tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14176937016508475582024-03-12T23:50:18.951-04:00A mile of runway will take you anywhere.Chronicles of my flying adventures along with random thoughts, stories, and things i want to share with the world.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.comBlogger450125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-42223985434471285962018-06-29T20:50:00.000-04:002018-07-13T15:51:26.507-04:00Heading up to Traverse City with the family<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-TVC<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Clear, 90 degrees, wind 170 degrees at 6 knots<br />
<b>Weather - TVC:</b> Few clouds, 93 degrees, wind 200 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 28<br />
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We're taking a short family vacation between now and the 4th of July; the first stop is Traverse City for two nights. It's hard to believe but it's already been <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/07/2010-summer-adventure-day-1.html">eight years since we last flew there</a>! Our friends Rob, Abby and their daughter Charlotte are joining me, Gina, and Mariella up there.<br />
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As it was disgustingly hot and humid in Dayton this afternoon, I went down a few hours before we departed to get the plane mostly packed up. That way, I was able to cool off, shower, and spend less time sweating before takeoff. After finishing things up at home, we headed over to Wright Brothers about 4:30.<br />
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I had already given the plane a look-over but still did a full preflight while Gina got Mariella loaded in the back. All looked good so we pulled the plane out of the hangar, parked the car inside, and closed everything back up. Then I fired up the engine and, after a short taxi and the final pre-takeoff checks, we were airborne off Runway 20 by 4:55.<br />
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After circling back around the airport to head north, I contacted Columbus Approach for flight following as we climbed. They turned me east to stay clear of their departures but within a couple minutes they'd cleared me back on course to TVC. I trimmed everything out, dialed the prop back to about 2150 RPM, leaned the mixture, and engaged the autopilot.<br />
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<i>Passing by Wright-Patterson AFB on our way out of town</i></div>
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Winds aloft were forecast to be an increasingly strong headwind as we climbed across our entire route so, despite the heat, I elected to level at 4,500 feet. We ended up averaging just over 150 knots across the ground for the entire cruise portion of flight. It was pretty hazy at times given the extreme heat and humidity but the temperature in the cabin actually wasn't too bad.<br />
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<i>Once in the sky, it was a beautiful day to fly</i></div>
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The majority of the flight really wasn't noteworthy. The haze obscured some of the beautiful <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/09/solo-flight-to-michigan-for-family-visit.html">longer-range views</a> you sometimes see of Detroit and the Great Lakes in the middle of Michigan. We were handed off from Columbus Approach to Toledo to Kalamazoo to Lansing to Grand Rapids and then finally to Minneapolis Center.<br />
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Well, there <i>was</i> one thing enroute. Northeast of Grand Rapids I spotted traffic on Foreflight that was effectively at our altitude, opposite direction. Closing but still at least 5 miles away I was monitoring when the controller came over the radio and called out the same traffic. I absolutely could not spot it and told the controller I was turning right for avoidance. It wasn't until they were less than 1/2 mile away that I spotted them, at exactly the same altitude. That's one thing I don't love about VFR cruising altitudes - on certain headings (we were heading about 358 and I bet they were headed about 185) you can technically both be at the correct altitude and still on a near-collision course. Anyway, once clear, we turned back direct TVC.<br />
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<i>Mariella had some good moments to go with the cranky ones</i></div>
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Mariella didn't do as well on this flight as she has in the past. She really doesn't enjoy being restrained (she's always on the move now that she's walking super well) so being cramped in the plane isn't ideal. And then she loves to rip her earplugs out so the constant battle to keep them in certainly doesn't improve her mood. Gina gets all the credit for sitting in back and taking care of her whenever we're airborne!<br />
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<i>All of us and all our stuff (in the back)</i></div>
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As we got within 75 miles of Traverse City the local weather reports (I'd been tuning in AWOS as we flew) were indicating some pretty serious winds. ADS-B confirmed the same, noting winds out of the south gusting over 20 knots at TVC. Normally that'd be no issue; we'd just land on Runway 18. But I already knew that wasn't an option - it was NOTAMed closed due to the Blue Angels being there for the airshow, though they weren't using it and there was nothing on it, so not quite sure why.<br />
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<i>Approaching Traverse City from the south</i></div>
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By the time we were close enough to tune in the ATIS nothing had changed. Winds were basically a direct crosswind at 10 knots gusting to 28, with 10 knots of windshear reported by a CRJ on short final for added fun. At this point, I was honestly thinking we very well may have to land somewhere else.<br />
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Minneapolis Center cut us loose and I called the tower around 10 miles out. They immediately cleared us to land entering on a left base for Runway 28 and again noted the winds and windshear report. I guess not too many folks were up flying today just for the fun of it!<br />
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My plan was this - only use 10 degrees of flaps, fly about 10 knots faster than normal, and fly a slightly longer final to see if I could hold the plane on the extended runway centerline. Runway 28 is 7,000 feet so I plenty of concrete to work with. If I could do all that, then we'd attempt to land. Otherwise we'd be going around and possibly diverting.<br />
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<i>I wonder if Gina took this in case it was the last photo of me ;-p</i></div>
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<i>I was totally focused on landing but I guess there's a great view of the bay on final</i></div>
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Well, long story short, we made it in. I sort of wish I had video of me on the controls because this was perhaps the best example I've yet encountered in all my flying of "you fly the plane, you don't let it fly you." I'm sure I had the yoke and rudder dancing all over the place but in the end I managed a respectable crosswind landing, touching the left main first and preventing the nose from coming down too hard in the seriously gusty winds. We did encounter the same shear on final - I saw the airspeed instantly drop from about 75 to 65 and then come back up again - so I let the tower know.<br />
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<i>Taxiing past some of the military planes in for the airshow</i></div>
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A "follow me" golf cart pulled out as we taxied onto <a href="http://www.avflight.com/Network/KTVC">AvFlight's ramp</a> and guided us to a tiedown. Then the line guy tied the plane down and brought our rental car over. That sort of service is truly one of the joys of small airplane flying! It took a little while to haul all our gear out of the plane. When that was finished and I made sure the airplane was totally secured, we headed into the FBO for a short cooldown and some tasty <a href="https://www.airnav.com/airport/KTVC/AVFLIGHT">free ice cream</a>.<br />
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<i>The best part - tied down with the rental car parked behind</i></div>
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Now we're up here for a couple days with the kids and to see the airshow. It's beautiful in this part of Michigan; I really think most folks who didn't grow up nearby have no idea about the region's natural beauty. If the weather holds, we'll be heading across the state on Sunday to continue the summer getaway.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0629_MGY_TVC.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 2.5 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">403.6 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-39266495803196874612018-06-17T21:14:00.003-04:002018-07-12T21:54:24.337-04:00Father's Day four hundred<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-LBE-MGY<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Clear, 81 degrees, wind light and variable<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - LBE:</span> Scattered clouds, 80 degrees, wind 260 degrees at 8 knots<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Scattered clouds, 91 degrees, wind light and variable<br />
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Today was Father's Day, which meant I had more sway than usual in deciding what to do. What better way to spend some time with the family than a $100 hamburger run? Even better, the increased speed and range of the new plane meant we had many more options to choose from.<br />
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Pilot friend <a href="https://warrior481.blogspot.com/">Chris</a> and I were talking last week and me a superb recommendation - <a href="http://www.denunziosrestaurant.com/">DeNunzio's</a> in Latrobe, PA. They have an absolutely great spread for <a href="http://www.denunziosrestaurant.com/Fathers_Day.html">brunch every Sunday</a> and today was no exception. It would have taken ~10 hours round trip had we driven all the way there from home. But by plane it's only about 1.5 hours each way.<br />
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We arrived at Wright Brothers about 8:55 and got the plane ready. The propeller was providing much-needed airflow in the humid morning air around 9:10. After completing the pre-takeoff checks, I taxied onto Runway 20 and by 9:20 we were pointed eastward, climbing to 7,500 feet.<br />
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<i>On our way to Pennsylvania for brunch</i></div>
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<i>Once we leveled off, we let Mariella enjoy the view a bit</i></div>
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<i>Remnants of yesterday's weather moving away to the south</i> </div>
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<i>She was quite happy as usual this morning</i></div>
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The air was cool and smooth and traffic was light so I decided to not call ATC for flight following this morning. Instead, we just cruised along, enjoying the view and relative peace and quiet. Mariella does ok with the earplugs and headset but she does still rip them off from time to time. Thankfully Gina was in the back to tend to her and put them back on.</div>
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<i>We skirted the south edge of Pittsburgh's Class B airspace</i></div>
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<i>Crossing the Ohio River near Wheeling</i></div>
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<i>Mariella appears to be fascinated by the view from above</i></div>
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I'd been checking the weather near Latrobe since before takeoff. It was originally IFR/MVFR but forecast to rapidly improve. As we got closer, there were still broken clouds in the area per both nearby AWOS and METARs from ADS-B. I had Gina put Mariella back in her car seat before we started descending.<br />
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By the time we were ~30 miles away I really wasn't sure where the clouds has broken up but there were fewer holes below us. I knew we would have clearance under them (and the skies were slowly clearing - we wouldn't be trapped under them later) so I made two 360 degree turns while descending to get through a large open area near Rostraver Airport (FWQ).<br />
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We were also near the edge of Pittsburgh's Class Bravo airspace until we descended below 4,000 feet so I made sure to remain just south as we circled down. I saw a few planes in the pattern at Rostraver but we were well above pattern altitude. Once below the clouds, it got more hazy and humid as expected but the ride was good.<br />
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<i>Clouds beginning to form as we crossed into Pennsylvania</i></div>
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<i>Below the scattered clouds about 10-15 miles from Latrobe</i></div>
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I turned back east toward Latrobe and within a minute or two it was clear the clouds were much more scattered in that direction. In hindsight, I could have easily flown another 5-10 miles and descended right through the large gaps between them. So it goes sometimes.</div>
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Having already listened to the ATIS, I called Palmer Tower about 12 miles out and was cleared to enter a right downwind for Runway 24. I lowered the flaps to 10 degrees (the approach setting in the 182 RG) and reduced power to slow to about 120 knots. It took a while to spot the airport as it was behind a low hill as we approached from the west.</div>
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<i>Passing just south of Greenburg, PA</i></div>
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<i>Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, PA</i></div>
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As the airport came into sight, I slowed a bit more and made sure everything was secure. Turning right downwind, I called the tower and was cleared to land. Midfield, gear down, three green. Abeam the numbers, carb heat on, reduce to 1500 RPM, trim for 80.<br />
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Turning base I looked over my shoulder I thought I'd overshot final. Continuing the turn, I quickly realized I'd inadvertently looked back at the now-closed Runway 21 that sits just off of Runway 24. That reminded me of when <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/07/breakfast-in-columbus-other-one.html">I initially lined up for the wrong runway</a> in Columbus, IN years ago. I immediately corrected by aligning myself back for Runway 24. Over the numbers, I reduced power to idle and landed on both mains then bounced slightly before settling down for the "real" landing. Not my best, but not terrible.<br />
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Tower cleared us to taxi to the ramp, where a golf cart was waiting to lead us to parking. I shut down, we all climbed out, and then the line guy asked where we were going. "Brunch," I said. "Do you have a reservation? They're usually sold out." Hmmm. Uh oh?<br />
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<i>We had some good daddy-daughter time at DeNunzio's</i></div>
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Thankfully, despite the tables indeed being completely full and 100% reserved, they have some seating in the bar area. A high top isn't ideal for a toddler but we made it work. And the spread was indeed delicious - bacon, eggs, waffles, french toast, breakfast pizza, biscuits and gravy, shrimp scampi, pork chops, stuffed chicken, polenta with sausage, pierogies, and a whole pile of desserts. Plus numerous other things I didn't even mention!</div>
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Mariella absolutely downed the shrimp (she's a big fan these days) and we all stuffed our stomachs. Gina and I took turns getting up with Mariella to walk around the airport terminal since she understandably doesn't like to sit still now that she knows how to walk. In total, we were there about two hours by the time I paid the bill.</div>
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There were two Blackhawk helicopters on the ramp; their crews were also in the restaurant enjoying brunch. One of the pilots came over and said hi when they were leaving and asked where we were from. Turns out they were out of the ANG unit in Wilmington, DE. In my opinion, Latrobe <i>has</i> to be one of their more delicious training destinations!</div>
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I had the FBO add 5 gallons of 100LL while we were eating. We didn't need fuel (we had only consumed ~20 gallons of the 88 on board) but any fuel purchase waived the $10 landing fee. Well, in that case, go right ahead and add a little Avgas.</div>
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The sky had been clearing as we ate and the clouds were scattered by the time we departed. We were cleared for takeoff and rolling down Runway 24 at 1:33. As I turned on course as cleared, I found a nice large gap between the clouds and used it to climb direct to 8,500 feet.</div>
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<i>Climbing through the scattered clouds after takeoff</i></div>
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<i>Mariella was asleep within minutes</i></div>
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<i>Gina was also pretty tired - she didn't last much longer ;-)</i></div>
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Level at 8,500 feet I could see a couple storm cells far, far ahead. Checking the animated radar via ADS-B I could see they were moving slowly southeast. There was a large gap between both of them so I debated flying slightly south to get ahead of them, then turning west northwest to go between. But I've never really liked the idea of flying in the direction where the weather is headed. Instead, I decided to fly northwest and come around behind the cells.<br />
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<i>Storms east of Columbus from about 75 miles away</i></div>
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<i>Checking the radar about 15 minutes after takeoff</i></div>
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<i>Now about 50 miles away from the storm cells</i></div>
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As we got closer, I noticed some of the scattered clouds were continuing to develop vertically in the warm, humid air. I climbed to 10,500 feet to prevent having to fly between them and to maintain better forward visibility. The storm cells continued to grow in intensity, though they remained distinct cells. I started picking up some lightning strikes on the Stormscope, too.</div>
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<i>Watching the radar as we flew north around the storms</i></div>
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One big advantage of having ADS-B onboard presented itself this afternoon - being able to see what's <i>behind</i> what you see out the windows. I certainly didn't need radar on my iPad to tell me there were a couple large storms out there to avoid. They're hard to miss. But what it <i>did</i> show were the additional cells developing behind the ones I could see. That let me plan ahead. I knew in advance we'd continue west after we passed the big cell before turning back on course.<br />
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<i>A closer view of both cells we were avoiding</i></div>
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<i>About 15 miles away from the largest cell</i></div>
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<i>Passing north of the thunderstorm</i></div>
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<i>The air was completely clear behind the large storm cell</i></div>
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We remained far enough away from the storm that the air remained calm. It was really cool to see how it had cleared out everything in its path - as soon as we passed behind the storm, all the clouds disappeared below. Looking ahead, I could see that additional, smaller cell that we needed to clear before turning back on course to Wright Brothers. I also spotted more scattered clouds rising up to our altitude.</div>
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It was hard to tell how far the clouds extended along our route and the METARs ahead were mixed (some said broken clouds) so I figured, once again, it was probably best to descend below them. That meant the final leg of the flight would be much warmer, but I knew we'd have no issues making it home. I initially descended to 6,500 feet but there were still a few clouds and I ended up descending all the way down to 4,500 feet.</div>
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<i>Passing north of the smaller storm cell</i></div>
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<i>Passing Ohio State University Airport northwest of Columbus</i></div>
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<i>Mariella remained asleep almost the entire flight home</i></div>
