tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310560052024-03-07T14:46:35.217-08:00Jack's Flying BlogFlying adventures and thoughts from a Northern CA pilot.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890135192476061958noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-31699574089644416642020-04-26T13:12:00.001-07:002020-04-26T13:12:19.683-07:00Career #1 to career #2 transition<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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During the latter portion of my first career, one long term goal was to transition to a semi-retired/part-time job in aviation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never envisioned working until a certain age only to retire and not work ever again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Doing something paid within aviation, even if it only paid the grocery bill,
became a goal. I thought it would be a fantastic way to earn (a little!) money and do something in an area that I truly love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first choice for
an aviation based career #2 was pretty much any type of paid flying. At times though, the
thought of driving the fuel truck at a local airport would have been a great change of pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that career #1 wasn’t enjoyable but there’s
just something about being at the airport. It has become my happy
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people, the aircraft, my hangar, my airplane all combine to satisfy a basic need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like the proverbial kid at the airport fence dreaming of flight except now this big kid has the gate
code and an airplane in one of those hangars. I wish everyone could have this type of experience in their life, this type of happy place where everything is reset and all is right in the world. <br />
<br />
I have more than just an aircraft at my local airport. I have a community, an extended family who would do anything for me. I have a magic carpet that can transport me physically, mentally, and emotionally to a different physical location as well as a better state of mind. And now, I have that long sought after career #2 job. I get paid fly!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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I am expanding my flying experience quite a bit as there
are several aspects of the job which are new and challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, I'm able to incorporate my previous flying and aircraft
ownership experience plus a bit of career #1 into the equation. I look forward to this new chapter and hopefully
having the time to post about it here.</div>
Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-77082627655733330322013-06-06T22:16:00.000-07:002013-06-06T22:17:14.115-07:00First post in three years<img alt="" class="imgBorder" id="mainImage" src="http://zerofourtango.smugmug.com/Aircraft-and-Flying/BBJ/i-nD8Rj9S/0/L/DSC_7510-L.jpg" style="background-image: none; height: 536px; width: 800px;" title="" /> <br />
Time flies when you don't post anything. Three years since my last blog post? Really? Yes, really. So, what made me suddenly decide to post something after a two year absence? While I'd love to say it was because I was transition training to a Boeing Business Jet, truth be told, meeting a future student pilot.<br />
<br />
By "future student pilot", I mean someone intent on learning how to fly, who is in the research phase of things. So, technically, not yet a student pilot but someone who will be at some point in the near future. A very cool aspect here is that I may be able to pass along some of my experiences which I hope provides useful info. to an aspiring pilot. I wonder if it will also be like trying to help someone with Algebra or Calculus when it's been years since having to work through such problems. Nah, trying to remember student pilot stuff will be way better than any math class I took in college :-)<br />
<br />
One of the bits of information I forwarded to this aspiring pilot was a link to my blog. When I saw the date of my last entry, I was both surprised and not surprised. Surprised at it being two years since posting yet not surprised as so many things compete for attention in life that other things just don't get done.<br />
<br />
Will I post more often? Good question. I suppose it depends on whether or not I feel like I have things worth saying. Oh, and that I actually make the time to do so. We'll see what happens.<br />
<br />
Flying has been good the past two years though I haven't been doing quite as much of it, less than 50 hours/year. My goal for 2013 is to complete the last page of logbook #1 and I have something like 10-11 more entries on that last page.<br />
<br />
Highlights over the past couple of years include 0.l right seat time in a Citation (CJ1), a tour of a Boeing Business Jet, and something like 0.5 right seat time in Pilatus PC12. Flights to/from Oshkosh for the past two years has been via the Southwest aluminum tube so, while Oshkosh was fun and exciting, the trips to/from don't quite peg the fun meter. Speaking of Oshkosh, I'll be heading there again this year, via Southwest. 2013 marks my 11th straight Oshkosh...er, "AirVenture", as the proper name of the event.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I can use my CJ1, BBJ, and PC12 experiences as topics to post about. Will save that for a later date.<br />
<br />
<br />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-44732075194467929272010-04-19T21:14:00.000-07:002010-04-19T22:08:34.047-07:00500 nm cross country from AZ to CA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHkb7j7rbnH6jFwdX753uFyUFPe_GRfzU-x_ee4JGswB_Efb8SU0XawhRmN399EYhuk3X_8Sz3hrqotuTB5xLh4KpfcSDYdG89fWdUf6dDOQgCGVeAo6PDrsJtsfOngU2MhmZ/s1600/DSC_6649.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHkb7j7rbnH6jFwdX753uFyUFPe_GRfzU-x_ee4JGswB_Efb8SU0XawhRmN399EYhuk3X_8Sz3hrqotuTB5xLh4KpfcSDYdG89fWdUf6dDOQgCGVeAo6PDrsJtsfOngU2MhmZ/s400/DSC_6649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462069108562394002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="" lang="EN"><br />Jack's trip report re: Prescott, AZ back to Lincoln CA via Furnace Creek CA to retrieve the Arrow.<span style=""> </span>Quality bedtime reading!<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Initially when planning this trip, I considered the more typical route of heading towards Lancaster, CA and crossing over the Tehachapi’s. Having been that route a couple of times though, I looked at the alternative of coming up the Eastern side of the Sierras and perhaps crossing over them at Yosemite. BIG rocks there, stuff in the 12,500 range so not something to consider lightly. I figured I could stop for gas at Furnace Creek in Death Valley then had the option of crossing the Sierras at Yosemite or the more familiar area around Lake Tahoe. Overall distance was very close between these two options.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">I could file/fly IFR to Furnace creek but definitely not beyond that due to high MEAs. I filed essentially direct from Prescott to Furnace creek. Technically, via Kingman, AZ but it's on a straight line between the two. I could have requested a route on the airways to Las Vegas but figured I'd leverage /G capabilities and go direct (hence the straight line Eric). Requested 12000 and my clearance contained those wonderful words "as filed". The only change came when a LAS approach controller asked if I "was able higher". I figured I could possibly squeak out 14,000 but having never tried before, wasn't sure. The controller informs me that their MVA in that area is 14,000 so I reply with "I'll give it a try". Terrain avoidance wasn't much of an issue on my route at 12,000 so it must have to do with radar coverage. Much to my surprise, the Arrow made 400 fpm all the way up to 14,000. Nice...and boy am I glad I have oxygen. I'd planned on using it during the entire flight home anyway. Groundspeed at 12,000 was in the 130-135 range but when I got to 14,000, it dropped to 113 which sucked.<o:p></o:p><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Prior to departure, the last check of my time enroute for the entire trip came out at 03:40 so I thought I'd see how things went to Furnace Creek and possibly not stop for gas but continue home (max I'll fly with full tanks is 4:30..but I don't like to). I'd already punched in the rest of my route and had been watching ETA times on the 430. About an hour into the flight, ETA at LHM was really going to result in more than a 4 hour trip so even before climbing to 14,000 and losing groundspeed, I'd decided to stop at Furnace Creek. Slowing to 113 kts GS more than sealed that deal.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /><span style="" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">About 35 minutes out of Furnace Creek, I start wondering when ATC will be able to have me descend. I have a lot more altitude to lose than normal. I ask for lower but am told they can't issue an IFR descent but I can cancel if I want...and I do. I start descending and in about four minutes, they lose me on radar and tell me to go away and squawk 1200. Now it’s just a matter of staying outside of the MOA until I’m under 3000 MSL. Landed at Furnace Creek and was lucky enough to catch the fuel guy at the pumps. It’s run by a gas station about a half mile away, cell service is non-existent, so it would have been a hike to get someone to come to the airport for fuel. Temp was a comfortable 78 degrees.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Depart, parallel the MOA for many miles (there was one in particular I wanted to avoid as it had a 300 AGL floor) climbing climbing climbing up to 12,500. Tried contacting flight service to open a VFR flight plan but couldn’t get in touch with them until I was almost over the top of Bishop, CA. By now, I’m staring at the wall of snow covered cumulo Granite, probably 35 nm away and I decide that 14,500 is a nicer altitude so up I go.