2014 McGuire Safety Fly In

Wow, I was invited to participate in the 2014 McGuire Safety Fly In.  A great day of flying, safety, and adventure!  My brother, Dean, would join me today as were actually authorized to fly to and land at McGuire Air Force Base!  The morning was beautiful and Dean and I were so excited as we set out on prepping N926GZ for the days adventure!  Once airborne we contacted McGuire Approach and were i mediately approved for direct to downwind for runway 24.  Switching to tower we were directed to report base for 24!  Approved for landing, we turned final and descended down to gently land on 24.  The line of planes was exciting and interesting!  Wow!

Can you believe some one actually flew into McGuire with this!  It was just such a site!  It was just so exciting to see all these planes sitting on the Tarmac and seeing mine right there with them!

After a short welcome we were taken out to experience a KC10 sitting ready for our visit.  The long walk up put us at an altitude of its own!  Dean especially liked the boom operating chamber in the back!  The KC10 was awesome!

After the kC10, we were bused out to the tower for a view from the operations center!  The personnel was so friendly and knowledgeable!  We really enjoyed the visit here!  Then it was over to the C17!  Wow, what a plane!  This was just fantastic!  A huge bird that really is impressive!

It's amazing that this plane gets off the ground, but she does and she does it in style!  We were privileged to see one arrive at McGuire while coming out of the tower and it was just spectacular!  Sitting in the cockpit and seeing the heads up monitor screen which gives you all the information you need without looking down!  Wow!  Well, we weren't done yet!  We still had the chance to go to TRACON!  This was the highlight of the day for me!  I could spend the whole day sitting and listening to these guys work their magic.  What a day, so it was time to go back and wrap up the experience and have some lunch.  Since we had to file a flight plan to depart McGuire, that was pre done for us in the beginning of the day.  All that was necessary was to take the bus out to the planes and board up to depart!  The weather had turned a little sour, so we were going to depart in a little rain.  After a quick run up, we were cleared to Runway 24 and off we went.  Just a short ride home and South Jersey was in our sights!  What a simply fantastic day!

How to Work and Play at thenSame Time!

There are days when things just seem to come together and today was one of those days!  It gives you a warm feeling to know that sometimes things work out just right!  Saturday we had to go to Pottstown, PA for business, but unfortunately, some paperwork wasn't completed properly and someone had to go back on Monday to retrieve it.  Well, as the Boss, the buck stops here so I got the responsibility.  But wait, did you know there is an airport just five minutes away from Pottstown Memorial Hospital?  Heritage Airfield, (KPTW) is a beautiful airstrip and after a quick call on Sunday I found out that they also offer a courtesy car, well truck they said.  Monday mornings weather was fantastic and when my wife offered to hold down the fort while I made the trip things were looking good.  They only thing left was for the hospital to call me to tell me that the paper work was ready.  That call came around 9:45 am, so it was off to South Jersey Airport for me.  A quick for fuel while I did he pre-flight and by 10:45 I was wheels up and calling MaGuire Approach.  MaGuire quickly switched me over to Philly Approach would cleared me direct through the Class Bravo at 3,500 feet.  Then city of Philadelphia was looking beautiful off to my left!

It wasn't long before Philly allowed me to go up to 4,500 where the air was smooth and clear.  The trip to Pottstown was just 35 minutes by air, which really beats an hour and a half drive, and before you knew it, I was starting my descent to Heritage.  In the clear air the field stood out just across from he twin stacks of the Limrick Station.  The steam showed me the winds were calm, but the turbulence was a little choppy and I came down to pattern altitude.  A quick little turn and I was down wind, base an final at Runway 28!  Still a little high we used the whole runway as I rolled off the end and over to the FBO.  I just can't say enough about the guys from Penn Airways at Heritage.  They parked me and chocked the tires, then when they found out what I was doing, they tossed me the keys to the courtesy truck, which was a brand me Ford F-150, and would even charge me the landing fee.  Of course I took good care of them!  A few minutes later I was at the hospital and had my paper work in hand.   A stopped for an Ice Tea and to top off the fuel in the truck and then right back to Heritage.  

     In minutes I was back up in the air and talking to Philly Approach.  It was just so beautiful up there it was a shame I didn't have anyone to share it with.