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Other than dealing with more traffic (it's always a fun exercise to try and spot the traffic you see on ADS-B; it always points out more than you ever seem to notice with your own eyes!) and the increased humidity, the rest of the flight was uneventful. Gina was asleep until about when I made my initial radio call as we approached Wright Brothers. At that point, I was descending to 2,000 feet and we were about 5 miles away.<br />
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<i>Greene County Airport - they just extended the runway </i></div>
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I entered the pattern on a 45 for a left downwind to Runway 20. We had the airport to ourselves as I configured for landing and touched down softly (no bounce this time!) just past 3:20. Gina said Mariella woke up just before landing. I was sort of hoping I'd manage to land softly enough that she was still asleep when shut down in front of the hangar... maybe someday!</div>
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<i>She wanted to help pack up after we landed</i></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g48ONMaD9kg/Wy-m3emgAxI/AAAAAAABwtA/GndzU7GDiDYASVFNQzWZZrsKLVhx6L3TACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0617-153817_MGY_LBE_MGY_Mariella_at_Wright_Brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g48ONMaD9kg/Wy-m3emgAxI/AAAAAAABwtA/GndzU7GDiDYASVFNQzWZZrsKLVhx6L3TACLcBGAs/s400/2018-0617-153817_MGY_LBE_MGY_Mariella_at_Wright_Brothers.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Even with the diversions around the weather the flight home was only about 1:45. We had a wonderful brunch and really took advantage of the 182's speed and range. As Chris mentioned, I'm thinking DeNunzio's may be the perfect meetup location for him, us, and <a href="https://gmflightlog.blogspot.com/">Gary</a> in his <a href="https://gmflightlog.blogspot.com/2018/05/introducing-45yankee.html">beautiful new bird</a>. We're long-overdue for one.<br />
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I also hit yet another <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/06/one-thousand-and-one.html">milestone</a> today. On the way home, I logged my 400th hour. While I clearly haven't always maintained a steady pace filling up the logbook, I'm very happy to be continuing to fill it. Here's to the next 400 - hopefully I get there in under a decade this time!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0617_MGY_LBE_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 4.0 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">401.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-21492898239294963342018-06-14T23:15:00.000-04:002018-06-15T01:21:29.623-04:00One thousand and one<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 80 degrees, wind 340 degrees at 5 knots<br />
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Time moves quickly. After a couple busy weeks that included my <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-sisters-first-cub-experience.html">little sister's</a> wedding and a work trip to San Antonio, I was itching to get back in the air. We're planning a nice little day trip for Father's Day this coming weekend but I wanted to get in a little air time first. Especially so I could have an opportunity to give the new avionics a trial run.<br />
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The club just installed a nice <a href="http://www.appareo.com/stratus-adsb-in-out/">Appareo ESG transponder</a> so the plane meets the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/">ADS-B mandate</a>. It includes a hard-wired Stratus 2i so we now have ADS-B In on aircraft power. For the non-pilots, that basically means we have a little device permanently mounted in the plane that allows me to see real-time traffic, weather, NOTAMs, and such on my iPad in the cockpit... so I don't have to worry about bringing <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/08/lunch-with-in-laws-assisted-by-ads-b.html">my own</a> when flying 7YG anymore. Quite convenient.<br />
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<i>It was too nice a night not to fly</i></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O_C0qM0V99k/WyNBqjX37hI/AAAAAAABvkc/0cV_wgXGcU434NfxHbDGzi7gJdfdxXnCwCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0614-195533_MGY_Local_N757YG_on_Ground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O_C0qM0V99k/WyNBqjX37hI/AAAAAAABvkc/0cV_wgXGcU434NfxHbDGzi7gJdfdxXnCwCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0614-195533_MGY_Local_N757YG_on_Ground.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I got to the airport about 7:45 and had the propeller spinning just before 8:00. I taxied down to the end of Runway 2, completed did my run-up, and taxied onto the runway. With quarter-full fuel tanks (which is still 1.5+ hours of flight time in this plane) and only myself on board, the plane leapt into the air in no time.<br />
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<i>In the pattern at Wright Brothers</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhUvCZVHlK4/WyNBqv8WgzI/AAAAAAABvkk/TaSyNbakKS44t7yYdhbibqU_HX76vtP1ACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0614-200728_MGY_Local_Wright_Bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhUvCZVHlK4/WyNBqv8WgzI/AAAAAAABvkk/TaSyNbakKS44t7yYdhbibqU_HX76vtP1ACLcBGAs/s400/2018-0614-200728_MGY_Local_Wright_Bros.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The air was remarkably clear for a reasonably warm summer evening. Visibility was truly unrestricted. Had I climbed up to 3,500 or 4,000 feet I have no doubt I'd have seen the Columbus skyline 65-70 miles away. Instead I stayed in the pattern and brought the plane in for a smooth landing in the nearly still evening air. I taxied back and launched into the sky again, this time really trying to let the plane fly itself off the runway when it was ready to cheat gravity.<br />
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<i>Looking south towards MGY over I-675 and Yankee St</i></div>
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<i>Dayton Mall and the I-675 / I-75 interchange</i></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0SxAlk_KXtc/WyNBrJkMzuI/AAAAAAABvko/P7lWk1NaFPALy94lJ9-38JD_a4JzThn6gCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0614-202900_MGY_Local_Dayton_Mall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0SxAlk_KXtc/WyNBrJkMzuI/AAAAAAABvko/P7lWk1NaFPALy94lJ9-38JD_a4JzThn6gCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0614-202900_MGY_Local_Dayton_Mall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My next landing was a bit of an aviation milestone - my 1000th, if I've managed to log them all correctly over the years. Thankfully it was very smooth. Wouldn't want to ruin the moment.<br />
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I taxied back one more time but, after takeoff, turned east and climbed up out of the pattern for a very short scenic flight around the area. Even with the power reduced to 15" of MP my ground speed was over 120 knots; I do continue to enjoy this plane's ability to go places. I flew a gentle circle east of Wright Brothers then flew west along I-675 while descending, gently turning again west of the field over Miamisburg to re-enter the pattern.<br />
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My final approach and landing (which, full disclosure, I thought was my 1000th) were the best of the night. I didn't need to touch the power from the time I reduced it abeam the numbers and everything was stabilized all the way through to the flare, where I reduced the power to idle and gently touched the mains with the stall horn blaring. A fitting end to a fine evening flight.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0614_MGY_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 0.6 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">397.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-56930202461902180752018-05-28T13:25:00.000-04:002018-06-12T00:59:49.554-04:00Taking a new coworker Cubbin'<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 65 hp<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Few clouds, 87 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 5 knots<br />
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I've known Roberto for a little while now; through a nice little small-world coincidence, his wife took Gina's amazing <a href="http://www.winter-freire.com/">maternity and newborn photos</a> and then I realized he worked at the same company I joined back in December. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take much chatting to realize he's a fellow aviation nut. So much so he's even <a href="https://robertoflies.blogspot.com/">started his own flying lessons</a> at <a href="http://stewartsaircraft.net/">Stewart</a>!<br />
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<i>It's not often I end up with a photo of myself fueling a Cub</i></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XLJjPHoFUFM/Wwznm2KzF7I/AAAAAAABt2s/0rE91DHg_ns0IS-Vt9JNhYtQKo977gbewCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0528_40I_Local_Steve_Fuelling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XLJjPHoFUFM/Wwznm2KzF7I/AAAAAAABt2s/0rE91DHg_ns0IS-Vt9JNhYtQKo977gbewCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0528_40I_Local_Steve_Fuelling.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even without his student pilot status, we've been talking flying together for a while. Having finally gotten <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/05/ten-years-later.html">Cub current again</a>, I asked if he wanted to up with me this morning. I know he's so busy learning as a student that he probably doesn't have much time to just enjoy the view from above. The goal today was to give him that opportunity!<br />
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<i>I'd say he enjoyed the front seat nearly as much as the pilot's perch</i></div>
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We left the pattern and flew south along the valley towards I-71 at about 2,000 feet. I pointed out the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Morrow_Bridge">bridges</a> over the interstate then turned southwest towards Mason. As I <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/07/cub-on-robs-way-to-oshkosh.html">often do</a> with <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2015/09/weeknight-sightseeing-with-some.html">passengers</a>, we circled King's Island - it never disappoints. Then I turned north towards Dayton.<br />
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<i>It's always fun to see an amusement park from the air</i></div>
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Originally I planned to fly around downtown Dayton but I didn't want to have to hurry to get back. Instead, we flew over Wright Brothers and Roberto's house at about 3,000 feet to remain clear of the traffic pattern. Then, seeing some widely scattered, puffy clouds in between us and Stewart, I climbed up to 5,000 feet so he could enjoy that always-amazing pilot's-eye view.<br />
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<i>Passing just west of Wright Brothers Airport</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OJSlwt33KYs/Wwznn1Uxv5I/AAAAAAABt24/47AmnUH1v2gikf5EBGgSaKYcKqOgILOogCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0528_40I_Local_Wright_Brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OJSlwt33KYs/Wwznn1Uxv5I/AAAAAAABt24/47AmnUH1v2gikf5EBGgSaKYcKqOgILOogCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0528_40I_Local_Wright_Brothers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Always enjoyable - seeing your house from the sky</i></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-KUgi1RINc/WwznmvGJgeI/AAAAAAABt2o/TSatgn6Fl7AIF4vw5I2DUbeyR335qDJ0gCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0528_40I_Local_Roberto_House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-KUgi1RINc/WwznmvGJgeI/AAAAAAABt2o/TSatgn6Fl7AIF4vw5I2DUbeyR335qDJ0gCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0528_40I_Local_Roberto_House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was much cooler a few thousand feet up, which was most appreciated on this very muggy morning. I handed the controls over for a few minutes after we leveled off; Roberto did an expert job making noticeably coordinated turns around the blue sky. You'd never know he's only had a few lessons!<br />
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<i>Relaxing in back while Roberto navigates through the morning sky</i></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eRCyBhRNqzQ/Wwznk8uSn1I/AAAAAAABt2Y/Q-b9NH97X3MUOjmqI2snHGkVZ_dgBLkXQCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0528-113459_40I_Local.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eRCyBhRNqzQ/Wwznk8uSn1I/AAAAAAABt2Y/Q-b9NH97X3MUOjmqI2snHGkVZ_dgBLkXQCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0528-113459_40I_Local.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>It was a very beautiful morning over southwest Ohio</i></div>
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<i>Widely scattered clouds made for a perfect Cub experience</i></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yvDmmu3EgsE/Wwznk0kivsI/AAAAAAABt2U/raSqPUByxOwX8L8klpmIAJP8FfZ8BU_lwCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0528-113537_40I_Local.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="1600" height="312" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yvDmmu3EgsE/Wwznk0kivsI/AAAAAAABt2U/raSqPUByxOwX8L8klpmIAJP8FfZ8BU_lwCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0528-113537_40I_Local.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Flying around the puffy white clouds</i></div>
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I did a couple steep turns then showed him a semi-steep spiral to quickly lose altitude and return to the airport. As we descended the few thousand feet, it almost instantly warmed back up. Before long, we were on our way back into the traffic pattern.</div>
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<i>Approaching Stewart on a 45 to a left downwind for Runway 8</i></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3p_pVmoORys/WwznnrR3hjI/AAAAAAABt20/188pOky4DzUP0gn8ZYecMk2wLR3XNCK6gCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0528_40I_Local_Stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3p_pVmoORys/WwznnrR3hjI/AAAAAAABt20/188pOky4DzUP0gn8ZYecMk2wLR3XNCK6gCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0528_40I_Local_Stewart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As I did throughout the flight, I talked through what I was doing. I reduced the throttle abeam the numbers on downwind and set up for a normal landing. He was apparently interested enough in my approach that he filmed the entire thing - which I've posted below. It's really neat to see one of my landings from a (pilot) passenger's perspective!<br />
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<i>Landing on Runway 8 from Roberto's perspective</i></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyITUsA9HLEvNpp7oZ_ujlvUrPaYehlh1-UfcD5zhkogzZdJHzCw5VqXYX9ZU4X_6URpUDApJiLu_cyV_Z_hw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I touched down reasonably softly and we taxied back to the hangar. Roberto was all grins; I'm really glad we finally got to fly together and especially happy he enjoyed it so much. As he continues with his training, I very much hope to do my part to keep him motivated and be as helpful as possible - including more flights together.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0528_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 1.2 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">396.5 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-35454329554353104942018-05-23T23:46:00.002-04:002018-06-08T19:32:56.466-04:00Ten years later<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 65 hp<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 79 degrees, wind 060 degrees at 4 knots<br />
<br />
Compared to the past couple years, I've been on a downright tear in 2018. Less than six months in, my hours are already more than double what I flew last year! And I'm actually on track to fly more than I did in 2016, 2015, or 2014. Life isn't much less crazy for me these days, but I think I've finally managed to strike a balance that ensures I get to spend enough time in the cockpit.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Prior Years:</b><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"> </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/05/lesson-1-short-but-sweet.html" style="text-align: center;">2008</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/05/one-year-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2009</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/05/two-years-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2010</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/05/three-years-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2011</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/05/four-years-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2012</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-years-later.html" style="text-align: -webkit-center;">2013</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/05/six-years-later.html" style="text-align: -webkit-center;">2014</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1265968875"></span>2015</a> | <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/05/eight-years-later.html">2016</a> | <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/06/nine-years-and-one-month-later.html">2017</a></div>
<br />
This is also quite the milestone. I've now been writing this blog for a decade, which is honestly a bit hard to even wrap my head around. Of course, that also means I've now been flying for a decade. My <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/05/lesson-1-short-but-sweet.html">first lesson</a> was on May 20, 2008 in N98686 - the same plane I flew this evening.<br />
<br />
Now for technicalities. I did actually fly on my birthday a few days ago, and I suppose that should be the official "ten years later" flight. But the tradition has really always been about flying the Cub on or soon after my birthday, so I'm counting tonight's flight. Deal with it. :)<br />
<br />
So what was particularly special from this most recent trip around the sun?<br />
<ul>
<li>Our daughter has grown from a newborn to a walking, talking, generally super happy and incredibly lovable little toddler that we love more than anything in the world (bonus points for her <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/05/were-flying-family-part-one-eighty-deux.html">loving to fly</a> so far)</li>
<li>I joined a flying club with a Cessna 182 RG, which has led to most of my recent uptick in flight time - and has added Complex and High Performance sign-offs to my logbook</li>
<li>Gina and I took a wonderful trip to Barcelona (where we got engaged, <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/04/proposal.html">if you recall</a>) over the holidays and celebrated New Year's Eve there</li>
<li>Back in December, I started a new job after a decade at Kodak - it's a great opportunity to do something new and I'm enjoying it thus far</li>
</ul>
Despite all the recent flying, my grass field vintage airplane stick time has been nil <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/currency-part-2-cub-time-is-best-time.html">since last summer</a>. But with the Skylane <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-skylane-is-all-mine-to-explore.html">checkout complete</a>, I wanted to get current in the Cub again ASAP. In my opinion, there's still no better way to experience the pure joy of flying, especially over the summer months.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>There's just something special about a Cub in an old hangar...</i></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAL5cIViaiQ/WwY48gL-flI/AAAAAAABtSk/yqx-K2v52Sgfm5OxoQHOxvsaeyCW98XBgCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0523-171440_40I_Local_Cub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAL5cIViaiQ/WwY48gL-flI/AAAAAAABtSk/yqx-K2v52Sgfm5OxoQHOxvsaeyCW98XBgCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0523-171440_40I_Local_Cub.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>There's also just something special about a Cub on grass</i></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f2CHovn5mo8/WwY48vdyMBI/AAAAAAABtSg/-z4ur66Nu-geqG_XKKDLLvaWpWPZGfZwgCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0523-171943_40I_Local_Cub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f2CHovn5mo8/WwY48vdyMBI/AAAAAAABtSg/-z4ur66Nu-geqG_XKKDLLvaWpWPZGfZwgCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0523-171943_40I_Local_Cub.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Tommy was kind enough to squeeze me in before his first student tonight. I got to the airport early, pre-flighted the plane, and topped it off with 100LL so I was ready to go the second he arrived. He propped the now-65 horse engine to life (they had to replace 98286's engine and they didn't have another 85 hp available, so the Big Cub is now Big in name only) and I taxied down to the end of Runway 8.<br />
<br />
Similar to <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/06/this-father-can-still-fly-airplane.html">last year's flight after a long hiatus</a>, it seems you really don't forget how to fly a Cub. I was a little worried about re-calibrating my sight picture after 15 straight hours in the 182 but it all just sort of came right back to me. My first takeoff and landing weren't great; I trimmed too far forward on takeoff and I didn't get the stick all the way back on landing, so we bounced a little. But the second time around was much better. Tommy was satisfied, so he hopped out and I taxied back for one final solo lap around the pattern.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Flying over the very green farmland on downwind for Runway 8</i></div>
