Danger - Terrain Warning

After a long week of work I was ready for another adventure.  I had read about a fly in around central Florida at a small grass strip.  I called and got information and confirmed I was allowed to land at the private airport.

Osborn Field 02FA (No relation to Ozzy) is located about 17 miles West of Disney World.  It is a grass strip, not quite as flat as the last one I visited but very smooth.  The strip is 3700 feet long which was plenty for us.  Getting in is not an issue but grass increases the take off roll.  Our normal 1000 feet was closer to 1200.

They were advertising BBQ and cool planes so we decided to sign up.  When I spoke to the owner, she gave me the info and requested I sign up using the Google form.  In the old day these things were all word of mouth or airport bulletin board.  Today it was Social flight, Facebook and Google forms.

Getting there was a bit different.  I filed IFR so I would not have to worry about airspace.  There are many restricted areas and it is near the Orlando class B airspace.  The computer initially added a huge detour to the flight which would have made our 40 minute run an hour.  The en-route controller was helpful and when I gave him a fix near the airport he put us direct which was only 6 miles from destination.

Arriving there was traffic below so we were kept high until very close.  We broke out of the clouds around 3000 and picked up the field soon after.  There was a plane on final so we continued for an overhead entry and joined the downwind for our turn to land. 

The other difference is that the GPS did not know this airport.  I have terrain avoidance that warns me when I get near terrain or obstructions.  Around an airport the GPS understands that you are getting lower to the ground but when it is just flying to programmed position it gets nervous for you when you get near solid objects like the ground and cell towers.  Entering the traffic pattern both screens lit up warning me I was getting close to the ground.  Oddly this was comforting as we were trying to land.

The event started at 9AM, food at noon.  We were arriving around 11:30.  This meant that everyone would be watching and grading the arrival.  I also had never landed there.   I was counting on the published information, the talk with the owner and the fact that 50+ planes had landed ahead of me.  It all looked good.

Someone planted a big tree at the road at the end of the runway but we cleared that with plenty of room and the landing went as planned.  Nose high, slow speed,the mains gently rolled on and I kept the yoke all the way back to keep the nose wheel off as long as possible.

Coming in we received a radio call to taxi to the South end upon landing and look for a person to park us.  I kept it on the roll and at the end we found the person with the batons who clearly motioned us to do a 270 to park next to the Luscombe.  We acknowledged the instructions and soon were in our spot.

Lots of planes had come in for the festivities as well as some helicopter.  It is a different environment when you are literally parked on the runway.  We walked about looking at planes, watching them come and go and enjoying the warm sunny weather.

Soon we heard the sound all pilots respond to, food served.  We lined up and piled our plates with Sonny's BBQ.  They had tables set up in one of the hangars and there was a nice breeze.  After eating we looked at more planes and then watched several departures.  We also chatted with some of the local firemen who had dropped by and showed them the plane.

It was then our turn to depart.  Operations are different at a strip like this.  After starting I was told to keep right on the runway as I back taxied.  Yes, planes were going both directions on the same runway.  Reaching the end we turned around.  Generally I don't like to stop on grass as it is harder to get going again and there is more of a chance to pick up junk in the prop.

When I turned around I saw 2 planes had followed me out, both Piper cubs.  One was still in the center of the runway.  I let everyone know I was holding until clear.  The second cub then pulled to the far right side and it was my turn to go.  I applied power slowly to get rolling and kept the yoke back to keep the weight off the nose.

We were soon airborne, gear in the wells and climbing strongly.  We cleared the area and switched to Orlando who was expecting us as I had filed a flight plan home.  CC captured the take off with the GoPro.  A bit bouncier than pavement but the plane was designed for this type of environment.  Now to plan Sunday's adventure.

An Emergency for Brunch

I had been planning some trips but weather has been great during the week while I worked but not so good on the weekends.  I thought of an overnight run this weekend but the Sunday forecast looked a bit low so decided to just take a nice breakfast run Saturday.  The weather was supposed to be pretty nice.

The first trip I took with my last Beechcraft was down to Vero Beach for Brunch at CJ Cannons.  I also took CC there for Mothers day a while back.  So this was sort of deja vu except with worse weather up by home.

We decided to sleep late and then head off for Brunch.    We departed in overcast conditions and were soon droning along between layers.

