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.

Easter in Virginia

As Easter 2013 comes upon us, plans started coming together for our week.  Danelle, our oldest daughter, was heading out with another teacher from The King's Christian School to take a dozen kids on a missions trip to Northern Ireland.  An exciting opportunity for her and for the kids she is taking.  Lynn was off for the week for Easter Break, although we call it Spring Break now.  So, we watched the weather and as the Friday came closer the chance to fly was looking better and better.  Thursday morning I stopped over to check on N926GZ.  With a new starter and a new battery, I was exciting about taking her on a cross country trip.  Our plans were to fly Friday morning from South Jersey Airport, KVAY, down to Farmville Regional Airport, KFVX, in Farmville, VA.  My dad and step-mom would be able to meet us there and visit with us over lunch.  After that, we would take a short hop over to Lynchburg Regional Airport, KLYH, in Lynchburg, VA.  A trip that we have made many times before.
     Friday morning came looking bright and brilliant.  On our way to the airport I called for a standard briefing and everything looked great.  With full tanks from the day before, we had 84 gallons of fuel which would be more than enough to get us down to VA and back.  A thorough pre-flight and a short time to load up the luggage and all the gifts for the youngest daughter and we were ready to go.  After a quick call to my dad to let him know we were coming, we started up and taxied out to runway 8.  926GZ jumped right off the runway with just Lynn and I, some luggage and full fuel and away we went.  I quickly called to McGuire for flight following who proceeded to switch me to Philadelphia approach.  The sky looked clear as we headed south with the city of Philadelphia off our right.

     As we moved south, I could see some clouds starting to appear below us.  A quick check on Easton weather showed there was a solid layer around 6000' and things still looked good down in Farmville and Lynchburg.  The flight was uneventful and full of sights.  Lynn enjoyed her reading, while I monitored all the instruments and kept a careful watch. 

     Airspeed began to increase as we flew further south.  The clouds began to break a little and more and more parts of the ground came into view.  By the time we got down to Pautuxent, we could actually see the airport and prepared to turn towards the south west.  Now I knew that the wind would be less favorable and the clouds seemed to be rising a little.  It wouldn't be long before we began to climb to try to stay on top.  By the time I reached 7,400' we were still watching clouds go by.  Further west, the clouds began to break up a little and I made the decision to drop down below the clouds.  A quick call to ATC and we began our descent.  Once below the clouds the air was clear but oh so bumpy.  Lynn was really good in holding on to her book, while I slowly descended into Farmville.

    Winds seemed to be changing a little as I made the decision to swing in for base for Runway 21.  As we made our approach to 21 I saw the windsock out of my eye and realized that we were drifting in with a slight quartering tailwind.  Well, with 4500' of runway, we had plenty of room to just ride the drift until 926GZ settled down and we sweetly rolled off onto the taxiway.  Dad and Susan were waiting at the terminal and in no time we were sitting down at Charlie's for lunch.  Lunch was wonderful and then we prepped to take the short trip over to Lynchburg.  As we launched off runway 3, we turned west and I realized we were in for a bumpy ride over to KLYH.  Staying at 2,500' we bumped along until Lynchburg Tower gave us a left base to runway 22.  Crossing over the Liberty Mountain and turning left base over the campus of Liberty University was just a spectacular view.  With 7,100' of runway we had plenty of room to settle down and roll off the taxiway and over to Freedom Aviation.  Arrived in Lynchburg with a stop in Farmville in just 2.5 hours of flying time.  Another great trip and looking forward to a great weekend with my daughter and my mom.

1. 

The Calm Before the Storm!

Well, as I sit here and write this blog, the weather channel is reporting the Winter Storm that is making it's way into the North East.  Yesterday was just a beautiful day and I had the opportunity to take some time and take 926GZ for a little ride.  It had been almost two months since my last flight in her and the butterflies were floating as I uncovered by baby.  Recently fitted with a new Sky Tech starter and Concord battery and the CHT gauge fixed there was a lot of new to experience.  Sitting in the Left Seat I was ready for some time.  The new starter makes just an amazing difference in the start of 926GZ.  She fired right up and within a few minutes were were ready to take the active.  Not a lot going on at South Jersey (KVAY) so it was easy to complete 4 nice take offs and landings.  The air was smooth and she just jumped right off the runway.  A little trip to the north allowed me to check the VOR's and make a nice turn back to come in on the 45 for one final landing.  It was amazing how much she just wanted to stay up in the air.  As I floated down the 3000' runway and taxied off I could see how much I enjoyed that ability and privilege of being a Private Pilot.  This year I've begun my studies to go for my Commercial Pilot's license.  Not that I want to fly commercially, but it forces me to learn some more.  This all works to just make me a better Pilot and that's what it is all about.  Well, that's all for now.  Have fun and fly safe everyone.