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<i>Pointing south on a left base for Runway 8</i></div>
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<br />
Takeoff was smooth and I reached pattern altitude much quicker sans Tommy. I did take a couple moments to just look around to enjoy the view and the warm evening air blowing in my face through the open door. Abeam the numbers, I reduced the throttle and began a gradual descent from 1,800 feet.<br />
<br />
I intentionally held in some power to land a little long for a shorter taxi. Moving along in ground effect about halfway down the runway, I reduced the throttle to idle and gently touched down on the green grass. Everything felt right back at home.<br />
<br />
So I'm officially Cub current again. Still, considering how little I've <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Piper%20Cub">flown them</a> over the past couple years, I'm going to try to go up on my own again soon to practice takeoffs and landings, stalls, slow flight, steep turns, etc. I think once I've done that it'll finally feel like I'm permitted back in the camp of truly current pilots.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0523_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 0.5 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">395.3 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-9674109904952285952018-05-20T17:43:00.000-04:002018-05-27T02:35:12.524-04:00It's my birthday and I'll fly if I want to<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>BFA-MGY<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - BFA:</span> Broken clouds, 47 degrees, wind variable at 5 knots<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Few clouds, 77 degrees, wind variable at 3 knots<br />
<br />
Today was one of those days in the sky where you make some tough decisions and learn a few things. After a great weekend in Boyne golfing with my future brother-in-law, it was time to head home. I'd been checking the forecasts all weekend and I knew the weather wouldn't be perfect. The question was whether it would be good enough to get out and get home.<br />
<br />
It was overcast when I woke up, so obviously I wasn't going anywhere right away. But the <a href="http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/forecast/graphics/MAV/">ceiling and visibility forecasts</a> looked flyable by lunchtime. There was also a line of storms crossing Lake Michigan that would be over the middle of the state by early afternoon. Thus we arrive at my main conundrum - could I safely depart Boyne in time to fly the length of Michigan in VFR conditions ahead of the incoming line of storms?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>On the ground in Boyne waiting for the clouds to break</i></div>
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<br />
I was at the plane around 8:30 so I loaded my golf clubs and suitcase and did my pre-flight. Then I waited and kept checking the weather. The clouds began breaking and there were many holes forming with plenty of space to safely take off and climb through them. PIREPs reported the clouds were less than 1,500 feet thick and it was clear above.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Aerovie's Vertical Weather Profile for my route</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qW4eSBTKqMw/WwpBh1h4v6I/AAAAAAABtj8/O4HwngyV40EAvfh6pYanjURmsb0LHGkiwCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-0520_Aerovie_Vertical_Weather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="1600" height="355" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qW4eSBTKqMw/WwpBh1h4v6I/AAAAAAABtj8/O4HwngyV40EAvfh6pYanjURmsb0LHGkiwCLcBGAs/s400/2018-0520_Aerovie_Vertical_Weather.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's where I must mention a wonderful resource - <a href="https://aerovie.com/">Aerovie</a>. I think it has perhaps the best weather planning tools of any aviation app. Their Vertical Weather Profile is especially stellar. Basically, it uses the weather balloon soundings that are used to create <a href="http://newlangsyne.com/articles/skewt/index.htm">Skew-T diagrams</a> to overlay and visualize forecast conditions along your route. For under $50/year (if you're an <a href="https://www.eaa.org/">EAA</a> member) it truly is a great tool.<br />
<br />
In conjunction with the standard ceiling/visibility forecasts, general weather prog charts, and radar, it was a great help this morning. Essentially it showed that there would be a sizeable vertical chunk of space between the low overcast and high altitude clouds over my entire route. In order to beat the weather moving across the lake I would have fly VFR on top for a portion of the flight, which is not without its risks. But I knew I'd be flying in VFR conditions towards improving weather in Ohio.<br />
<br />
So where did that leave me decision-wise?<br />
<ol>
<li>Get in the air soon, climb well above the overcast settled over much of lower Michigan, beat the storms moving in from the west, and make it home</li>
<li>Wait it out for VFR conditions along the majority of my route - which would likely mean staying another night</li>
</ol>
I did know it was totally clear just south of Dayton and was forecast to remain that way all day, so my backup plan was to fly to Lunken or Clermont County (or somewhere in northern Kentucky if needed) if the weather in Dayton wasn't good enough by the time I arrived.<br />
<br />
It would be ~2.5 hours home and I had over 5 hours of fuel onboard so I was comfortable with remaining airborne even if I had to divert south. The real tough decision was the 100% legal but still potentially dicey plan to fly VFR on top as a non-instrument rated pilot. I'd be lying if I didn't say having an autopilot, multiple navigation sources, and a Stormscope on board gave me a bit of extra comfort in making the "go" decision.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It was a long trip home, made quick by the Skylane RG</i></div>
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<br />
Once I decided I was going to fly home, I quickly got settled in the left seat, started the engine, and completed my pre-takeoff checks. As I finished up at the end of the runway, a King Air called in four miles out on final and I quickly spotted him well under the cloud deck. That meant the cloud bases had risen higher. Good news.<br />
<br />
After he landed I asked the pilot over the radio what the cloud tops were and he said they were around 4,000 feet. I thanked him for the information and turned on to Runway 35. Within seconds I was off the ground, quickly climbing into the crisp, clear morning sky. The clouds remained broken with much blue sky visible above; I turned southwest and climbed through a large hole then turned on course while climbing up to 5,500 feet.<br />
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<i>Climbing out with Boyne Mountain off the left wing</i></div>
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<i>Deer Lake and the golf clubhouse and driving range</i></div>
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<i>The Alpine and Monument golf courses</i></div>
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<i>The clouds were scattered over the area just after takeoff</i></div>
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<i>Overflying Grayling Army Airfield</i></div>
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<br />
For the first 30-35 minutes of the flight, the clouds below remained broken and I could still see the ground. Then the holes began to close up as forecast; before long, I was flying over a solid layer. Although the tops were still well below me, I elected to climb up to 7,500 feet for a little added margin of safety.<br />
<br />
I called Saginaw Approach for flight following. As you may expect, the frequency was rather quiet. Not too much VFR traffic on an overcast Sunday morning.<br />
<br />
You could clearly see darker areas in the sky to the west where the storms were moving in from across Lake Michigan. While they were many, many miles away I elected to deviate east towards Saginaw. From there, I could basically fly due south all the way home. At 155+ knots, I knew I'd be well south of the weather before it made it this far across the state.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Closer to Bay City, the sky below turned to solid overcast</i></div>
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<i>Avoiding some weather moving in from the west</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Patches of broken clouds over mid-Michigan, near Owosso</i></div>
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Saginaw handed me off to Lansing Approach. That sector was just as quiet. For a brief period between Flint and Lansing, the clouds broke up a bit and I could see the ground again. I made a mental note and figured I would turn back and make it through one of the large openings in the clouds to land at the airport in Owosso should something happen.<br />
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Around this time I also encountered a small rain shower. Visibility decreased, though it remained at least 10 miles, and I again turned slightly to track towards a brighter spot on the horizon. A few minutes later, the rain stopped and blue sky and sunlight filled the windshield.<br />
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<i>The clouds began to slowly break southwest of Toledo</i></div>
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My ground speed remained good and it wasn't long before I crossed into Ohio. As I passed over the Maumee River between Toledo and Fort Wayne, I again started to see the ground - except this time it would remain visible for the remainder of the flight. The clouds went from broken to scattered to few to essentially nonexistent by the time I was within 30 minutes of home.<br />
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<i>It was nearly clear by the time I reached Lima</i></div>
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<i>Flying over I-75 south of Wapakoneta (home of Neil Armstrong!)</i></div>
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One of the most interesting things was seeing the stationary front that has been hanging out north of Dayton for much of the past week. As I approached the area, a haze seemed to suddenly appear in every direction. Visibility decreased from 30+ miles to 10 at best and I felt the warmth and humidity increase. It may have been in the 40s in northern Michigan just 90 minutes earlier but now it was in the 70s and muggy!<br />
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<i>It became quite hazy as I approached Dayton Int'l</i></div>
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<i>Downtown Dayton was also somewhat obscured by haze</i></div>
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By this time, I was talking to Columbus Approach. They instructed me to descend to 6,500 and then 4,500 feet. Just west of downtown Dayton they cut me loose and I tuned in the CTAF at Wright Brothers. It really was hazy - I didn't spot the airport until I was maybe 8 miles away.<br />
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Still descending, my ground speed was close to 175 knots so I reduced throttle to slow a bit. Leveling off, I dropped below 140 knots and lowered the gear to help me slow down some more. I entered the pattern in a long 45 to a left downwind for Runway 2. My approach was smooth but the rising air over the hot asphalt caused me to float more than anticipated in the flare; I added a touch of power as the plane rose slightly at the last moment to prevent a carrier landing. The mains squeaked onto the runway reasonably softly and I taxied back to the hangar.<br />
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It was <i>way</i> warmer and more humid than where I was just a couple hours prior. Add that to the "lessons learned from a fast new airplane" list - always dress for weather and temperature changes! I pulled off my sweatshirt as soon as I climbed out of the plane; by the time I finished loading my car I was still nearly soaked through my t-shirt.<br />
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Debriefing the trip here now with myself, I returned home safely without any issues, so it obviously worked out just fine. At no point do I feel today's trip was as dicey as what I still look back on as <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/06/ny-trip-day-1-where-we-examine-safe-vs.html">my diciest flight</a> weather-wise. Still... this is yet another superb exhibit as to why I need to get my instrument rating ASAP!<br />
<br />
With the added speed, range, and overall capability of the Skylane RG comes the added chance of encountering adverse conditions along the (extended) route. I feel reasonably good about my decision-making today but I also certainly felt a little lonely and uneasy by myself on top of a sea of white. There's no doubt additional training and ratings are the clear next step for me.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0520_BFA_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 2.5 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">394.8 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-8917991006543223032018-05-18T20:39:00.000-04:002018-05-27T01:13:08.523-04:00A beautiful morning to fly up north<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>OZW-BFA<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - OZW:</span> Clear, 63 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 14<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - BFA:</span> Clear, 60 degrees, wind 110 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 17<br />
<br />
After getting out of Dayton ahead of some weather <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/05/bugging-out-of-dayton-to-beat-weather.html">last night</a>, I awoke to a beautiful morning in Michigan. I had breakfast and talked with my dad for a bit, took a shower, and then he drove me down the road to the airport. Once the plane was loaded and I completed my pre-flight, we said goodbye and I taxied over to the fuel pumps.<br />
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First learning of the day. It's seemingly obvious, but I didn't actually think about how much longer it takes to fill up the Skylane! For the most part, I've flown <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Cessna%20172">the 172</a> and have never had to pump more than about 30 gallons. Well the 182 holds 88 gallons and I took off half-full last night; she took 61 gallons this morning.<br />
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It was a little windy and gusty on the field as I taxied to the end of Runway 13. I did my runup and the final pre-takeoff checks, then taxied onto the runway. Full throttle applied and I was quickly accelerating down the concrete at 10:23.<br />
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Second learning of the day. I raised the nose into the sky and was gaining altitude when all of a sudden I noticed the airspeed indicator was precipitously slow and going lower. But I was still gaining altitude quickly and the engine gauges looked normal. Fly the airplane. I did lower the nose a bit (out of instinct, I'd say) as I tried to figure out what was going on. Within about 15 seconds I realized the alternate static source knob didn't lock in position when I checked it before takeoff; I closed and secured it and the airspeed indicator immediately jumped back up over 100 knots, about 15-20 knots faster than my normal climb speed. With everything back to normal, I raised the gear and flaps and turned on course.<br />
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<i>Comfortably cruising up north at 155 knots</i></div>
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<i>A big wind farm just west of Midland</i></div>
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I leveled at 4,500 feet as the winds were less favorable any higher. On course for Boyne, I contacted Detroit Approach for flight following. They almost immediately handed me off to Flint, who later handed me off to Saginaw. Instead of passing me along to Minneapolis Center, the controller just cut me loose somewhere north of Midland / Bay City.<br />
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<i>Houghton Lake - Roscommon County Airport (HTL) is on the east side</i></div>
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<i>Higgins Lake had incredible color today</i></div>
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It didn't take long to cover the ~160 nautical miles to Boyne. The winds were even gustier up north but thankfully they weren't a direct crosswind. As I descended and approached the airport, the only other traffic in the pattern was a Chinook, presumably from the nearby Camp Grayling.<br />
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<i>In the pattern at Boyne - you can see the whole resort behind the runway</i></div>
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As I turned final, the plane was getting tossed around a bit. That increased more on short final due to, I assume, the wind blowing over the mountain next to the airport. I wrestled the plane down just fine, however, and touched down smoothly on Runway 17 around 11:30.<br />
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It only took a minute to taxi to the corner of the tarmac, shut the plane down, and secure it for the next couple nights. Scott's friend Paul, who organized the bachelor party, picked me up right at the airplane, we loaded my clubs into his car, and we were on the golf course by noon.<br />
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Once again, GA turned an otherwise long trip into a quick, enjoyable flight. Slightly over an hour in the air compared to 3 1/2 by road. Sure, I left a day early and stayed overnight on the way, but I still maintain it's a great way to travel!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0518_OZW_BFA.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 1.2 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">392.3 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-5933215354259597422018-05-17T22:36:00.000-04:002018-05-21T00:25:23.389-04:00Bugging out of Dayton to beat the weather<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-OZW<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Broken clouds, 80 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 8 knots<br />
<b>Weather - OZW:</b> Clear, 70 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 16<br />
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I'm heading up to <a href="https://www.boynemountain.com/directions">Boyne Mountain, MI</a> this weekend for my future brother-in-law's bachelor party. The plan had been to fly up tomorrow in one simple straight shot. But I made the very last-minute call to bug out this afternoon, and I'm glad I did.<br />
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All week I've been watching the weather remain strange and somewhat uncooperative - a weak front has hung in the region for days, with regular scattered storms and hot, humid air. This weekend more moisture is pushing in and, over the past day, the <a href="http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/forecast/graphics/MAV/">forecast visibilities and ceilings</a> have seriously deteriorated for tomorrow. Then I saw storms forming late this afternoon and decided at about 15:30 that I needed to leave right away if I wanted to fly at all.<br />
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So I finished packing, headed to the airport, loaded the plane, gave it a thorough pre-flight, pulled it out of the hangar, parked my car in the hangar, closed up the hanger, and started the engine. I was in the air off Runway 2 by 16:45. A thunderstorm was over the airport by 17:15.<br />
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<i>Flying over Dayton Int'l - note the storms I was avoiding to the southeast</i></div>
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I called Columbus Approach for flight following right away so I could enter Dayton's airspace. I initially leveled at 4,500 feet to stay below the clouds (and that's the altitude the controller gave me) and the air was reasonably smooth considering thunderstorms were in the area. I hit a few good bumps, but all in all had no issues. Originally I flew a bit west of course to stay behind a cell that was moving west and remain far in front of the larger cell moving in from the east. By the time I was over DAY all the significant weather was behind me; I climbed up to my cruise altitude of 5,500 feet and turned back on course to OZW.<br />
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<i>Nothing but clear, storm-free skies ahead!</i></div>
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<i>Looking back towards the nasty weather I beat out of town</i></div>
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<i>The line of storms I successfully beat out of town</i></div>
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Still learning the new plane, I decided to experiment with a few different power settings that are in the POH. I settled on 2100 RPM and 23" of manifold pressure this evening as a pretty good balance between speed, noise, and fuel burn. Despite a 20+ knot headwind for much of the trip, I was still seeing 140-145 knots over the ground.<br />
