Two years ago today, I married my wonderful bride. Gina still puts up with - and participates in, without too much chagrin - my love of flying. She's quite the keeper. Love you babe!
Two years ago today, I was married to another, much less positive data point - my weight. It was nearly 40 lbs more than my scale reported this morning. I'm happy to have left that behind.
I'm now down over 30 lbs since April and weigh <5 lbs more than my all-time low, which was back in the summer of 2005 when I interned in Texas. That summer, I basically did nothing but work out (and also was not yet a consumer of good beer and wine...) and came home in tip-top shape. The next seven years consisted of a gradual but steady increase until I got my ass back in gear this spring.
So it's been a success. I've even started running over the past month. And I hate running. Come to discover, however, that losing 40 lbs puts a bit less strain on your legs! Biking is mostly out of the equation for the next few months since it's dark by the time I get home from work. So that leaves running - which is surprisingly not a bad cardio option - for the time being.
I've achieved the goal of "an hour of fuel" in weight loss in multiple aircraft. I can honestly say I have now gained an hour's worth via increased payload in the Champ, Cub, and 150. Don't think I can - or should - lose another 10 lbs to add the 172 to the list, though!
There aren't too many other numbers to update since last month. I know my waist and body fat are slightly smaller/less but I honestly haven't measured them in a while. It's an extremely hectic month between work, homework, and travel/holidays so that will have to wait a little longer.
As for flying, the aforementioned full plate hasn't left much time for airplanes. Plus we've reached the annual few months of long nights and short days; unless I leave work early or take a vacation day, weekends are really the only time I can fly. So it might be a little while before I make it down to Stewart again. Still, I'm hoping to hit 300 hours by December 31st...
P.S. For those of you who like to pick nits, yes, I realize my all-time low was many, many years ago. But I'm just counting my adult life, not my hefty <6 lbs at birth. ;-)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Stick time, foliage, and a little formation with the Stearman
Plane: Cub, 85 hp
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Broken clouds, 46 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 5 knots
It's been a busy fall. Somehow, in between yardwork, regular work, school work, and other flights I hadn't flown the Cub in nearly two months! Gina was working at Stewart this morning and emailed to say a hole in the schedule opened up. It worked out perfectly - I was able to make some laps around the pattern (passengers love circling the airport) while she finished up work, then she hopped into the front seat for our first flight together since August.
Oh, and I flew a little formation with the Stearman in between. Read on, friends.
Takeoff and landing practice was the first order of business. I ended up making four laps - three for landings. The first landing was great, then I lined up for a short field takeoff and was quickly in the air in between the 200-foot span of a set of cones. Not sure what happened with the second landing but I flared a tad too soon, bounced, didn't like how it was feeling, and poured on the throttle. Go arounds are (generally) always an option!
After two more successful laps around, I pulled off and saw Dave standing next to the runway. He's a coworker, pilot, and owns a nice little Porterfield. We ran into each other in the office before I went out to do my preflight and he told me a friend (Verlin, another coworker, it turns out) was there for a Stearman ride. We made plans with Joe to try and fly up alongside them later if we had time. So, to cut to the chase, Dave climbed into the front seat and we were soon on an aerial hunt for a blue and yellow PT-17.
As you can see, we were quite successful! Dave spotted the Stearman shortly after takeoff and I slowly brought us into position over the Little Miami River. I waved my wings at Joe, he rocked the Stearman's back, and I pulled in off his right wing.
After a minute or so, I slid into the lead. Then I waved my wings again to signal I was going to break off and I turned east. We followed the Stearman back to Stewart, entering a left downwind for Runway 26 and touching down quite softly on the grass. Thanks to Dave and Verlin for the photos - or, more accurately, the videos they were each recording; I took screen captures and those are what you see here.
Dave wiggled his way out and Gina climbed in. We spent about five seconds deciding we'd just fly around and enjoy the view. I handed her my phone so she could take photos of the colorful foliage. All the photos in the remainder of the post are her handiwork!
