound. Ahah, ILS still in standby, push the switch and all is ok. (Identify means to actually listen to the dit dah!) ouch

The rest of the approach was fine, down to mins, and could have made the landing. Missed back to the VOR. Nice to have RMG in Nav2 so that I can set up for Cartersville with the GPS. I had selected the Loc like before, but decided to do the VOR A /GPS. This would give me the 'circle to land' approach needed. (Besides I had blown this on IFR 2, so wanted to do it right.) It is an interesting step down approach that takes you right by the cooling towers (1720 ft) at Cartersville. The CFI let me take a peak to underscore the reason for the altitude restrictions. The last step is pretty steep (2200 to 1560 in 1.6 miles). I got to mins, took the foggles off and did a nice circle to land on Rwy 1 (smooth landing).

Cleaned up, climbed out and headed back home. Unfortunately the transponder acted up and we were unable to get vectors for the ILS. We stayed VFR and the CFI provided the vectors needed. More then normal s-corrections, bobbing on GS was not pretty, but not pegged either. (I almost went missed at the Loc mins again.) It was an OK landing.

So, improvement over the last few flights. Airwork is ok, headwork improving. One more flight into a 'strange airport', an "unplanned approach" and maybe some more partial panel work should convince us both that I am ready.

This was a good flight, it should have been great. I know what to do, how to do it, and know when things aren't right, but I'm still not executing to the best of my ability. I'm really looking forward to the next flight.

Focus on the journey, not the destination.

C172p
Time = 1.5

IFR 9 - More Practice

2005-12-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

The objectives of this flight: 1)Build Confidence, 2) Practice procedures.

I linked up with a safety pilot for this flight, another private pilot working on his Instrument rating. His job is to look outside for traffic while I wear the foggles and look inside at the instruments.

My plan was to fly VFR direct to the Rome VOR, do the the ILS into Russel (RMG), then right over to Cartersville for the Localizer, then back home and ask for vectors to the ILS at Cobb County.

KRMG 121853Z AUTO 29013G21KT 10SM CLR 13/M01 A2990

KRYY 121845Z 29015G21KT 10SM FEW030 12/M01 A2988

The weather was finally good, although gusting winds to 21 knots would make it interesting. I didn't file a flight plan as most of the work would be around non-controlled fields. The brief, preflight and taxi all went well. It is a little different being in the plane without an instructor, more personal responsibility, less effort to impress. I just felt more comfortable. The safety pilot pointed out things he does a bit different, I shared my procedures, and overall it was a very good 'give and take'. Low voltage light during run-up, avionics off (GPS flight plan lost), master reset, voltage OK.

After we cleared Cobb County airspace I put the foggles on and set up to track inbound to the VOR. Along the way I set up the radios, listened for weather, listened to and advised Rome traffic and generally completed all of AMICEATM. I used the GPS as backup and rediscovered my tendency to apply yoke pressure when fiddling with the GPS. I'm just going to have to put my left hand in my lap when I tune that thing. Otherwise my air work was acceptable, though far from my best.

The ILS uses a holding pattern for the procedure turn, the IAF is defined by the inbound course on the Localizer(Nav 1) and a radial from the RMG VOR (Nav 2). My radio setup was good, and it was nice to have GPS setup as backup and situational awareness. (BTW, approach plates are much easier to read in the daytime.) Gusty winds pushed me around a bit, but I felt very comfortable with the approach. Went to mins and executed the missed back to the VOR.

Since I was tracking with Nav 2, it gave me the opportunity to set up Nav 1 for the next approach. Again, I backed this up with the GPS (careful to scan and not push while tuning in the new procedure). Cartersville had touch and go traffic on the opposing runway, so we stayed at altitude for this one. (Again, I was really interested in procedures, so going down to mins wasn't essential.) Normal procedural turn, intercepted the Loc inbound without any problems, took the foggles off so two sets of eyeballs could look out for traffic. Went missed and told the boys in the pattern I would get out of their way.

Heading east, the setting sun shining on Atlanta was beautiful. City lights were coming on and the traffic jams coming north made me delighted to be in the sky. I contacted approach to see if they could fit me in for vectors to the ILS back home. It must have been a slow night since he gave me a squawk, told me to stay VFR and gave me the vectors I requested. Foggles back on, checklists complete for a beautiful ILS. Foggles off a little above mins, I saw I had maybe 20 degrees crab into the wind so decided to use just 10 degrees of flaps and fly it a little fast. Landing was not my best, but respectable.