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<i>Making 141 knots at 2100 RPM and 23" MP</i></div>
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Passing about 10 miles east of Grand Lake St. Marys</div>
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The sky was totally clear after about Lima, just a little haze in the distance but that was well beyond 25 miles in any direction. Columbus handed me off to Toledo Approach. He didn't sound too busy so I have him a PIREP at one point, mostly because I thought it would be nice to confirm the winds aloft as calculated by the Garmin 430 were pretty close to the forecast I was seeing in ForeFlight via ADS-B. And, well, I know that meteorologists like to receive every data point they can!<br />
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<i>My first winds aloft calculation, west of Findlay</i></div>
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<i>These were about the strongest I calculated, southwest of Toledo</i></div>
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<i>The winds began to subside (just as forecast) after I crossed into MI</i></div>
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Toledo Approach handed me off to Detroit Approach, which was a little busier but still relatively quiet on this Thursday evening. I passed over the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Proving_Grounds#Chelsea_Proving_Grounds_(Chelsea,_Michigan)">Chrysler Proving Grounds</a> near Chelsea and began my descent down to 2,000 feet. About 10 miles away from Livingston County I let Detroit know I had the airport in sight and they cut me loose.<br />
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There was one other plane, a Diamond, in the pattern when I approached, and he was using Runway 13. Had he not been there, I probably would have picked Runway 31 as I was already positioned to enter the left downwind; instead I crossed midfield to follow the Diamond. The winds were directly across the runway and gusty, certainly the strongest crosswind I've landed the Skylane in to date.<br />
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I'm happy to report all the training has paid off - controlling the plane through a few good bumps and burbles on short final, I touched down softly just past 18:00 on the left main, then the right, and then the nose wheel. It was honestly one of my better landings in the plane so far, period. After a quick taxi I pulled into a tiedown and shut down the engine. It was only 1.5 clock hours after I pulled the plane out of the hangar and started the engine at Wright Brothers.<br />
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<i>Safely parked and tied down at Livingston County Airport in Howell, MI</i></div>
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My dad picked me up and we grabbed a sandwich for dinner. He lives nearby - you may recall my <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/09/solo-flight-to-michigan-for-family-visit.html">last couple</a> flights to OZW were <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/09/back-up-to-michigan-at-night.html">to see him</a>. It's certainly handy to have a free place to stay near an airport that doubles as a good mid-trip stopover!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0517_MGY_OZW.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 1.5 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">391.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-21560613046653114892018-05-12T22:00:00.000-04:002018-05-13T03:05:44.611-04:00We're a flying family, part (one eighty) deux<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Broken clouds, 82 degrees, wind 270 degrees at 6 knots<br />
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After spending much of the day enjoying the warm, almost-summer weather (and weeding and mowing the lawn) it appeared the forecast scattered storms were scattering away from the area. So I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to take the whole family up in the new plane for the first time! It was the first time we all flew together since <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/were-now-officially-flying-family.html">Mariella's first flight</a> last August.<br />
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<i>She was happy before we even left the ground</i></div>
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One additional perk of the new club airplane is its proximity to home; we were at the airport about five minutes after leaving our house. Nobody had flown the plane since I flew her yesterday but I still did a thorough pre-flight before pulling 7YG out of the hangar. There was some rain to the west but I checked the radar on my phone again before we all climbed on board - it was no factor and we'd be back on the ground long before it arrived.<br />
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<i>She's clearly my child given her affinity for the window seat</i> </div>
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I took off on Runway 20 then turned east, flying up towards Bellbrook. With no plans to fly far, I leveled at 2,500 and reduced the power to 2200 RPM and about 22" MP for a quieter, slower flight. Mariella is quite the squirmer and Gina had her hands full with her. That aside, she was quite happy and was really enjoying looking out the window.<br />
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The only thing she didn't approve of were her earmuffs. Since it was only a short flight, I wasn't too concerned. But we'll have to try using some foam earplugs (and keeping her in her carseat so it's harder for her to pull them out) on our next trip for ear protection from the engine noise.<br />
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<i>Totally engrossed in the view from above</i></div>
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<i>I'd say she was enjoying the flight</i></div>
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<i>Being a complete ham as she so often is</i></div>
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<i>Requisite family photo, now taken sitting above retractable gear</i></div>
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The sky was quite calm but I did still know some rain was off to the west. We'd only been up maybe 15 minutes as I turned south and made a quick turn over top of Stewart. Then it was direct back to Wright Brothers, which only takes a few minutes at 140 knots. I commented to Gina, and she agreed, that it's nice how much more stable the 182 is - it'll be great on trips.<br />
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<i>Passing over my familiar turf aerodrome</i></div>
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We were soon on the ground after a very soft landing; the stall horn sounded just as the mains touched. I think I'm getting the hang of flying this Skylane! Within a couple minutes, we had shut down, Mariella was in her car seat in the car, and Gina helped me push the plane back into the hangar. It was really nice to take a quick family flight tonight. With this milestone out of the way, we're ready to take some trips that really take advantage of the 182's speed and range.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 0.5 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">389.6 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-74117921787901836622018-05-11T15:12:00.003-04:002018-05-12T00:13:01.961-04:00The Sky(lane) is all mine to explore!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-USW-HTW-LUK-MGY<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Matt<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Clear, 68-79 degrees, wind variable at 5-8 knots<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - HTW:</span> Clear, 78 degrees, wind light and variable<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - LUK:</span> Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 250 degrees at 5 knots<br />
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Today started with one goal - fly enough hours to complete my checkout in the club Skylane RG. At this point, it's all about making the insurance company happy, as Matt has said he's confident I can fly the airplane. I'm happy to report we did just that today; I'm now signed off to fly the plane whenever and wherever I please!<br />
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<i>We passed over Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky this morning</i></div>
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We didn't have a specific plan and the weather to the north was not particularly conducive to small airplane flight; there were a ton of storms in the northern part of Ohio and Michigan. I've been watching the weather for the past day and it seemed the best option would be to fly south or east. It seems Matt had the same idea - he suggested we fly to Spencer, WV.<br />
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After loading the flight plan (with an intermediate fix to avoid the hot Buckeye MOA southeast of Dayton) I departed on Runway 2 and turned east. After leveling off, we chatted about avionics and ADS-B for a while. The air was calm and cool at 5,500 feet and it was a beautiful morning to fly. We loaded the RNAV Runway 10 approach and let the autopilot fly the heading while I managed our altitude. Matt talked me through some of the nuances of instrument approaches and staying ahead of this fast airplane.<br />
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I didn't slow down early enough - this is definitely something I'm still getting a feel for - so I didn't maintain the most stabilized approach into Boggs Field Airport (USW). There was another plane operating NORDO in the pattern so I braked moderately after a carrier landing to turn off midfield (there's no taxiway) and get out of his way. We shut the plane down and wandered around the empty airport for a few minutes.<br />
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<i>We had Boggs Field Airport all to ourselves this morning</i></div>
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<i>A hangar was open but the airport was otherwise deserted</i></div>
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The winds were still light and variable so, with the engine turning again, I taxied for departure on Runway 28. Matt made the very good point that there aren't many places to go if your engine quits in hilly West Virginia. Accordingly, I circled the field while climbing and we turned on course towards Huntingtion after we'd reached about 3,000 feet.<br />
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<i>Boggs Field Airport, just north of Spencer, WV, after our departure</i></div>
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The flight down to Huntington wasn't long and the skies were still clear, if a bit hazy. We planned to land at Lawrence County Airpark, which is located just across the Ohio River from Huntington. It has a relatively short (3,000 feet) runway in fair condition (which may be a generous assessment) so it would be a good opportunity to use short field techniques.<br />
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<i>There was a bit of haze from the hot, humid air</i></div>
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Landing options in an emergency became a point of discussion again as we approached Huntington. With rising hills on both sides of the river and development in between, you're in a bit of a pickle as you approach to land at HTW. At some point, you obviously have to descend, but that leaves you with very few options besides the river should something go awry. There really is no one correct answer and it was a good discussion to have.<br />
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<i>Huntington, WV on the left bank of the Ohio River</i></div>
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I crossed midfield to enter a left downwind for Runway 28. With the previous discussion in mind, I remained a bit higher than usual, lowering all my flaps and managing my descent and speed by reducing power on final. I touched down not too far past the threshold and was easily able to stop in about 1,500 feet with moderate braking.<br />
<br />
We back-taxied and departed again on Runway 28. I used a typical short field technique - full power holding the brakes, then release, keep the nose on the ground, and then rotate and climb at about 60 knots until clear of the trees on the opposite end of the runway. Clear of the obstacles, I raised the gear and flaps and Matt took the controls.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It's not every day you find an asphalt runway that needs to be mowed</i></div>
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<br />
Matt had me put on my hood just after takeoff. He flew the plane for a few minutes while I got that adjusted and took a look at some approach charts. We planned to fly direct FGX (<a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-case-of-fire-keep-cranking.html">Fleming-Mason Airport</a> in Kentucky) and then to Lunken Airport in Cincinnati for a practice approach. But it became so incredibly bumpy (a bunch of clouds were suddenly forming in the hot, humid air rising over the low hills) that he instead just decided we should proceed directly to LUK.<br />
<br />
I used the autopilot at first but started hand-flying as we were handed off to Cincinnati Approach and the controller was about to begin providing vectors for the ILS Runway 21L approach at Lunken. He turned us north, then west, and then we intercepted the ILS and began our track towards the airport. Clearly I have a <i>long </i>way to go before I'm a remotely competent instrument pilot, but our preparation did seem to help me on this approach.<br />
<br />
For the most part, I didn't excessively overcorrect at any point. We crossed the initial approach fix (an ADF) and I already had the plane slow and stable enough that I could basically just start to follow the ILS down towards the runway. Near the very end I overcorrected and turned slightly off course but seconds later Matt told me to remove my hood; I lost our excess airspeed and landed smoothly on Runway 21L.<br />
<br />
We taxied off the runway and Lunken Tower soon cleared us for takeoff in the opposite direction from Runway 3L back to Wright Brothers. It only took about 15 minutes to get back - certainly beats the hour drive. This final landing was by far my best of the day, very smooth and right on the centerline. A fitting way to end the whole long checkout process.<br />
<br />
At the same time, I still have much to learn. While I'm <i>far </i>more comfortable in 7YG than I was a month ago, I know it will take some time for things to become second nature. Take for example the cowl flaps - I've never flown a plane with them before and, for the life of me, I still struggle to remember when to open and close them.<br />
<br />
I don't think it's a shock to report I'm thrilled to be done with the checkout. Now I can take the family, friends, and coworkers flying. With a plane closer to home, in a hangar, at an airport with a paved runway and lights, the utility factor just increased a great deal. Toss in the fact it's 50% faster than anything I've flown before, she's quite the bird.<br />
<br />
Here's to many great trips in the sky in the Skylane RG.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0511_MGY_USW_HTW_LUK_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 4.0 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">389.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-62276378606205575302018-05-01T12:13:00.000-04:002018-05-07T08:17:51.407-04:00Breakfast, PIREPs, blue skies, and a hood<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-PCW-MGY<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Matt<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - MGY:</span> Clear, 70 degrees, wind 220 degrees at 10 knots<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - PCW:</span> Clear, 68 degrees, wind 240 degrees at 13 knots<br />
<br />
We've spent a good bit of time tooling around the local area as I've been learning the new plane; today was an opportunity to let the Skylane take us where she really shines - covering lots of ground, quickly. Our plan this morning was to fly up to <a href="http://airnav.com/airport/KPCW">Port Clinton</a> for breakfast at the <a href="http://www.tingoosediner.com/">Tin Goose Diner</a>. I had never been, despite many recommendations from pilot friends and fellow bloggers. Both <a href="http://www.schmetterlingaviation.com/2013/12/the-tin-goose.html">Dave</a> and <a href="https://warrior481.blogspot.com/2015/08/tales-of-tin-goose.html">Chris</a> have raved about it for years!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It truly was a spectacular morning to fly</i></div>
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<br />
I'd called the airport last night to have them top the plane off, so we had 88 gallons on board - more than enough to get there and back and then do it all over again had we wanted to. <i>Sidenote here: being able to call someone and have the plane fueled and ready whenever I arrive at the hangar may be the best part of this whole club thing.</i> Everything checked out during my preflight and we took off on Runway 20 shortly before 9:00.<br />
<br />
The sky was totally clear, visibility unrestricted, and we had a mild tailwind. What more can you ask for? Once I'd leveled off and engaged the autopilot (perhaps the second-best part of the plane) Matt and I chatted about ADS-B for a bit. Then he suggested I file a PIREP. Long story short, the system still works and I remember how to negotiate it! It took a couple different frequencies and a little patience but eventually we had a clear connection with Cleveland Radio and I was able to provide the CAVU conditions along with the temperature and winds aloft.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Hey, my PIREP made it into the system!</i></div>
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<br />
This plane, as advertised, does a darn fine job moving one from Point A to Point B. It only took a few minutes over an hour to get from Wright Brothers to Port Clinton; to drive would have taken about three. As I descended from 5,500 feet to pattern altitude, we were scooting across the ground at over 220 mph even with the throttle pulled back.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>163 knots = nearly 190 mph across the ground - that'll do!</i></div>
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<br />
Entering the downwind for Runway 27, I dropped the landing gear and kept slowing the plane. By the time I turned final I was at about 80 knots and I lowered the flaps to 30 degrees. The wind was blowing well about 30 degrees off the runway heading so I was active on the controls all the way down. I touched down just slightly skewed but overall it was a decent landing.<br />
<br />
Breakfast was indeed quite tasty. Matt had eggs and French toast and I opted for the country fried steak, which hit the spot. We talked about instrument flying and filed an IFR flight plan for the trip home so I could get some experience in the system.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>This place definitely notched a spot on my $100 hamburger list</i></div>
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<br />
Just after takeoff, I put on my hood while Matt called Cleveland Approach for the initial ATC check-in. I hand-flew through our turn on course and climb to 8,000 feet, then leveled off, trimmed the plane out, and leaned the mixture while making a few more radio calls and taking a handoff to Mansfield Approach. As expected, it's easy to get fixated on things and I caught my altitude and heading wandering a few times when I stopped constantly scanning the instruments. Still, within a few minutes, I wasn't doing terrible.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Wearing every pilot's favorite accessory</i></div>
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<br />
A bit later, Matt had me engage the autopilot again so we could talk through the approach plates. We discussed them in general, then loaded the anticipated approach into the GPS (this plane has a Garmin 430W) and continued discussing how everything would be used as we approached Dayton. I'm not completely unfamiliar with instrument procedures, having <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Safety%20Pilot">flown as a safety pilot</a> numerous times, but I also haven't ever officially started my instrument training. In other words, it's all valiable learning and I'll soak up every bit of advice I can.<br />
<br />
On that last point, I made a pretty boneheaded mistake not long after takeoff. In a very VFR habit, a couple minutes after takeoff I clicked the direct-to button on the GPS and re-selected MGY, then activated the route. Normally, that makes sense, as you want to go straight to your destination. But in IFR land, it's very bad to stray from your assigned route (in our case, direct PCW to MGY - not direct 3 miles SW of PCW to MGY) for obvious ATC-expects-planes-to-be-where-they're-cleared-to-be-especially-when-in-the-clouds reasons.<br />
<br />
Approaching Dayton, the controllers gave us stepped descents, first to 6,000 feet then 4,000 and eventually 3,000 to the initial approach fix. I was back hand-flying at this point. Matt did a great job explaining how the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Course_deviation_indicator">CDI's</a> needle sensitivity would increase as we got closer to the airport. We had both horizontal and vertical guidance as we were flying the LPV RNAV Runway 20 approach. I lowered the landing gear and 10 degrees of flaps, slowing the plane to about 90 knots after we passed the initial approach fix. By the final approach fix, I had 20 degrees of flaps in and was aiming for about 80 knots.<br />