Do You Think Automobile Driver's Should Be Current?

So, it's been a month since last I flew.  That's right, our trip to Lynchburg, VA for Thanks Giving.  Weather, work and more weather just kept interfering with my flying opportunities.  Well, today that all changed.  Church at 9:00 am offered us an early start, but the light snow on the ground was a total surprise.  By the time church was over, the snow was gone for the most part, so home for a nice breakfast with the wife and daughter and then over to the airport.  I had to reintroduce myself to N926GZ since she felt like I had abandoned her.  Wasn't long before we had everything checked out and ready to go.  Couldn't find anyone to go with me today, so it was a solo kind of day.  The plan was to do a couple in the pattern, just to brush off the rust, and then take a quick trip down to Woodbine, KOBI, to check out the campground and trailer and another landing and takeoff.  Then back to South Jersey, KVAY, for a home sweet home landing. 
     Unlike auto drivers, there is something to be said for keeping current when it comes to Pilots.  Touch and Perception as well as a good knowledge of our planes is always important.  So, after the start and run up we were ready for a couple take offs and landings.  The wind was blowing just a little but right down the runway and 926GZ jumped off the runway with wonderful energy on a nice winter day.  As I set up for final, we crossed the numbers and gently floated to the runway.  A second take off was just like the first and I turned towards the south east for Woodbine.  2,500' was a little bumpy and the layer of haze was present which was a little disappointing.  It didn't take long to locate Woodbine and the sky was empty as I dropped down to 1,200'.  Just a little south east of the airport is Pine Haven Camping Resort, the summer retreat for the Stow family.  At 1000' I had a great view of all below and could clearly see our trailer covered up for the winter months.  Everything looked so peaceful but lonely as I circled above our trailer.  After one slow pass, I set up for a direct final to Runway 31 at Woodbine.  A group of guys hanging at the airport all watched as a floated long down the runway and spared the breaks by using the full distance offered.  A couple quick buttons pushed on the Garmin 530 and I was all set for the track back home.
     There was a little bit of a head wind on the way home, but up at 3000' the air was smooth.  I drifted back down 10 miles from South Jersey and crossed over the airport at 2,000' and set up for the 45 for Runway 26.  Downwind to base and then to final and before you knew it, I was floating down onto the runway.  Another day of flying and more memories in the book.  Every chance I have to lift up to the clouds I thank God for the chance to live a dream that only a few in this world know.  Well, until the next time,  "Smooth Travels and Be Safe" my friends.

Thanks Giving Flight Home

So, we delayed our return home for a day due to the forecasts for high winds on Saturday.  We had built an extra day into our travel plans anyway and with the winds at home fore casted at 15-25 with gusts of 30, we decided we would extend our visit until Sunday.  I am the ultimate conservative especially when it comes to my flying.  It's probably the reason that I'm still taking trips like this and filing a VFR flight plan instead of an IFR flight plan.  I know, I know, I just have to get over it and utilized the system.  It's coming slowly.  Anyway, the extra day gave us a chance to drive into Roanoke with Dawn to see her classroom  The ride in was a beautiful ride with the mountains of Virginia on both sides of us.  Just awesome to see.

 

As we arrived in Roanoke, you couldn't help but notice this beautiful city tucked in the mountains.  I remember flying Dawn here for here job interview and as we came over the mountains at 5500', there was the city tucked in the valley below us.  Just spectacular to see.

 

Dawn's class room looked so nice.  We are so proud of both of our girls.  They both finished college and have taken jobs teaching and making a difference in the lives of young people.  Dawn's student are very special young people and need a lot of encouragement, discipline and understanding.



 

It didn't take Lynn long to get busy cleaning and decorating the room.  You just can't keep a good woman down.  Before long the room was clean and decorated, ready for the children on Monday.

 

We spent the rest of the day driving around and looking for some possible housing opportunities in the Roanoke area.  Although the town house in Lynchburg is wonderful, it leaves Dawn with a 1 hour and 10 minute drive each way to work.  She is fortunate to have two other ladies that share the ride with her and rotate the responsibility.  There have been many good friends that Dawn has made during here time in Virginia.