Fun! This was a fun flight. I did all of the things I needed to do, found some inherent weakness in my personal routine that can be corrected, and made a new friend at the same time. We traveled 155 miles, got up to 155 mph and climbed all the way up to 3907 feet. (Scattered clouds at 4500 kept us down around 3000 for most of the flight.)

C172p
Time = 1.7

IFR 8 - Practice, Practice, ...

2005-12-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

The objectives of this flight: Practice. I filed a flight plan to Chattanooga via airways. I planned to do an ILS followed by VOR/DME arc then back home via standard arrival and a GPS.

The planning, preflight and takeoff were all normal. We were cleared as filed, which took us to Nello Intersection then V5 into CQO (Choo Choo) for the approaches at KCHA. Two weeks since the last flight, I was a little rusty, or at least not as sharp as I would like. I had to work to track the course, maintain altitude and make the radio calls. The course deviation never got close to pegged, but it was seldom in the donut either.

CHA was pretty busy and I had vectors for spacing before getting on the approach. I was slow to flip the LOC frequency from standby to active and had a difficult time reading the minimums for the approach. (I discovered something here. I've been using a red LED flashlight for my night flying. For whatever reason, when I use that I can't quite focus on the approach plates. Using a standard red flashlight works better for me.) Good course and glideslope, but I missed at the Localizer mins instead of the ILS. (Dummy)

OK, so executed the missed approach and went for the VOR arc. Osily (IAF) is 7 miles out on the 090 radial, and you arc to the south for a 332 final approach course. Winds were quite strong out of the west, so I used a 20 degree cut instead of the normal 10. It worked well. Course control on final was good. Missed there and turned for home.

The air was much smoother on the way home. Basic air work was much better. I asked for and was given the Bunni Two Standard Arrival (STAR), which took us right by RYY. The GPS 27 was good with a nice landing.

Overall it was an OK flight. I was not happy with my air work. It was a good training flight. Nice to go somewhere different, and a great opportunity to review cross country procedures. A little more practice and I should be ready for the IPC.

251 miles round trip, 5047 feet (always just a bit off), and with the tailwind on the way home we got up to 172 mph.

Cessna 172p
Time = 2.6

IFR 7 - Just one of those nights

2005-11-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

The objective of this flight: 1) Practice and review. I wanted to get some ground school done, primarily to review Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR Part 91), Aeronautical (Airman's) Information Manual, and Low Altitude Charts and Approach Plates. After that, I wanted to fly a few ILS approaches just for 'polish'. I'm feeling comfortable now, and just wanted to finish off any items prior to the IPC (Instrument Proficiency Check).

The briefing went well. My study of the manuals paid off, and I reviewed the DVD from Sporty's on the IPC. No questions surprised me, and we discussed common sense, practical airmanship as well as what is in the book. (Knowing that you are going into real IMC conditions, what is your minimum equipment list for a Cessna 172?) I missed a lot of questions on the low altitude charts. Everything is on the legend, and I could easily find it there, but probably a good idea not to be searching a legend on the other side of a chart while bouncing around IFR. So, I need to look over that some more.

Question: Is it legal to download approach plates from AOPA or AirNav (or other WWW sources) for use in actual IFR conditions?

We decide to try a PAR into Dobbins AFB. I hadn't done one of those in XX years, so thought it might be fun. Then try some ILS approaches back home and call it a night. KRYY is Notam'd for runway closure at 10:00 PM (local) for repairs, so we need to be back home before then.

So I go out to preflight and it is cold! My planning METAR looked like this, and by 2300Z it was colder:

KRYY 172045Z 34012G18KT 10SM SKC 07/M09

The first really dumb thing; "Normally" I take the key from the dispatch kit and put it on the glare shield. That way it is visible to any maintenance guys, or others walking around the airplane so that they know the twirly thing in the front isn't going to start moving. This time I put it in my jacket pocket. When I removed the pitot cover I put that in the same pocket. Back in the plane, I put the pitot cover in the dispatch kit (so I wouldn't forget about it and take it home with me.) When I got to the START Checklist we spent a good 10 minutes looking for the darn key. It was in the dispatch kit tangled in the flag of the pitot cover.

The rest of the ground procedures were normal. Take off a little squirely due to winds. Contacted Dobbins and found out they don't accept practice PARs for security reasons. OK, I can understand that, but its too bad.

Plan B: My instructor would like to shoot an approach and asks if I would mind being his safety pilot. GREAT! An education in itself watching his setup and execution. It really helps to drive home all of the tips and techniques he taught me, by seeing him using them to such good effect.