It's been an interesting fall color-wise. Compared to last year, everything seems more muted. There hasn't been a particularly clear-cut change, either. All the trees have been gradually morphing from green to orange to brown on their own accord.
That's not to say there aren't pretty pockets here and there. We enjoyed the views and spotted some very colorful groupings. I'm really glad we squeezed in our annual color flight before it was too late.
I meandered back towards Stewart and again entered the pattern from the south. We spotted a Pawnee towing a glider, climbing out of the gliderport as we flew past; I waved our wings to say hello. Touching down on the soft grass, I felt completely back at home in the Cub's back seat. Nothing like a little practice, some formation, and good views from the low and slow perch to fill one's aviation bucket for the day!
Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.2 hours
Total Time: 295.2 hours
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Broken clouds, 46 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 5 knots
It's been a busy fall. Somehow, in between yardwork, regular work, school work, and other flights I hadn't flown the Cub in nearly two months! Gina was working at Stewart this morning and emailed to say a hole in the schedule opened up. It worked out perfectly - I was able to make some laps around the pattern (passengers love circling the airport) while she finished up work, then she hopped into the front seat for our first flight together since August.
Oh, and I flew a little formation with the Stearman in between. Read on, friends.
Yellow Cub. Green grass. Blue sky. What pilot needs anything more?
Takeoff and landing practice was the first order of business. I ended up making four laps - three for landings. The first landing was great, then I lined up for a short field takeoff and was quickly in the air in between the 200-foot span of a set of cones. Not sure what happened with the second landing but I flared a tad too soon, bounced, didn't like how it was feeling, and poured on the throttle. Go arounds are (generally) always an option!
After two more successful laps around, I pulled off and saw Dave standing next to the runway. He's a coworker, pilot, and owns a nice little Porterfield. We ran into each other in the office before I went out to do my preflight and he told me a friend (Verlin, another coworker, it turns out) was there for a Stearman ride. We made plans with Joe to try and fly up alongside them later if we had time. So, to cut to the chase, Dave climbed into the front seat and we were soon on an aerial hunt for a blue and yellow PT-17.
Approaching the Stearman from the right
Opposite view at about the same moment looking at us in the Cub
As you can see, we were quite successful! Dave spotted the Stearman shortly after takeoff and I slowly brought us into position over the Little Miami River. I waved my wings at Joe, he rocked the Stearman's back, and I pulled in off his right wing.
Sliding into the lead...
Looking back at us again
After a minute or so, I slid into the lead. Then I waved my wings again to signal I was going to break off and I turned east. We followed the Stearman back to Stewart, entering a left downwind for Runway 26 and touching down quite softly on the grass. Thanks to Dave and Verlin for the photos - or, more accurately, the videos they were each recording; I took screen captures and those are what you see here.
Breaking off to the east
Dave wiggled his way out and Gina climbed in. We spent about five seconds deciding we'd just fly around and enjoy the view. I handed her my phone so she could take photos of the colorful foliage. All the photos in the remainder of the post are her handiwork!
Trees changing near the intersection of OH-73 and OH-48
A particularly colorful neighborhood
The trees lining this driveway stood out from miles away
A wider angle of the aforementioned colorful neighborhood
More fall colors along OH-73 near Waynesville
It's been an interesting fall color-wise. Compared to last year, everything seems more muted. There hasn't been a particularly clear-cut change, either. All the trees have been gradually morphing from green to orange to brown on their own accord.
That's not to say there aren't pretty pockets here and there. We enjoyed the views and spotted some very colorful groupings. I'm really glad we squeezed in our annual color flight before it was too late.
Trees on the eastern shoreline of Caesar Creek Lake
Another colorful patch in Caesar Creek State Park
I meandered back towards Stewart and again entered the pattern from the south. We spotted a Pawnee towing a glider, climbing out of the gliderport as we flew past; I waved our wings to say hello. Touching down on the soft grass, I felt completely back at home in the Cub's back seat. Nothing like a little practice, some formation, and good views from the low and slow perch to fill one's aviation bucket for the day!
Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.2 hours
Total Time: 295.2 hours
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Frosty wings and a slice of pie
Plane: Cessna 150
Route: 40I-I74-40I
Weather: Clear, 46 degrees, wind calm
Yesterday, I asked around (i.e. posted on Facebook) if anyone wanted to fly to breakfast this morning. A group (also on Facebook - common theme today) of Ohio pilots made plans to converge on Urbana. There would be a couple guys I know from the Columbus area, Lenny and Dave, along with plenty of other nice folks in airplanes. Anyway, Gary - who I met in Newark a couple months ago - responded that he wanted to tag along, so he drove down and met me at Stewart this morning.
I soon ran into a wrench thrown into my plans to make it to Urbana by 9:30 - there was a ton of frost and ice on the airplane. We eventually came to the conclusion that there must have been a bit of freezing rain or mist that fell overnight, as there was a thick layer on the entire plane. The only solution was sunlight, scrubbing with the Official Deicing Brooms™ and plenty of patience. It was nearly 9:45 before the plane was ready to go and the cold engine was warmed up and running in the green.
Still, there was no reason to scrub the flight. It was a beautiful morning so we'd absolutely be flying, even if our breakfast plans didn't work out. So we flew north direct Urbana as I pointed out many of the sights in the area to Gary - downtown Dayton, WPAFB, the Air Force Museum, even downtown Columbus, which we spotted rising on the horizon from over 50 miles away.
I touched down quite softly on Runway 20 and we were parked on the ramp before 10:30. There was no time for a full breakfast but we chatted with Dave and Lenny for a few. Dave brought his just-painted RV-12, which is even more gorgeous in person than in all the photos. Gary was kind enough to buy us each a slice of black raspberry pie from the Airport Cafe so at least we got a little nourishment in Urbana!
Soon after, we were back in the 150, ready to fly back to Stewart. Someone had the airplane at 11:00 so we couldn't dawdle; we did get back a few minutes late but it didn't interfere with their lesson, thankfully. Gary and I chatted on the way home about locating airports and other flying stuff. His flight training's still on hold but I'm pretty sure he'll finish and get his license one of these days. You can just tell when flying's in someone's blood and they'll do anything to make the dream come true. Gary's one of those guys.
Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.5 hours
Total Time: 294.0 hours
Route: 40I-I74-40I
Weather: Clear, 46 degrees, wind calm
Yesterday, I asked around (i.e. posted on Facebook) if anyone wanted to fly to breakfast this morning. A group (also on Facebook - common theme today) of Ohio pilots made plans to converge on Urbana. There would be a couple guys I know from the Columbus area, Lenny and Dave, along with plenty of other nice folks in airplanes. Anyway, Gary - who I met in Newark a couple months ago - responded that he wanted to tag along, so he drove down and met me at Stewart this morning.
Guess I can add 'Manual Deicer' to my resume
I soon ran into a wrench thrown into my plans to make it to Urbana by 9:30 - there was a ton of frost and ice on the airplane. We eventually came to the conclusion that there must have been a bit of freezing rain or mist that fell overnight, as there was a thick layer on the entire plane. The only solution was sunlight, scrubbing with the Official Deicing Brooms™ and plenty of patience. It was nearly 9:45 before the plane was ready to go and the cold engine was warmed up and running in the green.
I'm not sure why the altitude didn't record correctly on the way home
Still, there was no reason to scrub the flight. It was a beautiful morning so we'd absolutely be flying, even if our breakfast plans didn't work out. So we flew north direct Urbana as I pointed out many of the sights in the area to Gary - downtown Dayton, WPAFB, the Air Force Museum, even downtown Columbus, which we spotted rising on the horizon from over 50 miles away.
I touched down quite softly on Runway 20 and we were parked on the ramp before 10:30. There was no time for a full breakfast but we chatted with Dave and Lenny for a few. Dave brought his just-painted RV-12, which is even more gorgeous in person than in all the photos. Gary was kind enough to buy us each a slice of black raspberry pie from the Airport Cafe so at least we got a little nourishment in Urbana!