Every once in a while we would be swallowed by the clouds and then see glimpses of blue skies above.

At one point we broke out the top and just skimmed between the cloud valleys.

Nearing Vero the clouds parted and we landed in gusty conditions.  Luckily the wind was right down the runway.   Little did we know that this would change.

We headed in and scored the last booth with the airport view.  I could even see the tail of our plane.

We then feasted on brunch, enjoying the warm weather and contemplating the return flight.  As we prepared to leave there was a rush of activity at the airport.  Police, fire engines and ambulances.  This is never a good sign.  We walked out to the plane and could see across the field the emergency vehicles  clustered around.  We asked what was happening to some other pilots and they had heard a plane was on fire.

After seeing the plane that was parked next to us depart successfully we decided to fire up and see what was happening.  We called ground and got our clearance but then held while they let a fire truck leave the scene.  The runway into the wind was closed due to the emergency and we received an unusual clearance.   We were sent onto the active runway to back taxi so as to get around the emergency and then back onto the taxiway.

As we taxied by we could see a plane that had been foamed.  It looked like everyone got out OK and the fire vehicles were packing up.  The plane was a single turboprop.  I later saw a news report that confirmed that no one was hurt other than the insurance company.  It was a multi million $ plane but that is why we pay for insurance.

We had to take off with a stiff crosswind and then spent most of the flight in the clouds.  Good practice though.  Landing at home base the gusts were up to 30 knots but pretty much down the runway.  The above picture lets you know what the inside of a cloud looks like from the cockpit.  A very successful day, we escaped the cold dreary weather for a bit, got some good eats and had a fun flight.

Sunset

It has been rather blustery so I skipped flying Sunday.  I figured I could make it up today.  Right after work it was off to the airport.  Sunset was 5:53 but that is for you earth bound folks.  Up a few thousand feet and Sunset is a bit later.  You can figure it out but it means a trip back to Geometry class.

On departure the sun still seemed high above the horizon.

We had some scattered clouds but mostly clear skies.

The shadows over downtown got longer.

And then the sun sunk down, even from our high perch.

CC and I both captured the moment.

I circled back but it was gone.  Just leaving a colorful glow.  By now we were over Palatka.  We headed back to Saint Augustine.

And then back to Craig.  You can see the contrast from the West and East Skies.  The phone makes it look much brighter than it is.

Turning final it seemed much darker than this.  The runway lights a welcome sight.  Landing was an A- but it got the job done and we soon pulled up at the hangar.  A beautiful night but a bit nippy for my taste.

Fog, Fog go away

Today was my last flight in 2018.  Overall a pretty good year.  I flew less than I wanted but I probably would say that any year.  There was the matter of work, family, and other responsibilities.   I had hoped to get a few more trips in at year end but the weather has been the pits.  First we had some extreme fronts and then the last few days some serious fog.  I still logged 157.7 hours.  I also did a good bit of training and maintained my instrument currency and proficiency all year.  Those are different but will be the subject of a future post.

Travel wise, we covered 6 new states.  I did 11 in year one so there are 31 left.  5 or 6 years and I will have them all.  Today we had early morning fog again but unlike Saturday when it hung around and around, I knew it would clear a bit earlier.

I decided to take CC to DeLand for a burger.  The airport restaurant advertises the best burger.  Heck their email is bestburger@airportginmill.com.  It is a fine burger but not sure if it is best.  It is feet from the ramp and has a nice outside deck.  It was 80+ today but with the breeze and some shade was quite nice to sit outside.  Did I mention December 31 was 80 degrees?

Climbing out we had a cloud deck to climb through. It was thin but fun as we leveled off right above the deck.  You get the sensation of really moving when you are just feet from the clouds.  The reality was that at 4000 we had a 30 knot headwind so in fact we were moving slower than normal.  Since DeLand is only 77 miles it did not prolong the trip greatly.

On the way home the headwind should have been a tailwind.  We got some of it but it had abated somewhat so we only had 25 knots pushing us North.  Seem like that always happens and the headwinds are stronger than the tailwinds.  I didn't mind too much as the weather was great and I was enjoying the flight.  Happy New Years!  More adventures to come in 2019.

Coast to Coast

Sunday I made up for leaving CC at home.  It was a clear brisk morning with great visibility. I figured greater than 50 miles which meant you could easily see across Florida.  Now we all know we live on a peninsula but standing on the ground you don't really get the sensation.