After he gets done, its my turn. Foggles on, approach plate ready, time for the ILS 27 at RYY. He asks me to contact ATC and request the approach. This is easy now, and all communications go well. (BTW, it really does help to have an active noise canceling headset.) Radar contact, on vectors for the approach. AMICEATM

Second really dumb thing: The 'C' in the gouge is for Course. I missed it. I checked it on the approach plate but never dialed it into the CDI. So I'm happily plowing along on vectors, "Cessna 361 turn right heading 240 intercept the final approach course you're cleared for the approach". Course deviation for the Localizer is alive, I turn to....the course from the previous approach, 183. CFI says I'm confused. Center says I'm well south of approach course and asks if I need vectors back. The light bulb comes on. "Center, 361, no thank you sir, I can find it." 30+ correction back to course and by this time the Glide slope is coming alive and the course needle is unpegged. "361 remain VFR, switch to tower Frequency." I'm scrambling. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Come left to final approach course, power off to start descent, did I miss anything else? Punch the button to bring up Tower. "Tower, Cessna 361 is with you at AKONE (FAF) ILS RWY 27 with information November. 361 Tower, what are your intentions following this approach? 361 will execute a missed approach for another ILS 27. 361 what are your missed approach instructions?" What, is he testing me too? OK, I know this; "Tower 361 will turn right 030 climb to 3000 feet and contact Approach on 121.0" It was not a test, evidently ATC had never made the complete hand off to Tower.

OK, so that one was ugly. CFI asks if I want to try to redeem myself. Redemption is a good thing. Next one goes OK. A little chasing at the end, I think due to winds, but definitely would have been able to land from real IMC.

Humility is a good thing. Just about the time you think you have this stuff wired, you get a 2x4 to the side of your head. Bad flight, GREAT(!) training flight. We covered 146 miles, reached 143 MPH and an altitude of 4448 feet.

Cessna 172P
Time = 1.2

Autumn Color

2005-11-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

The objective of this flight was very easy: 1) Go north to the Georgia mountains and see the fall colors. N53361 is in for an annual inspection, so I got switched to N737SA, another 172P but without a GPS. It was definitely not required for this flight. Nate called from Cedartown, he had just finished sky diving and wondered if we could pick him up. I was sure that with full tanks, the three of us, and his gear, that the weight and balance numbers wouldn't work.

We were a little late getting to the airport, and as it turned out, the plane needed gas which got us out later then I had wanted. Preflight was normal, but the radio stack was a little different so it took me some time to figure out how to set the frequencies needed for ATIS, ground and tower. The air temperature was a little cooler today, mid 60's, and clear blue sky. Taxi and runup normal, and I decided to let Kathy try a take off. Smooth power, a little rough on the rudder and nice take off attitude. Pretty good for her first attempt. We departed to the north at 2500 feet roughly following I75.

There wasn't as much color as I had hoped for. Maybe because of the low angle of the sun, but the trees were mostly brown and green, not the oranges, reds and yellows I had expected. I let her fly most of the time, no problems encountered. After about twenty minutes she did a 180 and we headed for home. The setting sun illuminated the glass buildings in Atlanta making them seem almost on fire. Entered the pattern on an extended left base and finished with a beautiful landing.

The Flying club was having a Turkey Fry, so we met with Nate for a great dinner. My kind of ambiance, sitting in a hanger watching airplanes land.

The 96c is working better, but still didn't get a complete track.

C172p
Time = 0.7

IFR 6 - Communicate

2005-11-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

The objectives of this flight were pretty simple, 1) Work with ATC. This time I checked the winds BEFORE chosing what approaches I would try. The GPS arc at LZU still looked interesting, and an ILS is always fun, and back home I could do a simple GPS.

Th flight plan looked like this: Depart KRYY then JOXUV KLZU FLANC KFTY UPHAH then back to KRYY. JOXUV, FLANC and UPHAH are initial approach fixes for what I had chosen.

Brief, preflight, and clearance delivery went fine. The interior lights are still a problem, so we broke out the flashlights again. I was cleared Radar Vectors as filed, climb and maintain 3000. Take off went fine, on with the foggles!

The first approach was the GPS RWY 7 at Briscoe Field (LZU). Radar Vectors means just that, we went well past JOXUV before getting cleared back to it due to heavy traffic. No problem though. What happens when you pass JOXUV and start the arc? Distance will be to the next waypoint, not the center of the arc (in this case PDK). MSG tells you to update course, and if you fly that course it pretty much keeps you on the arc, neat! Not so neat is pushing the OBS instead of the MSG button halfway through, because that suspends the procedure. To correct, go to the Flight Plan page, select the arc and enter. Presto, back on the approach. (BTW, using a flashlight to find little GPS buttons while looking through foggles and bifocals at night is a real trick.) The rest of the approach was routine, missed there and headed toward FLANC.