     Philly had a lot going on, but the controller still accommodated me by having me fly direct to North East Philly, (KPNE), and then direct to South Jersey!  I couldn't have asked for more?

     I crused a long nicey with the auto pilot on just enjoying the ride and the view.  Before long I was over PNE and turned direct to South Jersey.  With no one in my way, Philly asked me to report the field in view and on a day like today, at 3,500 feet, South Jersey was plain as could be.   I came down to pattern altitude over Cherry Hill and headed in on the 45 for the downwind for 26 at South Jersey.  Still bumpy down low, but on a day like today that's to be expected.  Downwind, base and final it was almost hard getting 926GZ to drop out of the air.  I decided to go around just for practice and lined up again for a smooth glide to the runway.  Departed 10:45 and arrived home from Pottstown, PA at 12:30 pm.  Not bad if I do say so myself!  Enjoy your days, even the good ones!

March Madness Pilot Style

They may say the "eyes of March are upon us", but for a Pilot, when a day comes along like this Saturday, the Pilot's eyes are skyward!  Saturday, March 1st, was just a beautiful day with the winds calm, the air light and the sun shinning!  A men's conference at my church afforded me the opportunity to find a friend who really wanted to fly and the next thing you know, we were planning a trip!  South Jersey Airport was rolling with the sound of propellers and Carl Vogel and I were anxious to get going!  After a thorough pre-flight, 926GZ was ready to go.  Carl was so excited about hearing everything about the plane!  We did a complete run up and after watching a few other planes land, we were ready to depart runway 26 at South Jersey (KVAY).  The air was so light we almost jumped off the runway!

So with the wind in our wings and the earth below, we glided skyward and headed to the south.  After a spin around the pattern, we decided to take a trip down to Cape May (KWWD) for a quick stop and go!  With a few clicks on the 530 and a push of the auto pilot, we were on course for Cape May.  Carl really loved all of the interaction of instruments and coordination that was taking place within the cabin.  I can remember how overwhelming it all seemed early on in my training and now it comes natural.  Still, having some one in the plane with that much interest gives me the opportunity to verbally explain things and allows me to polish up with my knowledge and proficiency.  This really makes the trip useful and fun for both the passenger and the pilot!

As we crossed over the Delaware Bay, the homes below were a fabulous sight to behold.  So many homes dotting along the coastal beach.  The air was smooth and clear and as we gently descended towards Cape May, Runway 19 came clearly into view!  There would be a slight crosswind on the landing, but that's good practice too!  The radio's were quiet as we slowly descended down the glide slope! A slight crab as we settled in over the numbers and floated down the runway!  After moving off the runway onto Taxiway A, we headed over to Runway 28 for departure.  This would give us a beautiful lift off right over the Delaware Bay and then a slight turn north and we would be on our way home!  My Cherokee 235 leaped off the runway and we waved good-bye to Cape May.  Carl snapped some more pictures and got a fantastic shot of the bay!

The ride home was with the wind and we crused along at about 125 knots ground speed!  We were in no hurry and we were enjoying every moment.  As we slipped along we enjoyed each others company and pointed out the different sights below.  Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Hammonton and the Atlantic City Expressway.  Before long we were getting close to the lakes of Medford and Carl began looking for his home in the Lake Pine section of Medford.  We could see Shawnee High School off to the east and we crossed over Little Mill Country Club.  In just a short few moments we came upon the sight of Cranberry Pines School in Medford.  Carl got all excited as he began snapping pictures and looking for his home. Soon enough I heard him find his home and the camera snapping away!  

We'll the sun started to set as we enter into the pattern at South Jersey on the crosswind.  It really was a shame to have to come down.  Days like this are just so much fun to fly.  The sights and views are just sometimes hard to explain to those who have never experienced it.  We headed down wind along the runway and gently turned base and then final.  Runway 26 spread out in front of us and awaited our soft touch down!  On the ground, safe and sound!  Until the next time, this is Diggerdavid, your Captain saying, "keep your dreams alive and live your life to its fullest!"  

A January Trip!

Well, I realize it's been a while since I have posted here, but the flying action has been far a few between.  In November I found the opportunity to go up with a CFI and do my Bi Annual Flight Review and did a little flying in November!  Well finally I found the day and the friend, Bob Brown, to go up and enjoy a day of flying!  Bob is a Pilot and a good friend who loves to fly with me.  Our plans were to meet at the South Jersey airport, KVAY,  for a trip down to Cape May with some approaches on the way!  A stop at Cape May for lunch and then a short hop home.  The day was clear and sunny and the wind was light and variable.  

