To date, I've had four instrument lessons. We're generally spending about a half hour going over the material before each lesson and then spending about 1.5 hours in the plane but today we spent most of the two hours in the plane since we knew what we were going to do.
Instrument flying is necessarily more precise than VFR (Visual) flight: on an instrument flight plan, the pilot is listening to Air Traffic Control (ATC) for instructions and then following those instructions. ATC expects the plane to be at the right altitude and heading -- this is important because the primary role of ATC is to maintain separation between planes even when those planes can't see each other. So it's critical that each plane be at the right altitude and on the right course.
"Attitude Flying" is comprised of a number of instrument skills that instrument pilots need to master. Attitude flying requires flying accurate courses at specified altitudes (within 100'), making turns at specified rates and climbing and descending, on course, at particular rates and airspeeds. Since the workload in the cockpit is higher in IFR flight, the pilot can't be constantly trying to figure what settings to use for a particular course every time ATC issues a new instruction.
Fortunately, there's a good solution. When flying an airplane, the pilot "pitches" the nose of the plane up or down through the use of the yoke. He also controls the speed of the engine (and thus the power available) through the throttle. In normal conditions, a particular pitch and power setting will produce the same performance each and every time. For example, in 70L, if I use full power and pitch the nose up 10 degrees above the horizon, the plane will climb at 90 MPH and about 700 feet per minute (FPM). If I set the throttle to 2500 RPM and put the nose right on the horizon, the plane will neither climb or descend but will instead fly along at about 110 MPH. With this in mind, instrument pilots use known pitch and power settings to achieve known performance. So one of the first things that Kyle and I did was to determine the a "power sheet" for 70L, which lists the settings I'll use for climb, cruise, cruise descent, approach, approach descent and non-precision descent. Mastering these will give me almost all of the speed and performance options I'll need for normal instrument flight.
We're using Peter Dogan's Instrument Flight Training Manual as a guide and I'm liking it a lot. It's a very clear, straight-forward book. In it, he discusses a couple of different ways that instrument pilots can use the instruments to guide the flight. The difference is in what instruments you look at and in what order to determine what is going on and what you will do next. We decided to use an approach called "Control and Performance". Basically, it identifies a couple of instruments (the attitude indicator and the tachometer) as "control instruments" that are used when making changes and the rest as "performance instruments" that you check after making a change to verify that the plane is performing as expected. For example, if I pull the throttle back and don't allow the plane to descend, I should then be able to see that the airspeed is slowing down by checking the airspeed indicator.
In the first few lessons, it became clear that I'd developed bad rudder habits through a year of visual flying, so I found myself really working to clean that up since it was a necessary precondition for precise instrument flying. I've also found a few things about 70L that I want to get corrected/modified. I'm going to take the plane to a mechanic in Massachusetts and have him check the "rigging" -- how the wings and control surfaces are adjusted. I think the plane can be adjusted to fly precisely with a little less effort on the side of the pilot and I think I'll get a little more speed out of it and maybe save a little fuel, too. Also, I hadn't noticed before that the weight of my hand on the throttle would slowly cause an RPM drop, even with the friction lock set tight (which is the way I like it). I didn't notice it before because I'm often adjusting the throttle during visual flying. But the drop in power became apparent as soon as we started instrument training. I talked to my mechanic who said "I know what that is -- that's an easy fix." Cool.
After the first two lessons, I really wondered if I was making a mistake in pursuing this. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to learn to fly as precisely as needed and I felt like I was back at the beginning of my training again. It didn't help, I guess, that each of the first three lessons were on days when it was reasonably bumpy. Yesterday was a little calmer and, for some reason, it just kind of clicked. I had more understanding of what I needed to do and was more able to do it than before. At the end of the time, Kyle said "I didn't see more than a 50' deviation in altitude for the entire 1.5 hours and you only lost your heading a couple of times." There's still a lot of room for improvement and we'll keep working on it but I think it's fair to say that I flew more precisely tonight than I've ever flown before.
I should have gotten the instrument written test out of the way before this but I didn't, so I'm working on that reading on the side. Work has been crazy busy and family commitments are taking time, too. But I feel really good about how yesterday's lesson went and, oddly, I'd been so busy during the previous two days that I had no time to study or prepare before the lesson.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Departure from Basin Harbor, VT, October 11, 2009
Two friends and I planned a scenic flight for Sunday. One of my friends hadn't flown in a small plane before, so I was hoping for the forecasted clear skies and calm winds. Instead, we got low ceilings for the first half of the trip, including rain at points, and a great deal of turbulence. We left Glens Falls, flew along Lake George and Lake Champlain to Basin Harbor. We landed at Basin Harbor too early for lunch at the restaurant, so we took a walk to the lodge for coffee, then back to the restaurant. We departed a couple of hours after arriving.
When it came time to depart, the wind sock was showing a direct crosswind for runway 2-20. I sat and watched the sock for a few minutes, trying to determine if it was generally favoring one direction or the other, since it was swinging about quite a bit but it was about even. Based on the sock and trees and the winds, I estimated a 15 knot direct crosswind with gusts to maybe 20 knots.
I had landed on runway 20 earlier, since the winds had been from the south. But, given a coin toss, this time I decided to go with 2. There are tall trees that line the first half of 2 and even though the runway is quite wide, I felt that they might give some protection from the wind and I decided that I'd rather have a crosswind in the air than on the ground.
We took off and found that the trees did lessen the wind somewhat but the full force was felt as soon as we cleared the tops. Once we were high enough, I turned west over the lake and then south to depart toward Glens Falls.
When it came time to depart, the wind sock was showing a direct crosswind for runway 2-20. I sat and watched the sock for a few minutes, trying to determine if it was generally favoring one direction or the other, since it was swinging about quite a bit but it was about even. Based on the sock and trees and the winds, I estimated a 15 knot direct crosswind with gusts to maybe 20 knots.