Well, kinda, because I was still on vectors. It gave me plenty of time to set up for the ILS RWY 8 at Charlie Brown (FTY). I learned something here too. Even though trimmed up nicely, I lost about 150 ft while doing 'A mice ATM' for the next approach. While distracted I had a tendency to gently push on the yoke (positive contact - lesson learned; adjust scan and don't push). The other 'gotcha' is what Linda addressed in her blog. "I have finally resorted to teaching the acronym TITS -- standing for Tune, Identify, Twist (the OBS)and Select the source of input data". I decided to include it under my identify step in 'mice', but the point is, you must know what source is driving the navigation head. I still had it set for GPS and needed to switch it over to VLOC for the ILS approach.

OK, nothing tricky here, just follow the instructions and get vectored around to the final approach course (082). Once headed south the CFII pulled out the instrument covers for partial panel. OK, the key here is to remember timing. Approach vectored us to 140. (180 -140 = 40 or about 15 seconds. Check compass. Pretty close!) "Come left heading 120 intercept final approach course you're cleared for the approach." (140 - 120 = 20 or about 10 seconds. Not bad.) The needles are alive! (120 - 82 = 38 or about 15 seconds. Pause and see what the needle says.) Right of course, turn left count 1, 2, 3 stop turn, wait. Right of course, on glidepath reduce power to 1700 RPM turn left count 1, 2, 3 stop turn, wait. On glidepath and the needle is coming back in for course. Hold wings level wait.....wait...Above glidepath left of course, speed is slow, lower nose back to 90 knots, right turn count 1, 2, 3 wait. On glidepath on course, wait... wait, above glidepath on course, reduce power 100 RPM wait. On speed above glidepath take off another 100 RPM wait. Needle stopped moving but not coming back, another 100 off, right of course, turn left count 1, 2, 3 wings level, wait. Decision height execute missed approach, turn left heading 300 climb to 3000. OK, now what is the math? (Target heading minus Final approach course is 300 - 082 = 140 or about 45 second)...did you start the clock, yep. Nailed it!

Vectors for the GPS RWY 9 back home was uneventful. Took the foggels off at mins, slightly left of centerline. And oh, what a beautiful landing!

Great flight. I was especially pleased with the approach at LZU, since it taught so much about the Garmin 430. I'm getting very comfortable with this now.

The 96c failed to provide a track again. I'll put it on the glare shield next time.

172p
Time = 2.0

IFR 5 - Arc

2005-10-27T22:53:00.000-04:00

The objectives for the flight were: 1) Communications with ATC, 2) Fly an approach with an Arc, 3) some partial panel work, 4) cross country considerations (IFR enroute).

The plan was to fly down to West Georgia Regional (CTJ) and treat it as a x-country flight. Then up toward the Rome VOR where the CFI would specify an arc to fly to the initial approach fix (IAF) for the Localizer approach into Cartersville (VPC) and end with vectors to the GPS RWY 9 at home (RYY).

There was a new twist tonight. My instructor introduced me to another student and asked if it would be OK for him to come along as an observer. It is common for qualified Private Pilots working on their instrument rating to have a 'Safety Pilot' come along for practice flights. (The two students can split the costs, and don't need to pay for an instructor.) Three 'full sized' men meant that we needed a bigger horse, so I got to fly a different, newer Cessna, C172S - (N2165L). It has a 180 HP engine, fuel injection, and a nice Nav package (but not the Gamin GPS I'm accustomed to using).

The briefing went well and focused on GPS x-country operations. (objective 4) What are the minimum altitudes you should use when going direct from point A to point B? (Not on an airway, is the MEA relevant? What about obstruction clearance? What happens if you have a GPS failure/electrical failure/comm failure while tracking to an unpublished way point?)

Flight down to CTJ was fine, beautiful evening, smooth air, but I had 'foggles' on so didn't see the sunset. (Although I was told it was spectacular.) Shot the full (with procedural turn) ILS RWY 35 without a problem. Airwork is getting solid now, no issues with glide slope control.

Executed the missed there, climbed up to 3500 and headed toward RMG. The CFI asked me to do a 7 mile arc from south to east to intercept the 080 degree radial and fly outbound on it to VPC (kindasorta objective 2). Flying an arc is an interesting exercise (example). You actually break it down into small straight segments, correcting in or out as necessary to maintain the correct distance from the navaid. The trick is to figure out the entry (which way to turn) and then when to make the corrections. I knocked some more rust off my neurons and dove in. These days, its nice to have a GPS that provides a picture (but to be honest, I forgot to use it until I was about half way through the arc.)