Bob Brown and I prepped N926GZ and settled in for start and warm up.  Our flight plan to do the RNAV 18 into Woodbine Airport, (KOBI) and then go missed and set up to do the RNVAY 19 into Cape May Airpot, (KWWD).  The RNAV 19 for Woodbine begins with the Cedar Lake VOR so once we were settled with MaGuire we headed south towards Cedar Lake.  MaGuire approach switched us to Atlantic City approach and we were all set.  The approach into Woodbine was perfect, and after going missed we climbed and headed over towards the missed approach point and prepped for the RNAV 19 into Cape May.  Another perfect approach put us right down on the runway and a short taxi to the ramp.  Time for lunch!  The Flight Deck is a great place to go and eat!  The place looks great!

Well, after a great lunch, it was time to do some more flying.  I decided that a low flight over the coast would be worth the trip!  Runway 10 was looking great and that would put us right out over the coast.  After a short run up it was time to take the active and head on out.  The wind was in our favor and the air was light and crisp.  The sites we worth the trip!  The frozen bay and coastline was absolutely beautiful!  Up over Wildwood, then a turn to the north with Avalon and Stone Harbor off our left wing gave us spectacular views at 800 feet.  We watch the waves gently roll in and out as we slipped over the coast.  The Ocean looked like glass as the gentle swells rolled to and fro.  There were very few people on the beach and the scene was like something out of a dream.  

Over Sea Isle City, we turned to the West and headed back inland towards Woodbine.  Once over Woodbine we picked up Atlantic City Approach again and decided to shoot one more approach back home to South Jersey.  Atlantic City switched us to MaGuire Approach who authorized us for the RNAV 26 approach back into South Jersey.  Since the winds were favoring Runway 8, as we approached South Jersey we swung to the downwind and did a nice landing onto Runway 8.  Another wonderful day of flying.

Future Pilots?

As part of my service to the community, one of my many organizations has received flights for fund raising.  Recently I was able to fulfill one of those gifts by taking up a young father and his two children.  The flight began at South Jersey Airport, (KVAY).  Cameras flashed as the parents took multiple photos of the family and kids and you could feel the excitement in the air.  It was a little windier than I had hoped it would be, but it didn't seem to bother the kids.  After walking around the plane and trying to explain several details about the trip it was time to load up.  More pictures and an opportunity for baby brother to sit in the cockpit kept us busy until time for take off.  Other family lived a little north of the airport and gave us a local place to fly.  We settled into the plane with one of the kids in the front with me and the other in the back with dad!  Once every one was settled in, it was time to start up and do radio checks.  Before long we were heading down the runway and waving to mom and brother on the ground.

Mom got some pretty good pictures!  As we settled into a nice 1400' trip and started searching for the family homes.  I had already given Jeff some suggestions on how to use dead reckoning, so it wasn't long before he began spotting locations that were easily recognized.  We were able to zero in on the development and Jeff discovered he could still text his family to verify that they saw us circling over head.

After making several passes around the neighborhood, we took a ride north east and soon found Great Adventure and made a circle around the park.  Then we headed back towards the airport and diverted west a little to fly over the family home.  After an hour flight the kids were ready for more.  Realizing were I was, I decided to make a nice easy 3 mile final for runway 8 at South Jersey.  A nice easy landing brought the kids clapping and we taxied back to the tie down with a family with memories to last a life time.  It was worth the time and the trip and even the expense!

