St. Pete is closer than Philly

I had told CC I would take her to Philadelphia in September to see a friend who had moved away.  The week of the trip came and so did a significant hurricane.  We scrubbed it and then work and life got in the way so we had not rescheduled yet.

I finally have a break from work and have time to fly again.  With the girls back we have been staying closer to home but I was looking for some trips to fly.  CC mentioned her friend was down in Florida, St Petersburg to be exact, and the proverbial light-bulb went on.  St. Pete is much closer to us than Philly.  Yes they teach these things to commercial pilots.

A quick text and we had arranged lunch for the next morning.  At SPG, St. Pete Alfred Whitted field, there is a restaurant at the terminal, super easy.  The place is one of those downtown airports that is now squeezed in by the growth of the city around it.  Runways are short but plenty of room for us.

Heading down we crossed the state, direct to Ocala then followed an airway to 40 North of Tampa.  The controllers then vector you down the coast to avoid the busy arrivals and departures from Tampa International.  Once west of the field they send you the last few miles direct.

The runways are on the West shore of Tampa bay and hidden behind downtown.  We were able to identify the Stadium and buildings far out but had to get close to see the runways peeking out from behind.  The approach is over a parking garage and the runway ends at the bay.  Looks more challenging than it is to fly.

Lunch was very good for an airport restaurant and the place was quite nice. The weather was also fickle though.  Heading down it was all blue skies until the last 15 miles then overcast.  On the way out we climbed into the overcast as they controllers held us at 4000 until we were North of Tampa.  By that time it was back to sunshine.

In the end a good time was had by all, we had a nice lunch, enjoyed seeing the gulf coast, visited with friends and had some fun flying.  Coming close to closing out the year.  The big question, can I squeeze in one more state or is that a 2018 trip?

 

Over Under

No this is not a changing to a sports betting blog, still airplanes.  Yesterday the weather was great and I went out for some training.  I practiced power off approaches.  In the movies when the engine quits a plane falls from the sky.  Luckily the reality is better, a failed engine makes you a glider.  Though engine failures are rare, pilots practice to glide the plane to a landing at a precise point.  The easiest way to do this is at an airport which I did yesterday.

This morning the weather was bad so I decided not to fly.  Around 1 I looked outside and saw blue skies.  A check of the weather showed that the cold front had pushed through this morning and was sitting across the state around Orlando.  Jacksonville was clear but St. Augustine was reporting low weather.

I decided to take a look.  By the time I arrived the weather had improved and there was a cloud shelf starting just North of St. Augustine and continuing South where the weather was worse.  Since I was visual I needed to stay either 500 feet below or 1000 feet above.  The layer was thin so this was easy.

I had a nice flight looking at the edge of the weather system, flying over it and then back below.

Once below I decided to take a look at downtown St. Augustine and then head back home.

These decks while pretty and of not much consequence to instrument pilots, can pose a real danger to visual only pilots.  Pilots can get trapped on top with no way down or the clouds can descend and trap a pilot between the sky and ground.  Often looking up or down they see holes and think they can squeeze through.  Many times these holes are too small to keep legal cloud separation and even worse too small to get above/below the deck without going into the clouds.  These are names sucker holes.

Easy to avoid this by taking the visual requirements seriously and not flying over cloud decks.

In my case the way home was quite clear so I had no issues today.

Almost straight

A few weeks back I saw a notice for the annual BBQ at X60 (Williston, FL).  It went on the calendar and I told some friends, we all planned to go.  Last night the weather was looking sorta bleak with gusty winds and low ceilings.  If you believe every long range forecast you might never fly so I set my alarm and waited to see what weather we got.

It was much better than forecast and CC and I were soon off to the pig roast.  It was sorta cloudy and gray at our departure but half way there the skies cleared.  We arrived to blue skies and mild winds.

I had been to X60 it has a small restaurant that is unremarkable.  Today lunch was outside and was  set for noon.  This gave us time to look at airplanes and socialize. 

We walked about and were surprised how many people had come, over 40 planes. 