Once I intercepted the radial, he placed some instrument covers over the Attitude Gyro and the Directional Gyro. This simulates a vacuum pump failure and is called flying "partial panel"(objective 3). The trick here is making turns. The compass is unreliable while turning, so you are forced to make 'standard rate' turns. (2 minutes to turn 360 degrees.) So, you first calculate how far to turn (080-005= about 90) then figure the number of seconds (about 30) then punch the clock and start the turn. Roll out after 30 seconds, check the compass and correct as necessary. Altitude changes are done by setting the known RPM, flying the right airspeed, and closely checking the VSI and altimeter as always. Needless to say, the pilot is very busy...and yes, if this actually happened in IFR conditions you declare an emergency and get all the help (radar vectors) you can get. Now a big advantage today is (again) GPS. It has actual track over the ground information, and some even have a built in Directional Gyro. No it is not 'cheating' to use this.

With full instruments back, the GPS RWY 9 back home was uneventful.

Another good work out, no question that I was tired by the end of the flight. I'm satisfied with the progress I'm making and feel that I'm getting close to where I should be. My headwork is getting better. A few more flights should do it.

Unfortunately my poor little 96c was stuck in my flight bag under a pile of stuff and probably couldn't find any satellites. No track this time.

C172S
Time = 1.7

*Congratulations Mandy! Last night was her Off Broadway Debut to an Actors Equity audience for "Tick Tick Boom". While still waiting for official reviews, I'm confident this was just an outstanding performance.

IFR 4 - Say Again?

2005-10-21T13:04:00.000-04:00

I had four objectives for this flight: 1) I wanted to practice communications with ATC, 2) I needed to refine my air work especially on Glide slope, 3) I wanted to fly an arc approach, and 4) I wanted to file a flight plan.

I planned to fly the ILS RWY 8 at Fulton County (Charlie Brown), the GPS RWY 7 at Gwinnett County (Briscoe Field) and the ILS 27 back into Cobb County (McCollum Field). The relative close proximity meant I would have to work hard to stay ahead of the airplane.

The preflight briefing went well, and since my plan would keep us close to Atlanta, my instructor asked that I file a flight plan (Objective 4). Not a problem. Really just a matter of filing in boxes on a form and calling Flight Service to activate it. (This can be done from the PC these days.)

The preflight was normal. Once started I adjusted the radios so that I was ready for Charlie Brown. I also had to add a step to get a clearance, the reason for the flight plan. It is important to have a pencil ready becasue all instructions must be read back correctly.

Normal Taxi and runup. (Low voltage light had me reset the electrical power, which meant I had to reload the GPS...but no real problem with that.)

After takeoff McCollum tower had me swicth to Atlanta Approach control. One button push on the GPS. They were very busy. It seemd like five minutes before I could break in and identify myself. "Roger Cessna 361 come left heading 120 climb and maintain 4000. State intentions." (Objective 1) No problem, I flew as directed, read back the clearance and asked for the ILS RWY 8 into Fulton County. "Unable 361, State intentions." Brain Freeze.

The instructor helped me out and asked for vectors to VOR A instead. So, some shuffleing to get the right approach and go through my 'gouge'. This is a pneumonic or acronym pilots use to remember stuff:

MICEATM: Marker beacon and align directional gyro to Magnetic compas, identify (the navaide), Course (final approach course), Entry (radar vectors, or as published), altitude(key altitudes for the approach),Time(if needed for the missed approach), Missed approach (procedures). Adding an "A" in front for ATIS (weather and runway information), makes it "A mice ATM".

Airwork was good, really for the entire flight. I need more polish, but flying the airplane is not my problem. Keeping my head in the game is. I must always ask myself what is next, what else can be done, how do I prepare for the next event. I'm not quite back to that way of thinking.

ILS into Briscoe went fine (objective 2), but along the way the airplane instrument lights failed. Time for flashlights. Always have one ready when flying at night.

Missed approach there, radar vectors to ILS back home. No real problems with that one either. Night landing was uneventful.

A GREAT training flight. I learned much, but still have much work to do. I'll find another approach with an arc for next time. (and yes...it really is fun!)

*My thanks to John R (http://johnsflightlog.blogspot.com) for his idea about using Google Earth. Pretty cool! There are three tracks depicted, which represent my flights for October.