I had landed on runway 20 earlier, since the winds had been from the south. But, given a coin toss, this time I decided to go with 2. There are tall trees that line the first half of 2 and even though the runway is quite wide, I felt that they might give some protection from the wind and I decided that I'd rather have a crosswind in the air than on the ground.
We took off and found that the trees did lessen the wind somewhat but the full force was felt as soon as we cleared the tops. Once we were high enough, I turned west over the lake and then south to depart toward Glens Falls.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
First Instrument Lesson
I had my first instrument lesson today. My CFII and I spent two hour all together. The first half hour was on the ground, discussing what we'd do going forward and what we'd do in this lesson today. Once we got in the plane, he went over additional preflight checks that are necessary for IFR flight.
The flying I've done so far has all been VFR -- Visual Flight Rules. IFR refers to Instrument Flight Rules and IFR flying is done with reference to the instruments. If the plane is in the middle of a cloud, looking outside isn't going to be very helpful since you can't see anything but the cloud. Consequently, the pilot needs to be able to control the plane and fly accurately and precisely solely by reference to the instruments in the plane.
After takeoff, Kyle had me put on the foggles, which look like sunglasses but are totally black on the sides and the front except for a small square opening. Wearing the foggles allows a pilot to see the instruments but not see out the front or sides of the plane, so it simulates flying in weather when you can't see out.
Today, we spent about an hour on basic instrument flying. We did straight and level flight, turns to the left, turns to the right, climbs and descents, all with reference solely to the instruments. (While I was looking at the instruments, Kyle was watching for traffic outside, since we were actually flying in clear weather).
I hadn't done any instrument flying since the small amount that was required for the private pilot license. I really enjoyed it last year and found that I enjoyed it again today. It forces you to fly very precisely and to control the plane much more accurately than is truly needed for visual flight, which is one of the reasons why doing an instrument rating will help a pilot become a much better pilot even for visual flight.
I hope to move forward with the instrument training reasonably quickly, with a goal of finishing it over the next couple of months. We'll need to work around my business travel but I hope to be able to get in either two or three lessons each week.
:-)
The flying I've done so far has all been VFR -- Visual Flight Rules. IFR refers to Instrument Flight Rules and IFR flying is done with reference to the instruments. If the plane is in the middle of a cloud, looking outside isn't going to be very helpful since you can't see anything but the cloud. Consequently, the pilot needs to be able to control the plane and fly accurately and precisely solely by reference to the instruments in the plane.
After takeoff, Kyle had me put on the foggles, which look like sunglasses but are totally black on the sides and the front except for a small square opening. Wearing the foggles allows a pilot to see the instruments but not see out the front or sides of the plane, so it simulates flying in weather when you can't see out.
Today, we spent about an hour on basic instrument flying. We did straight and level flight, turns to the left, turns to the right, climbs and descents, all with reference solely to the instruments. (While I was looking at the instruments, Kyle was watching for traffic outside, since we were actually flying in clear weather).
I hadn't done any instrument flying since the small amount that was required for the private pilot license. I really enjoyed it last year and found that I enjoyed it again today. It forces you to fly very precisely and to control the plane much more accurately than is truly needed for visual flight, which is one of the reasons why doing an instrument rating will help a pilot become a much better pilot even for visual flight.
I hope to move forward with the instrument training reasonably quickly, with a goal of finishing it over the next couple of months. We'll need to work around my business travel but I hope to be able to get in either two or three lessons each week.
:-)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Flying up the Hudson
On Monday, September 21, two friends and I decided to go for a scenic flight at the end of the day. By the time we got into the air, there was only about an hour of daylight left and the shadows were growing long.
We departed Glens Falls Airport to the south, climbed to 2500' and immediately turned west to follow the Hudson River. As we continued to follow it, we ended up flying directly into the sun, which caused the river to turn into a brilliant silhouette.
We continued flying toward the mountains. The wind had been quite light all day and from the south, so I wasn't concerned about mountain wave activity. But I wanted to be high enough to have an out if my suspicions turned out to be incorrect. Fortunately, the wind over the mountains was very light and we experienced little turbulence.
We continued to follow the river, turning north at Corinth and descending as we flew upriver toward Luzerne. I wanted to get lower, so we made a gradual descent, getting lower and lower until we were well below the tops of the adjacent mountains. Flying below the mountains provided a spectacular view of the scenery.
Since the day was growing short, we had to decide how to head home. After following the river for a bit, I decided to climb up to 4500' so we could pass over the mountains toward Lake George. This gave us a great view of the lake. As we got to the lake, we turned slowly to the south and headed back toward Glens Falls. It was a nice, late afternoon view of the local scenery from a perspective that most folks never get a chance to see.
In a week or two, the foliage will begin turning. I hope the weather will cooperate so we can make some foliage flights. I think it might be a good season for the foliage, if the weather holds.
We departed Glens Falls Airport to the south, climbed to 2500' and immediately turned west to follow the Hudson River. As we continued to follow it, we ended up flying directly into the sun, which caused the river to turn into a brilliant silhouette.
We continued flying toward the mountains. The wind had been quite light all day and from the south, so I wasn't concerned about mountain wave activity. But I wanted to be high enough to have an out if my suspicions turned out to be incorrect. Fortunately, the wind over the mountains was very light and we experienced little turbulence.
We continued to follow the river, turning north at Corinth and descending as we flew upriver toward Luzerne. I wanted to get lower, so we made a gradual descent, getting lower and lower until we were well below the tops of the adjacent mountains. Flying below the mountains provided a spectacular view of the scenery.