 

After looking at some areas and a nice lunch, it was time for the drive home.  Up on the hill was a beautiful site of a new church that's been built just outside of the Roanoke city limits. 

 

I filed both VFR and IFR for the flight home on Sunday.  Our plan's were to head out around 10:00 am and be home some where's around 12:30 or 1:00 PM.  With an early start, we were at the airport by 9:30 am and took care of our gas bill, did the pre-flight for the plane and load and started for the ride home.  VFR conditions on the way home, kept me on the VFR path.  After a little warm up and a good mag check we were cleared for departure on Runway 22.  Winds were variable and 926GZ took flight about 1/3 the way down the 6500' runway.  I decided to level off at 5500' and we moved along nicely with a good tailwind at 145 knots.  There were times when I looked down and saw the 530 reading 149 knots.  Not too back for my nice little Cherokee 235. 

 

As we said goodbye to the mountains we cautiously watch a layer of clouds above us at about 7500'.  This layer stayed right there all the way home.  Over Pautuxent the turbulence was light and I continued to watch for unpredicted situations.  A layer of few clouds over Dover turned into broken over the Delaware and the winds had picked up a little to 260 at 10 with gusts to 19.  As we slipped over the Delaware I decided to make a nice slow descent down to 3500' through a nice opening in the clouds.  Philly approach cleared us to South Jersey and we communicated with a Cessna departing South Jersey to the south as we headed north.  With no one in the pattern it was a very easy ride into downwind from crosswind for 26 at South Jersey.  After a nice easy base to final turn, we floated gently down to the runway and declared another wonderful flight home.  Thinking about it,  realized that we just spent a holiday weekend making a 12 - 15 hour driving trip in a 4 hour flight.  This makes all the training so worth wild.  Til the next time, enjoy your flights and stay safe!





Thanks Giving in Lynchburg

Wow, it seems like it's been forever since I have posted on here, but finally we took a trip.  After all, when your daughter and mother move away to Lynchburg, VA, what else do you do for the Holiday's but travel.   We watched the weather all week and it went from looking bad to looking great.  Tuesday I stopped over and check 926GZ all out and had fuel delivered.  Since we were traveling with our oldest daughter, Danelle, I did my weights and balance calculations to give us as much fuel as I could without over loading.  Wednesday we were all packed and loaded by 12:00 noon.  After receiving a Standard Briefing everything was a go.  By 12:30 we were rolling down Runway 8 and lifting off into the clear blue sky.  McGuire gave us flight following for just a few minutes and then handed us off to Philly.  Philly approach was soo busy that they put us on hold.  As we traveled south, it became more and more apparent that they was no way Philly Approach was going to be able to help us.  We had commercial flights all around us as we continued our path south across the Delaware Bay and towards Dover.  By the time we reached Dover, we were able to pick up flight following with Dover Approach. 

As we flew over Dover, we could see some military aircraft working below us.  It was quite a sight. The air was smooth at 6500' and with a little tail wind we moved along nicely at about 139 knots.   A couple of freq. changes and we were soon coming up on Patuxent Air Force Base we made our turn to the west and headed towards Lynchburg.  Just over one hour in the air and we had one hour to go.  As we turned towards the west, we couldn't help notice how beautiful the Chesapeake Bay and the marina's looked below us.  Danelle got this wonderful picture with her I phone.

The turn towards the West slowed us just a little, but not much.  As we crossed over I-95 I couldn't help thinking how if we were driving we wouldn't even be to Baltimore yet.  The closer we got to the mountains, the more I noticed the thickening of the layer of haze below us.  Still able to see the ground, we could tell that there was temperature difference going on as we moved further inland.  About 30 miles out, I began and slow gentle descent into Lynchburg.  May have started a little early, but I was a little concerned about the layer of haze.  Of course about 10 miles out and at 2,500' we began to feel the mountain effect.  Still the haze began to clear and everything looked beautiful below.  Roanoke Approach switched us over to Lynchburg Tower which asked us to report midfield downwind for Runway 4.  I moved a little lower and prepared for the pattern.