Soon after, we were back in the 150, ready to fly back to Stewart. Someone had the airplane at 11:00 so we couldn't dawdle; we did get back a few minutes late but it didn't interfere with their lesson, thankfully. Gary and I chatted on the way home about locating airports and other flying stuff. His flight training's still on hold but I'm pretty sure he'll finish and get his license one of these days. You can just tell when flying's in someone's blood and they'll do anything to make the dream come true. Gary's one of those guys.
Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.5 hours
Total Time: 294.0 hours
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Up in the tower
This morning I had an opportunity to go on a tour of the control tower at Dayton International Airport. I certainly did not pass it up! A local group of pilots organized it and, through the magic of email and Facebook, I found myself on the visitor list when I arrived at the airport.
Dayton's new control tower opened in 2011
Dayton used to house a TRACON in addition to the tower, however approach was moved to Columbus when the new tower opened a couple years ago. It's still weird to call Columbus Approach for flight following over downtown Dayton but I'm slowly getting used to it. That meant no tour of a radar room this morning. Thankfully, I saw an impressive one before when I visited Cleveland Center in 2009.
We met with Sean, one of the supervisors, and he started the morning with a Powerpoint presentation. It had a great animation of the progression of an example flight. Once the pilots contact clearance, ground, and then tower for takeoff there are a series of handoffs to get into "the system" and out of the local area. The presentation illustrated how all flights leaving Dayton's airspace (which is a roughly 60-mile radius around DAY up to 10,000 feet) have to leave out of a series of gates - basically, three or four sections on the radar scope - to get passed onto Cleveland or Indianapolis Center.
It's 255 feet tall and covered in over 1,000 glass panels
After a really nice Q&A down in the main building, we hopped the elevator up to the top of the tower in two groups. First stop was two stories below the cab; they have a nice little break room for when the controllers don't want to come all the way back down. That's where I snapped the photo below - above that level, no phones are allowed.
They've got quite the view of the airfield up there!
Next up was the equipment room. Really just a bunch of switches, electrical panels, and computers. I also noticed a bank of CD-R drives where they record all the ATC communications. Sean mentioned all the backup systems in place. There are three generators in total (along with batteries) at the airport ready to take over if power is ever lost - one for the tower, another for the approach lighting, and one for the airport itself. The FAA manages the first two while the city of Dayton manages the latter.
Finally, we climbed one final set of stairs and found ourselves in the tower cab. It's quite expansive and the view is awesome, as you would probably expect. There are computer stations all the way around, each with a specific purpose, plus two displays showing the local approach radar. Usually there are two controllers - one handles clearance and ground, and the other handles local (i.e. tower / the runways) operations.
The airport wasn't super busy but a number of flights arrived and departed while we were up there. One of the controllers also recorded an updated ATIS broadcast. Right before we left, the visibility improved and the airport went VFR; I heard the other controller call Columbus Approach and let them know. Both Sean and the controllers on duty answered questions and pointed things out to everyone in the group.
Eventually we had to come back downstairs and we finished with a final Q&A and a couple entertaining ATC stories from Sean. It was really interesting to look out on the airport from the controller's perspective. It was also quite interesting to see all the technology they have in place - radar, windshear detection, even a link into the national NEXRAD system that can track dust particles in the air to report winds aloft anywhere they desire. Pretty cool stuff.
If you ever have a chance to take a tower tour yourself, I highly recommend it!
Finally, we climbed one final set of stairs and found ourselves in the tower cab. It's quite expansive and the view is awesome, as you would probably expect. There are computer stations all the way around, each with a specific purpose, plus two displays showing the local approach radar. Usually there are two controllers - one handles clearance and ground, and the other handles local (i.e. tower / the runways) operations.
The airport wasn't super busy but a number of flights arrived and departed while we were up there. One of the controllers also recorded an updated ATIS broadcast. Right before we left, the visibility improved and the airport went VFR; I heard the other controller call Columbus Approach and let them know. Both Sean and the controllers on duty answered questions and pointed things out to everyone in the group.