Cessna 172p
Time = 1.9

Nates 2nd

2005-10-18T13:45:00.000-04:00

The Flight School had a window from 11:00 to 1:00 for N53361, and the weather is 'severe clear'. Upon arriving I'm told that the vacuum pump is 'squirley', but for my purpose, this is not a problem. (I'll be practicing partial panel later, but with the outstanding weather, the Directional Gyro and Attitude Indicator aren't mission critical.) Normal preflight, taxi and runup. Nate does all of the checklists for me. Position and hold. I explained what to expect and let him take off. Pretty good job, nice rudder control.

We depart to the west in the general direction of VPC. Talk about airspeed, outside reference and trim. Complete the checklists, etc. We can see to almost forever. Level off at 3,500 feet, and do some basic airwork maneuvers. Turns, climbs, and descents. He does a nice job, very easy on the controls. I think Skydiving has given him "air sense", but I'm not sure if there is a real correlation.

My turn. Back to RYY for some T&Gs. ATIS has changed to Xray, but it is as nice as can be. Light winds right down the runway. Listening for tower calls, looking for traffic and explaining what I'm doing gets a bit hectic, but all works out fine. I abort the first landing (not bad, just not what I wanted) and make two more and a full stop. Nice workout, and I was really glad to have the company. We coverd 89.2 miles, climbed to 4822 feet and had a max speed of 141 mph.

Cessna 172P
Time = 1.2

IFR 3 - Aviate, Navigate...

2005-10-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

...Communicate. I decided to reduce the number of variables and let the instructor do the talking. I just wanted to concentrate on flying...good basic airwork and solid navigation. We planned the GPS RWY 4 at Cherokee County (47A), my first ever GPS approach, followed by the Localizer RWY 19 at Cartersville (VPC) and finished with the VOR/DME RWY 9 at home (RYY).

The GPS is pretty straight forward, once you get the 'knobology'. Its almost like dialing your cell phone while driving a stick shift in stop and go traffic. Its easier if you have speed dial set up, so I need to learn all of the short cuts to get the Garmin 430 set up quickly. The simulator really helps, and the instructor was able to polish that knowledge a bit more with some good advice. (Direct/enter/enter). My airwork was good. I was able to stay ahead the whole flight without any problems, much better the IFR2.

LOC Rwy 19 was also good. I need to polish my procedures here. Get all of the necessary checklists done (MICEATM), and insure all of the timings are started correctly. I was ahead of the plane, and had not listened to ATIS or CTAF. I need to organize myself better, but overall the approach went well. No longer chasing the needle, instead I put a correction in and wait for effect (about 3 scans) before correcting again. Also, I talk to myself the whole way down stating target heading and next target altitude. That really works. Level off OK, but he suggested I add a bit more pitch up (about one pipper) to really stop the altimeter. Will incorporate that next time.

VOR back home was easy. The approach leaves you way out in 'left field' so it might be dicey in actual conditions, but I had no problems flying it as published. All checklist complete and squeeek on the landing! We covered 95.6 miles in what was a really good confidence builder. Now I need to learn how to talk again.

Time = 1.2

Weathered Out

2005-10-06T13:57:00.000-04:00

I'm learning how to fly in weather, so this should have been the perfect training flight. We decided not to go. Weathered out. I guess it comes down to my personal minimums. I recently saw a DVD with Richard Collins "The Prepared Pilot" (a part of his Air Facts series from Sporty's) and one of the topics focused on things he just would not do. Never overload the airplane, always plan to have at least an hour of fuel remaining after the trip, etc. He also talked about his personal weather minimums. So, what personal rules will I follow?

IFR, solo, at night: It might happen, but I'm not going to plan on it, and will avoid it if at all possible. Accident statistics support this decision.
Dick's idea to plan about an hour of gas in the tank sounds pretty good.
Approach minimus will not be busted, period. (No 'taking a peak'.)
No re do. If the first approach was flown right, no sense going back again because the weather hasn't changed. Go someplace else (with better weather or lower approach mins).
No 'circle to land' at a strange field at night.
Don't continue a flight with things that are inoperative for the sake of making a meeting, job, or family.
Icing is bad. Always check for icing conditions before the flight. Be prepared to change plans if icing is encountered.

I'll have to think about some others.

The pictures at the top represent a "no go" situation. The weather at the field (KRYY) is lower then the published minimums (green arrow) for the most likely approach. Too bad, I was really looking forward to flying tonight, but not into the remains of tropical storm Tammy.

IFR 2 - Chasing it

2005-09-29T20:59:00.000-04:00

We spent some time briefing this one and decided that the best use of time would be the ILS/DME 1 into Rome (RMG - I-HBQ), followed by a simple VOR/DME A (RMG) into Cartersville and finally an ILS 27 (I-RYY) back home. Pretty straight forward with no apparent tricks, as long as I stayed ahead of the aircraft. I didn't.