<br />
I don't yet have any speed/power settings memorized for the plane, which will certainly help during instrument training. That meant I was adjusting the power more than usual until I got everything stabilized. Matt continued to talk me through the approach and, despite starting to veer off course a few times, it worked out reasonably well. When we reached the missed approach point and he told me to look outside the runway was right in front of us. I pulled the power back and bled off my aispeed, landing a little long but otherwise well back on Runway 20.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>In today's episode of "yep, that's an early instrument student's approach"</i></div>
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<br />
This was another great day of training and I continue to get more comfortable with the plane. Even with a headwind, it was still only about 1:10 on the return flight. This plane is going to be a wonderful tool for quickly getting lots of places with the family!<br />
<br />
It was also a nice segway into a bit of instrument training. I still need 4 more hours in the plane to appease the club's insurance company, so I suspect some of that will be under the hood. While I'm not sure when I'll fully dive into the IR training to get the rating, that day is getting closer. To truly realize the utility of this plane on trips, I certainly need the rating.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0501_MGY_PCW_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 2.8 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">385.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-68391432251657995312018-04-10T14:20:00.000-04:002018-04-30T00:18:37.714-04:00Taking the Skylane to the sky and going places<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Matt<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds and haze, 38 degrees, wind 330 degrees at 5 knots<br />
<br />
After <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/04/up-down-go-around.html">yesterday's time in the pattern</a>, I was more than ready to go somewhere. The weather was much improved this morning with just some typical morning haze and scattered clouds. Matt again met me at the hangar; I'd already nearly completed my pre-flight when he pulled up. Within a couple minutes, we had the engine turning and I was taxiing to Runway 02.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>We popped into a few airports I haven't visited in a long time today</i></div>
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<br />
I took off and quickly turned southeast towards Clinton County Airport in Wilmington. I've landed there before, though it had been a long time - the logbook says it was <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/08/finally-flying-172-all-on-my-own.html">in August 2009</a>! We were level at 3,500 feet in no time and I leaned the mixture and reduced the RPMs for cruise. Reviewing the GPS track, our ground speed was nearly 160 knots.<br />
<br />
Have I mentioned I love the Skylane's power? :)<br />
<br />
That speed also means it only takes a few minutes to go relatively far. I anticipated this, of course, but I still had the airport in sight in seemingly no time. We weren't quite down to pattern altitude when only a few miles out, so I opted to continue the descent in a gentle 360 degree turn. By the time the circle was complete, I'd leveled off and we entered the pattern.<br />
<br />
My first landing and subsequent takeoff were of the regular variety and acceptable. The second time we came around I decided to try my best at a short field configuration. I extended my downwind and lowered full flaps on final, maintaining about 65 knots. I was too high so I brought the power to idle to hasten the descent. The main wheels touched shortly past the threshold and I applied the brakes. We turned off at the first taxiway, which means we landed and stopped in no more than 1,200 feet. Not bad.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It really was a beautiful morning to be in the sky</i></div>
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Next we headed to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. Traffic there has been declining for years since they lost their Air National Guard F-16 squadron, but I didn't realize their part-time control tower was totally gone until I looked at the chart. Apparently that occurred sometime between <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/08/one-approach-two-more-years-currency.html">my last landing there in 2013</a> and now.<br />
<br />
Despite the 9,000 foot runway, I still approached too low and had to add power on final. Matt gave me some well-deserved crap for that, especially considering I'd just (intentionally) come in way too high on my final short field approach at Clinton County. Needless to say, I haven't quite got a feel for the Skylane's sink rate, nor am I consistently flying a stabilized approach. My landing was at least good and, given the excessive remaining available runway, we stopped and then took right back off continuing west towards Dayton.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Flying below the scattered clouds between Springfield and Moraine</i></div>
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<br />
Our final stop before returning to Wright Brothers was Moraine Airpark. It's another great local airport, probably the one with the best atmosphere and collection of aircraft owners who all love to hang out at the airport and spend time together. I've been there numerous times, most recently just <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/currency-part-1-taking-172-all-over-town.html">last summer</a>.<br />
<br />
The airport is along a bend in the Great Miami River, with a levee just at the end of the runway you have to watch out for on short final. I ended up a bit high on final but the sink rate and full flaps brought me in over the levee into a smooth flare and touchdown not far beyond the end of the runway. Things were finally starting to feel a bit more habitual and fluid.<br />
<br />
It was nearing time for me to get to work so we taxied back and departed again on Runway 26. Seven minutes later, we were back on the ground at Wright Brothers. My approach and landing there had probably my best flow yet - while I may not yet be ahead of the airplane, I certainly wasn't behind it.<br />
<br />
There is still much to learn with the new airplane. Adjusting to the increased speed and power isn't something that happens overnight. I just need more time in more situations to feel fully comfortable and really get into a rhythm. That said, I'm already confident in my ability to fly it and keep the plane in airworthy condition!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0410_MGY_I66_SGH_I73_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 1.2 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">382.3 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-39763218889488950512018-04-09T22:20:00.000-04:002018-04-11T01:38:21.240-04:00Up, down, go around<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Matt<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Overcast, 33 degrees, wind 110 degrees at 5 knots<br />
<br />
This morning I continued my march towards satisfying the insurance company's requirements. Specifically, we spent a while in the pattern. It's not the optimal way to build hours but I do need more practice and familiarity with the more complex airplane. It's also a bit of a necessity with haze and 1500 foot ceilings.<br />
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The less-than-ideal weather meant nobody else was doing much flying. With a very light wind blowing directly across the runway, we were able to depart and land in both directions. One jet departed about halfway through the flying but otherwise the airport was totally quiet. We did flirt with the idea of flying to Clinton County Airport about 20 miles away but quickly abandoned it and turned around when the clouds began dropping about a mile out of the pattern.<br />
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<i>It's nice to have the airport to yourself sometimes</i></div>
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I arrived at the hangar early to complete my preflight, so we pulled the plane out, climbed in, and had the propeller turning not long after Matt arrived. The plan was simple - every variation of takeoff and landing we could muster, with a few other tidbits thrown in along the way. We started with a basic takeoff and landing, then added in the short and soft field varieties.<br />
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Taxiing back for departure after one of the landings, Matt asked where I would go if I couldn't extend the landing gear. I said I'd find the nearest big airport (e.g. Dayton International) where they have emergency equipment on-site, just in case. He said that was a great idea.<br />
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Assuming such an airport isn't an option, we also discussed the merits of pavement versus turf. After some good discussion I think it was clear pavement is nearly always the best choice. Sure, you'll scrape the hell out of the bottom of the plane, but pavement is, well, solid. The plane is far more likely to scrape along while remaining upright whereas there's a chance it could catch something on uneven turf and next thing you know you're upside down.<br />
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<i>Left base for Runway 20 at Wright Brothers</i></div>
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As we continued flying, I could feel things becoming more habitual. There are many new things to me in this plane - propeller control, landing gear, and cowl flaps in particular - that simply haven't been available to me before in the cockpit. Accordingly, I'm well aware I need to get better at making them part of my checks and flows.<br />
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Having spent many years flying simple Cubs and fixed-gear 150s and 172s, things as common as the GUMPs check (a popular pilot mnemonic for gas, undercarriage, mixture, and propeller) are simply not yet a normal habit. Some pilots are taught GUMPs from the beginning of their training and I can certainly see why - even if your gear is always down, it's a very good habit to engrain beginning on day one. Alas, I haven't really used it until now so I need to quickly burn it into my brain. I'll freely admit I am still forgetting it at times. However, my intention is to always run my GUMPs check on base.<br />
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Matt warned me we'd go around on one approach so I wasn't totally surprised - and also so he could brief me on the procedure. Basically, it's full throttle, flaps to 20 degrees, positive rate of climb, gear up, and then slowly retract your remaining flaps while climbing. Except he did add a surprise by grabbing the flaps switch and telling me they were stuck in position at 20 degrees so we'd have to circle back around to land with flaps extended.<br />
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I thought that was a great practice scenario. Unlike <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/08/put-in-bay-and-fun-with-flaps.html">a 150 in August on a short runway</a>, the 182 still climbed reasonably well with the flaps extended and gear retracted. I certainly needed to use more power to maintain airspeed and we flew a little slower once I leveled off at pattern altitude (you can't exceed 95 knots with flaps extended beyond 10 degrees) but the airplane flew just fine. The biggest effect was the amount of additional forward pressure I had to apply on the yoke at the beginning of the go around before I was able to re-trim.<br />
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There really isn't anything earth-shattering to report about a bunch (10, to be precise) of takeoffs and landings. The key thing for me is I feel more comfortable than <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/04/flying-now-with-new-and-improved-speed.html">last week</a> even though I still have plenty to polish. In particular, between the new airplane and having not flown <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/were-now-officially-flying-family.html">for over seven months</a>, my sight picture on landing is somewhat rusty; I'm having to adjust and/or add power on final far more than I would like. Still, things are moving along and I'm really enjoying my time behind the controls of this highly-capable new bird.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2018-0409_MGY_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 1.0 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">381.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-18330947010796940732018-04-01T21:32:00.001-04:002018-04-01T23:30:48.434-04:00Flying, now with new and improved speed and capabilities<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 182 RG<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Matt<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Mostly cloudy, 47 degrees, wind 330 degrees at 6 knots<br />
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It's taken longer than I hoped, but today I finally started my checkout in <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2018/01/happy-woefully-belated-new-year.html">the new club airplane</a>, a Cessna 182 RG Skylane. The plane itself isn't new to me as <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Cessna%20182">I've flown in it</a> about 15 times with friends over the past seven years. However, having never flown a complex or high-performance airplane before, the act of flying said plane does contain some important new bits and pieces.<br />
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What's a complex airplane? Basically, it means the landing gear is retractable and the propeller is of the constant speed variety. What's a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constant-speed_propeller">constant speed propeller</a>? It's the kind where you can adjust the pitch in flight, which effectively means there are now two controls you need to use when managing your engine power and RPMs. What defines high performance? Any engine over 200 HP; this plane has a very capable 235 HP Lycoming O-540.<br />
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<i>Me fueling the plane on a trip with Mike back in 2013</i></div>
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CFI Matt and I spent the first 30 minutes talking through the systems, details specific to this airplane, weight and balance, and going over the preflight. For the most part, it really is just a big 172. The key differences are the aforementioned gear and propeller control. It's also <i>way</i> faster than <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Cessna%20172">the old Skyhawk</a>.<br />
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A bigger airplane means a few other additional controls - cowl flaps, rudder trim, auxiliary fuel pump - to check and set. This plane also has improved avionics over your typical rental, including a Stormscope and a two-axis autopilot. Once I ran through the detailed engine start checklist, I turned the key and the big Lycoming roared to life.<br />
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<i>A photo I took of the panel on another 2013 trip with Mike</i></div>
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Matt provided plenty of great tips to go along with his helpful instruction throughout the flight. Right off the bat was one about leaning on the ground; he said he idles at 1000 RPM, then leans the mixture until the engine hits 1200 RPM or starts to run rough. We reviewed the propeller controls again; I made quick use of them during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propeller_governor">propeller governor</a> check during the run-up.<br />
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I taxied onto Runway 2 and pushed in the throttle. Needless to say, the added power, light load, and cool temperatures made for a <i>much</i> more sprightly takeoff than you'll ever have in a 172. The plane leapt off the runway sooner than I should have allowed; I had to put in quite a bit of forward pressure to hold it in ground effect while we gained necessary little speed. Soon I released some of that pressure and we were climbing like a rocket at about 80 knots. "Positive rate, gear up." Within seconds there was no more runway to land on so I retracted the gear and we gained a bit more speed. Up went the flaps, too. Around 500 feet above the ground I reduced the throttle to the top of the green arc, about 23 in. of <a href="https://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/Pelicans-Perch-15-Manifold-Pressure-Sucks-182081-1.html">manifold pressure</a>, and we continued our quick climb.<br />
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To start, we headed east towards Caesar Creek Lake. I could tell I hadn't flown in a while then added a fast, new airplane on top of that, as I wasn't maintaining altitude or heading very well. We leveled off at around 4,000 feet and Matt showed me his procedure for leaning the engine on this plane. It's not that different than the 172 but there is an EGT (exhaust gas temperature) gauge that makes the process easier than doing it by RPM. That and the whole constant speed propeller thing means the RPMs remain, well, constant. He also pointed out this big engine can easily burn 16-17 gallons per hour instead of a proper 12-13 gallons if you don't lean properly. That could certainly eat dangerously into your fuel plan if you don't pay attention!<br />
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We did a few steep turns; they were not my best as I easily gained or lost 100 feet. Rust noted. Then I slowed down for slow flight and realized how much power this plane has; I reduced the throttle all the way down to the bottom of the manifold pressure gauge's green arc and it still took a while to slow to 90 knots. We did a power-off stall, which was also not unlike a 172. Heavier in pitch but, in similar fashion, the plane just sort of mushes along and you have to apply a ton of back pressure to get any notable break. On the way back to Wright Brothers we also did a series of S-Turns over a country road and reviewed how to operate the autopilot.<br />
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Returning to the pattern, the difference in speed was again noticeable. You're on top of the airport much more quickly at 140 knots than 95! Matt talked me through the usual landing procedures and speeds as we approached. I had slowed some as we crossed midfield to enter a left downwind for Runway 2 but the additional speed meant everything was occurring faster than what I've grown accustomed to.<br />
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I lowered the gear abeam the middle of the runway and added 10 degrees of flaps. Mixture to full rich and propeller to full RPM. Abeam the numbers, carb heat on, throttle back to 1500 RPM and begin descending around 80 knots. Turning base, flaps to 20 degrees and maintain speed. Turning final, full flaps (if desired) and aim for 70-75 knots until crossing the numbers.<br />
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On the first landing, I flared too high but Matt spoke up in time for me to correct and we touched down reasonably smoothly. I knew coming in the 182 requires way more back pressure on the yoke in the flare and landing but, after that first landing, I didn't feel it required as much force as I had anticipated.<br />
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We then did a series of takeoffs and landings - short field, soft field, and normal. This plane has so much power that, for soft field takeoffs, you really have to modulate the back pressure to prevent the nose from reaching for the stars as you pick up speed. It takes a ton of forward pressure to hold the nose down and remain in ground effect to gain airspeed after you take off. For short field takeoffs, you have to use quite a bit of forward pressure to hold the nose on the runway until reaching 55 knots but then the plane easily speeds up to 65 knots as you raise the gear and clear your (pretend, for today) obstacle.<br />
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As far as landings go, all were effectively of the normal variety. Both they and the takeoffs improved with each lap of the pattern; I was starting to better anticipate the plane and was just flying smoother in general. The final takeoff, a normal one, was actually quite smooth - I added power, rotated, lifted off, raised the gear and flaps, and established a climb in one reasonably fluid process.<br />
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Coming around for the final landing, Matt opted for preferred trick in every CFI's book: a simulated engine-out. He pulled the power to idle and I immediately added carb heat and raised the nose to reduce our airspeed. I already had 10 degrees of flaps in so I left them there and turned towards the runway. This plane sinks much faster sans power than anything I've flown before but I also turned real quick and ended up lowering the flaps to 20 degrees on base. In hindsight, I should have waited until we were on short final since we had a mile of runway in front of us. Nonetheless, I easily made the runway - we touched down (my smoothest of the day) about 500 feet past the threshold and taxied back to the hangar.<br />