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /><span style="" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Now the fun/exciting/semi-uh-oh part. Having been in up/down drafts many times and this being my first time attempting to cross the Sierras near Yosemite, I’m watching very closely for up/down draft. As I’m maybe 4 nm away from the first set of snow covered pointy rocks near Mono Lake, the altimeter starts unwinding and the VSI goes from 0 to 500 fpm down in a heartbeat. Ok, we’re already at full power so prop to climb, pitch up...and...by the time it took to do just those two things, the VSI now reads 1000 fpm down. Without hesitation, I started a 180 degree turn to my right. I’m sinking all the way through the turn but as I roll out, the descent rate is back to 400-500 fpm. At about the 120 degree point of the turn, I glanced back over my left shoulder and despite the rocks being a good 4000-5000 ft. below me, I could sense the dramatic descent rate and it was pretty freaky. I knew I was going to be ok since *much* lower terrain was ahead and less than one minute prior, I was in an area of no downdraft...but still, it was a weird site picture and served to confirm that I’d just done the right thing. I also wondered how high above the terrain Steve Fossett had been before he encountered downdrafts (somewhere in the same general area from what I recall).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /><span style="" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Time to execute Sierra crossing plan-B so I continue my present heading away from said big pointy snow covered rocks for maybe 10-12 nm then turn left and head direct to South Lake Tahoe. By now, I’ve recovered my lost altitude and am once again cruising at 14,500...then...going up! Hit a good updraft that took me up at 1000 fpm. I pushed forward a bit to keep the ascent rate lower but figured I’d take another 2000 ft. if mother nature wanted to give it to me. More altitude margin for attempting to cross the Sierras at Lake Tahoe would be just fine with me.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Approximately 30 nm South of Lake Tahoe, I decided to turn left and head direct to Lincoln, my home airport. I’m at 17K and change, watching the altimeter and VSI like a hawk. First ~20 nm or so go by and I’m still above 17K, no downdrafts, life is good. Then, a steady 200 fpm downdraft. Ok, pitch up, climb setting on the prop, and...*still*, 200 fpm descent. Ok, not good but not as immediate of a “fix it now” situation as near Yosemite. I was probably 3500-4000 ft. above a scattered to broken layer over the Sierras, I could see Lake Tahoe and the valley to the East where Minden NV lies (these were my Plan-C options, should my current Plan-B option not work. I’m passing through ~17,000 and figure I could keep up the 200 fpm descent for maybe 15-20 minutes before needing to execute Plan-C. Also, the second the descent rate increases beyond ~300 fpm, I’d do another 180 then head direct to Tahoe or Minden. My groundspeed absolutely sucked at 60-70 kts but the descent never went beyond 200 fpm. I experimented with the prop pitch, going from current 2500 RPM up to 2700, down to 2200 and spots in between to see if anything helped. Reason for trying the lower end of the RPM range is that I’d just read an FAA bulletin re: using a lower airspeed to maintain altitude during a prop over speed condition. I figured since my IAS was already way low (75-80 mph), I’d try the upper range, beyond normal 2500 climb setting. I also figured I’d try the lower end of the spectrum and places in the middle.<span style=""> </span>There were short periods where ~2200 RPM and ~2700 RPM helped a bit...as in, stopped the descent but it didn’t last more than a minute so I went back to 2500 RPM climb setting. After 10-15 minutes of this nonsense, the downdraft stopped and I was able to climb so I eked my way back to 16,500 so I’d be at a recommended VFR cruising altitude. By now, I’m ~55 nm from home and it’s still looking like I’ll have to get a clearance for an ILS. Oh, forgot to mention that part. I’d been monitoring weather at Lincoln during the first leg and on the current leg. Conditions in the valley were broken at 6000 so I’d already been prepared to get a popup clearance into Lincoln.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /><span style="" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">I try for the second time to get in touch with Rancho Radio so I can close my VFR flight plan and this time they answer. I’ve already started my descent and it’s obvious that I’m going to arrive at Lincoln with several thousand feet to lose. Conditions went from broken to scattered so no cloud entry required today. By the time I’m 5 nm away and approximately on the 45 for left traffic to runway 15, I’m still at 9000 ft circling down through the scattered clouds. Lower the landing gear helps but I still do a BIG 360 descending at 1500 fpm (by now my ears are talking to me). Roll back out on the 45 at ~3000 and call it good. Land and make the first taxiway, skip refueling the plane, leave lots of stuff in it, and call it a day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /><span style="" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN">Lessons learned and things reinforced in my head:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN"><span style="">1)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN">It’s always good to have a plan-B and Plan-C when crossing pointy rocks (snow covered or not).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN"><span style="">2)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN">It’s always good to know exactly where/when you’d execute plan-B/C when crossing said pointy rocks. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, fix it *<b>now</b>*!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN"><span style="">3)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN">Supplemental O2 rocks, especially when you’re trying (or not) to set altitude records in your airplane.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN"><span style="">4)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN">When the Arrow isn’t at max gross, it can indeed cruise at 14,000 and does so rather nicely. Refer to previous point re: supplemental O2.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN"><span style="">5)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN">Gas at -210 ft MSL is expensive but if you’re visiting Furnace Creek, do so this time of year when it’s ~78F vs. summertime when it’s 125F<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN"><span style="">6)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN">Our Davtron chronometer does indeed register double digit negative temps in Celsius!</span></p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-24115450545376574302009-12-15T21:15:00.001-08:002009-12-15T22:27:16.051-08:00Questions asked, required flight maneuvers, and reflections from my commercial check rideA list of what I can remember having to answer and do for my commercial check ride last week, in no particular order. I know I don't remember everything...but here's what I do recall:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oral Exam:</span><br /><ol><li>Logbook review. Had to show required day/night VFR cross country, long solo cross country.<br /></li><li>Prove that the aircraft is airworthy. Reviewed current airframe, engine, and propeller logs, discussed our current recurring airworthiness directives, showed examiner the binder of all airframe ADs for our plane that I'd compiled.</li><li>What documents are required to be in the aircraft?</li><li>Reviewed my cross country flight plan and weight & balance calculations, asked to show where were were in the CG envelope</li><li>Has me review the weather information I'd printed out for the simulated cross country flight.<br /></li><li>If we were farther forward in the CG envelope, would we fly faster or slower? Why?<br /></li><li>What are the required VFR day instruments?</li><li>One of you required VFR day instruments isn't working. Can you fly? How?<br /></li><li>What holds the landing gear up in your airplane? What holds it down?</li><li>Is the automatic gear extension system in your aircraft functional (vs. overridden)? How does it work?</li><li>What is trim used for?<br /></li><li>What type of electrical system does your aircraft have? 12 volt or 24 volt?<br /></li><li>How does a constant speed propeller work? What happens when you increase the throttle setting? What happens when you decrease the throttle setting?</li><li>What type of oil do you use?<br /></li><li>If the governor failed, how would you deal with it?<br /></li><li>What is the maximum altitude of Class E airspace?</li><li>Sectional questions: What does the shaded magenta area mean? What about the shaded blue area? What about the area enclosed by this thing that looks like a zipper? Points to a MOA and asks "what is this?". Same thing with a restricted area. Asks how to find hours of operations for MOA and restricted areas. Asks"Can you fly through a MOA? What about a restricted area?" Asks if the hours of operation for MOA/restricted areas are local or zulu. Points to class E airport and asks what dashed magenta circle means.<br /></li><li>Class C airspace: What are the visibility and cloud clearance requirements. Do you need a transponder? What are the entry requirements? Same set of questions for Class B airspace<br /></li><li>Points to an airport, says it's a 90 degree day and asks if can we take off or not. <br /></li><li>What is density altitude?</li><li>What is pressure altitude?</li><li>What happens if you fly high enough long enough without oxygen?