Solo Cross-Country 1: Back to Circleville

Plane: Cessna 150
Route: 40I-CYO-40I
Weather: Scattered to broken clouds, 79 degrees, wind 220 degrees at 6 knots

Many pilots say their first solo cross-country is the fondest memory they have from their flight training. Others say it is simply their first solo flight. There's just something about leaving familiar ground, flying off into the wild blue yonder, navigating to an airport far (50+ miles) away, and returning safely home that yields a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Well, I certainly do feel like I accomplished something after my first go at it. But I can't deny that the grin was much bigger after I made those first three solo takeoffs and landings in the Champ on August 3rd.

Sentimentality aside, today turned out to be an excellent day for my first solo cross-country. Why? A cold front was moving in, forcing me to make important calculations and decisions based on the weather. I flew straight into the setting sun on the way home, providing a great opportunity to take advantage of flight following over the radio. I had to file a flight plan over the radio - more on that later. And then there's that whole flying 53 nautical miles away from home base and returning safely thing!

Video from today's flight to Circleville and back

I flew to Circleville, the same airport Dave and I visited on my first dual cross-country. With me managing enough other firsts in the cockpit solo, I decided it was in my favor to fly a familiar route - even if it was only one flight three weeks ago. Having been there before, I dusted off the old flight plan and recalculated the correction angle and groundspeed based on today's winds aloft.

Flight Service indicated during my weather briefing that visibility would be greater than 6 miles and the ceiling was forecast to be around 6,000 agl over my route, leaving me plenty of room. Thunderstorms and showers were not expected until after 8pm and I would be on the ground before 7. My personal minimums right now are probably around 5-10 miles visibility and 3,000' ceilings so I felt comfortable with the weather. Plus, I knew I could call Flight Watch (122.0) on the radio for updated weather information in flight if I had any concerns.

Well have a look at that - I flew somewhere today!

After topping off the fuel tanks, setting the frequencies in the radios, running through all the checklists, and starting the engine, I departed Runway 26. Leaving the pattern, I switched from the CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency - pilots at airports without control towers use it to tell each other where they are) to the frequency for the local Flight Service Station. I made a call for them to open my VFR Flight Plan, which I had filed online at DUAT.com earlier in the afternoon. The briefer who answered took my N-Number (60338) and said he had the flight plan on file. Then he mentioned something about thunderstorms North of the airport and advised against the flight - but this didn't sound right as I had just checked the radar and there was nothing in Central Ohio. I listened closely and realized he was looking at my flight plan from last week to Winchester, IN (I22) instead of today's.

I stated this over the radio and the briefer replied that this was the only plan on file. Somehow, the one I filed this afternoon (and I printed a confirmation receipt for) never got into the system. Not the end of the world, although it was a little peculiar as the flight plan he found (to I22) was one that I also filed online via DUAT. Anyway, with the situation cleared up for both me and the briefer I was able to provide the necessary information (route, altitude, time enroute, airspeed, etc.) and file/activate the plan over the radio. I consider that a good lesson and good practice all in one!

Proof that I did indeed land at Pickaway County Memorial Airport

Another photo of the airport in Circleville

Enroute to Circleville, I made my next call to Dayton Approach to request flight following. As I learned and discussed in Lesson 24, it's great to have another set of eyes watching out for you up there. Reaching the top of my climb at 3,500 feet, I realized that I had not leaned (reducing the amount of fuel going into the engine since the air density decreases with altitude) the engine. Dave told me he doesn't lean until the top of climb but I prefer to keep an eye on it while ascending. Of course, when you're only going up to 3,500 feet in the Midwest you barely have any leaning to do. But I digress.

My planning was right on track, passing by Clinton County Airport and over Washington Court House on top of the line on my Sectional chart. I was following the course via my VOR receiver as a backup, as Circleville has a VOR station right on the field. Using my stopwatch, I noted that my groundspeed was just about as planned as I crossed over my checkpoints enroute. Dayton Approach had me contact Columbus Approach as I got closer to Circleville and they canceled flight following when I had the airport in sight. I descended to pattern altitude (1,500) and entered the pattern over the Runway 1 numbers and landed on Runway 19. I got a tad low and it wasn't my smoothest landing ever, but I was safely in Circleville!

