Microburst Alert

I was really blown away by Montana.  I don’t mean figuratively, I mean I was blown away.  Arriving in Billings it was 29 gusting 37.  Later in the day it was 29 gusting 42.   It all started calmly enough.  As the sun set in Sidney, NE weather had arrived. The blue skies had changed to 200 overcast with 1 mile visibility.  I was expecting this and the forecast was for clear skies by 0800 so in theory it was not an issue.  

At 0700 it was pretty cloudy but I could see the clearing trend.  As we prepared to leave the hotel, the grey skies were starting to have patches of blue.  By the time we had the airplane ready. It looked good.  The ATIS was VFR so we fired up and after our checks departed direct Billings.  The flight was pretty straight, we departed runway 31, our on course heading was 311 and we would be landing runway 28.  

The computer had predicted an average of 20 knots headwinds and a 2:19 flight time. We took 1 minute extra.  I did run 1 GPH higher than my plan so our fuel burn was 2 gallons more than predicted but overall not a bad prediction. The winds started strong, then died off and then really picked up near Billings.  On departure we had 30 knots on the nose.  

As we progressed we got a quick reroute.  The direct path took us too close to the mountains and the controller said we needed to climb to 13,000 for the MEA or we could re-route via HERKA intersection which we determined  added only 2 miles. An easy choice.

As we progressed our blue skies became a cloud deck.  As we slid in, we started to get bounced around a bit.  Continuous light turbulence is no fun and is even less fun in the clouds.  We were at 8,000’ and I asked the controller for 8 block 9 so we could get over the deck.  The ride was marginally better above the clouds but it always feels better when you can see out.

Block altitudes in busy airspace are typically rare but out West there is much less congestion.  The last time I asked for one was back in 2023 in a very similar situation,

Once on top of the clouds, we had a great view of the mountains, we were also making good time and other than some gentle mountain waves, it started to smooth out.  It also looked like we might beat the predicted time, as we were running slightly ahead of plan. After clearing the mountains and in the home stretch to Billings, we dropped back to 8,000’ and were handed off to approach.  The headwinds had been slowly returning but then they really picked up with 40+ on the nose.

As we checked in we heard a jet going around because of the automated microburst warning.  The surface winds we reported as 30 gusting 37 from 270.  Approach informed us that they were holding inbounds.  We asked for 7000 and received it.  The jet started holding at 6,000’ on the final inbound. 

This presented a problem, as he needed to keep us separated.  It was severe clear so I cancelled IFR which made it easier and the controller asked me to stay at or above 6,500’.  As we got closer, the controller updated us from that the automated sensors were clear.   

It looked like we would need to wait for the jet but he had started outbound before declaring he was ready and we were number one.  I was looking for wind shear and flew VREF +10 on approach.  Our VREF already provides a generous margin so we could easily handle significant shear.  

We were handed to tower and had a nice bumpy ride down final.  I had gear down and flaps set approach, I decided to keep the flaps there.  Given the elevation, 4,300’ and the high density altitude, I did not want to have too much drag out in case of a go around.  I was prepped to go around if things did not stay stable, but they did and we did not see any shear.  

I kept all that extra speed and crossed the threshold  at 110 KIAS.   Typically this would be way too fast, especially with partial flaps.  Today it was extra insurance and with 10,815’ of runway, I had plenty of room.  Entering ground effect I reduced power to idle, used way more crosswind correction than would have been needed if the winds really were 270 and not closer to 250 and let the plane gently slide onto the runway.

CC clapped, and I said it wasn’t done till we had the plane tied down, especially in these conditions.  Even with the extra speed, I needed to add power to make it to taxiway C which was 3,200’ down the runway.  The FBO was directly across and the tower cleared us onto the ramp.  Edwards jet center had people out to marshal into a spot and our car was waiting.

Usually unpacking the plane is easy but today with the wind howling, it was a chore.  You had to be really careful things did not blow away, we had trouble hearing each other and we had to make sure the doors did not get caught by the wind.  Edwards did a great job, got us fueled and put us in tie down so I could install the rudder lock.  