</li><li>What are the oxygen requirements for crew and passengers?</li><li>You mentioned having an oxygen bottle, what type is it?</li><li>Have you ever flown someone that experienced motion sickness? How would you handle it?</li><li>What would you do if you thought you had carbon monoxide in the cabin?</li><li>You have an engine fire in flight, what are you going to do?</li><li>How long can an ELT battery be used before you are required to replace it?<br /></li><li>Draws a taxiway/runway intersection, asks what is the sign you'd see on the right side as you face the runway. What would be on the other side of this sign?</li><li>If ground control clears you to taxi to a runway, what does that mean if the route takes you across other runways?</li><li>Draws a runway with numbers 30 and 12. If runway 30 is right traffic, where is downwind, base, and final. If runway 12 is left traffic, same questions.<br /></li><li>Light gun signals. What does flashing red mean? Solid red? Flashing green? Solid green? Red/Green?</li><li>Points to a METAR from my cross country weather information, has me decode it</li><li>What is an airmet? What is a sigmet? What is a convective sigmet?</li><li>What does a prog chart tell you?</li><li>What two things are required in order for an aircraft to enter a spin?</li><li>How do you recover from a spin?</li><li>There had to be more questions I was asked...I just can't remember them right now :-)<br /></li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight:</span><br /><ol><li>Regular takeoff, short field takeoff, soft field takeoff.</li><li>Short field landing, soft field landing, power off 180 spot landing.</li><li>Simulated cross country flight to first checkpoint then says "Our ground speed is x and we're y miles from our destination, how long will it take us to get there?.</li><li>Diversion. Examiner says "The destination for your cross country flight is fogged in, where are you going to go, how far away is it, how long will it take us to get there, and how much fuel will we burn? Oh, and the GPS just died".<br /></li><li>Chandelles, one each direction.</li><li>Lazy 8s (one)</li><li>Steep turns, one each direction. I was given the option of rolling from one to the next or stopping between them.</li><li>Power on stall, clean configuration while turning (in this case left, simulating departure stall while turning crosswind).</li><li>Power off stall, gear down, full flaps while turning (in this case left, simulating base to final stall).</li><li>Slow flight. Maintain specific heading, turn to specified heading while maintaining specified altitude and airspeed.</li><li>Simulated engine failure/forced landing (from 2000 ft, chose a road with a field next to it, would have taken the field had this been for real)</li><li>8s on pylons, about 3/4 of one complete maneuver. 180 degrees into the second half of the 8, examiner said "That's good enough"</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things that I felt made a positive impression on the examiner. These were not required but went a long way to convey how I approach flying and maintaining my airplane:</span><br /><ol><li>Showed my binder of all airframe ADs and explained that this was a work in progress with a goal of having all ADs for our plane in one place and a note referencing where in the logs any terminating actions had been taken. Examiner commented that this was an ambitious project and agreed that it is an excellent way to learn more about my plane.</li><li>Had printed diagrams of a constant speed prop and governor with my notes on how they both work. When asked how they work, I replied "I have a couple of diagrams that I can speak to" to which he responded "I thought you might".</li><li>Wherever possible, I stressed safety as a top priority in the decision making process.</li><li>I related as many personal flying experiences as possible into my answers. For example, when asked about density altitude, I related how I handled a 9600 ft. DA takeoff from Rawlins Wyoming, what were the conditions, book numbers, and how if this had been on a much shorter runway, I'd have spent the night in Rawlins. In another example, I related how I spent the night in Lancaster during my long solo cross country flight, due to poor weather over the mountains.<br /></li><li>Showed my homemade checklist, emergency procedures, light gun signals, transponder codes, etc. This is several laminated pages that are on my kneeboard.<br /></li></ol>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-36573547406634062622009-12-09T20:51:00.000-08:002009-12-09T22:15:19.800-08:00CP-ASEL-IAAfter four scheduling attempts, I passed my commercial pilot check ride today. In so doing, I exchanged my private pilot certificate for a commercial pilot certificate. I can now (almost) get paid to fly. There is the matter of obtaining a second class medical certificate vs. my current third class medical certificate.<br /><br />Started at 4:00 am this morning in order to print out the weather information required for my simulated cross country flight, fill in the navigation log for said cross country flight, make sure I had everything I'd need for the day, and fly for a bit before the check ride. <br /><br />Arrived at the airport around 8:00 where the temperature was a balmy -1c. With such cold temps (ok, cold for Northern CA) I saw 2000 feet/minute climb rate for the first time. Impressive for a 200 HP Arrow.<br /><br />The oral exam went well and took a bit over three hours to complete. Nothing really unexpected and very much conversational vs. being asked question after question. I had several opportunities to relate my answers to real world flying experiences. As expected, I had to look up a couple of items in the FARs and the FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. As with my private pilot check ride and instrument rating check ride, things were no different in that if you didn't know an answer but knew where to find it, life was good.<br /><br />A quick break for lunch and we launched on the flying portion of the check ride. This took 1.8 hours. We started with the simulated cross country and shortly after hitting the first check point, the examiner had me perform the diversion. Unfortunately, I miscalculated my heading based on a position error where I thought we were. Mistake #1, completely my fault and I've since determined what I'd do differently next time.<br /><br />Next up was air work. Conditions were pretty hazy so visual landmarks like mountain peaks, etc. were not as easy to see as usual. This bit me during the first steep turn as I rolled out on the incorrect peak in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Fortunately, altitude and airspeed were right on for this steep turn (to the left) so the examiner had me do one to the right and I nailed the proper heading when rolling out. Had to repeat the first chandelle as I didn't hold constant pitch during the last 90 degrees of the turn. Did one to the right and another one to the left than it was on to lazy 8s. These had been giving me fits and I've found them to be the most difficult of the maneuvers. I managed to perform one each direction within tolerances though. Next was slow flight and turning power on and power off stalls which went well. Descended to 2500 ft for a simulated engine failure/forced landing. Next was 8s on pylons which went fine. By this time, it's near sunset so we headed back to the airport for landings. Short field landing, short field takeoff, soft field landing, taxi back for soft field takeoff, then the power 0ff 180 spot landing then heard those wonderful words "If you can taxi back to parking without hitting anything, you can have your commercial certificate". Phew, done. <br /><br />I'm spent...and for some reason, don't feel like flying for a bit. Go figure :-)Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-61052062720003421792009-11-07T22:24:00.000-08:002009-11-07T23:43:46.670-08:00Almost a check rideAnother time lapse since posting anything, especially about the commercial certificate.<br /><br />Two sentence summary: I've spent the better part of the past two months working with a CFI on my commercial certificate. Flying twice a week, I've managed to complete the training requirements and am apparently performing maneuvers and answering questions well enough that I'm endorsed to take my check ride.<br /><br />You're now up to speed and hopefully this post will make more sense.<br /><br />Three weeks ago, my CFI drops those wonderful words "Let's see about scheduling you check ride" on me. I casually reply with "Sure, sounds good, let's look at the calendar" while panicking inside and realizing that the next three weeks mean more time hitting the books and working on the flight maneuvers. <br /><br />I spent the last three weeks doing the following:<br /><br />- Finished going through the oral exam guide, making copious notes of things I need to review, print out, read, memorize, know where to find in the regulations, etc.<br /><br />- Re-learning the finer points of old school flight planning via pencil lines on a sectional, plotter, and a whiz wheel. Re-familiarized myself with my electronic whiz wheel.<br /><br />- Actually followed the instructions on the sectional for plotting a course from one side of the chart to the other. Ah, fond memories of figuring that out the first time I did it several years ago.<br /><br />- Hand calculating weight and balance numbers. Ok, so I used a spreadsheet to check my math, liked it so much that I made it look like the old school example from the Piper weight and balance form that is part of the aircraft flight manual. Is that bad? :-)<br /><br />- Replaced the starter in our '99 Corolla. A subject worthy of its own post and has absolutely nothing to do with commercial certificate check ride preparations other than the fact that I had to divert time and attention to it. Hey, "diversion", that fits...it all makes sense now...er, never mind, I digress.