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.

Gotta Love a Tail Wind

So my oldest daughter, Danelle, is heading to Arizona for the week. My mom is home from Florida and is available to watch the dog. Sounds like it's a great opportunity to fly away some where. Well, since my youngest daughter, Dawn, is in Lynchburg by herself, we decided to fly to Lynchburg, VA for Easter. Watched the weather all week and it looks good. Stopped by South Jersey Airport, KVAY, and checked on N926GZ and had the wing tips filled. That gives me 84 gallons of fuel which should be more than enough to make it all the way to Lynchburg Regional Airport, KLYH, and back. Friday morning the briefer gave us clear skies all the way to Lynchburg and by 9:00 am we were at the airport loading up the plane. I even had time to hook up my newest addition, my Baron WX weather receiver and wifi device to give my iPad weather reception and more. By 9:45 am we were wheels up and heading to the south with flight following. After a short delay due to incoming traffic to Philadelphia International, we were cleared to 6500'. Along we flew in smooth air and at 155 knots ground speed. You gotta love a tail wind! After a short turn to the south west at Pautuxet, we were inbound to Lynchburg. The air was still smooth, although a little hazy as we approached the blue ridge. Still enjoyed seeing those mountains come into site. About 15 miles out we began a nice 500' per minute descent to pattern altitude. The air was a little bumpy as we entered the pattern and prepared for final. A nice 16 mph wind at 30 made for a nice easy landing on runway 04 at Lynchburg. As we taxied off towards Falwell Aviation, I suddenly realized that it was just 11:45 am. We made it to Lynchburg in just 2 hours! wOW!! By the way,if you ever want a nice weekend away, Falwell Aviation is the FBO of Liberty University and will take great care of you and your plane. My daughter, Dawn, was waiting for us at the airport and after a short visit with David Young, the Dean of the Aviation School at Liberty, we were off with our daughter for a great Easter weekend. The moon is full as we sit here in our daughters apartment. Just thinking about what the benefits of general aviation offer us brings a smile to my face! Have a great Easter my friends! Safe travels and great memories!

Hampton Roads, VA Trip

Dom is a good friend of mine and I actually learned to fly in his 172 at Crewdawg Aviation.  But due to an unfortunate landing, Dom's plane has been totaled and now he's looking for a new plane and considering a Cessna 182.  So we've been trying to plan a trip to Virginia Beach to check out a possible purchase.  Finally, Friday, March 30th looks good so we plan our departure for 9:30 AM.  Another check of the weather says everything looks good.  A call to the briefer again confirms that things are suppose to be okay all the way down and back.  Our plans were to fly down possibly with a nice tail wind, check out the plane, have lunch and then fly home with a possible tail wind.  Always a pilots dream.  Never do dreams go completely the way you like them to.

   Friday morning and all is good to go.  By 9:30 we are wheels up in N926GZ and talking to Maguire for flight following.  Up to 4500' feet and it seems like the tail wind is there.  After a hand off from Maguire to Atlantic City to Dover and then Pautuxet we begin to seem some clouds and the ground speed slows a little.  The high over West Virginia has moved a little faster than expected to the east and we are now experiencing a head wind.  Over the Chesapeake the ground speed slows even more to allow us about 105 knots, but it's still a beautiful ride.

Well, we approach Norfolk and the sites are fantastic.  Langley Air Force Base is to our west and we fly right over Norfolk Naval Base.  Since we were cleared down to 2500' we have a real good view of the sites.  With Hampton Roads (KVBG) just a short 10 miles away we clear the Norfolk airspace and begin our decent down to patten altitude.  Our arrival is smooth and scenic.  Hampton Roads is a really beautiful airport with all the accommodations that a Pilot would want.  Hanger space is available for $275.00 a month.  Can you believe it!  Really worth the trip.

Dom hooks up with the guy selling the Cessna 182 and we walk out to the hanger to check out the plane.  Its a 1972 Cessna with nice paint and interior but very little in the way of avionics.  Dom even takes a ride in the plane at my encouragement and really enjoys the power and lift that the 182 offers.  Of course it's not as nice as a Piper Cherokee 235, but that's a discussion for another day, right!  Any way, its such a nice day it's worth the time to take the ride.  After some discussion with the owner, who is also a salesman, Dom's offer and the Owner's concession is about $6,000.00 apart.  Well, there are plenty of planes out there and it's a buyers market so it must be time for lunch.  A nice little restaurant at the FBO gives us a chance at their turkey special.  Sure I would have much rather had craps and shrimp, but I wasn't buying so we make the most of it.  By now the clouds have moved in and I can tell it's going to be an interesting ride home.  After a quick fill up we taxi out for a back taxi on Rwy 10 and immediate departure.  As I climb up out of pattern altitude I contact Norfolk Approach for clearance into the Class Charlie.  We settle in at 5500' and receive our clearance and we're on our way home.  As we approach the Chesapeake Bay the layer below us becomes solid and the clouds above us at 10000' put us in the middle.  What a sight to see.

