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.

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!