<br /><br />- Made a long/ever growing list of things I'd think of that I didn't quite know off the top of my head.<br /><br />- Printed out the recurring Airworthiness Directives for our plane and was reminded of always learning something new. For one AD, I discovered that I can perform the inspection. For another AD, found that our aircraft serial number isn't listed. For a third AD, found that the one listed in our logbooks has been superseded by a new AD (doesn't change anything for our plane, more of a bookkeeping thing to reference the new AD number). Note to self: run all of this this by our mechanic the next time I see him.<br /><br />- Read, fly, fly, read. Read some more, fly some more. Lather, rinse, repeat.<br /><br />I took yesterday off from work so I could study and fly. Did ok on the flying maneuvers but visibility limited things enough that I had to cut flying short. Came home and studied more and finished up as much of the required mock cross country flight plan as I could. Earned bonus points by actually using the wind side of the manual whiz wheel. Thankfully, my private pilot book has illustrated examples. I also discovered U-Tube videos on the subject. Figures.<br /><br />Got up at 5:00 am this morning, printed out weather, punched wind information into my electronic whiz wheel and cranked out the final information for the mock cross country flight plan and arrival weight and balance numbers. Double and triple checked that I had everything I needed. Aircraft logs, flying gear, books, lunch...check, check, check...ok, off to the airport only 30 minutes after I'd planned. My goal was to fly for an hour and a half or so, refuel, then fly to my flight school (located at a different airport than my plane).<br /><br />It was a great morning to fly. Great visibility and a horizon to use for steep turns, lazy 8s and chandelles, not something that I've had all the time lately. I was fairly pleased with all of my maneuvers but didn't have as much time as I would have liked for practicing some of the landings. I land and when I turn on my phone....beep, new message. I call, it's the examiner saying he has to cancel as he's not feeling well.<br /><br />Just like that, my day is changed. It's slightly disappointing that I'd prepared and couldn't get a chance to take the check ride but on the other hand, the examiner made the right decision to cancel. It's no different than a cancellation due to weather (as yesterday would have been). In the end, no worries as I figure I have a bit more time to review things like CG weight shift formulas, weather theory and think of even more things I don't know off the top of my head. So now I spend another couple weeks in the seemingly infinite read, fly, fly, read loop. I really can't complain, there are far worse fates in life.<br /><br />To be continued...Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-41354922897174318782009-07-21T21:21:00.000-07:002009-07-21T21:49:40.756-07:00T-minus two days until launching for Oshkosh<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM7_PqD942KJuG7D8vywBCwN6ft2_IHiE6wCUVw3ygCx8yrF6eAFslrfHMfUdmKrXlIYC9sPzm4e1NsAhcTScytYomS79G1fTgvUgyAbf9SIh6gJRzqb24vSiYf_SAcgkl0TT/s1600-h/DSC_5585.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM7_PqD942KJuG7D8vywBCwN6ft2_IHiE6wCUVw3ygCx8yrF6eAFslrfHMfUdmKrXlIYC9sPzm4e1NsAhcTScytYomS79G1fTgvUgyAbf9SIh6gJRzqb24vSiYf_SAcgkl0TT/s320/DSC_5585.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361141099795783490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Yea, it's that time of the year again. In two days I start the annual migration/pilgrimage/whatever you want to call it to Oshkosh. No aluminum tube travel this year. Nope, we go the proper way, via my plane. It really is the only way to go when it comes to flying to Oshkosh. Commercial travel is faster and cheaper but you miss out on so many things. No airport dogs/cats to pet, no meeting the wonderful folks who work at and run our nation's little known airports and, most important, no experiencing the Oshkosh arrival. There is really nothing like flying yourself into the busiest airport in the world when Airventure is going on. It truly is an experience most pilots should put in the logbook.<br /><br />This year, we travel the Southern route with stops in AZ, NM, TX, and IA. Well, that's at least the plan, we'll see what transpires due to weather. Speaking of weather, this is my first year traveling this distance with on board XM weather. Having watched some stationary thunderstorms in the AZ/NM area over the weekend, I know this will be an invaluable addition to the avionics suite for the ~35 hours of flying from/to the Left Coast.<br /><br />For a preview of what's going on this year, visit <a href="http://www.airventure.org/">www.airventure.org</a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-4383218318626531522009-05-10T22:54:00.001-07:002009-05-10T22:54:19.962-07:00Airwork<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div align='center'><img src='http://zerofourtango.smugmug.com/photos/533582994_gKCSQ-S.jpg' style='max-width: 800px;'/><br/><br/><br/><br/><div align='left'>I've finally started working on the flying portion of my commercial pilot certificate. It's been a long time coming (passed the CP written test more than a year ago) but now that nice flying weather is here, it's time to dust off the Gleim maneuvers manual and get to work. So far:<br/></div></div><ul><li>Steep turns: Tons of fun. More challenging at the minimum 50% bank, doing two back to back/one each direction. Need to keep working on them.</li></ul><ul><li>180 degree power off spot landings in the Arrow (with the glide ratio of a streamlined brick): Combination of fun and interesting. Gear down, power to idle abeam the 1000 ft. touch down marks, *turn now*, flaps when the landing is assured (or you know you're way too high...rare in my plane), cheat and pull the prop back the instant you think you might be short....oh yeah, fun fun fun. The interesting thing is that I tend to land them 100 ft. longer than allowed. More practice needed.</li></ul><ul><li>Chandelles: Fun but I've only tried them once. Need to work on the proper pitch attitude to establish then hold. Nice way to gain altitude for the steep spirals though.</li></ul><ul><li>Steep Spirals: Have only done one. Nice way to lose all that altitude gained doing chandelles.</li></ul><ul><li>Slow flight: So far, this is the easiest part of the airwork. It's also the least exciting. It does have the distint advantage, however, of consuming less fuel so it's not all bad :-)</li></ul>Not much ground covered in the past couple of weeks but it's a start. My plan is to get out at least once a week, more if possible, and work on all of the maneuvers until I have them dialed in. Oh, and poke/prod/beg/cajole my instructor friend into getting current in the ranks of the CFI world so I can log the necessary dual instruction.<br/><br/><div class='zemanta-pixie'><img src='http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=1ffbf389-21ea-82b2-9c4c-51ba2d5f30b8' class='zemanta-pixie-img'/></div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-66513614884170157362009-03-10T20:51:00.001-07:002009-03-10T20:52:15.610-07:00Barnstorming - A Documentary FilmCheck this out: <a href="http://www.barnstormingmovie.com/trailer.htm">http://www.barnstormingmovie.com/trailer.htm</a>. Looks *very* cool...Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-30055904973414545412009-02-20T21:31:00.001-08:002009-02-20T21:42:20.516-08:00New photo siteWell, it's not really new, I just updated my links section so <a href="http://tep.smugmug.com/">tep.smugmug.com</a> is new there. Anyway, here's a photo site from a friend/first ever CFI (yes, those two really can co-exist :-) ). This would be the same guy I'll blame for giving me a reason to sink money into a DSLR when he said "My D80 is for sale". Oh well...the D80 is likely holding its value way better than anything I have in the stock market right now :-)<br /><a href="http://tep.smugmug.com/"><br /></a><a href="http://tep.smugmug.com/">http://tep.smugmug.com/</a><br /><br />Also, his Flickr photo stream:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stpilot">http://www.flickr.com/photos/stpilot</a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-62809685553655925242009-01-25T22:45:00.000-08:002009-02-01T13:14:23.078-08:00No pause buttonIt's funny how you never know at the start of a day just where things might go or what you might learn that will impact your day in an unexpected way.<br /><br />About a week ago, I found an old friend on Facebook. Brian grew up two doors away from me during my Jr. high and Sr. high years. I can't even remember the last time we spoke or saw each other. It's strange how the mind works (or doesn't in my case) with things like this where you can't put your finger on a specific time or place yet you know it's been an incredibly long time. All the while, you wonder where the time went. You start counting years only to be shocked at how many have gone by.<br /><br />In a quick reply on Facebook, Brian asks "Did you hear about Neil?". Neil grew up across the street from our house and was a year younger than me and Brian. The three of us goofed around a lot, went fishing, rode bikes/skates/skateboards, played baseball in the street and got in trouble from time to time. We were typical Jr. and Sr. high boys. My first thought at Brian's question is that this isn't good news about Neil. An e-mail later, my suspicion is confirmed and I find out that Neil was killed in a cycling accident last year. As I read that line in the e-mail, I wanted time to stop for a minute so that I could take things in. I wanted to hit the pause button...why isn't there a pause button in life? I've been in this situation before, several times, yet I still just want things to stop, just for a minute or two. A childhood friend is no longer alive yet I'd gone about my life for a year or so not knowing this. When I find out, it seemed only fair to pause time so I could catch up with things.