The departure was uneventful and the climb to 4500 went fine. I had the 284 from RMG dialed into #2 Nav, Localizer with 007 in Nav #1 with GPS backing up the approach. I chased the needle a little bit inbound, but the rest of my air work was solid. The holding entry to approach was straight forward(right turns - parallel) and I looked good at the initial approach fix (IAF). It went down hill (in more ways then one) from here. I intercepted the glide slope normally, but started chasing the needle for heading. I should have picked a course to fly and let the needle correct, instead I kept chasing it all the way down. Pretty ugly

Missed was fine, back to holding at RMG (left turns - teardrop) , but I was late doing checklist and getting Navaids set up for the VOR into Cartersville. Just plain ugly. Busted mins, chased the needle, overall just worked way too hard. Circle to land went well, and the landing was great.

Picked up radar vectors for the ILS 27 back home. Had to just fly straight for awhile...gave me a chance to think ahead. Everything was set by the time I intercepted the final approach course. I flew course this time, calling out the corrections to myself all the way down. This worked well. Took the glasses off at mins for a beautiful setup for landing. I blew the landing.

Hard, hard workout, but a great training flight. The course covered 165 miles. My cockpit organization is lousy, my procedures are rough, but I'm optimistic. I can do this...and it is REALLY fun!

Time 1.9

Homework

2005-09-26T12:48:00.000-04:00

I can remember sitting in a one bedroom apartment, studying a small plastic RMI. Three of us would give different holding instructions while the others tried to figure out the correct entry procedure. Things have changed. Now GPS allows you to see the pattern, provides a direct track to the entry point, and even provides the recommended entry. If only I had been able to have this then. Technology is great. The simulator can be downloaded for free from the Garmin website. Couple this with MS Flight Simulator you can fly the entire lesson while sitting at home with the computer. While the PC doesn’t provide the ‘feel’, it does give you the situational awareness needed to anticipate what the approach should look like.

First Instrument Flight

2005-09-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

After taking off he handed me some "foggles" to put over my glasses so that I could only see the instruments. I continued to climb, turning north to get up to the practice area. I wanted to get the 'numbers' straight. How many engine rpm are necessary to climb at 90kts, what is the pitch up attitude, how many feet per second will that yield? Same for descent, slow flight, etc.

Next I did a Localizer Approach into Cartersville (the straight portion heading south next to route 293), missed approach and did a VOR approach back to Cobb County. I took the glasses off at pattern altitude for the approach, and did a 'circle to land' (left base) to a "squeaker" full stop landing.

It took a little under an hour, but I was so busy it felt like 5 minutes. More approaches (including an ILS) next week.

Total Time = 0.8

Cessna

2005-09-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

I got checked out in a Cessna 172P last night. I thought you might be
interested in the track. As you can see, we did a number of T&Gs, some
slow flight and steep turns up at the lake, then back (right base) for
some no flap landings. The last was particularly interesting as he
chopped power 700 ft immediately after Take Off and I did a 'tear drop'
back to the opposing runway. A lot of fun.

Time = 1.2

D.R.

2005-08-19T14:05:00.000-04:00

It was time for an exercise. I wanted to navigate the "old way", by planning a flight, drawing lines on a map, and using dead reckoning and visual landmarks on the ground to get from "Point A to Point B". No GPS for this one. I took off solo from KRYY in a Warrior on a Friday morning to avoid the afternoon CBs. First point was Calhoun (CZL), pretty easy as it is just up I75. Next, over to Dalton (DNN), was a little more difficult. Roads are not as prominent as you might think, and there are a lot of tress out there. Even a little haze makes searching the ground difficult, but after a few long minutes the airport was in sight. Finally, the leg home was along a road, keeping the ridge line on my left an looking for the lake. No problem. Entered with a right downwind to a full stop. In can be done...but it sure is nice to have a moving map

Time = 1.3

T&Gs

2005-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

The weather stinks. The plan was to go out and tour the local area, but visibility is less then 5 miles in haze, so we won't see too much. Kathy decides she wants to come along, and while she has an anti-airsickness device, I'm skeptical. I love to do Touch and Go's. To me they encompass everything in flying; climb, transitions, and landings. But these are not good for someone prone to air sickness. She did great! Four T&Gs in the Warrior plus the full stop. A nice way to spend a summer evening.