Staying IFR Current

As most pilots know, once you are IFR Certified, the real challenge is to stay current. This means that within the past six month, the pilot must have flown at least six approaches, holds and intercept a radial. This can be done in actual IFR conditions, on a flight simulator or with a Safety Pilot under the hood. Saturday was shaping up to be the perfect day to fly and all I needed was a Safety Pilot. Up pops Kate McKeown on Facebook. Kate and I talk once in a while, and I know she is a college student, desperately seeking the chance to fly when she can. Turns out she is available on Saturday morning as long as we finish in time for her to get to work. No problem, we can go up at 8:30 am and do three approaches and finish in plenty of time. So we plan to meet at KVAY, South Jersey, and do the triangle. Kate is so excited she is there by 8:00 am! I call for gas on my way over and by the time I'm there, so is the gas and we do a little preflight! The day is just beautiful with clear skies and very little wind. Cool and crisp and a fantastic day for flying!
After a thorough preflight we started up and headed to Runway 8. N926GZ was so anxious to get going, she jumped right off the runway and up we went. Up to 2500' we contacted Maguire and planned our first approach into the ILS 6 at Robert Miller. Stable at 2500', I settled in with the auto pilot and the GPSS steering. We defended to 1900' and turned into the hold. One time around and we were ready to begin the approach. Nicely established at 500' per minute decent, we headed down to 282'. Strayed a little to the east, but recovered nicely and over the airport we went missed. Next up, VOR 29 at Robbinsville, N87. Back to MaGuire for flight following and headed East North East towards the Robbinsville VOR. Kate noticed we flew right over Great Adventure and began taking pictures.
The approach at Robbinsville went off without a hitch. A nice turn in the hold and the down to 620'. The air was so calm and smooth, over the airport I called going missed and began to ascend and turn back towards Robbinsville VOR. MaGuire gave us a quick traffic alert and were Kate got a visual on the traffic. Now for something I've never done before, the RNAV 8 into South Jersey from the North. A quick couple of touches on the 530 and we were set to go!

This approach was going to bring us really close to Philadelphia, which would give Kate some great opportunities for some pictures. Down to 2000' we were all set. Traffic started to get heavier as MaGuire kept pointing them out for us. As we turned to the south it seemed like we were right on the Delaware River. After a few minutes, we began our turn to the east towards South Jersey. Things were going great. We began a nice descent but I never did see the glide slope come a live. It wasn't long before we were down to 660' ready to settle down to the runway! I have to say, I did a really nice job of floating nicely down onto the runway and even got a "nice" out of Kate. 1.4 hours of flying, three approaches, two holds, and even intercepted the radial. Not a bad days flying. Thanks to Kate for being available and sharing the experience.

Shack, Rattle and Roll

     There are days that bring me back to my flight training times with my CFI Durand Branch.  Sometimes I miss those days, yesterday was not one of them.  It was time to depart Lynchburg and head home.  I had some business responsibilities and the weather didn't look to bad at all.  It would be VFR all the way home, even though I filed an IFR plan just in case, but the wind kept haning in there from a cold front that had come down from Canada the day before.  A constant look at the weather charts kept calling for the winds to settle down as the day would progress.  Unfortunately that was just wishful thinking.
     After a nice lunch with our youngest daughter, Dawn, we headed to the airport to prepare for our departure.  926GZ was sitting out on the hard top and looked ready to go.  A Standard briefing revealed clear skies but a report of moderate turbulence below 10,000 for our home area.  With all our luggage nestled and ma and I in our caps, we started her up for a long cross country hop.  Lynchburg cleared us for runway 22 and off we went with a slight crosswind as we climbed.  I planned to go to 5,500 for the ride home hopeing that would be better since the winds were really blowing above that.  Lynchburg switched me to Roanoke Approach and as we reached 5,500' we realized we were in for a ride.  Although the flight was rocky and rolly, we were never out of our seats but just never could get comfortable either.  Our GPS started acting up below Washington, giving us reports of GPS Signal lost and to use dead recogining and then would go right back to working without a problem.  It's possible we have an antenna wire loss.  Something else we have to watch.  The turn from Pautuxent slowed us down a little, but not really a whole lot.  We were now into a quartering head wind, but our ground speed kept up at 133 knots.  Over the Delaware, New Jersey was looking nice as we were switched to Philadelphia approach for the home stretch.

     I began a nice easy descent into South Jersey and as we approached we turned crosswind, to downwind to base for 26.  Final gave us a little bit of a crab as winds were 290 at 12 with gusts to 19.  OH Durand, it felt like you were sitting right there with me once again.  With only two notches of flaps, I waited for the trees to block the wind and we settled right down to the runway.  HOME at last, Home again.  I told Lynn, "You have to take the good with the bad".  Her comment to me was, "I was fine, I just would have preferred the good!"  Until next time, fly safe and keep practicing, you never know when you'll need it.