<br /><br />So, instead, I've gone about my day doing normal things but also taking time to think about life roughly 35 years ago when we were kids. The memories keep coming back and they're vivid. Neil was the kid that broke his arm skating down a hill but not making the corner. Neil went fishing with us. Neil built and rode skateboards with us. Neil was part of our seemingly daily summertime trips to the neighborhood pool. Neil played baseball in the court with us and did his fair share of shagging the tennis ball when it went into the Eastman's back yard. I learned about Nike shoes from Neil . Several times he'd saved his money and while on trips to (I think) Los Angeles, buy a pair of Nike Bruins...blue if I recall correctly and you could only get them in LA. Neil also had the biggest olive tree on the court in his front yard. This tree supplied endless slingshot ammunition and I can't count the number of cars we pelted while they drove past our street. We never got caught thanks to Neil 's yard having bushes with a built in tunnel system.<br /><br />I wish I had a chance to know what Neil had been up to the past 20+ years and to talk about the fun we had growing up so many years ago. Sadly, I'd let time and distance take it's toll on things and have been out of touch for far too long.<br /><br />News such as this can make you reflect and want to reprioritize some things in life. We're not guaranteed tomorrow so we need to make the most of the time we have today. The song "We Live" by SuperChick is rolling through my head right now. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kuBgh0VCqI">Listen/video here</a> <a href="http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/superchick3742/welive1097934.html">Lyrics here</a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-68828209728159733572008-09-17T05:47:00.000-07:002008-09-23T12:29:14.015-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 17, the endIt was a bonus aluminum tube travel day as I stopped in Charlotte, NC and Las Vegas,<br />NV before getting home to Sacramento. A 12-hour/2-stop day but it was the lest expensive ticket given booking on short notice.<br /><br />While it's been an amazing trip, I'm glad to be home. Living out of a suitcase and checking in/out of hotels every couple of days gets kind of old after a while.<br /><br />Trip stats:<br /><br />- Hours flying the Arrow: 9.1. Less than I'd expected but they all involved flights to places I'd never been before.<br /><br />- Aviation museums/attractions visited: 6 (Chanute, USAF Museum, New<br />England Air Museum, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Udvar-Hazy, Fantasy of<br />Flight)<br /><br />- Non aviation museums/attractions visited: 1, the naval museum in<br />Norfolk. While they did have some exhibits on naval aviation, the<br />closest thing they had to an airplane was a big model of an A6 Intruder.<br /><br />- New states flown to (or over): 11 (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania,<br />New York, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,<br />Georgia, Florida)Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-7272093011887733572008-09-16T16:19:00.000-07:002008-09-16T17:20:08.713-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 16Day 16, Fantasy of Flight<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7jZWQ7yfCo7RaRFvQ8Bv2aRJmj8HXTWzSeKzfAB89UgUUgOd3J3vKjWnAvfqwcdoag9jh_nGFac_-Nq2VcQpo_P1giuVSOLxa8W3EHTXdxH-9LcAZmuREJRAaEHlaw_5L-L1/s1600-h/DSC_3475_small.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7jZWQ7yfCo7RaRFvQ8Bv2aRJmj8HXTWzSeKzfAB89UgUUgOd3J3vKjWnAvfqwcdoag9jh_nGFac_-Nq2VcQpo_P1giuVSOLxa8W3EHTXdxH-9LcAZmuREJRAaEHlaw_5L-L1/s320/DSC_3475_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246774862279558962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We visited <a href="http://www.fantasyofflight.com/">Fantasy of Flight</a> today. The unique thing about Fantasy of Flight is that they restore aircraft to flying condition vs. static display. It's a fairly small facility but they have several unique exhibits, especially the walk through diorama type displays.<br /><br />Any aircraft homebuilder would be in heaven here on the tours of the restoration hangar. At the moment, they have ten or so aircraft undergoing restoration but they have many more in several warehouses and shipping containers.<br /><br />Admission is a bit pricey but if you hit their website, they have a two for one deal that takes adult admission down to the $15 range.<br /><br />While there, two aircraft were flown. The first was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fieseler_Fi_156">Feiseler Fi 156 Storch</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBBobMZYJ4jkEthurEmdA7AuH5pA1gxImfxsDBUkcbFHUVk1KH0Oz6dSQAPj-uG6GHpjPFH5MJq97ZH_ccKpaUTVNMLc4GsQVpX6vo60nYsGkRfaz-huj_2B2javeZH18n0ZX/s1600-h/DSC_3446_small.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBBobMZYJ4jkEthurEmdA7AuH5pA1gxImfxsDBUkcbFHUVk1KH0Oz6dSQAPj-uG6GHpjPFH5MJq97ZH_ccKpaUTVNMLc4GsQVpX6vo60nYsGkRfaz-huj_2B2javeZH18n0ZX/s320/DSC_3446_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246775490197433922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The second aircraft flown, though not part of the afternoon display, was a T6 that just came out of annual and Kermit Weeks himself was at the controls.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfe6dF8UA4WSwRUpcdBWXqLSbPyZQDsXCbPhl_RhWaPoWVuhqOuwfByVXbgdsf_F0gpyfcTAH_qQqLtTPwan__ebArelSxJBC-5HLaAzid61SiKuEVcBdl-S92l8eEpC3VJxp/s1600-h/DSC_3472_small.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfe6dF8UA4WSwRUpcdBWXqLSbPyZQDsXCbPhl_RhWaPoWVuhqOuwfByVXbgdsf_F0gpyfcTAH_qQqLtTPwan__ebArelSxJBC-5HLaAzid61SiKuEVcBdl-S92l8eEpC3VJxp/s320/DSC_3472_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246775488072989714" border="0" /></a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-26441069114044169142008-09-15T18:06:00.000-07:002008-09-24T12:28:16.207-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 15Day 15: Leesburg, VA to Leesburg, FL via Columbia, SC<br /><br />With 3 hours of driving and 6 hours of flying, it was a very long day. The alarm goes off at 4:45 and within 30 minutes or so, we're on the road for the 3 hour drive from Norfolk to Leesburg. This is the earliest we've been up and out the door on this trip.<br /><br />Getting our IFR clearance out of Leesburg was a snap this time since we knew the secret to file and/or expect STILL intersection as the first point along our route. STILL is a fix on the approach plates for Leesburg and isn't on the low altitude IFR charts.<br /><br /><a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEawrIc2cLSI8Qci8F3GhhLg17X_qH_iJ9tQdqWqj60eXry6ClvYh6PAm6ymJWLHDljEILA-9TrfU1z2A-LBZePWQI0A4Dp0SqlGQmSMwGrmrVUTlADhkr_y4mEKtZdkeLoOY/s1600-h/DSC_3407_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEawrIc2cLSI8Qci8F3GhhLg17X_qH_iJ9tQdqWqj60eXry6ClvYh6PAm6ymJWLHDljEILA-9TrfU1z2A-LBZePWQI0A4Dp0SqlGQmSMwGrmrVUTlADhkr_y4mEKtZdkeLoOY/s320/DSC_3407_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246615193920932658" border="0" /></a>I wish this was my ride for the day...but no, in our lowly Arrow, Leesburg VA to Columbia, SC was a 3.5 hour flight. For me, it happened to be the first time using supplemental oxygen. Once you get used to the cannula tubes sticking up your nose, it's not all that bad. I can hardly imagine the rats nest of tubing though if using a 4-place system vs. 2-place.<br /><br />After a quick gas and lunch stop in Columbia, SC, it was time to head to the other Leesburg, the one in Florida. This leg was 3.1 hours and we had to maneuver around some of the afternoon weather. Nothing too bad but it was interesting to use the 496 to watch some of the larger thunderstorm cells that were 50 miles from our path.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGqg0ovJ0TSak0SUIujnTPeoWp4P7dQ48E3xDFOLcXnOm9X8zGCjvvwD1eQ0Hb4XWZRMDiTF7cLGc3leRlc8DNcoXmfNdUNoE3L6N3j6Ze_Su1RWqlMbskM3caRbxmSryZyzi/s1600-h/DSC_3417_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGqg0ovJ0TSak0SUIujnTPeoWp4P7dQ48E3xDFOLcXnOm9X8zGCjvvwD1eQ0Hb4XWZRMDiTF7cLGc3leRlc8DNcoXmfNdUNoE3L6N3j6Ze_Su1RWqlMbskM3caRbxmSryZyzi/s320/DSC_3417_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246615194188376082" border="0" /></a>Welcome to Leesburg, FL. This storm cell was a baby one, topping out at a mere 17,000 ft. There was another one much farther away to the Southwest that had tops reported at 40,000 ft.<br /><br />Other than the aluminum tube ride back to the West coast, I'm done flying anywhere for this trip. It will be a 12 hour day of airports/airlines but I'm looking forward to being home.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-13008575101517527512008-09-13T19:29:00.000-07:002008-09-13T19:39:52.621-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 14Day 14: More of Hampton and Norfolk/third (and last ) of several non-flying days<br /><br />A short list of accomplishments for the day:<br /><br />- Slept in<br /><br />- Breakfast at a place called "Pops" in (I think) Norfolk. Yum :-P<br /><br />- Fired several .40 cal rounds at a local indoor gun range. My first time shooting in a very long time. First time firing two .40 cal pistols (Glock and Sig). Lots of fun.<br /><br />- Internet access and getting caught up on e-mail and blog posts (the reason for three posts today)<br /><br />- Discussed flying options for tomorrow and took a peak at the weather. It looks like a go for heading South to Florida.