Since the day was growing short, we had to decide how to head home. After following the river for a bit, I decided to climb up to 4500' so we could pass over the mountains toward Lake George. This gave us a great view of the lake. As we got to the lake, we turned slowly to the south and headed back toward Glens Falls. It was a nice, late afternoon view of the local scenery from a perspective that most folks never get a chance to see.
In a week or two, the foliage will begin turning. I hope the weather will cooperate so we can make some foliage flights. I think it might be a good season for the foliage, if the weather holds.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Instrument Instruction
I had a two hour lesson with my flight instructor today. More than half of it was spent sitting on the ground tossing around ideas for how to best progress with instrument training.
Put most simply, the instrument rating allows pilots to fly in the clouds. Pilots who do not hold an instrument rating must stay clear of the clouds at all times, day or night. An instrument rating allows a pilot to fly through clouds under the control of Air Traffic Control (ATC). This can be invaluable when you want to get someplace and the weather isn't good enough to permit flight according to visual flight rules. Consequently, an instrument rating allows a pilot to fly at times when he or she would otherwise need to sit on the ground and wait out the weather.
The instrument rating for a general aviation pilot most definitely is not a license to "go anywhere at any time". There are many kinds of weather where even an instrument-rated pilot should choose to sit comfortably on the ground and wait for better weather. But obtaining an instrument rating trains a pilot to be a better pilot and that's perhaps the best benefit of all.
Right now, it looks like we'll begin my training within the month. More updates to come.
Put most simply, the instrument rating allows pilots to fly in the clouds. Pilots who do not hold an instrument rating must stay clear of the clouds at all times, day or night. An instrument rating allows a pilot to fly through clouds under the control of Air Traffic Control (ATC). This can be invaluable when you want to get someplace and the weather isn't good enough to permit flight according to visual flight rules. Consequently, an instrument rating allows a pilot to fly at times when he or she would otherwise need to sit on the ground and wait out the weather.
The instrument rating for a general aviation pilot most definitely is not a license to "go anywhere at any time". There are many kinds of weather where even an instrument-rated pilot should choose to sit comfortably on the ground and wait for better weather. But obtaining an instrument rating trains a pilot to be a better pilot and that's perhaps the best benefit of all.
Right now, it looks like we'll begin my training within the month. More updates to come.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Garnsey's Airport
I've been busy with other things, so I haven't been posting much. But I'm still going to try to hit all of the grass strips in this area.
One of my favorites is Garnsey's Airport. It's a bit south of Glens Falls, in Schuylerville, NY, right along the Hudson River. There's also a floatplane "runway" on the river itself. I hadn't been there for a while, so I decided to fly down with a friend and do a landing and takeoff. It was a beautiful day for flying so after taking off, I decided it would be fun to fly along the river for a bit at a low altitude. To be legal, we needed to be 500' above the terrain, so I chose to fly about 700' above ground level. We flew south for about ten or fifteen minutes before turning back and returning to Glens Falls airport. All in all, it was a grand day to be flying. :)
One of my favorites is Garnsey's Airport. It's a bit south of Glens Falls, in Schuylerville, NY, right along the Hudson River. There's also a floatplane "runway" on the river itself. I hadn't been there for a while, so I decided to fly down with a friend and do a landing and takeoff. It was a beautiful day for flying so after taking off, I decided it would be fun to fly along the river for a bit at a low altitude. To be legal, we needed to be 500' above the terrain, so I chose to fly about 700' above ground level. We flew south for about ten or fifteen minutes before turning back and returning to Glens Falls airport. All in all, it was a grand day to be flying. :)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Landing and departure at Argyle, NY
This is the first in a series of occasional videos that I want to make showing landings and departures from grass strips. This one is at Argyle, NY (1C3), on August 29th, 2009. It was a cloudy day and a bit windy at pattern altitude but calm at the surface.
Finally... the end of the trip :-)
I finally found the time to put together the last video for the trip to the midwest. It was my first long cross-country flight and one I will long remember. I learned a heck of a lot from this trip -- about flying, about my plane and about myself. There were moments that were fun, others that were challenging, a few that were embarrassing and almost none at all that were boring. I met lots of great folks who collectively helped a great deal. I would have had a much harder time completing this trip, especially given the mechanical problems with 70L, had it not been for the many kindnesses offered to me by other pilots and mechanics. Pilots are nice people. :)
This is the last video for this first trip. It depicts my departure from Erie, PA, where I'd been holed up for a day and a half, waiting for the weather to clear. It shows that I first flew up the coast along the lake, to avoid the mountains of northwest Pennsylvania. I then turned right and started heading all across NY. NY is a big state, depending on which way you cross it. My flight took me most of the way from Buffalo to Albany before I turned left to head up to Glens Falls. That's one of the longest straight lines you can make while crossing NY.
My flight took me over farm country, all of the finger lakes, the central plain of NY and then across the southernmost part of the Adirondacks before coming into Glens Falls for a landing. I could have flown it as a single leg but I wanted to stop in the middle, for fuel and a chance to get out and stretch my legs. I chose Hamilton, NY, based on recommendations from another pilot. I don't have any video of landing or departing there because my video camera was screwing up (again). But it was a GREAT place to land and a very, very friendly little airport. I spent quite a little bit of time there, talking to the airport manager and the kind gentleman who is the local mechanic but also clearly does much, much more at the airport. A former airport manager himself, he seemed to know everyone in the northeast and I very much enjoyed chatting with him.
The whole trip, including the stop, took almost four hours. The weather was pretty good, although I did run into low clouds in a couple of places and was glad to have onboard weather. It was also fairly turbulent over the Adirondacks and also a bit on both the departure and landing. But, overall, it was a glorious day to fly. :)
This is the last video for this first trip. It depicts my departure from Erie, PA, where I'd been holed up for a day and a half, waiting for the weather to clear. It shows that I first flew up the coast along the lake, to avoid the mountains of northwest Pennsylvania. I then turned right and started heading all across NY. NY is a big state, depending on which way you cross it. My flight took me most of the way from Buffalo to Albany before I turned left to head up to Glens Falls. That's one of the longest straight lines you can make while crossing NY.