Liberty University peeked just over the mountain as we prepared for our entry into the pattern and before you know it we were pattern level and midfield.  I reported the same to Lynchburg Tower which cleared us for Runway 4.  A nice gentle descent and turn to Runway 4 and we touched down just beyond the strips.  After being handed off to ground we departed the runway and rolled over to Falwell Aviation.  Just a little over 2 hours and we had made the 360 mile trip from South Jersey Airport to Lynchburg Regional.  We were ready for Dawn to pick us up and head to the town home for a wonderful Thanks Giving.  We all have so much to be Thankful for and at this special time of the year I pray that each of you that reads this takes time to REMEMBER what God has blessed you with.  Enjoy the day, enjoy your family, but don't forget to REMEMBER.  HAPPY THANKS GIVING!

Approaches and Practice

Well, I finally got the chance to go up and do some practice approaches.  My fellow pilot friend, Don Berliner, called me and offered his assistance to fly late Wednesday afternoon.  The weather looked great and since I was anxious to get up, we set a time and met at South Jersey Airport, (KVAY) at 6:00 PM.  The plan was to depart and contact MaGuire Approach and do the ILS 6 at Robert Miller, KMJX.  Then go missed and return to Coyle VOR to set up the VOR 29 into Trenton-Robbinsville, N87.  We would go missed again and back to the Robbinsville VOR to set up doing the RNAV 26 back into South Jersey Airport, KVAY.  This should be a good work out and a flight that I have done before.
     After pre-flight, we boarded and headed out to Runway 26.  After a nice departure I contacted MaGuire with my requests.  MaGuire was having a really busy night, so even though we had them on the radio we were pretty much on our own.  After stabilizing at 2200', I set up the procedures for the ILS, tuned in the appropraite radio frequencies for the Maguire VOR, Coyle VOR and also the ILS.  Couldn't get the Atis to work at Robert Miller, so we used the alternate of MaGuire altimeter setting and increase 60'.  As I approached the ILS, I turned inbound but could get the glide slope to come alive.  OH, need to switch the GPS to LOC.  That worked and the glide slope came alive showing me a little high.  Pulled the power a little and did my GUMPS as we prepared to intersect THOMS.  McGuire approved me for the frequencies change and to report on the miss and down we went.  As we reached decision height I began to set up for the missed and climbed to 600' before beginning a turn back to coyle.  With MaGuire back on, I started my set up for Robbinsville.
     Don wanted to see the autopilot approach, so I stabilized the plane on the heading bug and cleared the present flight plan and entered Trenton-Robbinsville and then the VOR approach.  Once set up, I click the GPS setting and began the turn towards Robbinsville VOR with a call to MaGuire.  We were advised of the Restricted area and remained clear of it to the east.  As we approached the hold, the GPS slipped us into a nice turn and I began the set up for the inbound.  Radios set, speed set, all go as we turned inbound.  At Robbinsville VOR we began our descent and MaGuire again cleared us for the frequency change. The sun was right in our eyes as we descended toward the 620' decision height.  I never did see the runway, although Don told me we were directly over it when we began our missed approach.  A climbing right turn to 1700' and we were on our way back to Robbinsville.  Two down and one to go.
     The RNAV 26 is a new approach which is exciting to fly with my 530WAAS gps.  A few pushes of the buttons and we were set to go.  Don had all the work since this approach takes us right over the end of Flying W.  A few turns and we were on final to 26 at South Jersey.  A nice touch down and easy roll to the ramp and a good nights practice came to an end.
     Still wanting to get up in some actual, but at least I'm staying current and still flying the plane.  Til next time, fly safe and have fun!

Roanoke, VA

     My youngest daughter got a call to do an interview at one of her student teaching schools.  Rivermont School is a disciplinary school in the heart of Roanoke, Virginia.  So, we began our plans for flying to Roanoke on Wednesday, July 10th.  Now, I've never flown into Roanoke, but it just happens to be one of those examples used all the time when they are trying to teach you the pitfalls of fly IFR and not paying attention.  GREAT!  The weather kept going back and forth from IFR to VFR to possible IFR.  Finally on Tuesday we made the decision we could go.  I filed a VFR flight plan down and back just to be safe.  Wednesday morning came and things looked pretty good.  Some stratus clouds at 4000 wouldn't be a problem especially if we flew down at 6500'.  Light showers were reported down near Patuxent, but they would probably move out by the time we got down there.  Scattered Thunderstorms were posted for the PM in the Roanoke area, so if we could just get out of Roanoke, we would probably be okay.  I had gone over on Tuesday and prepped 926GZ and all was ready.