<br /><br />- Played a ton with this little guy named Elvis:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_Cs-KgHRc2pXwzRn-ecW5TxUS5y-QiRYSl8kGrSW60B7IZ7NEvmZ2GPYrDcyDJMxT2t_nI2S5eTYT7S7KULwtsFge9qwMnG8FnXnDOHqNe55G5MkgM1eHl_cewnvM_t5V2lA/s1600-h/DSC_3403_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_Cs-KgHRc2pXwzRn-ecW5TxUS5y-QiRYSl8kGrSW60B7IZ7NEvmZ2GPYrDcyDJMxT2t_nI2S5eTYT7S7KULwtsFge9qwMnG8FnXnDOHqNe55G5MkgM1eHl_cewnvM_t5V2lA/s320/DSC_3403_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245700956205286370" border="0" /></a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-4650058856030072052008-09-13T15:49:00.000-07:002008-09-13T17:24:52.364-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 13Day 13: Cruising around Hampton and Norfolk/second of several non-flying days<br /><br />We get a guided tour of Norfolk Naval base as airplane partner's niece is in the Navy. Said airplane partner is a Navy veteran and was stationed at Norfolk many moons ago. The USS Eisenhower was in port and the best part of the day was that we managed to get a tour. As the Eisenhower was pretty close to deploying, there were a fair amount of crew aboard and lots of activity. The best part of the tour was going up to the flight deck. We were able to walk maybe half the deck before a master chief gave us the boot. It turned out that some NJP or Non Judicial Punishment activity was going on. A whole bunch of folks were at Captain's Mast and I guess the Navy figured a half dozen civilians walking around overhearing things wasn't a good idea. Not that I was listening all that much mind you. I was way too busy imagining what the flight deck would look like when flight operations were in progress. <br /><br />Left the camera behind for the tour of the base. The only thing I missed was a couple of E2s in the pattern.<br /><br />After the tour of the Navy base, we hit the Naval Museum in downtown Norfolk. The best part of the museum is being able to walk out onto the USS Wisconsin battle ship. <br /><br />The least fun part of the day was dealing with the repair shop as I had to sort through bad sell phone connections and some confusion on my end in order to understand what the shop had done and what was/wasn't working. In the end, the airplane will be fixed by the end of the day but in talking to our regular A&P, it sounds like we may have an issue with a portion of our gear auto extend system (which we thought had been disabled...at least it functions as though it's disabled per Piper's recommendation).Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-86320719084630506302008-09-13T15:47:00.000-07:002008-09-13T15:48:48.636-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 12<div style="text-align: left;">Day 12: The day after we broke the airplane and the first day of several non-flying days<br /><br />Negative aviating on day 12. The plane is in the shop at Leesburg, VA and it's looking like it won't be done by the end of the day so we opt for the automotive form of IFR travel or "I Follow Roads" down to Hampton, VA to visit some of my airplane partner's family. While in Hampton, it's a waiting game on the airplane.</div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-16077504864603766702008-09-10T15:34:00.000-07:002008-09-10T18:56:40.217-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 11Day 11, the day we broke the airplane. Sigh...another night in the DC area. Not that I'm complaining, I can think of much worse spots to be unexpectedly stuck with a broken airplane.<br /><br />Upon raising the landing gear, the gear in transit light stays on while all gear down indicators go out and eventually, the landing gear circuit breaker pops. When the gear lever is returned to the down position, voila, three green gear down indicators. This little sequence of events happened upon departure from Leesburg today so we elected to return to the airport and have a local shop take a look at things.<br /><br />The good news is that we now know what to expect for an IFR departure out of Leesburg. This morning we'd checked with one of the local flight schools for any preferred routing heading South out of the DC ADIZ and the answer was essentially "nothing special". I filed a route that would take us West out of the ADIZ then South then Southeast to our next destination, a route that avoided any restricted areas and got us out of the ADIZ as quickly as possible. I thought it was a nice plan until we called the clearance delivery folks at the Potomic Tracon. We get a different route and the initial waypoint is an intersection that doesn't appear to exist on the IFR enroute chart. Adding to this, in the end, we were unsure of the spelling. We thought we had it but it turned out that both of us copied it differently when getting our clearance. I then called clearance delivery a second time for further clarification and we let the GNS-430 find the intersection for us.<br /><br />One very cool thing that happened is an impromptu arrival of six Army helicopters. Five OH-58 Kiowas and one UH-60 Blackhawk arrived as I was putting some gear into the plane. I look up and see multiple helicopters arriving on runway 35 and in no time, get my camera out of my backpack and start snapping pictures. They parked every chopper within 100 yards of where we<br />were parked. Very cool.<br /><a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6as306FQz3jnGQs6UGdxUJoudjE3ddopf21f1NSu_dwrvLkxf1CmGtQn33V5TdFVGoF-6Sy_qEWApxQnubhjKrnsh-hdkkumnvBXyNAE3ihyAaiEG56dx0BMINqUJEKLCg9N/s1600-h/DSC_3391_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6as306FQz3jnGQs6UGdxUJoudjE3ddopf21f1NSu_dwrvLkxf1CmGtQn33V5TdFVGoF-6Sy_qEWApxQnubhjKrnsh-hdkkumnvBXyNAE3ihyAaiEG56dx0BMINqUJEKLCg9N/s320/DSC_3391_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244533847255832242" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Tj2Vhrcv2O7ysExqrp3s2MgQPYTjwps6ABKC-GnzKJE2Q6Q9JumRbJ3j6WQJW1tDSsbwFl0pB1ZQ6dgsOxi9uJor0th9fwmyrDYQunZPalqgTmn_lepcYdSsWwYgJsFFBKIE/s1600-h/DSC_3383_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Tj2Vhrcv2O7ysExqrp3s2MgQPYTjwps6ABKC-GnzKJE2Q6Q9JumRbJ3j6WQJW1tDSsbwFl0pB1ZQ6dgsOxi9uJor0th9fwmyrDYQunZPalqgTmn_lepcYdSsWwYgJsFFBKIE/s320/DSC_3383_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244533847704602754" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFlwk6HH3kfUJrV2AszBJn6BNqp2I0saROoQtSEzlOjkeWEaN3zhwJlzrDKL4oDi8xNAbW3oYyo9-dhlINx2m_lQ5GOlyvXEPlZi1lESGWfvLTaOgrSwmtWfeIKxbjFWUzyj7/s1600-h/DSC_3400_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFlwk6HH3kfUJrV2AszBJn6BNqp2I0saROoQtSEzlOjkeWEaN3zhwJlzrDKL4oDi8xNAbW3oYyo9-dhlINx2m_lQ5GOlyvXEPlZi1lESGWfvLTaOgrSwmtWfeIKxbjFWUzyj7/s320/DSC_3400_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244533852426737202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZd1RNID03JRD2LXJ__-EIanwmkR5ZjdYVJ4azETk0jvdceBL_xEv56u4jIRukVB3F9VsInf92bkBYKYdFDZthiskyMTGXlf911ffBHN2P5bu0P4j7aejBfzuFRFfvEArTLqkc/s1600-h/DSC_3358_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZd1RNID03JRD2LXJ__-EIanwmkR5ZjdYVJ4azETk0jvdceBL_xEv56u4jIRukVB3F9VsInf92bkBYKYdFDZthiskyMTGXlf911ffBHN2P5bu0P4j7aejBfzuFRFfvEArTLqkc/s320/DSC_3358_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244533837466771794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdrFfmt3BgxJixE4gG2Z3ynF3GAnrygfhyphenhyphenH9j3UYYzzK0p8pzU6nqaPH0-qrl45YoBTTLPIlooDgzBKJNpf8ytqLLu2VBTkD-Heucs3aZlmdhi8w377rVdYAmVTQeFAdECIJA/s1600-h/DSC_3402_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdrFfmt3BgxJixE4gG2Z3ynF3GAnrygfhyphenhyphenH9j3UYYzzK0p8pzU6nqaPH0-qrl45YoBTTLPIlooDgzBKJNpf8ytqLLu2VBTkD-Heucs3aZlmdhi8w377rVdYAmVTQeFAdECIJA/s320/DSC_3402_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244534309125567954" border="0" /></a>I can hear it now, "Honey, I'm going to be late tonight, had to stop in Leesburg for gas" :-)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />No word from the repair shop so we call in the morning. I say odds are 50/50 that we wind up driving to our next destination while the airplane gets fixed. We'll see what tomorrow holds.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-51864619281031522142008-09-10T06:28:00.001-07:002008-09-10T12:33:47.468-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 10<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0WChOBp9m6yKJxfmfpVPbYowzKDw9gwShhJxqhcjOJCQ-fQs6ZRpPB3QxiS20gsjRdezRG6IOuKuoUxlGbsiw0FEfLMYnOIpJVjMidRx9wsaVJf6S0bjHWA5TUIXv9a4DIu1/s1600-h/DSC_3288_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0WChOBp9m6yKJxfmfpVPbYowzKDw9gwShhJxqhcjOJCQ-fQs6ZRpPB3QxiS20gsjRdezRG6IOuKuoUxlGbsiw0FEfLMYnOIpJVjMidRx9wsaVJf6S0bjHWA5TUIXv9a4DIu1/s320/DSC_3288_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244393887239288370" border="0" /></a>Day 10: National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and wandering the Capitol Mall.<br /><br />I've always wanted to visit the Air and Space museum and that was before the Udvar-Hazy Center was built. Having now been to Udvar-Hazy, I still want (need?) to get to the Air and Space museum but that would require more time than we'll have in the Washington DC area.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDvaW9De4VO_QKxBp_GBkHGHXdbox42nSFzFteCHix6eqmTb2WrWwRL-9pASfnCw0Sw8OaCf7bDvJYicMAJgAwCWA9ZwkDZavSXccXApZsPs2FgYzI9loEfVqELofk4jMCV7i/s1600-h/DSC_3299_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDvaW9De4VO_QKxBp_GBkHGHXdbox42nSFzFteCHix6eqmTb2WrWwRL-9pASfnCw0Sw8OaCf7bDvJYicMAJgAwCWA9ZwkDZavSXccXApZsPs2FgYzI9loEfVqELofk4jMCV7i/s320/DSC_3299_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244393893167164418" border="0" /></a>On the drive to DC, we see a big Sikorsky helicopter and in an instant wonder if it's Marine One. In the next five seconds, I grab my camera, remove the lens cap, turn it on, roll down the car window and click four images. I was lucky since it was flying left to right and I was in the front passenger seat. This is the best image I captured. Sorry, no rotor blur as the camera was in automatic mode. I really didn't think I'd be taking pictures at sixty miles per hour on the freeway :-)<br /><br /><br /><br />The Udvar-Hazy center is fantastic and definitely on any airplane nut's must see list of museums. The crowds were extremely light and we spent around four hours wandering the exhibits and taking pictures. With three levels, you have a variety of views and it's obvious that much thought went into how and where to position each aircraft, spacecraft, missile, and satellite. To see everything, you really need to walk each of the levels.