My flight took me over farm country, all of the finger lakes, the central plain of NY and then across the southernmost part of the Adirondacks before coming into Glens Falls for a landing. I could have flown it as a single leg but I wanted to stop in the middle, for fuel and a chance to get out and stretch my legs. I chose Hamilton, NY, based on recommendations from another pilot. I don't have any video of landing or departing there because my video camera was screwing up (again). But it was a GREAT place to land and a very, very friendly little airport. I spent quite a little bit of time there, talking to the airport manager and the kind gentleman who is the local mechanic but also clearly does much, much more at the airport. A former airport manager himself, he seemed to know everyone in the northeast and I very much enjoyed chatting with him.
The whole trip, including the stop, took almost four hours. The weather was pretty good, although I did run into low clouds in a couple of places and was glad to have onboard weather. It was also fairly turbulent over the Adirondacks and also a bit on both the departure and landing. But, overall, it was a glorious day to fly. :)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
New pics
I added about fifteen new pictures to the slideshow section (the "My Pictures" section on the main page of the blog). The new pictures are pics that I took on the way home from Peoria.
Some of the pictures were taken two days ago, as I flew by Cleveland. I was flying a bit out over the lake as I passed by so I had a good view of the waterfront. I also had a nice view of Cleveland's main airport and also the waterfront airport. The remainder of the pictures were taken today, en route from Erie, PA to home.
Once you click on the large arrow in the center of the slideshow image, the slideshow will start automatically. If you move the cursor off the slideshow, the controls will also disappear. Alternatively, you can use the controls to go forward or backward at your own pace. You can also view the slideshow in full-screen mode by clicking the rightmost icon in the lower toolbar on the slideshow window.
I hope to add some video tomorrow but the camera was acting up. I'll have to see how much I can retrieve.
Home at Last
3870L is nestled in its hangar at Glens Falls airport. We're home, finally. :-)
The plane ran really, really well today. I was very pleased. Pics coming plus videos, too, I think: the video camera was acting funny for the last couple of hours in the plane today.
Here's the final complete route:
The plane ran really, really well today. I was very pleased. Pics coming plus videos, too, I think: the video camera was acting funny for the last couple of hours in the plane today.
Here's the final complete route:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
So close and yet so far
I'm only 2.5 hours from home but the weather has prevented me from making the flight so far today and the conditions are worsening. The problem so far has been rain and, farther inland, low ceilings. The forecast now includes a slightly greater chance of convection and thunderstorms. The forecast for tomorrow looks clear the whole way so the conservative decision is to stay put tonight and head home tomorrow.
The picture to left, taken from my hotel windows, shows what the weather looks like here in Erie, PA, today.
And here is the problem. :-)
Landing at Van Wert County, OH
I chose to land at Van Wert County, OH, just over the border from Indiana. Mainly, it was because it was on a straight line from Peoria to Glens Falls (more or less) and also because their fuel prices were listed as being lower than at other nearby airports. Finally, they were 2 hours from Peoria. I like stopping after two hours to get more fuel: that seems to work well for me and leaves me tons of reserve in case I can't land someplace and have to continue on to a different airport.
I listened to the Van Wert airport weather when I was about 40 miles out. The wind was blowing from the south, fairly strongly, which meant a crosswind landing on the paved runway. However, they have a grass strip that is a north/south runway. Hmmmm.... grass - I love landing on grass! So, when I got closer, I radioed them and asked about the condition of the grass runway. They said it was good and had just been mowed. That cinched it! Grass it was going to be.
As I descended down from 5500' to 1750' (pattern altitude there), I discovered that the winds were fairly gusty and not strictly from the south but were shifting from the south to southwest to west and then back to south. I went past the airport and then turned back and entered a left pattern for runway 18. The following video shows the approach and then the landing on short grass runway. Unfortunately, I came in a bit faster than I normally would on grass, so the plane bounced slightly when it touched down. Not badly but enough so that it wasn't one of my better grass landings. Oh well, you can't win them all.
The airport manager turned out to be a great guy who said "Nice short field landing!" I said that I didn't think so because of the small bounce and he said "It looked awful good from here." I liked this guy. :)
He got fuel for the plane and then was friendly and chatty for a few minutes. All in all, it was a nice place to land for 20 minutes of rest and relaxation. :-)
I listened to the Van Wert airport weather when I was about 40 miles out. The wind was blowing from the south, fairly strongly, which meant a crosswind landing on the paved runway. However, they have a grass strip that is a north/south runway. Hmmmm.... grass - I love landing on grass! So, when I got closer, I radioed them and asked about the condition of the grass runway. They said it was good and had just been mowed. That cinched it! Grass it was going to be.
As I descended down from 5500' to 1750' (pattern altitude there), I discovered that the winds were fairly gusty and not strictly from the south but were shifting from the south to southwest to west and then back to south. I went past the airport and then turned back and entered a left pattern for runway 18. The following video shows the approach and then the landing on short grass runway. Unfortunately, I came in a bit faster than I normally would on grass, so the plane bounced slightly when it touched down. Not badly but enough so that it wasn't one of my better grass landings. Oh well, you can't win them all.
The airport manager turned out to be a great guy who said "Nice short field landing!" I said that I didn't think so because of the small bounce and he said "It looked awful good from here." I liked this guy. :)
He got fuel for the plane and then was friendly and chatty for a few minutes. All in all, it was a nice place to land for 20 minutes of rest and relaxation. :-)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Erie, Pennsylvania
The test flight today was successful. Following the recommendations of the manufacturer of the new cylinders, I used an unusual take-off procedure that involved using minimal power to accelerate to 40 mph and then full power from there to take off. Once in the air, I needed to push the nose down and accelerate to 80 mph and climb slowly. This allowed maximum air over the cylinders, which was important since the engine is air-cooled and new cylinders must not be allowed to overheat.