We even knew some of the arrivals from the Beechcraft group.

Soon it was time to eat, lunch was a buffet of pork, beans, slaw, potato salad, sodas/water and cake.  Plates were $12/Adult and all you cared to eat.  There was plenty.

They also had plenty of seating set up under a shade hangar.

After 2 rounds of pork we decided to head back as the skies were changing.

Now on our flight out we had taken off to the North East and made a sweeping left turn on course.  When you learn to fly the first lesson is straight and level flying.  The second is how to turn.  Turns are considered important as you seldom can just make a straight line. 

Today we almost did.  Departing we used runway 5 and our on course was 45 degrees.  We were set up for a straight in visual to 5 at home.  Half way there the controller vectored us for an instrument approach.  We requested the visual but she said that people were not getting the field. 

Right after we turned another plane reported better weather and we were allowed to continue in directly.  Thus our perfect no turn flight was marred by a gentle bank right and then left.  In the end we easily made the visual with ceilings above 3000 and good visibility.  Even though it was still visual, the skies had only gotten worse.  Strange how 70 miles down the road not a cloud but lousy weather at home.

Staying sharp

Flying is a skill that requires constant training.  While every flight helps to keep your skills sharp, some skills need extra attention.  I have an instrument rating which allows me to fly when visual minimums are not present.  In simple language, I can fly through the clouds.  Having the rating is one thing but you must be current to exercise the privileged.

Currency requires at least 6 instrument approaches in the last 6 calendar month, tracking and holding.  You can combine activities such as using a holding pattern as part of an approach to satisfy both requirements.  Florida has some great weather which can make it hard to practice for real.  This is solved using a safety pilot and a view limiting device.  I have some safety glasses that are fogged on the top and sides so when worn, all you see is the instruments and not outside.  If you go this route you need another current pilot to watch outside and make sure you follow the rules for visual flight.

Today turned out to be a great day for actual practice.  Saturday morning I saw this developing but by the evening, the forecast was for clear weather.  I was a bit bummed as I thought my plans would be ruined by sunshine.  When I awoke, it was cloudy, yeah!  I filed a flight plan, got  a weather briefing and headed to the airport.    When I checked, the weather was still quite low in places, 400 feet.  I figured I would wait for it to improve but by the time I was on the road, I could see the tall radio antennas were just below the clouds.  They are right at 1000 feet so I was ready to go.

I had planned to go solo but ran into a friend at the airport and offered him a ride.  He agreed and soon we were taxiing out.  I picked up our clearance and after the normal checks we were off.  First approach was to Cecil.  The automated weather was calling 1000 overcast and 400 broken. 

We were vectored to final for the  36R ILS.  Everything worked as it should and even though we were in a grey bubble we descended on the right track and vertical path.  At 1000 feet we broke out.  we reported this to tower as it is useful info for the next person and they can't observe conditions away from the airport core.

The weather was better than forecast and I started to get concerned it might clear.  I did not have to worry, it was marginal all day.  Our missed approach instructions had us climbing and turning on the missed approach.  We went back up to 3000 and headed South to Palatka for our next approach.  leveling off we were just above the clouds and captured the included pictures.  Standing on the ground looking at the grey sky, it is hard to remember that a few thousand feet up is is a blue and beautiful day.

At Palatka I shot the GPS 9 approach.  This time we did the full procedure which starts at a fix 5 miles perpendicular to the extended runway center line.  You cross this fix fly 5 miles and then make a 90 degree left to intercept the final approach about 10 miles out.  Then you descend on the glide slope starting about 5 miles out.

After Palatka it was back to Jacksonville.  The Instrument approach in use was 90 degrees off the wind so I did a circling approach.  A circling approach starts like a regular one except you cannot go as low.  Once you break out of the clouds you level off and then maneuver to land on the preferred runway.  I flew the ILS 32 and landed on runway 5.  Circling adds some risk as you are making your pattern from 500 feet which is half the normal height.  Add in low visibility conditions with unfamiliar terrain and you can easily get disoriented.