You can't see much when you fly into the sun on a hazy day

A Cessna Skylane passing about 500 feet above and 1 mile ahead of me

I took a couple photos (as you saw above) and quickly departed back towards Dayton. No reason to waste time on the ground when I knew weather was approaching, although I certainly left myself more than enough time to return home safely. I realized that I had forgotten to set the mixture to full rich (the opposite of leaning) on descent on the way into Circleville. From the relatively low altitude I was at it's not going to cause any serious consequences but it's something I have to remember in the future.

Heading into the sun - and with the associated visibility issues - I really appreciated flight following on the way home. Columbus Approach had me descend from 4,500 to 4,000 because there was a Cessna Skylane also at 4,500 and our paths were close to crossing. I snapped a photo of him that's posted above. Then, closer to home, Dayton Approach alerted me to a Piper about 1,000 feet above me and a few miles ahead. Thanks to ATC I was able to easily spot both aircraft and reported "traffic in sight" over the radio. Again, I really encourage all pilots to take advantage of flight following on all flights - it may just save your bacon some day.

Sun peeking through layers of clouds while flying back to 40I

More sunlight filtering through the clouds and into my eyes

The rest of the flight was uneventful and I contacted Dayton Approach to cancel flight following when I was over Caesar Creek Lake since I had the field in sight. I altered my course slightly to the right so I could enter the pattern by crossing over the approach end of Runway 8. My approach was pretty stable but I got a little low again on final and had to add some power. Seems that I am still not completely used to the descent rate of the 150, but I know it will come with some more solo time in the bird.

Some darker clouds rolling in as I approached Waynesville

You would think that the issues I had activating the flight plan were enough for one day, but you would be wrong. After landing and shutting down, I called Flight Service from my phone to close my flight plan. If you don't close your plan and about a half hour elapses, they start calling the phone number(s) you provided. And if nobody can be reached, it's not long before a search party is sent out to find you and your aircraft. Not a good use of our tax dollars when you're safely sitting on your couch at home.

But back to tonight, I did indeed call and the briefer confirmed I was back at 40I and closed the flight plan - or so I thought. Driving home about a half hour later, I see Flight Service pop up on my Caller ID. Apparently the plan was never closed and they (coincidentally, the briefer on the phone was the same guy I spoke to over the radio earlier) wanted to know where I was. A quick explanation that I had indeed called to close it and he officially closed my flight plan this time, saying that he wasn't really sure what happened.

Trusty old 60338, tied down back home in Waynesville

So I know I've written a lot but there turned out to be many good lessons and observations during my first solo cross-country. Maybe they'll help another student pilot along the way or remind other pilots what they went through long ago. I really enjoyed every aspect of tonight's flight, from planning and preparing to flying as the sun shined brightly through the clouds. Check off one more major milestone on my quest towards my certificate!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.7 hours
Solo/PIC Time: 10.5 hours
Total Time: 41.0 hours

Solo Practice 7: Some solo time in the 150

Plane: Cessna 150
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Clear, 75 degrees, wind 030 degrees at 5 knots

Went up tonight for an hour in the 150 for a little solo practice. Other than when Dave soloed me in it, I had not been up alone. I wanted to spend some time working on the basics before I venture off tomorrow on my first solo cross-country.

Sunset while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at Stewart

I made four takeoffs and landings and flew North of the field and over the lake to practice turns around a point and steep turns. The takeoffs all felt good and the landings were decent, other than getting a little low on one. I made my last approach a practice engine-out, but ended up way high and dumped all 40 degrees of flaps to land about 300 feet past the threshold. After getting stabilized, my turns around a point felt coordinated and within test standards. Steep turns still need some more work and I think Dave and I will work on those during our next lesson together. My main concern right now is talking with Dave to make sure I know all the exact speeds I want to be aiming for in my maneuvers in the Cessna. Once I have those firmly in my head, I think everything will come into place.