     Wednesday morning we headed to the airport and I called for a Standard Briefing.  It's been a little while since I've flown so I hoped it wouldn't take too much time to brush the dust off.  By 10 am we were on our way climbing to 6500' with flight following.  The air was smooth and scattered clouds below us.  A little bit of a tail wind pushed us along at 137 knots ground speed. Wasn't too long before we could see the mountains through the haze.  Now Roanoke is situation down in the valley between the mountains.  Roanoke approach vectored us right in over the mountains and into a downwind for runway 4, even though the atis said they were using runway 34.  Anyway, since I was a little high I did a long pattern in and dropped down on the runway.  Roanoke was very friendly and helpful as was the FBO Landmark Aviation.  Fuel was a little expensive at $7.10 a gallon so I just had them put in 10 gallons.  This would be plenty since I had filled the tips at South Jersey, VAY.  The FBO even had a crew car for us which was a new Toyota corolla.  The car cost us $25.00 because we had it more than 2 hours, but still cheaper than a rental car. 

    Dawn and I did lunch with a friend of hers who had driven to Roanoke from Lynchburg to meet us and then it was off to the interview.  Dawn feels the interview went well, but now we wait to hear.  By 4:00 PM we were heading back to the airport with some dark clouds looming to the south.  After finishing up with the FBO, I called for a briefing and was told the same.  Once past the Lynchburg area, we would be okay on the way home, just a little headwind now.  We loaded up and got our clearance and off we went on runway 4.  Maintaining a heading of 55 until 4500 feet was the last thing I was told and as we split the valley between two mountains, I could see why.  WOW, you could almost reach out an touch the tops.  We climbed to 7,500' for the ride home which was fine except for a short time when I climbed to 8400 for some build ups.  Smooth ride home except for a problem with the talk switch on my side of the yoke.  After some time I realized that if I switch head gear positions with Dawn, I could talk to AC using her yoke switch.  As we approached Philadelphia, we were handed off to Philly Approach.  Since it was about 7 pm now, Philly was really busy and it wasn't too long before I felt like I was in the way.  About 15 miles from South Jersey I requested descent and they moved me east to get out of their routes and we headed down.  Winds were calm down low as we circled for a 45 entry to downwind for runway 8.  Base to final and we glided down the runway to the far end where our tie down is located.  Total flight time was about 5.5 hours with 2.5 hours down and 3 hours home.  All in all a great day of flying and now just hoping for a call back for Dawn.  Until next time, be safe and live life to it's fullest.

Boston Bound

A good friend of mine has been searching for a new plane.  He's been looking at the Cessna 182 and after taking him to Norfolk, VA about a month ago, he finally decided to purchase a 1968 Cessna 182 up in Boston, MA at Laurence Hanson Airport.  After completing all of his paperwork it was time for us to fly up to Boston to pick up his plane.  So a couple of Friday's ago we found the time and the weather appropriate to fly.  Dom, the buyer, and Steve, his CFI, and myself boarded 926GZ around 10 am for departure.  There was a fairly nice tailwind for the ride up and a layer of partly cloudy skies at around 5500.  My idea was to climb to 7500' with flight following and fly direct over the New York Class Bravo to Hanson.  The estimated flight time was about 2 hours. 
     We lifted off and after avoiding a couple of big puffy clouds, climbed to 7500 and had flight following with MaGuire Approach who then handed us off to New York Approach.  The flight was a nice gentle flight with only a little climb to stay out of the clouds as we crossed the bay.  Hanson is a large former Air Force base that now serves as a hub for some major corporate jet centers.  We were fourth in line for landing as we contacted Hanson tower.  A really nice private jet was in front of us.  With a little crosswind landing, we touched down nicely and rolled off the runway onto the intersecting runway and over the to the Jet Center.  The guys were really nice to put me in a wonderful spot that really showed off N926GZ!

Yea, that me right behind that big beautiful private jet.  I sure hope he doesn't decide to take her out for a test run.  Anyway, after fueling up a little, ($7.75 a gallon), we sat at the FBO waiting for the arrival of the seller.  The nice thing about an airport like this is there is always something going on.  Take for instance the P-52 that took off being escorted by an F-16.  Now that was a sight to see.  Man, those guys could fly.  Anyway, it wasn't long before the seller showed up and took us around to the private hangers where his plane was waiting.  The plane had new paint, new interior and a five year old engine that had just 17 hours of time.  Nice!  Well after a very very through checkout, Dom and Steve took her up for a little test flight.  I guess they were satisfied because it wasn't long before they were back on the ground and Dom was signing the papers and handing the guy a check.  New plane for Dom!  Way to go!