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Overall, it was a great day of flying. Great because it's been <i>way, way</i> too long since I last flew but also because I'm really excited to learn to fly a new airplane. Flying is always fun (and is the best thing I've ever found to clear my head) but I'm especially looking forward to utilizing the 182 RG for longer family trips, where it really shines.<br />
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It's also extremely convenient to have a plane based closer to our house, in a hangar, at a paved airport with lights! Longtime readers know I've had to do <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2015/09/night-current-under-supermoon.html">the overnight shuffle and morning hop</a> back to Stewart numerous times in the past in order to maintain my night currency. I'm still a huge advocate of <a href="http://www.stewartsaircraft.net/index.html">that awesome old grass strip</a> - it's a wonderful place to learn and I'll certainly still be flying Cubs there for my vintage aviation fix - but my growing family means this airplane is an awesome fit for some new parts of our mission.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> 1.0 hours<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">380.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-16866123594696384052018-01-01T09:15:00.000-05:002018-02-27T09:32:49.533-05:00Happy (Woefully Belated) New Year!Full disclosure that I'm posting this in late February, but I always set this post to January 1st for the sake of consistency. As is abundantly clear from the almost complete lack of posts in 2017, not much flying occurred last year. So this annual recap doesn't have much content to cover.<br />
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I think I explained well in my last post (from 6 months ago - yikes!) that things understandably got quite busy with having a baby. In addition to that, I started a new job late last year. Between those two things and the typical winter weather + lack of daylight, my left seat time has taken a precipitous nosedive.<br />
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<b>Prior Recaps: </b><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2010</a><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2011</a><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2012</a><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2013</a><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2014</a><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2015/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2015</a><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/01/happy-new-year.html" style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">2016</a> | <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/01/happy-new-year.html">2017</a></div>
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On a positive flying note, however, I actually joined a flying club back in November. It's a nice group of about 12 guys that owns a 1979 Cessna R182 (the official designation for retractable-gear 182s) that <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Cessna%20182">I've actually flown</a> a bit with pilot friends Mike and Mike. It's hangared at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport (MGY).</div>
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I think it's a great platform for family trips - bigger payload, much faster than the rental 172, holds more fuel, and the plane is far more available. So getting checked out in the 182 (including my complex endorsement) is first and foremost on the upcoming to-do list. The new job still involves travel, but not nearly as much as some of the crazy years past, so I'm hoping to finally increase the flying hours again this year.</div>
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<b>Total Hours:</b> 7.1 | <b>Solo:</b> 3.6 | <b>XC:</b> None | <b>Dual:</b> 3.1| <b>Night:</b> None | <b>Landings:</b> 28<br />
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<b>Aircraft Flown:</b> C172, Cub<br />
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<b>New Airports: </b>None<br />
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<b>New States:</b> None<br />
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<b>First Flights: </b>1 (<a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/were-now-officially-flying-family.html">Mariella</a>!)<br />
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<b>People Flown:</b> 2 (just the family last year - Mariella and Gina)<br />
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<b>$100 Burgers:</b> None<br />
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<b>Fly-Ins:</b> None<br />
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<b>What I'll Remember: </b>It goes without saying being able to take our daughter up for <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/were-now-officially-flying-family.html">her first flight</a> is a milestone I assume any pilot can appreciate. We flew commercially a week later (and she did quite well) but I simply couldn't allow that to be the method by which she left the ground for the first time! I didn't write about it on the blog but in August I flew down to Sumner Co. Regional Airport (M33) in Tennessee with pilot friend Mike (in the same club 182) to witness the solar eclipse, which was incredible.<br />
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<i>Totality of the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017</i></div>
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<b>2017 Goals: </b>Given my lack of goal achievement these past couple years, part of me feels like I should change them up. <strike>That said, I still really would love to experience a glider flight sooner than later. In a similar vein, although it's probably pretty unlikely with a newborn coming in May, it would be nice to start work on the IR. I think the most realistic goal is my Complex checkout</strike>, especially if I am able to join the local club some friends of mine are in.<br />
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^ At least I made a move in the right direction. I've joined the club now (which means I'm now paying whether or not I'm flying!) so I absolutely need to get checked out in the airplane.<br />
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<b>2018 Goals:</b> Get checked out in the R182, which will include my Complex endorsement. Once that's complete, I would definitely like to start on the IR. I'd also like to take some family trips this year once I'm comfortable in the new airplane and fully current again. Beyond that, it's always nice to take friends and coworkers flying for the first time and I think I may have some opportunities to do so - especially having started a new job.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-86985463006918789222017-08-26T22:06:00.000-04:002017-09-13T01:25:13.616-04:00We're now officially a flying family<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 69 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 5 knots<br />
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I've been <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/06/this-father-can-still-fly-airplane.html">hinting</a> at this <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/06/nine-years-and-one-month-later.html">for a while</a> now. Of course, I wanted to feel 100% current and fully in possession of all my flying faculties prior to taking our little girl flying. Parenthood has a way of shining the spotlight on conscientiousness and responsibility.<br />
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<i>She was all decked out in appropriate attire</i></div>
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Mariella was in a rather good mood this evening (per usual - we really did get lucky as she's quite the happy baby) as we got her changed into a proper first flight outfit. Gina and her said hello to everyone in the office while I preflighted the airplane. Once everything was ready, I carried her over to the 172 and buckled her car seat into the back of the plane. She fell asleep not long after.<br />
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<i>Strapped in and sound asleep</i></div>
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Gina buckled herself up next to Mariella in the back and I ran through my checklist and started the engine. Apparently the little one perked up with the noise of the engine but quickly nodded off again. Gina ended up cutting down some regular ear plugs for Mariella's tiny ears, since <a href="http://amzn.to/2wpimyI">the baby headset I bought</a> is too wide on her head when she's wedged into the infant car seat.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Her reactions on short final and landing are priceless (about 1:10 and 1:35 in the video)</i></div>
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Once I was completely sure the plane and passengers were all ready to go, I taxied onto Runway 8 and we took off into the calm evening sky. Mariella was awake at this point and stared at Gina while chewing on her hand - a favorite pastime - as we climbed out. She seemed pretty content.<br />
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<i>A happy family together at 2,500 feet</i></div>
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I made very shallow turns and leveled at about 2,500 feet. It was already late in the evening so I anticipated a short flight from the start. Nonetheless, I heard a few cries behind me as we flew down the valley so I turned gently back towards Stewart about five minutes after takeoff. Turns out someone decided to convert the clean diaper to the non-clean variety; that usually results in notable crankiness.<br />
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<i>Passing by the lake on our way back to Stewart</i></div>
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<i>A great sunset for moving into our next chapter of flying</i></div>
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<br />
We were on short final about ten reasonably good minutes later. Mariella was still a little fussy, as expected, but she really did quite good overall. Gina gave her a pacifier and that kept her calm for the most part. She made some pretty good bug eyes when the main wheels touched the bumpy turf, too.<br />
<br />
So, as the title of this post says, we're now officially a flying family! We'll be flying commercially next week so we'll see how that goes - but I think it goes without saying that I couldn't let Delta have the honor of providing my daughter's first flight. I was pretty impressed with the little squish on her first aerial experience. Here's hoping this is just the start of a long, long tradition of family flying adventures.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0826_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4539554">0.4 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">379.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-22756361569255406572017-08-25T20:01:00.000-04:002017-08-27T02:16:18.341-04:00Flight: Reviewed<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<b>Instructor: </b>Tommy<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-I19-40I<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds, 71 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 4 knots<br />
<br />
At some point in the past month, I received one of those handy email currency reminders from my electronic logbook. But I've finally been flying again and I know I've made more than enough takeoffs and landings for currency purposes, so I thought it must be an error? Turns out, when you don't fly for the better part of a year, those two years between BFRs sneak up on you.<br />
<br />
I have taken a variety of courses to earn FAA WINGS credit, so the knowledge portion of my currency is, uh, current. However, for what I hope are obvious reasons, the FAA likes pilots to go up in the air and actually prove they can still fly with a CFI. I planned to do so a week ago but I was sick (food poisoning is no fun) and had to reschedule. Tommy thankfully had enough free time this evening to fit me in, so we met after work and got to it.<br />
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A checkride's worth of maneuvers in one GPS track</div>
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<br />
The long and short of tonight's flying is that it was a much-needed and very good review. Despite my recent logbook additions, I am clearly still rusty in some areas. Overall, I am just nowhere near as smooth and fluid as I can be when I'm notching regular time in the left seat. Tommy did a great job running me through a whole bunch of maneuvers and offering important reminders and tips.<br />
<br />
We started off with a soft field takeoff, during which I climbed out of ground effect too quickly. It feels strange to push the nose over so much after rotation to fly level along the ground (and it doesn't help that the ground quickly slopes downhill ~15 feet on Runway 8 at Stewart) but that's what you're supposed to do; we tried this again later. Next, we flew east and I successfully demonstrated steep turns, slow flight, and power-off/on stalls.<br />
<br />
Tommy suggested going to Greene County; the winds were calm but he spotted a plane waiting to take off near the end of Runway 7 so I crossed midfield and entered the pattern. He asked for a short field landing so I used all 40 degrees of flaps and touched down within 200 feet of the numbers. It wasn't my best, though, and improved speed control and a touch less power on short final would've let me perfectly plant it. While taxiing back for takeoff, he asked me what I would do if my elevator jammed and we discussed that scenario for a few minutes...<br />
<br />
Back in the pattern, he informed me that my elevator <i>was</i> now jammed (courtesy of him holding the yoke to prevent me from pushing or pulling it) and I needed to land. I explained my plan, which was to use the trim and power while flying a longer final approach to help ensure things were as stabilized as possible. I throttled back, slowly lowered the flaps as I made my way around, and hit the stop on the trim while on final. On very short final, I tested kicking in a burst of power to raise the nose and it seemed to work, so that was my plan in the flare. We crossed the numbers in a roughly level attitude at about 65 mph. Entering ground effect, I pushed in throttle for a second or so, and the extra power slightly raised the nose so the mains touched just before the nose wheel. The landing was honestly pretty smooth - yes, we planted it on the runway, but it wasn't a total carrier landing. Most importantly, I actually landed the airplane without using my elevator!<br />
<br />
I really want to thank Tommy for the simulated elevator jam exercise. I've certainly thought about what would happen if I lost a control before but never tried to actually simulate it in flight. He said one of his old instructors did the same thing and I absolutely agree it's great practice.<br />
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After taking off again, I put on the hood and we did a little simulated instrument work. It's been way too long since I last did that so it was also great practice. Sidenote - training for my instrument rating is finally in my near-term plans. My skills are crude at best but I managed to turn to headings and climb/descend per his instructions. Then he gave me a few unusual attitudes to recover from and I successfully did so.<br />
<br />
Before long, we were back at Stewart. Tommy pulled the power on me abeam the numbers and I made a safe simulated engine-out landing. The next time around, after doing a better job with the soft field takeoff, I attempted a soft field landing. I leveled off a tad too high and didn't add enough power to achieve a perfectly soft touchdown, but I held the nosewheel off and it was good enough to call it a day.<br />
<br />
Currency and proficiency are more important to me than ever now that I'm responsible for our entire growing family whenever we fly. Beyond simply having a calmer work schedule that should allow more flying, I really hope to finally start training for more advanced ratings. But regardless of when that commences, tonight was a great refresher that left me legally current for the next 24 months.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0825_40I_I19_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4538106">1.1 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">378.7 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-37726173609233662092017-08-05T23:17:00.000-04:002017-08-17T16:38:01.046-04:00Currency, Part 2: Cub time is the best time<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 65 hp<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds 76 degrees, wind 270 degrees at 8 knots<br />
<br />
After <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/08/currency-part-1-taking-172-all-over-town.html">running myself through the ringer</a> with takeoffs and landings in the 172, I opted for a bit more fun in the venerable Cub. With time to spare there was no reason to skip some fun in the air. She'd flown earlier so, after pulling the plane out of the hangar and completing my preflight, it only took one pull of the blade to hand-prop the old Continental to life.<br />
<br />
I first headed off over the lake for a little practice. My steep turns were better than when <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/07/finally-notching-some-skyhawk-time.html">I did them with Jamie last month</a>; I think I even caught my wake once. Then I slowed down, pulled on the carb heat, and did a bit of slow flight to see how slow I could move across the ground. It's been too long since I did any stalls solo, so I brought the throttle to idle, pointed the nose higher, and held back on the stick as the nose broke earthward. I was actually a bit surprised how well the stalls went after such a long break; I must've been well-coordinated as the nose didn't roll at all.<br />
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<i>You don't need much more than this to have a good time</i></div>
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Feeling comfortably current in my stick and rudder skills, it was time to put them to use attacking everyone's favorite sanitary substrate (old yet requisite disclaimer <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/10/crankin-and-bankin.html">here</a>). I climbed up to 5,500 feet, slowed down, tossed the roll out the door, and set up to begin my series of passes. At first, I was quite effective and cut the white streamer with ease. Then I somehow completely lost track of it; it took 45-60 seconds and a series of wide turns before I finally spotted it again. I pulled the throttle to idle, pointed the nose down, and clipped it again as my airspeed built up. With the target acquired, I made a couple more passes and caught the shortening streamer once more before I had to call it off due to altitude.<br />
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By this point, I'd been flying for about 30 minutes and I wanted to get in some takeoffs and landings before my time with the plane was up. It took roughly 10 minutes to get back into the pattern at Stewart. My plan, as usual, was to make three laps around the pattern to extend my tailwheel currency.<br />
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I made five laps.<br />
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My first, second, and fifth landings were great. However, I had to add power on the third after I flared too high. The next time around I pulled the stick back a touch too far in the flare and the tailwheel hit the ground before the mains. Neither landing was terrible but I really hate ending a practice flight on a bad note, so I kept going and nailed it on the fifth.<br />
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So, for the first time in essentially a year, I'm decently competent at flying both the Cub and the Skyhawk again. One can of course always practice and improve but I think I've removed most of the rust acquired over the past twelve months. Now I've just got to get the little one up for her first airplane ride!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0805_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4464913">1.2 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">377.6 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-65892628454985563242017-08-05T20:09:00.000-04:002017-08-11T16:52:51.441-04:00Currency, Part 1: Taking the 172 all over town<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-I73-I44-3I7-I62-MGY-40I<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds, 75 degrees, wind 260 degrees at 8-12 knots<br />
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What do you do when mom and baby are out of town for the day? You fly, of course. Couple that with a list of local airports you've never landed at despite being a pilot for over eight years and you've got yourself a mission!<br />
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It's already been over a month since <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/07/finally-notching-some-skyhawk-time.html">I last flew</a>. Much better than earlier this year, but still more of a gap than I'd like. So this seemed like a good way break up the takeoff ans landing practice with a (tiny) bit of pilotage and navigation.<br />
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<i>I popped into about half the airports around Dayton today</i></div>
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I departed Stewart and first landed at Moraine Airpark (<a href="http://airnav.com/airport/i73">I73</a>) for the <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/04/100-omelet-run-with-rob.html">first time since 2009</a>. Coming over the levee on very short final, the rising air caused me to briefly float down the runway before touching down relatively softly. Takeoff was smooth and I climbed straight out to 1,700 feet (per the A/FD and sign at the end of the runway) before turning north.<br />