Today's Flight: 1.0 hours
Solo/PIC Time: 8.8 hours
Total Time: 39.3 hours

Lesson 24: That flight following is a handy thing

Plane: Cessna 150
Instructor: Dave
Route: 40I-I22-40I
Weather: Clear, 80 degrees, wind 100 degrees at 8 knots

Today I made my second dual cross-country, flying from Stewart up to Winchester, IN (Randolph County, I22) and back. I planned the flight last night, called Flight Service for a weather briefing this afternoon, and Dave checked it out and said everything looked good when I got to the airport. Preflight complete and tanks topped off, we departed to the Northwest at 4,500 feet. Winds aloft were about 18 knots on our tail and we clipped along and made it there (it's 54 nautical miles away) in about 35 minutes.

I called Dayton Flight Service over the radio for the first time and activated my VFR flight plan. They're incredibly nice and, as Dave likes to tell me, it's just a regular person on the other end so it's nothing to get nervous about. I have found that I'm slightly apprehensive the first time I try something completely new on the radio. After I have done it one time, however, there hasn't been any real nervousness and I've felt comfortable talking. Dave told me he thinks I'll do great on my checkride as I'm doing awesome with the radios for having no experience and in general with multitasking in the air.

En route, I hit all the checkpoints just about right on time and was following along noting references off the sectional chart to pinpoint our location. Dave loves taking students to Randolph Co. because it can be extremely hard to find - in daylight, at least. There's a drive-in theater right next door that helps out a little bit at night. Anyway, as we got close neither of us saw it until all of a sudden it was right in front of us about 3 miles out. I entered the pattern and brought us down softly on the very narrow (to me) runway. There's no taxiway so I made a radio call to announce my intentions and then proceeded to back-taxi down the runway. On takeoff, Dave had my camera and managed to snap a few photos of the place.

Taking off from Runway 7 at Randolph County

Silos to the East of the airport (good future visual reference!)

Now on the return leg, I called Dayton Approach control for Flight Following for the first time. The idea with flight following is that as a VFR aircraft, air traffic control assigns you a unique code on your transponder so their radar can see you and know exactly who you are. Then they are able to provide you vectors along with advisories about other traffic in the air. More on that in a second.

I deviated slightly to the West about halfway home but figured out where I was and managed to get us back on course. Crossing to the West of downtown Dayton we continued towards the river and Wright Brothers airport. We were cruising at 3,500 feet as Eastbound flights are supposed to fly odd thousands plus five hundred feet (3,500/5,500/7,500/etc.) and Westbound pilots the even ones plus five hundred - hence the reason we flew to I22 at 4,500 feet. A couple miles away from Wright Brothers, we got a call from ATC that is sure to make any pilot move quickly...

Dayton Approach: "Cessna 60338, Traffic Alert, Traffic Alert! Traffic is 12 o'clock, three miles, 3,500 feet, climb immediately to 4,000!"

(Shove throttle all the way in, pull back, up we go!)

Me: "Climbing 4,000, negative contact, 60338."

We looked and looked and I kept flying and climbing. The sun was behind us and close to setting so it's not like we were blinded by light in our eyes. Finally, Dave spotted the plane behind us and not too far below and we let ATC know the traffic was in sight. Since we were nearly home, they canceled flight following at that point and I thanked the controller for the help. But it wasn't totally over, as that other plane started turning towards our way and descending right alongside us. Neither Dave nor I had a clue what the other pilot was doing but he kept tabs on the traffic while I flew. Finally, the other guy turned away and we entered the pattern and landed behind a Cub.

The traffic, flying parallel to us (in the center of the photo)

The other plane, now turning away from us

So as the title of this post states and my experience clearly illustrates, flight following is a great service... USE IT! The odd/even thousands rule doesn't apply until you are more than 3,000 feet above the ground, so the other pilot was flying legally at 3,500 feet (2,500 feet above the ground). Nonetheless, this shows why it's a very good reason to obey the hemispherical rules whenever possible as it helps reduce traffic conflicts. And let me just say one more time that flight following is a very good thing.