We continue our ride home with a nice tailwind.  I love flying along in smooth air with 140 knot ground speed.  Dom and I talk about the aircraft that we just saw and the autopilot with altitude hold and the GPS take us for the ride.  Over the mainland the clouds break a little and we experience a beautiful site and as stratus clouds separate to show us the Delmarva Peninsula below.  Just an awesome site from 5500".

Of course the ride home continues as usual except for a series of showers just below Salisbury.  I think Dom was a little concerned when the visibility dropped down to about 1 mile in showers, but the layer of clouds above us stayed at about 8000' and the plane needed a bath anyway.  As we cleared the Delaware Bay we could see the edge of the front and the shadow of the line on the surface of the ground.  Over Millville, we began a nice slow descent and by the time we were at South Jersey we were handed off by Philadelphia Approach and set up for a nice crosswind entry for Runway 26.  Back on the ground at 4:30 PM.  What a great day.  Although Dom didn't find his new dream craft, we still had a wonderful day and who can complain about going from Medford, NJ to Norfolk, VA and back in 7 hours.  Got to love it!

Lynchburg and a New Tip Tank

Wow, it seems likes it's been so long since I last flew the plane.  So, when my youngest daughter, Dawn, tells me that she wants me to come get her for Spring Break, who can resist.  Only problem is my right tip tank has had some major cosmetic issues since I bought the plane and my mechanic, Bob at Crewdawg Aviation has finally taken it off and given it to a fellow who does unbelieveable fiberglass work.  Wednesday the tip tank arrives, but Bob is deeply rooted in working on an Archer that is having an electrical problem.  Thursday comes and goes and nothing gets done.  Friday the weather is looking great for Saturday, but Bob is still working on the Archer.  6:30 PM on Friday night and still N926GZ is sitting outside.  I go back over at 9:00 PM and Bob and Pat have the tip tank on and they are aligning it.  By 11:00 PM the trip is on and I head home to get some rest.  Bob is there until 2:00 AM to connect the fuel lines and change a tire that he is not happy with.  NOW that's a mechanic that every Pilot wants.  The results are fantastic.

They even painted the tip temporarily with a can of spray paint that Bob had that matched beautifully.  Finish paint job will come later.
     So, 11:00 AM Saturday, my brother and I are off the ground and flying for Lynchburg, VA.  A little windy down low, but when we hit 6500' the air is smooth as silk and the tail wind pushes us along at 145 knots.  Not bad for a 235.  We sail over Patuxent and head west for Lynchburg.  About 22 miles out I begin our descent and prep for landing.  Lynchburg is using Runway 4 and I gently bring her down on the numbers and taxi over to Falwell Aviation.  Now I get the picture of a life time when 926GZ goes one on one with the big boys.   "GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY".

    Well, after a nice lunch with Dawn, we load up and prep for departure.  The winds aloft don't favor us on the way home, but once again the air is smooth at 7500'.  Somewhere just below Washington, DC we loose the jeppesen card on the 530W.  So it's flying VOR's on the way home.  After turning north from Patuxent, we ask to move to 5500'.  Not much different, but at least our ground speed was in the 3 digits again.  Over the Delaware Bay we begin our descent down for South Jersey Airport.  A nice turn and we were on the 45 for runway 8.  A nice landing on runway 8 takes us right back to Crewdawg Aviation.  Five hours of flying, down to Lynchburg, VA and back!  All in all it was a fantastic day to be a Pilot!  Safe flying everyone!!

Flight of Life's Adventures

Greetings Friends! As I write this I'm sitting in a waiting room while my wife, Lynn, has a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer! The longer I fly the more I realize how much life and flying are alike. We train and practice and train some more. Eventually we are given a Pilot's license and aloud to go off on our own. We try to learn all the ins and outs of the ride that we are taking and most of the time we fly VFR. It's an on going process of learning, growing, practicing and learning some more. Every once in a while we wind up in IMC and we seem to handle it some how. Our experiences help us grow and we keep on flying. Then along the way we gain even more training we find our selves in IFR. The more we fly the more confidence we gain and really start to believe that we are completely in control. Sometimes we fly along with the auto pilot and just enjoy the ride. Other times we hand fly it buy the seat of our pants and even get a little dare devil and try something different. Then just when we think we have this flying thing down to a science we find ourselves one day deep in the soup and suddenly things start to go wrong. Many times it is completely out of our control and we have to remember those most important words of my flight instructor Durand, "Just Fly the Plane". I remember flying for the first time in actual IFR with Durand. We were doing the GPS into N87 and upon going missed, we were suppose to head back to the Robbinsville VOR and then do the VOR 26 back into South Jersey, KVAY. The problem I didn't realize is that on the GPS approach the missed approach is not the Robbinsville VOR. After going missed and thinking all was good, Durand questioned me about not going back to Robbinsville! I couldn't answer him. I started looking and scanning the instruments and then Maguire Approach started asking me to change frequencies and the plane started going up, so I adjusted. Then we started going down and I couldn't find the track to the VOR. Suddenly Durand looked over and saw the sweet coming down my fore head and said, "how about I take the plane"! I was never more flustered and more greatful to have my CFII in the plane. He had to take the plane all the way back to the airport. That's when I realized the one difference between my flying and my life! In my flying I don 't always have my CFII in the cock pit with me, but in my life that's different. Over the past two months, I've come to trust more and more my ultimate CFII. I've known him for a long time and we talk often. My relationship with him is strong and I have the utmost confidence that He has what's best for me in everything He does. Most of the time I live my life like I fly. I believe I have it all together and thatI'm in control. Sometimes I just put it on auto pilot and enjoy the ride. Sometimes I try to fly it on my own. But every once in a while, I find myself in the soup and things start to fall apart and it's at those times when I know with total confidence that I can just let go and let God take control! It doesn't mean the ride won't be bumpy and that there may be times when I'm scared, confused, and don't understand. But when God is in control my faith has taught me that, "all things work for the good of the Lord for those who believe and those who are called according to His purpose"! By the way, Lynn is out of surgery now and is cancer free! We still have a long journey ahead of us as she recovers, but it is sure a comfort to know that I always have life's ultimate CFII with me every day and all the time!