Finding Sidney

The trip to Billings Montana is 1568 miles using the great circle route.  Assuming no wind, that’s 8 hours and 43 minutes. Add in wind, fuel stops, and a few extra miles to maneuver and it’s 9 plus hours in the air plus ground time.  I looked at the route and thought that’s gonna be a really long day, in fact that would be a record for us.  I think our longest single day was returning from Moab, 1460 miles. We had a heck of a tailwind for over half the flight and made it in 8.1 air hours. 

Going West in September usually means headwinds so I gave up on the idea of a single day.  I also decided to break the flight into 4 hops rather than 3 even legs.  3 hops would have made each leg over 3 hours.  Also this meant on day one we would only fly about 6 hours, less than optimal.  In the end I decided day 1 would be about 7 hours and day 2 a short 2 hours so we could start sightseeing on arrival.

The next challenge was finding our overnight stop. I drew a line to Billings, and then headed back about 360 miles and it was in the middle of nowhere.  I started looking at the airports near the theoretical perfect spot and after going through 7 possibilities, settled on Sidney, Nebraska.  It was not my first pick, that one had no fuel this month.  Another choice had no local transport, others seemed sketchy, pricey or in a sub optimal locations.

Sidney checked all my boxes, not cheap but reasonably priced gas, a car we could use, good hotel options and places to eat.  After that I used Airnav to plan our stops routes. With the changes in the oil markets, I have found that much of the gas data Foreflight is wrong.  Airnav is not perfect but much better.

My plan was simple, stop at Monroe Mississippi, then Emporia Kansas and overnight at Sidney Nebraska.  I watched the weather as the date approached and it was all looking good.  That was until 2 days out.  The winds got a lot less favorable and the Southeast was forecast to have widespread morning fog.  Then the night before, Kansas decided to spawn some big storms.

The fog was easy, we could wait it out, we had plenty of daylight.  Waking up most of the Southeast was 200 feet overcast but Monroe was clear and as the sun rose I could see things improving.  We took our time and by 9:00 I was sure things were improving.  We departed into blue skies with a few low puffy clouds along the way.  The ride was good and other than an extra 10 knots of headwind, it al was good.  

Our first stop was smooth.  The place was deserted but they had a good self serve pump, clean bathrooms and good weather.  I had quit worrying about the low clouds as they had burned off but had been looking at the storms in  Kansas.  They looked strong and while they were moving through, it was not clear what they would do.  

Inbound to Monroe I had formulated my alternate strategy.  We could go due West and fuel South of Tulsa, OK.  I say formulated but I had planned several routes and briefed them that the morning. The Tulsa weather was looking good but it was a big detour.  As we fueled in Monroe, we still had almost 3 hours until Kansas so I decided to stay with our original plan and if the weather was not clearing, divert mid flight.  Our departure was smooth but as we climbed, the headwinds increased.   Headwinds stink but it was clear and smooth so on balance things were good.

We had plenty of time to watch the storms over Emporia and they slowly moved off the airport. The surrounding storms were not heading for Emporia and they looked like they were diminishing.  I had chosen a decision point about a third of the distance and I decided to continue to Emporia. I was not committed yet, I also had another back up airport pretty close to Emporia so if it got covered we with storms, would just divert there.

About an hour out the winds shifted and got a lot worse and the ride became quite bumpy.  The forecast had said 10k winds were the same as 8k so we asked for a climb.  It smoothed out and had slightly less wind.  Until the last 100 miles we had blue skies but now we had shades of grey.  We got lucky though, by the time we arrived the storms were falling apart.  XM was still showing light to moderate rain but our radar was much more optimistic.  We passed one shower and got a few drops on the windshield but otherwise it was high overcast and dry.

The fuel stop at Emporia was fine except the hose was short.  I had to use the trick of running the hose under the plane and still had no slack when filling the right tank.  The FBO had really fancy bathrooms for a country airport but I would have traded the swank for a longer hose.   

It all worked out and we were soon back in the air and on the way to Sidney, Nebraska, not that place in Australia that is spelled differently.  On climb out I was watching the winds carefully.  Down low we had a light tailwind and as we passed 7,000’ it went to a full crosswind but no headwind.  By 8,000’ we had more than 20 knots on the nose.