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LfkyndNThryH8Qb5btwvUxwBBamz7M2oAtszE036yWdrvXMXvOhiYK4BtoL1uxgKkSAxtOsGmERahwue71c9NFNegwklj7E3Xutvb0JmWenwafTzlkg2-l-etsuiz_16eXJl/s1600-h/DSC_3206_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LfkyndNThryH8Qb5btwvUxwBBamz7M2oAtszE036yWdrvXMXvOhiYK4BtoL1uxgKkSAxtOsGmERahwue71c9NFNegwklj7E3Xutvb0JmWenwafTzlkg2-l-etsuiz_16eXJl/s320/DSC_3206_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244393883043619074" border="0" /></a>My personal favorite since my Dad flew the F-105 in Vietnam. Their F-105D is predominantly displayed on the museum floor along with several other Vietnam era aircraft. I like the fact that this (and every display at Udvar-Hazy) is uncluttered so that you get great views of the aircraft. I believe this is the sixth F-105 I've seen on the trip.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOdglpWH__RN7SQmzQpGaJWCxMYgO4UgvEz7E2w6mQRcjUkXJga8_EdcVo0xwq53uU7Dg5H6yO_Z3MTG1ceSTptHfDDWkwaDmUTf6_dUbUrtt_Dv2gAGCuhIJ_h8Cz9mcK9nj/s1600-h/DSC_3142_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOdglpWH__RN7SQmzQpGaJWCxMYgO4UgvEz7E2w6mQRcjUkXJga8_EdcVo0xwq53uU7Dg5H6yO_Z3MTG1ceSTptHfDDWkwaDmUTf6_dUbUrtt_Dv2gAGCuhIJ_h8Cz9mcK9nj/s320/DSC_3142_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244393886044666018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypj8EEF6VX1Gxdh8VQ_2NY9bij9GQebTjoMGIV1W6pmD1aekQlh3C8AL0Msv5Qmq19dDd9qZFVlH7GLzkWWfsQEQ-fshzHNmDLQZZ8MBLTKS0vfEOOthFbGGegPxAmVxJQ8VG/s1600-h/DSC_3279_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypj8EEF6VX1Gxdh8VQ_2NY9bij9GQebTjoMGIV1W6pmD1aekQlh3C8AL0Msv5Qmq19dDd9qZFVlH7GLzkWWfsQEQ-fshzHNmDLQZZ8MBLTKS0vfEOOthFbGGegPxAmVxJQ8VG/s320/DSC_3279_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244393878773022290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After Udvar-Hazy, we headed to DC as I wanted to see the Vietnam memorial. Little did I realize that we'd see much more since it is located on the Capitol Mall. Our trusty GPS guided us to the DC area and we found a spot to park near the Lincoln Memorial. We wandered from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. They were out of tickets to go into the Washington Monument so we walked back through the WWII memorial then made our way to the Vietnam Memorial and eventually to the Korea Memorial.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgNE69y33yXhgzOWnyaPbOkfR02lOg2kbXU0aTHUgLu-ceQaR9_etUL9Wf7hfJpvKNcP-Y1_6UCIrU0dz3ec_EB1e82UGYR59LVhGQXZ1diQmK0uRJQJHORxq-sTERTq6E5MX/s1600-h/DSC_3332_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgNE69y33yXhgzOWnyaPbOkfR02lOg2kbXU0aTHUgLu-ceQaR9_etUL9Wf7hfJpvKNcP-Y1_6UCIrU0dz3ec_EB1e82UGYR59LVhGQXZ1diQmK0uRJQJHORxq-sTERTq6E5MX/s320/DSC_3332_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244475809681290882" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br />Going through all of the war memorials certainly causes one to pause and reflect upon the tremendous sacrifices made by those serving in our armed forces and their families. Say what you will about whether we should or should not have been involved in the various wars but the fact remains that thousands upon thousands of people serving in our military faced the horrors of war and way too many gave their lives in the process. Each person was doing the jobs they were assigned, whether they volunteered or were drafted. It didn't matter, they went, many died, and they all deserve our respect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Mfma42DFzgCv33xWuXvtM50FQNYYqkfY1f53OoxXpabNiEwGuQjds3SbKiQUaW-dcyhrHQYIVAQt7-E6SYoDJBI85SAIcHgKvQbNCXg4d0ltZOw71oxhTAMebJy1zi-l8xCe/s1600-h/DSC_3330_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Mfma42DFzgCv33xWuXvtM50FQNYYqkfY1f53OoxXpabNiEwGuQjds3SbKiQUaW-dcyhrHQYIVAQt7-E6SYoDJBI85SAIcHgKvQbNCXg4d0ltZOw71oxhTAMebJy1zi-l8xCe/s320/DSC_3330_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244476077458794898" border="0" /></a>The closest I've ever been to facing the results of a war was when I was five years old and my Dad was flying the F-105 in Vietnam. I can still remember exchanging reel to reel tapes and hearing the different tone in his voice when he'd just come back from a hairy mission and with a battle damaged aircraft. My Dad was one of the lucky ones but he personally knows several of the names on the Vietnam wall.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To all of our veterans and current active duty personnel, I say thank you for serving our country so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.<br /><br />To those who served in Vietnam and came home to a nation that, for the most part, failed to recognize your accomplishments and sacrifices, I think you guys/gals were robbed of the respect you deserve. Thank you for serving in an unpopular war, in one where our government and military leaders created an environment where winning seemed impossible. You have my deepest respect.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-22924745848302195912008-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:002008-09-08T16:06:36.019-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOyX3MPaI6rUq27cT2GOuDqqAOHr0wn-hxg0yCWuPfLtCk9EGQTt5qUA-eFz8-bu1yDObpGPNh-SpJrVyenh6WT8nYS78VJZTH8uFX6JHJDY5iLZgnz7BfL6VWO-hMCJE2xAW/s1600-h/DSC_3125_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOyX3MPaI6rUq27cT2GOuDqqAOHr0wn-hxg0yCWuPfLtCk9EGQTt5qUA-eFz8-bu1yDObpGPNh-SpJrVyenh6WT8nYS78VJZTH8uFX6JHJDY5iLZgnz7BfL6VWO-hMCJE2xAW/s320/DSC_3125_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243788086121647826" border="0" /></a>Day 9, a travel day to the Washington DC area.<br /><br />We entered the dreaded Washington DC ADIZ and lived to tell about it :-) Actually, a friend who has been through the ADIZ VFR says it's a piece of cake. While we did so today IFR, I'd have to agree. Well, there was that one moment about 10 miles from entering the ADIZ where Patomic approach said they'd lost our transponder. The funny thing is that the reply light was lit almost solid green with all of the replies. A few minutes later, they tell us all is well as they're receiving the mode-C replies ok.<br /><br />It was pretty much an uneventful IFR flight from Poughkeepsie, NY today. We had to spend a few minutes on the ground figuring out the route we were given and there was one re-route about half way to our destination. Nothing too major but given the unfamiliar airspace, it was nice having two IFR rated pilots on board so we could split up the flying duties.<br /><br />Tomorrow: The <a href="http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/">Udvar-Hazy</a> museum.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-3974858648145450372008-09-07T17:36:00.000-07:002008-09-07T18:51:43.906-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAg4KWYsMD4dNmq5VWlg_4lYDnPFrhun3k-_Slr9CtqYpobPsciWViL98r-pvpgX3HIZOjd7x-dmWh1mC0XfUJgfezho_agtsDxzsYmqfoIN8GTjG3_I547sATgN7Sir8dhzD/s1600-h/DSC_3109_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAg4KWYsMD4dNmq5VWlg_4lYDnPFrhun3k-_Slr9CtqYpobPsciWViL98r-pvpgX3HIZOjd7x-dmWh1mC0XfUJgfezho_agtsDxzsYmqfoIN8GTjG3_I547sATgN7Sir8dhzD/s320/DSC_3109_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243458287232444242" border="0" /></a>Day 8: Windsor Locks, CT to Poughkeepsie, NY and the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome<br /><br />After a short 0.7 hour flight from Windsor Locks to Poughkeepsie, we headed to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Well, not after determining that I'd messed up the rental car reservation, having booked it for Monday instead of Sunday. As it turned out, the rental car company wasn't open Sunday. Fortunately, the guys at Millbrook Aviation worked out a rental car as one was due back shortly after we arrived.<br /><br />As a kid, I'd been to Old Rhinebeck a couple of times. It was always a fascinating place to see the WWI aircraft fly. The simulated dogfights never got old.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrZXFKDpwFVckuqoGY80w0OXgkuUOV0E46Za5qAXNpdeBJC4zq2xvHwjCDiPzdSqGogeH6d9x9gYdXXDKm4dSThyphenhyphenz-HUCmhP_Q2crZ-Ojep9VFPaKCjtDyW8nDbSCdxPlDlhH/s1600-h/DSC_3032_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrZXFKDpwFVckuqoGY80w0OXgkuUOV0E46Za5qAXNpdeBJC4zq2xvHwjCDiPzdSqGogeH6d9x9gYdXXDKm4dSThyphenhyphenz-HUCmhP_Q2crZ-Ojep9VFPaKCjtDyW8nDbSCdxPlDlhH/s320/DSC_3032_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243458019219979058" border="0" /></a>Today the show consisted of several biplanes cutting a roll of toilet paper and bursting balloons, The Flying Farmer (aka Stanley Segalla), and some 1/3rd scale WWI remote control aircraft. It was an enjoyable couple of hours sitting in the shade, taking pictures, and remembering the times I'd spent there as a kid.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If you ever get a chance to visit Old Rhinebeck, I'd highly recommend it. <a href="http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/">http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/</a> for more information.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BXI2WX1FCGh00tTF6Hz4GK1fo-xer6186FqNG2AGkYdWgq9BcpVzWhttHBjzMCTad7quI0R-0imWl5ZJEmJDTzhZQQLIr3QmWfMevdn3q380hzuFrppjRo9MO01wdY7Oy-8F/s1600-h/DSC_3102_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BXI2WX1FCGh00tTF6Hz4GK1fo-xer6186FqNG2AGkYdWgq9BcpVzWhttHBjzMCTad7quI0R-0imWl5ZJEmJDTzhZQQLIr3QmWfMevdn3q380hzuFrppjRo9MO01wdY7Oy-8F/s320/DSC_3102_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243461894503301282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUdu078DeRepIJZ3c3b8_OGQ1sBjakblHetl4CFAfJ1A7LGQh2qahjrYnbT-4UwgJsRouoawvideR5q68msg0YN0OepdfwcDkEGUazium9L6k3K5MH1CBafHomrvJU-_cu5EG/s1600-h/DSC_3105_small.