IFR Approaches

It's Friday, December 2, 2011, a beautiful day with a little wind and it's my birthday!  An email out to the Crewdawg Flyers the night before spurred an interest from a friend and fellow pilot Don Berliner to go up and fly some approaches.  So, we meet at South Jersey Airport at 10:00 AM and by 10:30 I had N916GZ preped ad ready to go.  We took off on 26 and climbed up to 2500 as I contacted MaGuire Approach for the clearance.  The plans were to do the ILS 6 at Robert Miller, KMJX, then to the missed approach point, then over to Robbinsville, N87, for the VOR 29 approach, missed and then back to the Robbinsville VOR and finish with the new RNAV GPS 26 back at South Jersey Airport, KVAY.  McGuire approved me and gave me the sqwak and began giving me the vectors for the ILS.  After a couple of turns we were cleared to intercept the localizer and begin the approach.  I felt really good as we decended to the 282 DH.  Once there I began the missed approach climbing to 600 and then continuing a climbing right turn to 1900 and back to coyle.  After a little confusion on switching the radio to bring up MaGuire we were cleared to Robbinsville.  A little wake turbulance from a C130 and a turn to the right to avoid the active restricted R5001, we were on our way to Robbinsville for the proceedure turn.  Auto Pilot made the trip and the turn a nice smooth occurance and then we were inbound 29 and heading down to the 800 missed approach.  Again a nice climbing right turn to Robbinsville VOR and a few moments to imput the RNAV GPS for 26 into KVAY.  An interesting approach, the only concern we had was that the final brought us right off the 01 runway for Flying W, N14.  Down to 460' on the RNAV was nice and then a smooth transition to a pretty nice landing.  1.3 hours for the log book along with 3 approaches, one hold, an interception of the radial and I even found the time to check the VOR's.  All in all and great day of flying.  Until next time, fly safe!

Ocean City, MD Trip

It's a beautiful Sunday in November so what do you do?  Well, if you're a Private Pilot with a plane you take a trip.  Gary and I met on Facebook of all places.  Pilots with a passion to fly.  So, when the weekend looked great, we planned a trip to Ocean City, MD with our wives for some lunch.  The departure time was 12 noon with arrival in OC at 1:00 pm.  After some mechanical difficulties with a battery, Lynn, Danelle and myself were up in the air with 926GZ around 12:30 pm.  The sky was partly cloudy and we had no trouble rising to 5,500'.  The air was so smooth, but as we headed south the clouds went from partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to solid.  Not to worry, since I have just completed my IFR Cert. we would give it a try.

Over the Delaware Bay I contacted Dover Approach for flight following.  They handed me off to Pawtuxet Approach and I requested the Pop-up IFR to descend through the clouds.  Since we were only about 10 miles from Ocean City Municipal Airport, the cleared me direct and approved me to descent to 1700.  A nice gentle slow 500' per minute brought us down through the clouds in about 2 minutes just shy of OC Municipal.  After being cleared to change frequencies, we did a 360 to set up for the downwind for Runway 02.  Lynn got some great shots as we circle MD.

We entered the pattern and started our downwind for 02.  The views were beautiful as we turned base and then final and I nailed a beautiful landing.  It's great when your daughter comments about how nice your landing was.  Makes a Dad feel proud.

Gary and Mary along with Don and Dori were waiting for us.  After a short taxi ride to the Captains Galley we eagerly ordered lunch and began sharing stories.  Sitting by the window, enjoying the oysters on a half shell, broiled shrimp and crab bisque was just perfect.  The sky had cleared to a heavenly blue and the scene was out of this world.  After lunch we all headed back to the airport to say our goodbyes and begin our trips home.  Runway 14 was in use, which took us right out over the beach and up the coast line.  At 4500' on the way home we cruised along at 133 knots with smooth air.  By 4:30 we were on the ground safe and sound.  Another fantastic day of living the dream.

Thanks Gary and Mary and Don and Dori for sharing in a truly wonderful day in the Life of a Pilot.  Let's do it again real soon!  Fly safe and have fun!