I climbed to 4500' and circled Mount Hawley airport for an hour, with the permission of air traffic control, since the much large Peoria Regional airport was only a few miles away. After an hour, I descended very slowly (to avoid cooling the engine too quickly) and then landed back at Mount Hawley so the mechanic could check the engine to make sure everything looked ok. After 45 minutes, he gave it his blessing and said I was good to go. A quick final check of the weather, topping off the fuel tanks and I was off. I flew two hours east to Van Wert County airport in Ohio, just over the border form Indiana.
I stopped there and landed on their grass runway, which was aligned with the south wind. The nice gentleman who came out to fuel the airplane turned out to be the airport manager. He said "Nice short field landing!". That was awfully nice to hear but I thought I kind of botched it since I came in slightly faster than I normally do on grass and bounced it a little on the landing.
I got fuel and started to look for someplace to stay the night, since it was clear that I wasn't going to make it home tonight. I called Marriott and looked for a hotel around the NW PA/western NY region and found availability in Erie, PA. That was about two hours away from Van Wert, so it was just about perfect. I booked the room, hopped in the plane and got going. As I was flying away, the manager radioed "Thanks for coming. Stop by again." Pilots are friendly people. :)
Getting to Erie meant flying through some busy airspace near Cleveland. A direct route would have carried me farther out over Lake Erie than I wanted to be, so I let air traffic control know that I was going to adjust my route to parallel the shore. As I got closer to the main airport at Cleveland, they vectored me out over the lake but not far enough to be a concern, since I was flying at 7500'.
It was starting to get dark as I got to Erie, which is an airport with a working control tower. The controller seemed like a very nice guy, who was helpful and pleasant and directed me to the FBO, where a helicopter had just landed. A young man came out to fuel the helicopter and 70L and then put the plane in the hangar for the night. I chatted briefly with the helicopter pilot while waiting for a cab.
Tomorrow, I'll make my way home to Glens Falls and thus will end my first long cross-country flight with 70L. :-)
I climbed to 4500' and circled Mount Hawley airport for an hour, with the permission of air traffic control, since the much large Peoria Regional airport was only a few miles away. After an hour, I descended very slowly (to avoid cooling the engine too quickly) and then landed back at Mount Hawley so the mechanic could check the engine to make sure everything looked ok. After 45 minutes, he gave it his blessing and said I was good to go. A quick final check of the weather, topping off the fuel tanks and I was off. I flew two hours east to Van Wert County airport in Ohio, just over the border form Indiana.
I stopped there and landed on their grass runway, which was aligned with the south wind. The nice gentleman who came out to fuel the airplane turned out to be the airport manager. He said "Nice short field landing!". That was awfully nice to hear but I thought I kind of botched it since I came in slightly faster than I normally do on grass and bounced it a little on the landing.
I got fuel and started to look for someplace to stay the night, since it was clear that I wasn't going to make it home tonight. I called Marriott and looked for a hotel around the NW PA/western NY region and found availability in Erie, PA. That was about two hours away from Van Wert, so it was just about perfect. I booked the room, hopped in the plane and got going. As I was flying away, the manager radioed "Thanks for coming. Stop by again." Pilots are friendly people. :)
Getting to Erie meant flying through some busy airspace near Cleveland. A direct route would have carried me farther out over Lake Erie than I wanted to be, so I let air traffic control know that I was going to adjust my route to parallel the shore. As I got closer to the main airport at Cleveland, they vectored me out over the lake but not far enough to be a concern, since I was flying at 7500'.
It was starting to get dark as I got to Erie, which is an airport with a working control tower. The controller seemed like a very nice guy, who was helpful and pleasant and directed me to the FBO, where a helicopter had just landed. A young man came out to fuel the helicopter and 70L and then put the plane in the hangar for the night. I chatted briefly with the helicopter pilot while waiting for a cab.
Tomorrow, I'll make my way home to Glens Falls and thus will end my first long cross-country flight with 70L. :-)
Test Flight Successful
The test flight was successful. The mechanic says the plane looks good
so I'm heading home shortly. :-)
so I'm heading home shortly. :-)
Test Flight
I'm off to the airport in about an hour. First up will be a review of the paperwork that came with the new cylinders, to make sure I understand completely how the manufacturer (ECI) wants them to be broken in. Then we'll go over the plane carefully and then it will be time for a test flight to see how the overhauled engine is working.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Heading to Peoria
Mike, the mechanic in Peoria who has been working on 70L, tells me that the plane is ready to go. I'm heading to Peoria tonight. The first step tomorrow morning will be a test flight. I'll fly the plane, stay over the airport and, in the absence of problems, fly it for about an hour. At the end of the flight, Mike will check it over carefully to make sure that everything looks right and that there are no oil leaks or other problems.
If we past that step, it's good to go and I'll start heading home.
More to come tomorrow morning as the story unfolds. :-)
If we past that step, it's good to go and I'll start heading home.
More to come tomorrow morning as the story unfolds. :-)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Looks like Tuesday
Unless the weather doesn't cooperate, we'll do the test flight on Tuesday morning. If all goes as expected, 70L and I will be eastward bound by noontime. :)
Depending on the winds and the weather -- as always -- I might be able to reach Glens Falls by nightfall on Tuesday evening.
Depending on the winds and the weather -- as always -- I might be able to reach Glens Falls by nightfall on Tuesday evening.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Nearly done
It looks like 70L will be ready for flight on Monday. :-)
I'm planning on heading back to Peoria over the weekend. Once Mike gives me the good word, I'll take it up and flight it above the airport for about an hour. After that, I'll land and let him take a good, hard look at it to make sure everything is looking ok. When he's satisfied, I'll be good to go for the flight home.