Today the ceiling was 1000 and I was on my home turf so it was much additional workload.  Touching down after 1.5 hours of actual practice I felt good.  I stayed within all limits but still noted a few places where I was not perfect.  Having a second person watching is good for this as they can watch you and critique.  I now have 9 approached in the last 3 months so I am good to go for a while but will likely shoot some more next month as you are only as good as your most recent training.

The pilgrimage and #38

First Flight is the birthplace of powered flight.  Pilots are drawn to this place as it is the birthplace of what we love.  CC and I visited First flight back in the late 90s but my Dad never had.  He took his first flying lesson in 1944 and has traveled to all 7 continents but somehow had never made it to First Flight.

We had tried before.  About a decade ago we planned to go but a low pressure system in September brought huge lines of thunderstorms on our planned days.  Last December we looked at the trip but the short winter days made it hard to squeeze into one day.  A few months ago we decided to have another go at it.  He bought tickets to visit and we figured that with a 3 day window in October we would have one day good enough.

He arrived last night and luck was on our side this time, high pressure was sitting over the South East.  We woke around 6 AM and were at the plane as dawn broke.  We did the normal checks, I looked silly with one of those forehead flashlights but it really helps to do a good pre-flight.   We were soon climbing into the smooth cool morning air.

First Flight has an airport adjacent to the National Monument.  It is a nice paved 3000 foot strip and even has a nice planning room and bathrooms provided by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.  It does not have fuel though and the trip is 3 hours each way.  We flew up 2 hours and stopped at Lumberton, NC to top off.  Then it was off to First Flight.  We used Lumberton as a fuel stop on the way back.  This meant that we only burned 2 hours gas between fill ups and we always had copious reserves.

Arriving at First Flight, I was aware that I was being judge by generations of aviators and we all know a smooth landing is key.  Fate was kind again and I was able to gently roll the wheels on and was sure that I got high marks from the unseen judges.

We secured the plane and after taking a bunch of pictures of us and the plane at the First Flight Airport, we walked to the memorial.  When I went before they had a nice exhibition building but it is under renovation.  Not a problem as the history is not in the building it is the hallowed ground.    Our timing was good and we arrived just as the ranger had started to give the presentation on the history.  We listened and once it was over we took the "Walk".

The "Walk" is where you start from the spot where man first mastered powered flight and cover the distances of the first 4 flights.  It does not take long.  Flight 1 was 12 seconds and 120 feet.  Did I mention they did not really have the hang of it yet.  Flight 4 was 59 seconds and 852 feet, much better.  After taking the walk we returned to the "Spot".

The "Spot" is a huge chunk of Granite that commemorates where a heavier than air mechanically powered machine first took flight.  Wilbur and Orville had returned and touched this stone as had many other famous aviators and astronauts.  The ranger implied that it was the duty of all pilots to lay hands on the rock and who were we to argue.

After poking around a bit more and looking at the historical buildings we headed back to the plane and started the trip home.  While the weather had been just about perfect, that high pressure which had been such a good friend played one trick on us.  In the morning the high was a bit South of the outer banks but by the afternoon it had moved North.  In simple language we had headwinds both directions.  Not bad though and it was worth it for the blue skies.

One of my favorite things I have learned at the memorial is about the historic picture of the Wright Flyer.  We have all seen the picture in textbooks of the Flyer at Kitty Hawk.  I had always thought that was a picture they took after they figured things out but it is not.  Oddly in those days people did not carry cameras as part of their cell phone.  The Wrights had brought a glass plate camera and set it up before the first flight.  One of the local volunteers was told to squeeze the bulb if anything interesting happened.  As the flyer rose he did and we have the picture of one of the first seconds of powered flight.  Fun fact, it was the first and last picture he took.  This picture has become one of the most reproduced photos of all time.

Their first flight lasted 120 feet.  We traveled 1111 miles today to visit First flight today.  Oh and by the way #38, North Carolina is off the list.