Now we were heading 289 degrees which means even altitudes.  That’s the rule but we were over literally nowhere with no other traffic.  I asked ATC if we could get 7,000’ and ATC  said sure.  So down we went and the headwind melted away.  We even picked up a small tailwind as the crosswind became a slightly quartering crosswind.  

We had been in clear skies to start but we soon were swallowed by a layer.  It was bumpy but our speed was good, the clouds were warm and there was no rain.  About 70 miles from Sidney we broke out and had an uneventful landing.  The surface winds had been calm at our other stops but here the winds had picked up and were blowing 19 with gusts in the high 20s.  Luckily it was all down the runway.  This was a preview of things to come.

I had called ahead and they had offered a courtesy car as there is no Uber in Sidney. We bought some gas, secured the plane and then it was off to the Fairfield. We grabbed some food and got some rest.  We had flown 7.8 engine hours, 7.3 in the air, and covered 1226 nm for an average speed of 168 knots.  Overall we had about 15 knots average headwind.

Getting On My Game

I have been flying a good bit lately.  Over 20 hours in July and will do that again in August.  That said I had a run of almost 40 hours of day VFR flights.  While these flights are keeping me proficient in some areas, I have had less instrument time and no night.  I did complete an IPC in late June and flew an IFR flight on Monday. 

Monday I had run down to the mechanic to diagnose and fix some minor issues.  One issue was my right pressure pump, it looked like I had a leak in a line.  We checked the most obvious place at the pump and it was all good.  Most of the lines are buried in the plane and require removing the interior to access but the regulators are behind the engines and after opening 2 panels I found the culprit.  It was quickly replaced and after adjusting the heater Iris Valve Actuator I was done.  This flight was good weather but at least I practiced the instrument procedures. 

I had been doing well on Night proficiency until May with at least one night flight a month.  The summer comes, the light lasts forever ,the storms come and my currency expires.   I decided it was time to knock the rust off and started looking for a good evening.  Thursday the rains came late and while technically I could have gone out, there were lingering showers and I decided to try Friday.

Friday was looking good with early storms.  This usually means that by sunset things have calmed down.  Everything was looking good and while I was seeing a line of storms form in Georgia, they were far away.  After sunset I headed for the airport.  Remember you need to wait an hour after sunset for it to count.  Sorta like no swimming until 20 minutes after you eat.

It was getting dark and as I drove I was seeing lots of lightning to the North.  This concerned me a bit as the line seemed to have picked up speed. Arriving at the airport The skies looked tranquil some directions but still lots of lightning North.  The storms were still 60 miles out so it looked good but now I was seeing a new cell by Saint Augustine where I planned to do my Stop and Goes.

The runway at home is too short for this but at SGJ I can land in 3,000' and have 5,000' left for departure.  SGJ can be a challenging airport at night especially 13 as you depart over the swamp with just a bit of land until the ocean and with the nose up, it can be a black hole.  You have some visual references to the side but I prefer to incorporate a strong scan of my instruments as well as outside.  It is too easy to let the nose drop when turning crosswind to fully rely on the outside clues.  

While the sky was putting on an impressive show, I fired up, taxied out and headed off to practice.  I had decided that I would head back and give up if the strong storms got to the outer ring of the JAX airspace.  This is 25 miles buffer and I would be no further than 10 minutes from home.  I also left one map looking at the big picture so that it could not creep up on me.

Arriving at SGJ the cell I was watching had moved South and had not intensified with the convection further South.  After completing my currency landings I headed back home.  The weather had moved closer but stayed a respectful distance.  I fired up the radar and was able to easily see the weather.  I was using a +6.25 degree tilt which would have shot over smaller storms.  I needed the tilt to avoid seeing downtown Jacksonville.  What it told me was that these storms were serious.  The radar did confirmed that I wold have at least 30 miles between me and the storms when I landed.

In the end the storms sort of morphed and did brush the airport but we did not get a drop from them at the house.  They also slowed down just after I landed and took their sweet time arriving.

Ten Border Crossings

Leaving one state and entering another on the ground always seems a bit special.  Even on the side roads there is typically a sign and now my car's GPS lets me know about the momentous occasions.  When we fly, unless we are paying attention, we go from state to state typically without recognition.