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUdu078DeRepIJZ3c3b8_OGQ1sBjakblHetl4CFAfJ1A7LGQh2qahjrYnbT-4UwgJsRouoawvideR5q68msg0YN0OepdfwcDkEGUazium9L6k3K5MH1CBafHomrvJU-_cu5EG/s320/DSC_3105_small.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243461896116346562" border="0" /></a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-55941831568215694292008-09-06T12:07:00.000-07:002008-09-06T13:21:24.211-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 7<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUbhyN5CbiOqP9vSjIMSe1jwAoGcesORHqJW1zOlhAM72FiAT5SMxWW90aBtyl8ukbRGNT6WinXWSuSzqITEjzV5Wi1f7JtDdJHnj5Uz4mk1xco2qT7X9e4t0e1AV19dq7Gqu/s1600-h/DSC_2955.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUbhyN5CbiOqP9vSjIMSe1jwAoGcesORHqJW1zOlhAM72FiAT5SMxWW90aBtyl8ukbRGNT6WinXWSuSzqITEjzV5Wi1f7JtDdJHnj5Uz4mk1xco2qT7X9e4t0e1AV19dq7Gqu/s320/DSC_2955.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242989244468966914" border="0" /></a>Day 7, New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, CT.<br /><br />This is air museum #3 for the trip and it was a good one with many fine examples restored and living indoors.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6E_GDCDRx30jfq6POtRopVexyDA5-rP8mmSR3yG-HWd0PAXq2WDekfx0oJDISCw8aJXbGk2ckssINumg_9hhTvK41LmP9MEPTlrP6C_otau5Yw69XJqrmd5xCMi2Zbqgoa_u/s1600-h/DSC_2956.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6E_GDCDRx30jfq6POtRopVexyDA5-rP8mmSR3yG-HWd0PAXq2WDekfx0oJDISCw8aJXbGk2ckssINumg_9hhTvK41LmP9MEPTlrP6C_otau5Yw69XJqrmd5xCMi2Zbqgoa_u/s320/DSC_2956.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242989248402193490" border="0" /></a>My Personal favorite, an F105 greets you as you walk in the first hangar. Unfortunately, there are so many aircraft (as if that can ever be a bad thing) that you can't get a good shot of this F105. It's definitely one of the best examples I've seen, on par with the one at the Air Force Museum in Dayton.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6kPrYNAuOD0a-1OmfaKcUVAEW2zYbS6TYtYNhTREOOdsWMnvhvK9AmujQMphhDxGPDNdT-Du6aJ_5J3wlkoyXo_CbSuK4apZx7qoYm5UAy7TSAolfhDHx5hqZk2IuEHLZMSb/s1600-h/DSC_2991.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6kPrYNAuOD0a-1OmfaKcUVAEW2zYbS6TYtYNhTREOOdsWMnvhvK9AmujQMphhDxGPDNdT-Du6aJ_5J3wlkoyXo_CbSuK4apZx7qoYm5UAy7TSAolfhDHx5hqZk2IuEHLZMSb/s320/DSC_2991.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242989253131158722" border="0" /></a>My favorite nose art, on a great looking B29.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfL3jhAROjYfacn5vox3bIhMDnhWlYynBslOw0LeIfjsXqgIWOPd-93ikrVOTOqE8zVK20TmqU7ccVIrqyWV7kyj0ckmikPd9FixZtpDFCtYgvQJICPxA2IBCxRJDMVt8eTNI9/s1600-h/DSC_3014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfL3jhAROjYfacn5vox3bIhMDnhWlYynBslOw0LeIfjsXqgIWOPd-93ikrVOTOqE8zVK20TmqU7ccVIrqyWV7kyj0ckmikPd9FixZtpDFCtYgvQJICPxA2IBCxRJDMVt8eTNI9/s320/DSC_3014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242989261357277250" border="0" /></a>I had not seen an example of this particular B25 model. It was a 75 mm cannon mounted in the nose, along with four .50 caliber machine guns.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Overall, this was a great museum to spend a few hours wandering around. There is also an audio tour available which I would suspect is worth it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize the audio tour was available. I missed the big banner above the entry to the first hangar and didn't realize the significance of the numbered exhibits until it was too late.<br /><br />I would definitely put this one on the "must see" list. If you fly into KBDL, I'd recommend paying the extra $$$ for gas at Signature in exchange for using a crew car for getting to/from the museum. They've treated us like we're flying a corporate jet even pulling our Arrow into their hangar without us requesting it (and not charging us for it).Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-19514498514311023222008-09-05T16:45:00.000-07:002008-09-05T17:11:15.842-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 6Day 6, Williamsport PA to Windsor Locks, CT<br /><br />Another travel day today as we flew a fairly short 1.7 from Williamsport PA to Windsor Locks, CT. Initially we'd thought about hitting the New England Air Museum today but decided to put it on tomorrow's agenda since the rain will finally catch up to us. It was a nice flight and Windsor Locks was a reasonably busy place to get into. <br /><br />Williamsport airport lies right next to a fairly long ridge line and the departure (as well as yesterday's arrival) was fairly bumpy. Once we get out of the vicinity of the airport, however, things were smooth. We did this leg VFR today as we once again needed another IFR chart but the local FBO at Williamsport didn't have it. Fortunately, we have the entire US VFR sectionals via Air Charts. <br /><br />The FBO at Williamsport was a Piper dealer a long time ago:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaAh2CiVujy8JG_9AwEOeQtEEuoFAp6wIxmpwS8LYHT-th0lFZvPlulZFzpZ1GcLLgU_pQTbCDwBVMF3rb_hZz_Gs4JK0NeUawTkMVjLoGJ3iLYWaDWlb61V_cbp0iHh2_QlG/s1600-h/DSC_2936.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaAh2CiVujy8JG_9AwEOeQtEEuoFAp6wIxmpwS8LYHT-th0lFZvPlulZFzpZ1GcLLgU_pQTbCDwBVMF3rb_hZz_Gs4JK0NeUawTkMVjLoGJ3iLYWaDWlb61V_cbp0iHh2_QlG/s320/DSC_2936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242691844209869346" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Life Flight cranked up maybe 100 yards from us:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWYUMznYnYHiEUyPbmEHngcYexV7x1WAr4_5ccXqe608IdngYF9M-CjXkmm_qKDPYaCbPM8syPIvcsyEDfux6cjp9gwrkF64-aO8nNKeZv63dkZk0KeBxMSFPggxxrPZJl2Th/s1600-h/DSC_2950.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWYUMznYnYHiEUyPbmEHngcYexV7x1WAr4_5ccXqe608IdngYF9M-CjXkmm_qKDPYaCbPM8syPIvcsyEDfux6cjp9gwrkF64-aO8nNKeZv63dkZk0KeBxMSFPggxxrPZJl2Th/s320/DSC_2950.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242691846995009330" border="0" /></a>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-1621945097132976592008-09-05T16:38:00.000-07:002008-09-05T16:45:11.518-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 5Day 5: Dayton to Williamsport, PA via Ohio State. Posted on day 6 since the hotel did not have wireless internet access :-(<br /><br />Today was a flying day. More F16s in the pattern. How come it's hard to get too much of that? After we'd cranked up, we received a few more waves from the pilots as they taxied by. Nice. I have since found out that the F16s are from the Royal Dutch Air Force (thanks for the tip Eric). Apparently friendly F16 drivers.<br /><br />We had to make a stop at Ohio State for some charts as the local FBO in Dayton didn't have the particular one we needed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-CLNRjgTB6j05DuZFOjR0h3YLnsfAELulSw-sKJzcoMk2iwNavENBd2RzhjPwzMERbp6L4Uh-u-CRr25IrpqhUFnOvxEdKmGDZxu3IftEa0SAyMthrg7Y8_DsQUNE-n-xsh2/s1600-h/DSC_2919.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-CLNRjgTB6j05DuZFOjR0h3YLnsfAELulSw-sKJzcoMk2iwNavENBd2RzhjPwzMERbp6L4Uh-u-CRr25IrpqhUFnOvxEdKmGDZxu3IftEa0SAyMthrg7Y8_DsQUNE-n-xsh2/s320/DSC_2919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242686439819949202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If you ever need charts for this area, these guys have them while many other FBOs around may not.<br /><br />So it was one 0.3 leg and a 3+ hour leg today. We could have gone farther but after lunch at the Williamsport airport, it felt like enough for one day.<br /><br />Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series. We missed it by a couple of weeks but that's probably not a bad thing as hotel availability was likely non-existent.<br /><br />The journey East continues tomorrow. Weather should cooperate but I keep wondering when we make a right turn at the East coast where hurricane Hanna will be. Ike too for that matter since it's shaping up to be a much stronger storm.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31056005.post-19795720716203968062008-09-03T17:28:00.000-07:002008-09-03T17:45:15.602-07:00Midwest/East coast trip, day 4Day 4, the National Museum of the US Air Force<br /><br /><a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2AcCnnE7k15fp4Irli-HujOGn8CdNcRv9MtVqgeWw9_pg0baMmR84utLQlwxr8OzBHXM77ku4iWBTChiDb9BVcroAB1puSwMdVvCX1JfZmrMDF1f8u_fxTgqyUDkjY9h1ro3/s1600-h/DSC_2760.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2AcCnnE7k15fp4Irli-HujOGn8CdNcRv9MtVqgeWw9_pg0baMmR84utLQlwxr8OzBHXM77ku4iWBTChiDb9BVcroAB1puSwMdVvCX1JfZmrMDF1f8u_fxTgqyUDkjY9h1ro3/s320/DSC_2760.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241957140565294482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />With over 300 aircraft and 17 acres of displays, this museum is absolutely HUGE and should be on every aviation nut's "must see" list. The best part is that most of the display aircraft are located inside which makes for much better quality displays.<br /><br />We managed to get through the museum in one day but if you want to read all of the information on each display, you'd need at least two.<br /><br />A highlight was visiting the Presidential aircraft displays and being able to walk through several aircraft that served as Air Force One. In particular, walking through the Boeing 707 that served several Presidents, was an amazing experience. There are not many places where you can experience such a unique piece of American history .<br /><br />After walking around on concrete for several hours, my legs feel like they've had quite the workout. Time to prop them up and read for a bit. That and check the weather for tomorrow as we head further East. At the moment, things look fairly decent but time will tell where we may have to hunker down for a day or so depending on what hurrican Hanna does up the East coast.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12747359255766221830noreply@blogger.com0