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The first new airport was Dahio Trotwood (<a href="http://airnav.com/airport/i44">I44</a>), a notably run down strip that's so desolate it's a tad hard to spot from the air at first. The runway is so cracked that I deemed it smart to first do a low approach and check for any obvious problems or obstructions. I didn't see anything that would preclude a landing so I circled back around and landed on Runway 22. It's an interesting place - corn rises up on both sides so you can't see much of anything once settled on the as-bumpy-as-expected runway. I back-taxied and departed on the same runway without ever seeing any signs of life.<br />
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Next up was Phillipsburg (<a href="http://airnav.com/airport/3i7">3I7</a>), which was <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2013/12/23/local-executive-buys-phillipsburg.html">acquired by a local business owner</a> a few years ago to prevent closure of the airport. It's not the busiest place but here there were clear signs of life; a Cherokee called in 10 miles away when I was in the pattern and landed after me. The runway is pretty narrow (<a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/08/cousins-tiny-runway-and-short.html">reminds me a little of 45G</a> in Brighton, MI) and the shifting winds during my roundout led to probably the worst landing of the day. Again, I back-taxied after the Cherokee was clear and took off again on the shortest leg of the day.<br />
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My final new airport was Brookville Air-Park (<a href="http://airnav.com/airport/I62">I62</a>) and it's only a very short 3.4 nm flight from Phillipsburg. This is another unique, lightly used local strip. The runway and airport are actually separated by a road; to cross you pull up to a gate that opens and there are stop signs to remind you to yield to the cars driving by. You also pass quite close to some tall trees off your left wing when landing on Runway 27. The pavement is somewhat bumpy but my touchdown was reasonably smooth; again, I back-taxied down the runway and took off to continue my little local adventure.<br />
<br />
Since I'd be passing right by Wright Brothers (<a href="http://airnav.com/airport/mgy">MGY</a>) and haven't landed there in <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/08/lunch-with-in-laws-assisted-by-ads-b.html">nearly a year</a>, I planned it as my final stop on the way home. It's 19 nm from Brookville so I had a few minutes of level cruise to just enjoy the view and relax. The pattern was busy as usual; I crossed midfield behind two other planes in the pattern to land on Runway 20. I landed a tad firm in the slight crosswind. Seeing two or three other planes lined up on the taxiway while I was in the pattern, I'd decided not to wait in line. As soon as the flaps were raised up, I pushed full throttle back in and was soon flying the final leg back to Stewart.<br />
<br />
Before long, I was back in Waynesville. I spotted one of the jump planes quickly descending and called him on the radio to say I had him in sight and would follow him in - they have a way of zooming thru the pattern like rockets. I turned slightly right, then circled back to enter a 45 for a left downwind to Runway 26. With the wind almost directly down the runway, my final approach was stable and smooth and I touched down smoothly a few hundred feet past the threshold.<br />
<br />
This was a lot of fun. I've been meaning to pop into some of these airports for years and I'm glad to finally have done so. I still want to try out the road-crossing at Brookville so I'll have to land there again some day. Just as exciting and important, I could feel the rust coming off the more I threw myself into both new and familiar situations. I think I'm now current enough in the 172 that Mariella's first flight will soon be in the cards...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0805_40I_I73_I44_3I7_I62_MGY_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4464872">1.4 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">376.4 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-63950816202723910552017-07-03T18:11:00.000-04:002017-08-17T16:13:19.120-04:00Finally notching some Skyhawk time<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br />
<b>Instructor:</b> Jamie<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-I19-40I<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds, 84 degrees, wind light and variable<br />
<br />
It's been some time since I sat in the left seat of the Skyhawk, nearly 10 months in fact. Our <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-4.html">return flight from Boston via Albany</a> last year is the last time I was behind 14L's controls. Aside from the general lack of currency, I'd like to take Mariella for her first flight soon - and to do that, I need to be able to competently fly the 172 again.<br />
<br />
Jamie texted me the other day to let me know he had an opening, as we've been trying to set this up for a couple weeks. I did a thorough preflight while we chatted on the ground. There was more than two hours of fuel onboard so once I fired up the O-300 we were ready to fly.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It was another great summer afternoon for aviating</i></div>
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<br />
I took off on Runway 26 and made two laps around the pattern. I came in a little low on the first one but managed to finish the approach with a smooth landing. The next time around was more stable and the landing was again quite soft. We then departed the pattern to the east, climbing up over the lake to do a few steep turns. While all were borderline acceptable, they were far from my finest. I'll have to put in a bit more time working on maneuvers next time I'm up in the sky practicing solo.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Today's vaguely triangular route across the countryside</i></div>
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<br />
Wanting to practice on pavement and having not been there in a while (the logbook says May 2013 <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/05/friday-night-bbq-with-wife.html">when we met pilot friend Samuel there</a>, in fact!) we decided to land at Greene County. I came in a tad fast and landed long but the touchdown was smooth. Lifting off again on Runway 25 on the subsequent takeoff, Jamie pulled the power and I touched back down on the pavement during the simulated engine failure. I departed again sans instructor shenanigans and climbed back to 2,000 feet and headed straight for Waynesville.<br />
<br />
My final landing was probably the best of the bunch, with my speeds on target and a soft touchdown followed by the shortest rollout of the day. <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/06/this-father-can-still-fly-airplane.html">Similar to the Cub</a>, it's crazy just how much flying the 172 is like riding a bike... it came right back to me even after a lengthy break. Obviously there's more than stick and rudder skills when it comes to currency but I'm looking forward to getting up again soon.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0703_40I_I19_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4388676">1.1 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">375.0 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-78309760402366500232017-06-20T23:24:00.000-04:002017-08-06T23:39:34.430-04:00Nine years (and one month) later<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 65 hp<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds, 81 degrees, wind 260 degrees at 8 knots<br />
<br />
When it comes to the overarching purpose behind this blog - flying - this past year has clearly been underwhelming. But life - and, alas, flying - is nothing if not a constant struggle to find and maintain equilibrium between opposing forces. So it's in that vein that this past year has also been overwhelmingly joyful and momentous on a personal level with the birth of our first child.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Prior Years:</b><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"> </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/05/lesson-1-short-but-sweet.html" style="text-align: center;">2008</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/05/one-year-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2009</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/05/two-years-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2010</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/05/three-years-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2011</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/05/four-years-later.html" style="text-align: center;">2012</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-years-later.html" style="text-align: -webkit-center;">2013</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/05/six-years-later.html" style="text-align: -webkit-center;">2014</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1265968875"></span>2015</a> | <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/05/eight-years-later.html">2016</a></div>
<br />
So what did the past <strike>year</strike> thirteen months entail?<br />
<ul>
<li>As is often the case, a bunch of travel - mostly for work, but also a few vacations with Gina (to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Dominican Republic)</li>
<li>Getting to <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-little-deutschland-flying-in-mooney.html">go flying with a coworker in Germany</a> on the aforementioned trip last summer</li>
<li>Work has generally been quite fulfilling as I've taken on some new projects with more responsibilities, interacting with more customers and partners all over the world</li>
<li>Flying up to <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/08/lunch-with-in-laws-assisted-by-ads-b.html">meet the in-laws</a> for lunch (and to tell them we were pregnant)</li>
<li>Our only - but large - real <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-1.html">flying trip</a>, when we <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-2.html">flew the 172 to Boston</a> and <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-3.html">back</a> to meet our first nephew <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-4.html">last Labor Day</a> weekend</li>
<li>A very belated but <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/08/aviating-over-upstate-ny-in-chris.html">welcomed first flight</a> in pilot and <a href="http://warrior481.blogspot.com/2016/08/digital-community.html">blogger friend Chris'</a> beautiful Warrior late last summer</li>
<li>Still managing to squeeze in <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/07/first-flights-for-former-coworkers.html">one Young Eagles flight</a>; it's always rewarding to be able to take kids up in a small airplane for the first time</li>
</ul>
Given my extreme lack of currency that I only recently <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/06/this-father-can-still-fly-airplane.html">remedied</a>, this is the first year I've truly missed my annual birthday flight. And with an infant at home, it's also the first time I've ever flown it solo. However, I'll be damned if I completely break the tradition, so getting up in the Cub one month late this evening absolutely kept it alive in my book.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You couldn't have scripted much better weather</i></div>
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<i>Door wide open, enjoying the lush scenery in every direction</i></div>
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<br />
The winds decided to get gusty (to 15-16 knots) just as I arrived at Stewart around 6 pm. So I ended up hanging around on the ground for a little while until they calmed back down. In an unusual move for the 65 hp Cub, it did <i>not</i> want to start this evening. However, after probably ten minutes of hand-propping and cycling through a combination of settings, it finally fired up without a care in the world. These old engines certainly have minds of their own at times.<br />
<br />
With a still-decent wind blowing almost directly down the runway, my takeoff roll was short and I was quickly climbing westward. Between the light plane and good headwind aloft, I was at pattern altitude (800 feet AGL) before I was even able to turn crosswind on all but one takeoff. I threw in one short field takeoff for <strike>fun</strike> good practice and was airborne in less than the distance between one set of runway cones.<br />
<br />
I know it sounds improbably full of horse manure, but my landings were darn near perfect every time around the pattern. Honestly. Other than the one time I made a simulated engine-out and bounced slightly, every touchdown was a true three-point greaser. Maybe the headwind helped but my stick and rudder skills in the roundout and flare were on point tonight.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Turning towards Caesar Creek Lake</i></div>
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After four takeoffs and landings, I flew north of the airport and passed over a friends' house. Unlike most times I pass over, I saw someone outside, so I circled around and heartily waved the wings before I flew away. Texting them later to ask if they saw me they said yes, their daughter saw the airplane and ran inside to get them to come out and wave. It's the small things... :)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The shadows were getting longer as the sun was getting lower</i></div>
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<i>More lush greenery along the Little Miami River</i></div>
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Before what seemed like very long, it was time to get back to the airport as my reserved block of time was almost up. I'd been flying just about an hour as I entered the pattern for the final time. Keeping with the prior performance, the wheels softly touched down on the green grass; a short rollout and taxi later, I was pushing the plane back into the hangar.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>If I didn't have to work for a living, this would be the perfect life</i></div>
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<br />
Tradition-keeping and flying practice aside, tonight was a very nice and much-needed mental reprieve. Work has been kind of insane and, while we're lucky that Mariella's truly a very calm and easy baby as babies go, any parent who doesn't admit to needing a little "me time" on occasion is probably lying. Getting up in the sky solo is perhaps still the only way for me to cut everything out and completely focus on something I love for an hour or two.<br />
<br />
I did of course rush right home afterwards to see the adorable little girl waiting for her daddy.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Mariella Margaret is already looking skyward, it seems</i></div>
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<br />
Next up is getting current in the 172 so we can take this future aviatrix on her first flight. While I do plan on introducing her to the venerable Piper Cub when she's ready, I'd prefer we start out in the safety of a car seat. This new father certainly wants to protect his precious little girl!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0620_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4291729">1.0 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">373.9 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-23132450163730741672017-06-08T22:21:00.000-04:002017-08-06T23:39:19.047-04:00This father can still fly an airplane<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Instructor:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Jamie</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Few clouds, 73 degrees, wind 350 degrees at 5 knots<br />
<br />
I can still fly an airplane! I mean, yes, you're technically always a pilot once you receive your certificate. And I didn't exactly think I'd forgotten how to fly. Nonetheless, after 8 months (by far the longest hiatus since my checkride) without flying and nearly 10 months since <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/07/cubbin-with-garrett-on-his-overnight.html">my last Cub excursion</a> I finally got back in the cockpit this evening. I didn't even break anything.<br />
<br />
Why such a lack of flying? Well, as I mentioned in <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2017/01/happy-new-year.html">my sole post</a> thus far this year, we had a baby on the way. Well, she <i>was</i> on the way - our daughter Mariella was born back in April and is adorable, healthy, and altogether a pretty darn good baby if I do say so myself. We hope to take her on her first flight sooner than later! Anyway, between the major life changes, work, and my usual downturn in flying during the cold, dark winter months it simply took a while to get myself back down to Stewart.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Could tonight have been any more perfect for Cubbin? I vote no.</i></div>
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<br />
Given the painfully long gap in aviating, I of course needed to fly with an instructor. Jamie was available and he met me a bit past 7:30. By the time he walked over to the hangar, I'd already completed a very thorough preflight and pushed the plane out onto the soft, green, almost-summer grass.<br />
<br />
We chatted for a few then I climbed in, he hand-propped the engine, and I taxied over to top off the fuel tank. Propeller turning again, I ran through my pre-takeoff checklist then pulled onto Runway 26 and managed a pretty soft and smooth takeoff to the west. Jamie had me climb out over the lake and we first went through some turns. Then he just let me fly around for a bit and do some sightseeing before eventually re-entering the pattern.<br />
<br />
Landings are usually where rust is most apparent, at least for me. I reminded (warned?) Jamie that, in my experience, I usually either grease the landings or totally muck them up after an extended break. He, in turn, said he'd be happy to laugh at me if I really screwed the pooch.<br />
<br />
Fittingly, the first approach and landing were exceptionally smooth. Jamie said he was upset he didn't have a chance to laugh. Nice guy. I was cautiously optimistic. Two more laps around the pattern fortunately did nothing to temper the optimism; I nailed all three landings and my takeoffs became smoother each time.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Cubs, grass, and blue sky just belong together, don't they?</i></div>
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Maybe the giant break served to erase my mental sight picture so well that, with the luck of nailing it that first time, I had no bad habits and instantly re-established good ones. Or maybe it's just that Cubs are easy to fly. Either way, there's still nothing better than a Cub with the door open on a warm evening.<br />
<br />
Well, except perhaps being able to fly a Cub <i>solo </i>with the door open on a warm evening again.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2017-0608_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="https://myflightbook.com/logbook/Public/ViewPublicFlight.aspx/4254047">0.9 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://myflightbook.com/logbook/public/myflights.aspx?uid=wjvZAd1EJgGs9oVBblvrRg%3D%3D">372.9 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-1946801506598673212017-01-01T22:37:00.000-05:002017-02-08T00:43:53.842-05:00Happy New Year!So yeah... I didn't exactly close 2016 out strong, despite somewhat miraculously logging more total hours than I did in 2015. The little bit of flying I did do last year was quite enjoyable, though. I am hopeful this coming year calms down enough to give me more cockpit time.<br />
<br />
However, we've got a baby on the way! While I'm obviously very excited about our growing family, something tells me that won't exactly leave me with more free time in 2017. :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Prior Recaps:</b> <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-new-year.html" style="text-align: center;">2010</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-new-year.html" style="text-align: center;">2011</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-new-year.html" style="text-align: center;">2012</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year.html" style="text-align: center;">2013</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-new-year.html" style="text-align: center;">2014</a> | <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2015/01/happy-new-year.html">2015</a> | <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/01/happy-new-year.html">2016</a></div>
<div>
<br />
Sadly I haven't flown myself since our awesome <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-1.html">trip to Boston</a> to meet our new nephew over Labor Day weekend. In the four months just since that trip, I've been to Michigan (six times), San Francisco, South Dakota, Boston (again), Chicago, Minneapolis (twice), Wisconsin (thrice), Kentucky, Charlotte, South Carolina, Indianapolis, Dallas, Germany, and the Dominican Republic. In total, I visited 18 states, nine countries, and flew over 115,000 miles on 118 commercial flights that had me aloft for 323 hours in 2016. So while I hate to continue making excuses for my lack of personal flying and blog updates, I think the travel statistics speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