In flight video

Back in April CC and I went to a fly in but for us it was a walk in as it was at our home field. The next day a few planes were going up to Jekyll Island to get some pictures of them arriving.  I decided to go as well.  While I was there I did some pattern work. I saw a person with a video camera but did not know I was being filmed.

My daughter recently was sent a link by a friend and surprise I was the subject of the video.

Racing to Lunch

We had planned a weekend getaway but work and other things got in the way so I was around.  One of the pilots on the internet Beechcraft group had posted a while back that he was buying lunch for anyone that showed up at New Smyrna (KEVB) airport by noon.  There is a nice place just outside the airport gate. 

The prospect of free food can draw a pilot from far far away.  The guy across from me flew all the way from New Jersey.  Another guy came from Iowa.  To be fair the New Jersey guy's parents lived down the street and the other guy had a party 30 miles away.

The journey for me was only 82 miles.  The weather was a bit of a question in the morning so I had filed IFR for the short trip.  A few days ago another Beech pilot from my airport had touched base and we determined we were both going.  We kept in touch and ended up leaving at about the same time.

We had joked about racing down there.  We both have the same airplane but his has a turbo charger which makes his plane faster.  As you climb, a plane become more efficient in the thinner air.  You can go faster on less fuel but as the air gets thinner the engine has less power.  As a practical matter, my normally aspirated engine does best from 7,000-12,000 feet. 

The turbo charger lets his plane move quite a bit faster and burns more gas.  I can make around 205 mph going all out and typically save some gas and run around 200.  He can move 210 around 7000 feet and up high in the teens, 230+.  So head to head he is just plane faster.  Down low though we are pretty close. 

While we had coordinated, it was a loose thing so when we ended up at the end of the runway together it was not totally planned.  He took off first and was given runway heading which put him 30 degrees off direct to destination.  I had to then hold for proper separation and when the tower released me, I was given my climb with a 40 degree turn away from destination.  This put us on a diverging course which made ATC happy but further dimmed my prospects of blowing by him.

Now I could see his position the entire flight as the ADSB system provides traffic information.  We had both filed for 6000 but you can't have 2 planes at the same height too close to each other. Since he left first, he was cleared to 6000 and I to 4000.  Once he got above 4000 I was cleared on course and leveling off I slowed down hoping to build spacing so ATC would let me climb.  Why did I want to go up? Less gas and less headwind.  The winds were around 25 down low and 20 at 6000.

After a bit I asked ATC and she informed me that 4000 would be my final.  Not the best news but on such a short trip, not a big deal.  I was making 165 knots which was a ground speed in the 140s I saw that with his superior speed he was making 160 over the ground.  We both followed the coast and then were pushed a bit East by ATC. 

The trip went quickly watching for traffic and keeping tabs on the competition.  I soon had the field in sight and was cleared for the visual to runway 20.  I knew I was behind but kept my speed up until 2 miles out where I dropped the gear and configured for landing.  I noticed that he had landed long.  The runway had a turnoff at about 1000 feet which was closer to the ramp. 

I realized I still had a hope.  Cleared to land, I did my final checks, nailed my airspeed to book values and placed the plane right on the numbers. A touch of brakes and I easily made the first turn off.  Switching to ground, I saw him taxiing by and was instructed to follow him.  We taxied in together and parked on the line next to each other.  Yes he was 1 plane length ahead in the end but he started with a minute lead so I took this as a great moral victory.

I am sticking with the victory story as his plane will easily take mine in any true test of speed.  After this fun we headed off to lunch with 25 other airplane buffs and enjoyed the hospitality of our host.  After lunch I headed out a bit early to get back home to do some work.  The flight home was nicely uneventful with a smooth ride through some puffy clouds.

Open Cockpit

CC and I had just returned from a nice morning sightseeing flight.  As we were putting the plane away my hangar neighbor came by and asked if we wanted a ride.  I had given him a ride a while back in the Bonanza and he had promised me one in his classic Waco.  His plane was built over 60 years ago but looks like it just came off the production line yesterday.