We climbed through the clear morning air to 8500 feet.  I had picked a spot about 10 Northwest of Ocala.  Florida gets skinnier and coast to coast distance is only about 90 nautical miles.  Crossing Palatka we knew that we were gonna have a good view as the West coast became pretty clear.  At 8500 we circled North and could clearly see both the Gulf and the Atlantic.  The above picture is the former and the latter below.  The Atlantic is grainy but was clear to us.

Sitting up there you really get the whole peninsula thing but that was yesterday.  Today we were off to the West coast.  One nice thing about the plane is you make some trips that just would not make sense in a car.  I had noticed that my second cousin and her family were in Clearwater and CC then mentioned that an old friend was back in Clearwater as well.

It is only an hour so I thought brunch.  Just about a year ago our friends were in St. Pete and we met them at KSPG. Today we were heading to KCLW, Clearwater Airpark.  The flight over was easy though we had a bit of headwind.  Clearwater Airpark is nestled among the houses which makes it a bit hard to see.  Also today was hazy, could not see across the state.  We still managed to find our way and our friends were nice enough to drive us to Brunch.

We ate at Lenny's which was packed and good.  My only complaint is the menu is long and complicated.  Our family met up at the restaurant.  It had only been about 35 years since we last saw each other.  We caught up but eventually Brunch was over and we headed back to the airport.  The selfie shows us with our family.  The flight home was quiet and uneventful.  We wished the controllers a Merry Christmas.  The plane is now fueled and in the hangar waiting for our next trip.

To Market, To Market

We had big plans today.  A family trip to the Immokalee farmers market.  I had waited out the bad weather and everything looked perfect.  We awoke to an odd smell.  Something was not right with the heat.  During the night it decided to break.  A quick look at the system showed me the fan was not fanning.  Removing the cover, the problem was apparent.  I studied mechanical engineering but know enough circuits to diagnose a fried relay.

Someone would need to be left behind to find and wait for a repair person who could get us running again.  Since I was the only pilot, I was off the hook and since CC was the only remaining person up to the challenge, she was left behind.....

With the heat challenge in capable hands we were quickly on our way.  It was supposed to be clear but we had a layer at 2000 feet on the way out.  We were soon on top and enjoying a smooth ride South.  The view was nice today and we could just about see both coasts as we flew down central Florida.

Arriving at KIMM I needed to be on my game.  The runway is 5000 feet with turn offs at 1000 and 5000 feet.  If I didn't want to have a long taxi, I needed to nail the landing.  Luckily the Bonanza makes this easy.  Fly a stable on speed approach, cross the runway end and pull power to idle and you can easily land and stop in 1000 feet.  I did all of the above and we did.

At Immokalee, we topped off for the flight home and went in to see about wheels.  The market was about 2 miles away.  The airport has a crew car you can borrow so we did.  It was a nice little Ford.  2 miles is not a really long walk but it would have been a schlep with all the produce we were about to buy.

The market is a series of stalls with independent vendors.  There is an element of haggling but in most cases the quoted prices were quite good and we just paid the tourist price. 

Rachel and I initially were going to look at all of the vendors before making any purchases but some vendors were better than others.  One engaged us as we walked by and sliced an apple for Rachel to taste.  It was our first purchase.  We kept adding on and periodically dropping things at the car.

Eventually we had as much as we felt we could eat before it spoiled.  Our total bill was $22 for all this:

Not too bad.  There were better deals if you wanted to buy by the case but we can't eat a case of tomatoes.  We already had some veggies at home so we should be set for the holidays.   Heading home was easy.  On the way back we added some gas to the airport car and remembered to leave the keys before flying home.

Usually when heading North they keep you between Orlando and Tampa to avoid restricted airspace.  I assume that it is not in use because of the holidays and they ran us up the West side of Orlando.  We were going to pass about 10 miles West of Disney.  A polite request to the controller and we were cleared to cross about 3 miles West which gave us a nice view.  The picture above shows the Kingdom as it retreats behind our wing.  While cool to see it is much less impressive from above.

We did have good Coast to coast views though.  I could clearly see the gulf coast to my left and the Vehicle assembly building on the East coast to my right.  Our arrival into Jacksonville uneventful and we soon had our produce home.  Also CC found a repairman and the heat is once again working.