Eventually we had to come back downstairs and we finished with a final Q&A and a couple entertaining ATC stories from Sean. It was really interesting to look out on the airport from the controller's perspective. It was also quite interesting to see all the technology they have in place - radar, windshear detection, even a link into the national NEXRAD system that can track dust particles in the air to report winds aloft anywhere they desire. Pretty cool stuff.
If you ever have a chance to take a tower tour yourself, I highly recommend it!
Friday, October 11, 2013
Sunrise over the Little Miami
Plane: Cessna 172
Route: MGY-40I-MGY
Weather: Clear, 47 degrees, wind calm
Last night's fun flight to Dayton International resulted in the flip side of flying and renting from Stewart - the airplane was still at Wright Brothers. No runway lights means no night landings. Since I live just a couple minutes from MGY, I told Jamie I could fly the plane back this morning. So I got there around 7:30, preflighted the 172, warmed up the oil, and turned onto Runway 20 just as the sun started rising into the sky.
Now, I'm not much of a morning person. Never have been, never will be. Accordingly, I rarely fly in the early morning hours. This might have actually been the first time I've ever flown at sunrise, to be honest. My logbook doesn't appear to dispute that statement.
But that doesn't mean it's not a spectacular time to fly. The air was smooth and the warm orange glow of the sun rising over the farms and valley fog was downright beautiful. I don't know that I'll ever be a frequent morning flyer but it was absolutely worth getting up early this morning!
The logistics at hand were a bit convoluted. I landed at Stewart and picked Jamie up. Sidenote here that there's simply nothing like landing on grass in the morning, kicking up a spray of dew as the wheels roll over the turf. Certainly one of the pleasures of flying. Anyway, I stopped and let Jamie climb on board - then took back off on Runway 26.
Given the perfect weather and views, I decided to take the scenic route down the valley back to Wright Brothers. Jamie and I both snapped a few photos as I flew south, then I turned northwest back towards MGY, making a pass at Stewart since we were flying directly overhead anyway. I landed back on Runway 20 and hopped out of the plane on the ramp; Jamie flew the plane back to Stewart so he could start his day of flight instructing.
Not a bad morning. Not bad at all.
Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 0.5 hours
Total Time: 292.5 hours
Route: MGY-40I-MGY
Weather: Clear, 47 degrees, wind calm
Last night's fun flight to Dayton International resulted in the flip side of flying and renting from Stewart - the airplane was still at Wright Brothers. No runway lights means no night landings. Since I live just a couple minutes from MGY, I told Jamie I could fly the plane back this morning. So I got there around 7:30, preflighted the 172, warmed up the oil, and turned onto Runway 20 just as the sun started rising into the sky.
Turning onto Runway 20 for takeoff
Watching the sun rise above the horizon on this beautiful morning
Now, I'm not much of a morning person. Never have been, never will be. Accordingly, I rarely fly in the early morning hours. This might have actually been the first time I've ever flown at sunrise, to be honest. My logbook doesn't appear to dispute that statement.
But that doesn't mean it's not a spectacular time to fly. The air was smooth and the warm orange glow of the sun rising over the farms and valley fog was downright beautiful. I don't know that I'll ever be a frequent morning flyer but it was absolutely worth getting up early this morning!
Morning fog in the Little Miami River Valley
Passing over the valley on downwind for Runway 26
Red Stewart Airfield in the early morning sunlight
The logistics at hand were a bit convoluted. I landed at Stewart and picked Jamie up. Sidenote here that there's simply nothing like landing on grass in the morning, kicking up a spray of dew as the wheels roll over the turf. Certainly one of the pleasures of flying. Anyway, I stopped and let Jamie climb on board - then took back off on Runway 26.
Flying down the Little Miami River Valley
Given the perfect weather and views, I decided to take the scenic route down the valley back to Wright Brothers. Jamie and I both snapped a few photos as I flew south, then I turned northwest back towards MGY, making a pass at Stewart since we were flying directly overhead anyway. I landed back on Runway 20 and hopped out of the plane on the ramp; Jamie flew the plane back to Stewart so he could start his day of flight instructing.
Not a bad morning. Not bad at all.
Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 0.5 hours
Total Time: 292.5 hours
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