Of course we said yes.  Getting in and out is a lot more difficult.  You have to do a bit of gymnastics and a bit of yoga to avoid all the places you can't grab or step.  The front cockpit has belts for 2, in fact there are 4 point harnesses.

Once settled in, he fired up the big radial engine and we waited for it to slowly warm.  The Bonanza has a nice smooth sound but a radial has a special rumble.

Flying a plane like this requires a special skill, on the ground the pilot can not see directly ahead.  This means that the pilot must "S" turn on the ground so as to get visibility.  Also when landing and taking off, the visibility is very restricted and the pilot must watch the side of the runway to keep the plane straight.

It is much louder and windier but a total blast!

Potential Tropical Storm 10

Not all storms are created equal.  Sunday while Texas was getting deluged with rain, the low which would eventually become potential tropical cyclone 10 was sitting over Orlando bringing some minor showers to Florida.

Taxiing out it was grey and a bit rainy.  Once I departed I was soon in the clouds and getting bumped around a bit but I broke out on top to this.  Ahead of me was improving weather.

Weather can be strange, from below a bit violent and dark and from above beautiful.

As my flight progressed I left the storm and arrived in nice weather.  Sadly the storm in Texas has not had a happy ending.

Fly In and BBQ

I have no idea how it started but there is a tradition in aviation of holding Fly Ins.  The basic idea is that an airport invites pilots to come and eat or participate in activities.  In May we went to Knoxville for one organized around people that own Beechcraft airplanes.  As a side note, it is an all inclusive group, we welcome all types of planes, it is just sponsored and organized by a bunch of Beech pilots.

Earlier this week I received an email from the Saint Augustine Pilots Association announcing a Fly In at Cook County airport in Adel, GA.  For those not intimately familiar with small Georgia towns, it is just North of Valdosta.  Still lost, it is 111 miles bearing 299 degrees from Jacksonville.  The online information was sparse but they listed a number and after several calls I confirmed that they would have a Fly In and that there would be lots of food.  They said to invite my friends and just show up, no reservations needed.

Armed with this information I called 3 fellow pilots and 2 were available to go.  We decided to arrive at 11 for a noon lunch.  Saturday weather looked good when I awoke and we headed out for a day of flying and eating.  On the way we had a bit of excitement that I detailed yesterday but once we had picked up our stranded comrades, we flew the last 23 miles and arrived at Cook County Airport.

Going to a new place is always a bit of an adventure, you need to find it and then you never know how good the facilities will be.  The runway was listed as good condition and it was smooth but it has some grass growing in the cracks.  When we touched down we could see about 10 other planes and a group of people sitting around an open hangar.  A BBQ was going and there was a spread of food.

We fueled the plane and met up with our third pilot.  Introductions were made as I knew both pilots but they had never met.  We had a pretty good group as we had each brought a spouse or Fiance.  After fueling, the guys helped me push the plane back into a parking spot.  We then went to meet the hosts.

The event is put on by the folks at Azalea Aviation, the local shop.  I never did figure out why other than for the fun and fellowship.  That may be enough, it was for us.  They put on quite a spread and welcomed us.  We met a few local pilots, looked at some planes and ate some food.  This was a real informal event and I was not even sure how it was funded.  They had a can with a small sign saying donations for food appreciated but no one ever asked us to chip in.  We did anyway.

Lunch consisted of meats and sides.  Not pictures are the healthy fruits and pear cobbler which was extremely tasty and less healthy.  After lunch I looked at the weather and told CC and my newly adopted passengers to get there butts in the seats as we needed to go.  There was some weather building.  Our flight home was un-eventful but a fun ride.

On the way out Ground control had asked me what was up as he had a sudden rush of planes heading to 15J.  Surprisingly Jacksonville to Cook county is not a heavily traveled route.  When I told him, he said it sounded good and I offered to bring him a plate but he declined.  On the way back in I got to tease him about the BBQ he missed but maybe next time I can bring the tower some good eats.