Probably 75% of my travel is work-related and I do expect that will be somewhat reduced this year, which leaves me hopeful that I'll be able to do more flying on my own terms. I am also considering joining a flying club of some sort for access to better - and faster - planes, especially as we anticipate more frequent visits to Boston for the cousins (and their parents!) to hang out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Total Hours:</b> 24.5 | <b>Solo:</b> 2.4 | <b>XC:</b> 17.5 | <b>Dual:</b> 1.0 | <b>Night:</b> None | <b>Landings:</b> 39<br />
<br />
<b>Aircraft Flown:</b> C172, Cub<br />
<br />
<b>New Airports: </b>S24, UNV, IPT, OWD, ALB, TSO<br />
<br />
<b>New States:</b> Massachusetts<br />
<br />
<b>First Flights: </b>4 (<a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/07/cubbin-with-garrett-on-his-overnight.html">Garrett</a> and <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/07/first-flights-for-former-coworkers.html">Anthony + Joseph + Isabella</a>)<br />
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<b>People Flown:</b> 6 (above, plus <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/07/bouncing-172-back-into-currency.html">Tommy</a> and Gina)<br />
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<b>$100 Burgers:</b> 1 (we <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/08/lunch-with-in-laws-assisted-by-ads-b.html">met the in-laws</a> to the deliver the incoming baby news in August)<br />
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<b>Fly-Ins:</b> None<br />
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<b>What I'll Remember: </b>Gina and I having the awesome opportunity to <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-little-deutschland-flying-in-mooney.html">go flying in a coworker's Mooney in Germany</a> in July. Finally taking to the sky with pilot friend and blogger, fellow former Kalamazoo resident, and awesome photographer Chris. <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/07/cubbin-with-garrett-on-his-overnight.html">Cubbin'</a> with another former Kalamazoo resident and pilot friend Garrett. Avoiding storms with <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/08/lunch-with-in-laws-assisted-by-ads-b.html">my first taste of ADS-B</a> in August. <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-4.html">Stretching my wings</a> and flying the furthest I've been yet, from Ohio to Boston, to <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-2.html">meet our new nephew</a>; it was full of great experience including a <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-1.html">diversion for extra fuel</a> and an <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-3.html">extra overnight</a> on the way home.<br />
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<b>2016 Goals:</b> <strike>I'm <i>still</i> out of excuses on the glider front. Pilot friend Tommy even offered me a free glider ride for my birthday - I need to set that up ASAP! A few of us pilot bloggers have discussed a meet-up and I hope we can coordinate that later this year.</strike><br />
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<strike>After a complete <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/02/and-so-it-begins.html">false start</a> three years ago, I again hope to start and finish my Instrument rating this year. That plan ran into a couple walls, financial and otherwise, but Gina graduated with her Master's in December (which we're done paying for!) so it seems doable this time around. Of course, that may change if I fall back into last year's travel patterns - time will tell.</strike><br />
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^ Well, as mentioned earlier, I fell back into said travel patterns... and then upped them by 50% for good measure. So that put a damper on most of the planned activities.<br />
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<b>2017 Goals: </b>Given my lack of goal achievement these past couple years, part of me feels like I should change them up. That said, I still really would love to experience a glider flight sooner than later. In a similar vein, although it's probably pretty unlikely with a newborn coming in May, it would be nice to start work on the IR. I think the most realistic goal is my complex checkout, especially if I am able to join the local club some friends of mine are in.</div>
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-61922736153692844672016-09-05T23:37:00.000-04:002017-01-20T23:30:43.852-05:00Meeting Emry: Day 4<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>ALB-TSO-40I<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - ALB:</span> Clear, 72 degrees, wind 010 degrees at 6 knots<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - TSO:</span> Clear, 86 degrees, wind variable at 3 knots<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - 40I:</span> Clear, 84 degrees, wind calm<br />
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Waking up this morning, the first thing I did was open up ForeFlight and check the weather. No matter how much bugging out early yesterday was clearly the logical, safe, and correct decision... curiosity's hard to quell. I swiped east to the Boston area and saw that the storm system appeared to have moved a bit more offshore than forecast.<br />
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In short, we probably could've stayed overnight and made it out without issue this morning. It was a little windy but not that different than when we departed <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2016/09/meeting-emry-day-3.html">last night</a>. Of course, I'm also decidedly not much of a morning person and leaving early (that weather's still moving inland) would have necessitated an earlier wake-up than was required in Albany.<br />
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<i>The weather was still mostly offshore this morning</i></div>
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We were able to take our time getting ready and grabbed breakfast at the hotel. It was around 10:30 when we pulled out of the parking lot; we pulled into Million Air about 15 minutes later. They called National to come pick up the rental car and we headed out onto the tarmac to load the plane. After a preflight and pit stop, I settled the fuel bill and we climbed into the plane for our long leg home.<br />
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<i>Writing on taxi diagrams on screen can be handy</i></div>
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Following a brief mental hiccup (calling Ground for clearance at a Class C airport - oops) I contacted Clearance, who gave us a squawk code, departure heading, departure frequency. Readback correct, I went back over to Ground, who quickly cleared us to taxi to Runway 1. We were sitting behind a Piedmont Dash 8 for a few minutes before they departed. Tower cleared us for takeoff another minuted later after another plane cleared the crossing runway.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i>It was a great flight home overall, though we did have trouble with one ATC handoff </i></span></div>
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The weather was great - incredible visibility with just a few puffy clouds here and there. Tower handed us off to Departure, who cleared us on course about 10 miles north of the field just past Schenectady. We slowly climbed to 8,500 feet. I leveled there for a little while but the reported winds aloft were more favorable at 10,500... so I tried climbing up to check them out.<br />
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It took quite a while.<br />
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Turns out this old 172 seems to prefer the lower altitudes. We eventually got to 10,500 and our ground speed was basically the same as before, despite slightly reduced headwinds. I decided to wait for a bit to see how things went. Then I noticed I hadn't heard much from Albany in a while.<br />
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<i>A bird's-eye view of the longest day I've ever spent in the left seat</i></div>
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There was occasional radio chatter but I couldn't really hear the controller. Seeing as we were nearly to Binghamton, I tried calling Binghamton Approach. No answer. Checking the charts, we were in New York Center's airspace, so I tried them. Again, no answer. Perplexed, I tried Binghamton again and finally got an answer.<br />
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I explained the predicament and lack of a handoff, but the controller just acknowleged our presence without any further discussion. Until about 2 minutes later when he came back, said we were hard to hear, and handed me back over to New York Center. Back over to them; this time they responded right back and we continued on our merry way. Same squawk code I dialed in before departing Albany and no further mention of any communication issues.<br />
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<i>Elmira, NY from 10,500 feet</i></div>
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Continuing east, we were handed off from controller to controller until eventually reaching Pittsburgh, where I got cleared into the Class B airspace. We just skirted the north edge. The controller said he could just cut us loose at the edge of his sector if I was ok with that. I said that was fine, as we'd only be about 15 miles from our planned fuel stop by then. As we started our descent it got much warmer and bumpier as we dropped below about 6,000 feet.<br />
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<i>Typical wooded hills over central Pennsylvania </i></div>
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<i>Farms near the Pennsylvania / Ohio border east of Pittsburgh</i></div>
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Clear of Pittsburgh, I squawked VFR and got on the CTAF for Carrol County-Tolson Airport. Nobody was in the pattern as we entered from the northeast on a 45 for left downwind to Runway 7. I landed reasonably softly on the very nice, very new blacktop and taxied to the fuel pump. Another Cessna was there just finishing up replenishing their own stores of 100LL. He taxied away as I turned around and pulled up next to the pump.<br />
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The plane again took about as much fuel as expected. It's worth noting that ForeFlight was always within one gallon on its fuel usage numbers throughout the whole trip, which was nice to see. We were back in the air, this time departing straight out on Runway 25, about 20 minutes after arriving.<br />
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<i>Atwood Lake, between New Philadelphia and Carrollton, OH</i></div>
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I contacted Akron-Canton Approach and they put us back in the system for flight following the remainder of the trip home. For this shorter leg I leveled at 6,500 feet. The bumps were nonstop during the initial climb but thankfully it was nice and smooth up there.<br />
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Approaching Columbus, we got another handoff and more scattered clouds began to appear. Most had bases at 7,000 feet or higher but I did have to make a couple small turns to remain clear where a few big puffy ones dropped down towards our altitude. We passed just south of CMH and downtown as we continued west towards Stewart.<br />
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<i>CMH - recently renamed John Glenn Columbus Int'l Airport</i></div>
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<i>Downtown Columbus from 6,500 feet</i></div>
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We got one final handoff to another Columbus Approach sector and controller partway home. I spotted Caesar Creek Lake maybe 25 miles out in the haze. About 15 miles out I began our final descent into the warm air; the AWOS at Wright Brothers was reporting very light winds so I anticipated the traffic at 40I would be landing to the west per usual during calm winds. I descended down to pattern altitude flying about a mile north and parallel to the runway to visually check for the usual allotment of NORDO traffic.<br />
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<i>Almost home - somewhere between Columbus and Dayton</i></div>
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A plane I didn't recognize was departing the airport (easy to identify thanks to the N Number displayed on my iPad's screen) to the west. He made a departure call on the CTAF and I replied saying we had him in sight and would make a crosswind entry to the left downwind for Runway 26 behind him as he climbed westward. Turning final, I was at least 100 feet high, but I added in all the flaps to drop in over the trees. We touched down long but softly on the familiar turf.<br />
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<i>Safely back on the parking pad at Stewart</i></div>
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By the time we were on the ground at Stewart the Hobbs meter had officially christened this the longest flight I've ever made in a single day. A little more research shows that the previous record-holder (5.2 hours <a href="https://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/06/ny-trip-day-3-significantly-less.html">on the way home from Upstate NY</a> five years ago) is in fact still the longest by distance at roughly 580 nm compared to about 525 nm today. Nonetheless this was quite a haul; I was more than ready to relax after 14.4 hours in less then three days!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2016-0905_ALB_TSO_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">5.6 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">372.0 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-14056865324343558262016-09-04T22:28:00.000-04:002016-10-07T10:36:12.963-04:00Meeting Emry: Day 3<b>Plane: </b>Cessna 172<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>OWD-ALB<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - OWD:</span> Clear, 70 degrees, wind 060 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 18<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather - ALB: </span>Few clouds, 79 degrees, wind 350 degrees at 5 knots<br />
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Since arriving at Norwood yesterday afternoon, we've spent nearly every moment (besides sleeping at the hotel overnight) with Gina's brother, his wife, and our new nephew Emry. It's been a great visit with the new family - I cooked dinner and breakfast and we helped them with some projects around the house. They've been a little busy the past couple weeks, after all.<br />
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<i>Gina was quite excited to meet her first nephew</i></div>
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<i>I spent some time with the little dude myself</i></div>
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I've also been closely monitoring the weather. By mid-afternoon the forecast was still sufficiently uncertain that I felt the smart decision was to depart this evening. The hurricane's progress has slowed and appears it will remain farther offshore but the TAFs, GFS model, and NWS Forecast Discussions all still indicated a possibility of MVFR conditions by morning. <br />
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After looking at the charts and forecasts, I decided Albany was the right destination for tonight's impromptu overnight stop. Any weather moving up the east coast will remain well clear of the area and from there we'll have a clear, straight shot home tomorrow. The unusual easterly winds aloft were an added bonus; the roughly 125 nm flight would only take about an hour so we didn't have to leave for the airport until after dinner.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i>Our short flight from Boston - Albany Approach was surprisingly busy tonight</i></span></div>
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After a meal of delicious takeout from <a href="http://elephantwalk.com/">The Elephant Walk</a> we said our goodbyes around 4:45 pm and climbed into the car; we'll have to make a return visit soon! It took about 25 minutes to drive back to the airport where I unloaded the rental car, which I was conveniently able to leave with <a href="http://www.flightlevelaviation.com/norwood_ma">FlightLevel Aviation</a>, and paid the fuel bill. Gina helped load the plane while I did a thorough preflight. We were belted in and I had the propeller turning at 5:35 pm.<br />
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The winds were gusty in advance of the incoming weather; I'd noticed the leaves rustling outside all day and kept checking METARs. They were well within the crosswind limits of the airplane but I figured it might be sporty. This would be a good place to note I was happy to have chosen a destination airport with multiple runways! Just before takeoff I reminded Gina things might be bumpy and told her to tighten her seatbelt.<br />
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We took off on Runway 10 and, all things considered, the winds weren't even a factor. I did find myself weathervaning with the wind once we cleared the trees but the air was actually very smooth. Turning north as Tower handed us off to Boston Departure, I glanced down and noted our groundspeed in the climb already exceeded anything we saw in cruise on the way here! There may not have been any turbulence but there winds aloft were indeed quite strong.<br />
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<i>Downtown Boston was off our right wing shortly after takeoff</i></div>
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<i>We had a great view of the skyline before turning on course</i></div>
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By the time we leveled at 6,500 feet (I wanted to be well clear of the ridges we'd be crossing ahead) our groundspeed was stable at nearly 130 knots. Pretty good for an old 172! Boston handed us off to another Boston controller, who then handed us off to Albany Approach about halfway there. He must have been working multiple sectors because, after the frequency switch, the radio chatter was about as constant and rapid-fire as I've heard in a while.<br />
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<i>Level with a rather respectable groundpeed</i></div>
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The controller called out opposite direction traffic ahead of us. ForeFlight and ADS-B helped me spot the one 1,000 feet below and I soon spotted the twin 1,000 feet above with the old Mark II eyeballs. In order to avoid a nearly direct overflight of the highest point in the area, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Greylock">Mt. Greylock</a>, I planned and flew direct North Adams, MA before turning direct Albany; it added less than a mile to the total flight distance. Once clear of the tallest ridge, I was cleared to descend pilot's discretion and began a gradual descent as we crossed into New York.<br />
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<i>Passing over Mt. Greylock before beginning our descent</i></div>
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The traffic had significantly calmed during our descent and Albany Approach handed us off to Tower, who told us to enter a right base for Runway 1 and cleared us to land about 8 miles from the field. It was a bit hard to spot while flying directly into the setting sun but I was able to make out the clearing amongst the trees, if not all the details. Descending towards the airport, we were treated to a beautiful golden view of the city and river with the Catskills off towards the horizon.<br />
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<i>The golden hour over downtown Albany and the Hudson River</i></div>
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I landed very softly at 6:50 pm and we quickly taxied over to <a href="http://www.millionair.com/alb.aspx">Million Air</a>; everyone was very friendly and helpful in spite of our plane being the least-classiest thing on the ramp by a long shot. For context, as we taxied in, we passed by a custom 727 that serves as luxury horse transport, "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-plane-that-transports-racehorses-2013-7?op=1">Air Horse One</a>." Who knew that was a thing? Thanks, Google! Anyway, a line guy very kindly drove us over to the airline terminal where I picked up our rental car from National.<br />
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We checked into the Holiday Inn Express downtown (free on points - one perk of all the travel I do these days!) and headed over to <a href="http://www.druthersbrewing.com/">Druthers Brewing Company</a> for tasty brews and an equally tasty evening snack. Then it was back to the hotel to rest in preparation for the long trip home.<br />
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It was unfortunate to have to bug out early but we need to get home tomorrow. You can always second-guess decisions with the benefit of hindsight but I'm glad I was proactive in essentially eliminating the <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/get-there-itis">get-there-itis</a> risk. Whatever the weather does in Boston in the morning, it won't be a factor in us getting home safelty.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2016-0904_OWD_ALB.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.3 hours</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">366.4 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0