The ride home was going to be a lonely one for me.  Although I kept in touch with Steve and Dom on the radio, they had departed a few minutes before me.  Well, it gave me a chance to fly solo for a little while.  After going through my checks, we got the ATIS and started up by contacting ground.  A little confusion on the taxi ways on the way out, but soon I was ready for departure and climbing to 8500" for the ride home.  Bradley Approach picked me up for flight following and away we sailed.  A thick layer of clouds below me at 7500' really kept me on my toes.  Not much site seeing on the way home.

Somewhere over West Chester, New York I had a first time experience.  Seems a Bonanza east bound for Boston from Teaneck was at 7000' and was having engine trouble.  I heard him contact NY ATC and ask for vectors to the closest airport.  NY was sending him to West Chester which was about 10 miles away.  The pilot was very calm and collected, but a few minutes later I heard him tell ATC that they were at 4,000' and still didn't have the airport.  ATC told him they were only about 5 miles away, but shortly after that I heard him come on and tell ATC that they weren't going to make the airport and were putting the plane down in a grass strip next to a road.  WOW!  ATC lost radar contact and another pilot asked if ATC wanted him to make a pass to see what was going on.  It was just then when ATC changed me to another controller.  WAIT, What happened??  I had to find an app on my Ipad that night for ABC NY news to find out that they two guys walked away from the plane after landing on the lawn of an IBM plant.  Thank God and good ending.
     The rest of the flight was uneventful and by the time I got to Trenton, the skies cleared and I descended to South Jersey and caught up with Dom and Steve.  Another great day, four hours and an experience to put in my book.  I love this flying stuff!  Till next time, fly safe and live life to the most!

The Ipad & WX Weather

So if you're like me, you've gone out and bought an Ipad.  I actually think it's a great Pilot resource.  My main reason was the new apps that were coming out giving you all the information and maps you could possibly need.  My app was Foreflight and it wasn't long before I stopped buying charts all together.  The free trial to Foreflight sold me on something that was just awesome.  I know, I've heard all the arguments of paper charts.  I even had one get sucked out the door while in training and flying solo.  A lot of good that paper chart did me.  Anyway, since the FAA has approved EFB's for Part 91, why not take advantage of the technology.  It's not like you can't find the ground?  The more I used my Foreflight and my Ipad the more I loved it.  Then Foreflight came out with GPS capability with a little device called the "Bad Elf".  Another great investment for just $75.00.  It pays to shop around!  This tiny little plug in brings my Ipad to life and I've had the opportunity to match it against more expensive plug in GPS units and it performed just as well as the big guys.  You got to love that!

So, after using my Ipad for about a year it was time for my IFR check ride.  I showed up that day with my flight plan, a paper chart and my Ipad.  As we progress through the ground check, I could tell this was going to be an interesting test of my Ipad use.  My CFII was very thorough and old school.  At one point he asked me if the use of the Ipad was legal.  We walked out to a local computer and after going on the AOPA site I searched EFB and sure enough the FAA circular authorizing the use of EFB's came up.  He jotted down the number and we headed to the plane.  In the air I was lucky enough to have my Garmin 530W and my Ipad.  But more importantly was the knowledge that I had of how to use those two instruments.  I think that's the key guys!  Know what you have and know how to use it.  This is what keeps us straight and safe!
    Well, now Foreflight has come up with a team effort with Baron to provide weather on your Ipad.  I took advantage of the promotional offer and bought the system this past December, but I hadn't had the chance to use it yet.  The Baron product offers two units.  One is an XM weather receiver and the other is a WiFi transformer that broadcasts a signal to your Ipad.  This past Easter I finally had the chance to try it for myself.  You also need a subscription to XM weather.  Here's where the expense come in.  XM offers three packages, Aviator lite, Aviator and Aviator Pro.  You need to check this out and see which package suits you.  I found out that they were offering a deal on the Aviator that buy purchasing it for a year I saved enough to make it just as affordable as the Aviator Lite package.  Next step was setting it up in the plane.  For now, I just plugged the unit into my lighter plug and set it behind my passenger seat.  Later, I'm going to do something different, but I wanted to make sure this thing worked to my satisfaction.  The weather receiver plugs into the WiFi transformer which supplies power to the weather receiver so you only need one plug in.  Wala, I had weather.  I also had metars, Terminal Forecasts, winds aloft and all the choices on the map of getting cloud cover, flight rules, winds, even fuel prices.  WOW!