If everything goes like clockwork, I could be flying home as early as Monday afternoon. Depending on the winds, I'll need to stop either two or three times for fuel. I may stop over the border in Michigan, just to claim the state, but if the time is at all tight I'll fly a more direct route.
If I leave Peoria by noon and the winds are at all favorable, I might well be able to reach Glens Falls before nightfall. If it's going to be close -- within an hour or so of dusk -- I'll probably just continue on and do a night landing at Glens Falls. In that event, I'll adjust my route of flight so that any night flying is over the NY Thruway as far as Albany and then over the Northway (I87) up to Glens Falls. Pilots have long joked about IFR flying ("I follow roads") but it's not a bad strategy for single-engine operations at night.
I'm planning on heading back to Peoria over the weekend. Once Mike gives me the good word, I'll take it up and flight it above the airport for about an hour. After that, I'll land and let him take a good, hard look at it to make sure everything is looking ok. When he's satisfied, I'll be good to go for the flight home.
If everything goes like clockwork, I could be flying home as early as Monday afternoon. Depending on the winds, I'll need to stop either two or three times for fuel. I may stop over the border in Michigan, just to claim the state, but if the time is at all tight I'll fly a more direct route.
If I leave Peoria by noon and the winds are at all favorable, I might well be able to reach Glens Falls before nightfall. If it's going to be close -- within an hour or so of dusk -- I'll probably just continue on and do a night landing at Glens Falls. In that event, I'll adjust my route of flight so that any night flying is over the NY Thruway as far as Albany and then over the Northway (I87) up to Glens Falls. Pilots have long joked about IFR flying ("I follow roads") but it's not a bad strategy for single-engine operations at night.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Progress!
Another pilot stopped by to see 70L yesterday and graciously took a few photos of the plane. Thanks, Ron! The six new cylinders are clearly visible. There's still a lot of work left before the engine can be started but they might be ready to do that today. :)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A different kind of video
Diana kindly made a video from various clips while I was at the farm. For the first time, I'm able to see what some of my landings look like from the outside. (Yikes! :D) It also includes some more shots of the aerobatics ride she gave me, zoomed in a bit closer than in the other video: her husband, Tom, has a lot of experience videotaping aerobatics and it shows!
The video opens with an outside look at my first landing at the farm, which can be seen from inside the aircraft here.
Brian at the Farm
The video opens with an outside look at my first landing at the farm, which can be seen from inside the aircraft here.
Brian at the Farm
Contemplating a return
If all goes well, 70L will be better than ever in the next few days. Once the engine work is complete, I will need to conduct some test flights at Peoria. Once we know the engine is running well, I will need to fly it for an hour or two and then let Mike have it back to verify that all of the new cylinders are functioning as well as possible. Once we get past that step, it will be time to begin the return flight home, weather permitting as always.
I've decided that I want to avoid overflying the mountains of Pennsylvania on the return trip home. Given the overhaul, I'd rather stay over terrain that offers plenty of options for off-airport landings should one turn out to be necessary. Corn fields and country roads are a lot more inviting than heavily-forested mountains. :-)
To avoid the mountains, I'll stay much closer to Lake Erie than I did on the outbound route. Once past Cleveland, I'll stay close to the Lake, avoiding the mountains in favor of much lower terrain. This won't add measurably to the length of the trip but will be a more conservative route and will also offer new scenery -- always a bonus!
If the weather allows, I'll likely fly from Peoria, IL all the way back to Glens Falls in one day. A direct line would be 728 NM (nautical miles) -- 837 statute miles -- in length. Navigating around the lake will increase the length of the route to 772 NM (888 SM): not bad at all. The image below shows my tentative route, which allows me to claim Michigan by landing at Branch County Memorial Airport in Coldwater, MI.
I've decided that I want to avoid overflying the mountains of Pennsylvania on the return trip home. Given the overhaul, I'd rather stay over terrain that offers plenty of options for off-airport landings should one turn out to be necessary. Corn fields and country roads are a lot more inviting than heavily-forested mountains. :-)
To avoid the mountains, I'll stay much closer to Lake Erie than I did on the outbound route. Once past Cleveland, I'll stay close to the Lake, avoiding the mountains in favor of much lower terrain. This won't add measurably to the length of the trip but will be a more conservative route and will also offer new scenery -- always a bonus!
If the weather allows, I'll likely fly from Peoria, IL all the way back to Glens Falls in one day. A direct line would be 728 NM (nautical miles) -- 837 statute miles -- in length. Navigating around the lake will increase the length of the route to 772 NM (888 SM): not bad at all. The image below shows my tentative route, which allows me to claim Michigan by landing at Branch County Memorial Airport in Coldwater, MI.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Progress...
I spoke with the mechanic today. 70L is in the process of being worked on. All of the cylinders are now off the engine and new cylinders have been ordered and should arrive on Wednesday. We agreed today to use new hydraulic flow-matched lifters (there are 12 of them in the engine). So far, so good. :-)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Takeoff and Landing at the farm
When we arrived at the farm initially, it was close to nightfall. Consequently, the video of that landing didn't do the farm justice. I wanted to do a takeoff and landing that would more clearly show just what a great place the farm is.
Take off and subsequent landing at the farm in daylight.
Take off and subsequent landing at the farm in daylight.
First aerobatics flight
I was fortunate to be able to experience aerobatics at the farm, in the back seat of Diana's Citabria. It was the first time I'd experienced any aerobatic maneuvers and also the first time I'd been in a spin and the first time I'd worn a parachute in a small plane.