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File (It didn't record correctly, as you will see)
Today's Flight: 1.8 hours
Solo/PIC Time: 7.8 hours
Total Time: 38.3 hours

2008 NAS Oceana Airshow

Ahhh, there's nothing like the smell of JP-5 in the morning. Add to that three days of airplanes flying overhead and you have a very good vacation. Rob and I went to Virginia Beach for three days last weekend to catch NAS Oceana's Golden Anniversary Airshow and take tons of photos. Being the headquarters of the Atlantic Fleet, there were plenty of F-18s and other aircraft around.

Two F-18 Super Hornets lifting off from the runway

Checking the ramp for FOD in the morning

Friday we couldn't get on base for the practice so we watched from across the road at the end of the runway. It turned out to be a great spot for some shots, as the Blue Angels went directly overhead at about 200 feet on takeoff. We got on base for the night show and got to shoot some great photos of planes with a nice sunset in the background. We also picked up our Media Passes that we received as part of a group of members from the airshow website Fence Check. They got us preferred parking, the ability to bring backpacks in, and seating in the Media pit - good deal.

Climbing into a P-51 and preparing for takeof

The Geico Skytypers fly during the evening show

We discovered a great spot on the grass north of the main seating area that most people ignored. Too bad for them. The F-22 Raptor went directly overhead on a few passes and words can't describe how ridiculously awesome it was to be right there. Check the video at the end of this post and you'll see what I mean. Other planes also came real close to that spot as they banked towards the crowd line and airshow center.

F-18s and an E-2C made up the Fleet Flyby

F-22 and P-51 during the Heritage Flight

Being a Naval Base, there are some additional things compared to your run-of-the-mill airshow. Namely, lots and lots of military jets. There were tons of F-18 Hornets and Super Hornets at Oceana this year and none disappointed. The weather did keep the entire fleet from flying by on Saturday, but they were able to go up on Sunday and do the full Tactical Air Power Demonstration. Jets raced in for simulated bombing and gun runs, complete with pyrotechnics. The only thing we missed was the F-18 tanker demo, as the tanking aircraft had a mechanical problem and couldn't go up on Sunday.

The Blue Angels' aircraft lined up on the ramp

All in all, it was a kick-ass trip full of jet noise and the opportunity to get up close with many amazing aircraft. This was my first trip to Oceana but I have a feeling I'll be returning soon. It's been a lot of fun traveling around the country to watch planes dart around the sky this summer. But after five total airshows this year - Louisville, Traverse City, Waynesville, Cleveland, and now Oceana - I'm done until next season rolls around.

Video highlights from the show

Solo Practice 6: Serious crosswind practice

Plane: Champ
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Clear, 74 degrees, wind 030 degrees at 9 knots

Before heading off to Virginia Beach for a weekend of jet noise, I took my friend Rob with me to check out the airport. I've linked to some of his awesome aviation photos before and figured he would enjoy the chance to shoot some classic old planes at Stewart, which he indeed did. While he shot some film, I took the Champ up for a little takeoff and landing practice.

The winds started off down the runway but quickly shifted to an almost direct crosswind. It wasn't blowing too strong and I knew it was in my limits, so I decided it would be good practice. I had two of each that were great, smoothly lifting off or setting down on the ground, cocking right into the wind on liftoff and landing lightly on the left wheel on touchdown. Unfortunately, I also had one really bad takeoff where a gust got under the left wing and I had to quickly react. Everything else was pretty much average, where I safely took off or landed but they weren't perfectly smooth or greasers.

Rob had my digital camera and took some videos of me and another pilot who was flying the Stearman. As with our usual airshow videos, they just aren't complete without all Rob's commentary. You'll see what I mean...

Today's Flight: 0.7 hours
Solo/PIC Time: 7.8 hours
Total Time: 36.5 hours