I did find on the way down to Lynchburg that antenna placement is important.  At first I just wasn't getting a good signal.  There is a way to go into your foreflight and even check your signal strength and satellite reception.  After moving the Weather antenna around a little, I found on the front dash was the best location and they give you plenty of antenna wire to run the thing from one end of the plane to another.  Our flight for the weekend took us to Lynchburg, VA which is a two hour flight in my plane.  All the way down and back I had great reception and was able to switch back and forth from local airport metars and forecasts to winds and even TFR's.  A great relief from guessing and switching radio frequencies to see whats going on.  All in all, I am very happy with the system that I have now.  I know that Foreflight has now teamed up with Sporties to put together another system called, Stratus ADS-B weather.  This system uses the free ADS-B provided by the FAA and a battery operated unit.  It comes out later this month and is subscription free.  My only thought here is that I hope XM weather subscriptions come down when people start making a jump.  Anyway, we will see and for now, my unit is working just fine.  Thanks for checking in and fly safe!

Gusty Winds bring us home from Lynchburg

Well, as a typical pilot, I watch he weather constantly, especially when we're away on a trip.  Saturday night the concern for winds started showing its ugly face.  Sunday things didn't change much except for a little window in the morning.  Talk to the wife, who is really good about changing plans when we fly, and we decide to wake up early Monday morning and head to the airport.  It was a great weekend in Lynchburg with our daughter.  Friday we drove around and shopped ending with dinner at Vinnie's.  Saturday we house shopped for a possible purchase if our daughter finds a job opportunity and decides to stay in Lynchburg, VA.  Sunday was church at Thomas Roads Baptist Church for Easter with Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr.  What a terrific service and experience.  Simply awesome to say the least.

Sunday afternoon we checked out a couple more homes and then back to the apartment for a nice walk before having Easter Dinner with our daughter.  Fantastic day that even included deicing an air conditioning unit.  What are dad's for?
     Monday morning early we woke and showered and by 7:30 AM we were on our way to the airport.  Not exactly what I wanted to do, but I'm always siding on safety.  We said our goodbyes and I completed our pre-flight before contacting Lynchburg ground.  Winds were variable and runway 22 was in use.  Before long we were down the runway, in the air and heading northeast for 5,500".  The ride was not without some light turbulence and a tailwind that pushed us along at 145 to 150 knots.  Not bad for my little Cherokee 235.  We were over Pautuxet in an hour and made our turn to the North for South Jersey.  The tail wind became a quartering cross wind, but we were still able to average about 130 knots.  Hazy conditions prevailed on the way down and on the way back but I was able to manage a couple of nice pictures as we came back over the western shore of Maryland from the Chesapeake Bay.  I think I see my future home down there somewhere.  Yea, I wish!

Flight following all the way home is the only way to go.  If you're a pilot and you travel VFR or IFR, you should be talking to these guys, they are the best.  I enjoy having the protection and the company in the cockpit.  Dover switched us to Philadelphia Approach and this is where the fun begins.  About 15 miles from South Jersey we began our descent.  The wind was rocking us around, but nothing that I couldn't handle. Philadelphia released us and we were the only ones in the sky.  Probably a pretty good reason for this.  As we entered the pattern for South Jersey we were really being bounced around.  I had seen the reports for wind shear so I was really anxious about that.  Since we were the only ones in the air, I told Lynn we were going to make a nice long base to final turn and a long final into the airport.  As we started final at about 800' we slowly descended with just 2 notch's of flaps.  The wind was really howling and I was working hard to keep it stable.  Finally over the runway, a little up and down and a little power on and off and then a real nice settle to the runway.  WOW, that was fun!  NOT!  It's a times like this that I really appreciate my instructor, Durand Branch, and all the work that we did flying in winds and crosswinds.  Once on the ground it was time to taxi with wind awareness the whole time.  We were finally at the tie down and after turning off the avionics's, we pulled the mixture.  10:00 am gave us another 2 hour flight home from Lynchburg, VA.  Not bad, not bad at all.  I wonder what the traffic is like on I-95 around Washington, DC right now.  Until next time, fly safe and enjoy life.