Diana is a very, very good pilot. She's also very careful and solicitous of her passengers. She explains each maneuver before she performs it and then asks how you feel. I felt fine after each maneuver -- no nausea or motion sickness at all. During the maneuvers, we pulled from .5 to 4.0 Gs (she has a G meter in the Citabria).
Brent, another pilot who accompanied us, has had two years of classes in taking and producing video. I owe him a large debt for videotaping the flight. All of the clips in the following video come from the video he made with my video camera.
Brian's first aerobatics flight
Diana is a very, very good pilot. She's also very careful and solicitous of her passengers. She explains each maneuver before she performs it and then asks how you feel. I felt fine after each maneuver -- no nausea or motion sickness at all. During the maneuvers, we pulled from .5 to 4.0 Gs (she has a G meter in the Citabria).
Brent, another pilot who accompanied us, has had two years of classes in taking and producing video. I owe him a large debt for videotaping the flight. All of the clips in the following video come from the video he made with my video camera.
Brian's first aerobatics flight
My first landing at the farm
When we arrived at the farm, it was very close to dusk. Diana and Tom were quite concerned that there would be too little light left to land. They radioed us while we were still about five miles away and asked me to turn on my landing lights. As soon as I did, they announced "You're directly on course!"
When I arrived, I started to enter a pattern for runway 21 and then realized that I'd gotten it too tight for me. I swung around and flew south far enough to be able to come back into a proper downwind. This video picks up pretty much abeam my intended landing spot on the grass runway.
The runways are surrounded by tall corn, as you'll see from the video. You can also see that there was a fairly stiff crosswind -- it's evident by the large crab angle on the final approach. At times, the runway is barely visible in the camera's viewfinder. As we ducked below the corn, the wind died down and I was able to straighten out the plane in the last few seconds.
Grass runways are a sheer delight to land on at any time. Diana and Tom keep their runways in terrific shape and they are a joy to see and use.
At the very last minute, you will see Tom riding the motor scooter as he tries to find out where we have disappeared to amongst the corn. This was truly a wonderful, magical evening and one I won't soon forget.
The video can be seen here: Landing at the farm on August 8, 2009
When I arrived, I started to enter a pattern for runway 21 and then realized that I'd gotten it too tight for me. I swung around and flew south far enough to be able to come back into a proper downwind. This video picks up pretty much abeam my intended landing spot on the grass runway.
The runways are surrounded by tall corn, as you'll see from the video. You can also see that there was a fairly stiff crosswind -- it's evident by the large crab angle on the final approach. At times, the runway is barely visible in the camera's viewfinder. As we ducked below the corn, the wind died down and I was able to straighten out the plane in the last few seconds.
Grass runways are a sheer delight to land on at any time. Diana and Tom keep their runways in terrific shape and they are a joy to see and use.
At the very last minute, you will see Tom riding the motor scooter as he tries to find out where we have disappeared to amongst the corn. This was truly a wonderful, magical evening and one I won't soon forget.
The video can be seen here: Landing at the farm on August 8, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
A new video
While I'm at home waiting for 70L to be overhauled, I'm going to post a few videos and pics from the first part of the trip. This first video shows the approach and landing at Franklin, PA. After I left NY State on my way toward Chicago, I flew through northwest Pennsylvania. I chose Franklin as a fuel stop and was glad that I did. The man there was fast, efficient and pleasant to talk to.
I was only in Franklin for about 15 minutes before departing, because I was running late. It was in Franklin that I realized that I would never make my target for the day (Findlay, OH) if I didn't throw away my original flight plan and fly directly for Findlay, heading through the complex airspace between Franklin and Findlay.
The video can be played from the video bar that is always at the bottom of the blog's home page or by clicking on this link:
Approach and landing at Franklin, PA
I was only in Franklin for about 15 minutes before departing, because I was running late. It was in Franklin that I realized that I would never make my target for the day (Findlay, OH) if I didn't throw away my original flight plan and fly directly for Findlay, heading through the complex airspace between Franklin and Findlay.
The video can be played from the video bar that is always at the bottom of the blog's home page or by clicking on this link:
Approach and landing at Franklin, PA
Friday, August 14, 2009
A change of course
I've been uncomfortable with the idea of flying the plane home with known sticking valve problems. After discussing the issue with my mechanics at home and the mechanic here (and several thousand friends on the pilot forums :-) ), I've decided to leave the plane here and have the mechanics do a top overhaul on it. This will involve replacing the old cylinders with new cylinders and will completely eliminate this problem. It will also give the engine new life and, likely, more power.
It will probably take a week or so for the work to be complete. I may stay here, I may go to Chicago or I may fly home -- or I may do a little of each.
I bought a plane to have fun and new adventures. That's what I'm having and I'm meeting a large number of good, kind and generous people along the way. It doesn't get much better than that. :-)
It will probably take a week or so for the work to be complete. I may stay here, I may go to Chicago or I may fly home -- or I may do a little of each.
I bought a plane to have fun and new adventures. That's what I'm having and I'm meeting a large number of good, kind and generous people along the way. It doesn't get much better than that. :-)
Heading home
The weather looks perfect along the entire route. I'll be heading to the airport in an hour and will be in the air within an hour after that. With luck, 70L and I will be landing at GFL about ten hours later.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Unstuck
The valves are unstuck and 70L is once again running well. The paperwork will be ready in the morning and, if the weather holds, I plan to be in the air by 9:00 am. I'll head for Hillsdale, Michigan (another state!), where I'll stop briefly for fuel. Departing Hillsdale, I'll turn south to avoid the lake, flying past Toledo to Norwalk, OH, where I'll turn northeast toward Meadville, PA. I'll stop at Meadville for fuel and then head directly for Glens Falls. If all goes well, I'll be home by around 7:00 pm on Friday night.