CC and I went for a quick flight this morning.   The departure was fun.  We were behind a slower Cessna and the tower originally told us to climb to 1,000' before turning.  After liftoff I verified I had the traffic in sight and asked if we could maintain visual seperation and turn early.  It was granted and we easily outclimed and outran the traffic.

We headed West around the South side of the JAX class C.  I had not picked up a code but I was watching the traffic and saw they were using Runway 8.  My path would take me under their final so I gave JAX a call and asked for a code.  The first controller tagged us up and then asked that we fly Southwest to avoid their final and specifically a plane about to join.

We did as requested and frankly she seemed overly concerned.  The opposing traffic was several miles away at the closest approach and 2,300' above us.  Once clear of the traffic, she handed us to the JAX approach North sector and he sent us on our way.  Today's flight was a mixture of pilotage practice, flying for fun and border crossings.

We soon left Florida just West of JAX.  The line between Florida and Georgia runs pretty straignt along the 31st parrallel until it hits the Chatahoochee River where it jogs South to Chattahoochee and then it's straight line over to the headwaters of the St. Marys river.  It then follows the river to the Atlantic Ocean.  This makes for a rather curvy border near Jacksonville.

We headed back North East to look at Hilliard Air Park.  Just East of St. George we crossed back into Florida.  It had been a while since I was last by Hilliard and wanted to take a look.  It looked pretty good.  If I had a more grass friendly plane, I might haved dropped in.  My next objective was Davis Field.  I had seen it on the map before but never looked for it.  It's only 2,500' long so not much use for the Baron.

We followed the railroad tracks until we once again crossed into Georgia and then looked left and there it was.  It was quite old school just looking outside and following the ground features.  Davis looks really nce and we took a swing around and then headed back to Florida.  Rolling out on about a 70 degree heading we were in then out then in then out then in then out of Florida again.

Up by Davis Field and Just East there are some cool places where the river bends such that you could start in Florida walk South, swim across the river and end up in Georgia.  So don't let anyone tell you that Georgia is North of Florida.  While that is mostly true, it is not completetely true.

Once we were done border crossing we headed to the coast, double checked that Mayport and the TFR were not active and then headed back home completing our final crossing.  We made a smooth touchdown and put the plane away until next time.  In all we crossed the Florida Georgia  border 10 times in less than an hour.

Traffic 12 O'Clock high closure rate

 

I had gone down to Sarasota this morning and was on my way back.  Tampa had climbed me to 5,000' and I wsa on an assigned heading.  I heard a Southwest flight get called traffic, 12'Oclock 12 miles and then I was given the traffic, opposite direction at 6,000'.

The controller told me to look for a 737, which is all that Southwest has.  Looking at the traffic display I saw the target and selected it.  The GTN650 xi allows you to select a target.  It then gives you the identifier, aircraft type and closure rate.  The closure this morning was 446 knots.  

This made sense, you can ignore the wicjed headwind I had as it impacted both of us.  My TAS was around 178 knots which meant he was moving 286 knots.  The speed limit is 250 but since he was at 6,000', his TAS was likely around this, my numbers say he was a few knots fast but who's counting.

I had him on ADSB at 12 miles and by tapping the icon I saw that he would pass almost right over me.  Technology is awesome.  So at 464 knots closure, we were closing the gap at 7.7 miles a minute.  This means the gap shrinks 1 mile every 7.76 seconds.  The visibility was pretty good, more than 10 miles.  Lots of clouds out but we were both in clear air.  He had his lights on and I had mine on, including my landing light pulse lights.

This is what I saw at 21 seconds out or 3.2 miles.  Yeah I had nothing.  Typically I find that you pick up traffic about 2 miles out in these conditions.  Let me zoom in, I did not see him but the phone did capture him, my guess is that with the head on profile it was too small a dot for my eyes to detect.

I saw him a few seconds before this picture which was likely right around 2 miles.  This picture is at about 9 seconds before we passed.  

My final snapshot was about half mile apart.  I had already called the traffic but the Southwest crew never saw me.  I am not surprised, with the lighting and looking down, they would have had a small window to pick me out.  The emlargement is the first picture above.  You can clearly see the Southwest colors but in the moment it was a black shape that came and went fast.