Time = 0.5

Kathy's 2nd

2005-07-09T12:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning, sunny and dry, with yard work and lots of house work to do. Kathy finally asks;"Can you get the airplane today?" A quick call to the school and I find out that the Warrior is available. Drive over to KRYY and it is really busy. Some Warbirds are in selling rides for a charity. I get the dispatch kit and have her wait in the A/C'd lobby while I do the preflight. I take extra time to brief her on what we will do, what to expect, what things to look for. I also have her read the checklists for me, keeping her involved in the progress of the flight. It is hot!

Taxi checks, run up and take off go fine. Depart to the NW for some simple cruising, and let her fly for a bit. It is going well. Nice easy turns, good horizon, slow climbs and descents. I don't do anything to disturb that inner ear.

Fly over toward Cedartown, where Nate skydives, and listen to CTAF for traffic. No problems, but decide not to risk a T&G, just wander back toward home. All is going real well, she is comfortable, even smiling. Upon contacting the tower I'm told that my traffic is a P51. Can it get better then that? Oh, according to my faded old logbook, her first flight with me was over 31 years ago.

Time = 1.2

Humility

2005-06-17T19:18:00.000-04:00

It seemed simple enough. I had been flying a low wing airplane for awhile now, and still liked the round out, transition, and flare that is unique with the wing in ground effect. The weather wasn’t real good, with lots of ‘bumpers’ in the area, so we decided to stay in the pattern and bounce. First one was OK, but the picture wasn’t quite right. Next was left of centerline and fast. It went down hill from there. It just seemed that the airplane was fighting me. I would have a “happy airplane” on base, but turning final things would fall apart. Finally, after numerous attempts, my instructor had pity on the airplane and called it off. Time to try it another day.

Time = 1.2

What happened? A long night flying in my easy chair in front of a silent TV gave me time to replay the flight. First, the pitch was all wrong, because the Tiger is faster and flatter then a Warrior. Second, I was off speed by always coming in too fast. Third, I spotted the deck. I was landing left of CL and in concentrating on that I failed to scan the entire runway prior to the flare.

The first thing I needed to do was go out to the practice area and see a stall. That would help to visualize the correct pitch attitude. Next, I needed to get the basics right. If the approach speed is 74 kts, then don’t fly it at 80 kts. Finally, don’t fixate or ‘spot the deck’. Keep eyes moving all the down the runway.

I got checked out on the next flight without problems…which included a couple of ‘squeakers’.

Time = 1.3

Nate's 1st

2005-06-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

The weather has been lousey. Lots of t-storms, normal for summertime in Georgia. We've been weather'd out twice so far, and I'm not sure about today. I've been unable to get into an airplane for more then a week. Nervous, excited, and iffy weather, is not a good recipe for success. Fortunately I get a Pirep from a returning pilot saying that its pretty good to the south and west, just where I want to go. We can at least take a look. We take off about an hour late (fuel and oil) on 09 with a right hand pattern. I tell the tower that we'll stay in the pattern for T&Gs. The first is high and fast (missed) but the next one good. We depart for Cedartown (KCZL) and the weather turns beautiful! We watch a C5 out of Dobbins circle way out in front of us and we bounce just a bit when we pass through his wake. I make a sloppy entry but a nice T&G. Nate is having fun and I feel great. Straight in back at KRYY to a beautiful landing. Kathy is there to welcome us and take some pictures.

Time = 1.2

Solo

2005-05-27T19:39:00.000-04:00

This was it. Nervous but confident. The instructor wanted to see some Lazy 8’s and chandelles out in the practice area. I looked up the definitions on AOPA.com, but was unable to visualize exactly what the pilot should see. Slow flight, stalls, and all the procedures to taxi, T.O, depart and enter a controlled field are all easy now. Not perfect, but I am comfortable and confident. It goes well.

Time = 1.2

The next day is my first solo in nearly 25 years. The weather is fine, no problems with the airplane, and I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon. I just want to stay in the pattern for T&Gs. My air work is a little sloppy, but head work is fine. It’s peaceful. This is good stuff, its fun.

Time = 0.6

What's New

2005-04-10T20:48:00.000-04:00

The first entry in my logbook dates back to the late '60s. I flew a Cherokee 140 and built time in an Aeronca Champion. I think both of those planes are probably still flying. The airplanes I'm flying now date back to the early '80s. Not much new there. ATC really hasn't changed much, TCA's are now Class B and Victor airways are still drawn on the charts.

What has changed is what is in the flight bag. When I walked up to the Champ, I didn't even have a flight bag...didn't need one. The biggest improvement is in headsets. I can actually hear the instructor and the tower, and if needed the navaid dit-dah in the background. It is comfortable to carry on a conversation.

Of course its also nice to have the technomagical stuff like a hand held GPS and Transceiver (just in case...), but by far the biggest improvement in the cockpit are headsets.