Sticky and Stuck
The mechanic here at Mount Hawley started looking at the plane first thing this morning. We discovered (well, he discovered while I watched :-) ) that this time there were two stuck exhaust valves: number 4 and number 5. Clearly this was not a plane to take into the air. I'm grateful that the engine was making a slightly different sound after the runup because that ever-so-slight hesitation was what keyed both of us to the fact that something was amiss.
He was able to free number 4 easily and it's fine now. Number 5 -- the valve that had the problem before -- is unable to be freed sufficiently well for operation, so Mike (the mechanic) will pull the cylinder and see if he can ream it enough to solve the problem. So the valve is still sticky and I'm stuck here in Peoria for another night.
These problems are inconvenient, of course, but I'm on the ground looking at the mechanic working on my plane. As the old saying goes, it's much better to be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here. :-)
We'll get this resolved and 70L will run fine again. Actually, Mike thinks that he already knows what part of the problem is. Airplane engines like mine are air cooled. Under the cowling, there are baffles that direct the incoming air around and down through the fins that cool the cylinders. On 70L, some of the baffles are misaligned or just plain old and tired. That could be allowing the cylinders to heat up, which would cause the valves to stick. There are other potential causes, too, so he'll check primer (for leaks), mags (for timing), and also the carburetor.
The people here have a very high opinion of Mike. He'll find the problem and fix it. Until then, 70L and I are staying put.
He was able to free number 4 easily and it's fine now. Number 5 -- the valve that had the problem before -- is unable to be freed sufficiently well for operation, so Mike (the mechanic) will pull the cylinder and see if he can ream it enough to solve the problem. So the valve is still sticky and I'm stuck here in Peoria for another night.
These problems are inconvenient, of course, but I'm on the ground looking at the mechanic working on my plane. As the old saying goes, it's much better to be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here. :-)
We'll get this resolved and 70L will run fine again. Actually, Mike thinks that he already knows what part of the problem is. Airplane engines like mine are air cooled. Under the cowling, there are baffles that direct the incoming air around and down through the fins that cool the cylinders. On 70L, some of the baffles are misaligned or just plain old and tired. That could be allowing the cylinders to heat up, which would cause the valves to stick. There are other potential causes, too, so he'll check primer (for leaks), mags (for timing), and also the carburetor.
The people here have a very high opinion of Mike. He'll find the problem and fix it. Until then, 70L and I are staying put.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sticky valves
Today was a good day. We left the farm in the morning and flew to Pittsburg, Kansas for fuel. We then flew to Keokuk, Iowa, just so I could say that I've landed a plane in Iowa. :-) Then it was on to Mount Hawley, Illinois, to meet a friend for coffee before heading on to Joliet, where I planned to drop off Brent. 70L was flying very well today and the weather was beautiful. We were making good time -- our groundspeed was around 100 knots (115 mph) for much of the trip.
Unfortunately, as we prepared to leave Mount Hawley, we discovered that we evidently had a stuck exhaust valve again. That's the same problem that we had in Missouri. We discovered the problem while performing a runup, before takeoff. Much better to discover it then than in the air!
Bruce has an excellent and trusted mechanic here at Mount Hawley. He'll take a look at the engine tomorrow to see exactly what the problem is. Once we know that, we'll decide on a course of action.
Today was yet another example of the kindness and generosity and support offered by so many pilots. As a breed, pilots are some of the finest people I've ever had the good fortune to meet. It's just not unusual for pilots to say "You've got a problem? How can I help? Do you need to stay at my home? I can take you to lunch or dinner if that will help" -- to other pilots they've never, ever met before. It's a throwback to the kind of midwestern kindness and generosity that was so common a generation or two ago. I feel very fortunate to be the recipient of so much good will. :)
Unfortunately, as we prepared to leave Mount Hawley, we discovered that we evidently had a stuck exhaust valve again. That's the same problem that we had in Missouri. We discovered the problem while performing a runup, before takeoff. Much better to discover it then than in the air!
Bruce has an excellent and trusted mechanic here at Mount Hawley. He'll take a look at the engine tomorrow to see exactly what the problem is. Once we know that, we'll decide on a course of action.
Today was yet another example of the kindness and generosity and support offered by so many pilots. As a breed, pilots are some of the finest people I've ever had the good fortune to meet. It's just not unusual for pilots to say "You've got a problem? How can I help? Do you need to stay at my home? I can take you to lunch or dinner if that will help" -- to other pilots they've never, ever met before. It's a throwback to the kind of midwestern kindness and generosity that was so common a generation or two ago. I feel very fortunate to be the recipient of so much good will. :)
Heading home slowly
We're leaving the farm today, heading first for Fort Scott, KS, so I can claim to have landed a plane in KS. Then we'll head to Keokuk, IA for another state. Then we head to Mount Hawley, IL for a cup of coffee with a friend before heading to Joliet, IL. I'll drop off Brent at Joliet and then, if there's time, head to Valparaiso, IN, which will be a good place to begin heading for NY tomorrow.
If all goes well with the weather, I'll likely fly the entire Indiana to NY portion tomorrow. But it's flying and the weather can be unpredictable so we learn to be flexible.
I have videos and pictures to post and will post those as soon as possible.
If all goes well with the weather, I'll likely fly the entire Indiana to NY portion tomorrow. But it's flying and the weather can be unpredictable so we learn to be flexible.
I have videos and pictures to post and will post those as soon as possible.
The joys of ownership
We had a lot of rain in Missouri and the grass runways at the farm were wet. With more rain in the forecast, there appeared to be a distinct possibility that the runways could be too soft to depart from, so we decided that I should move the plane to Lamar, which is a paved airport five miles away.
The preflight, runup and takeoff were all normal. At 400 AGL, the engine began to show distinct signs of poorer performance. I was able to maintain 400 AGL at 80 MPH and made it to LLU where there was a fair crosswind for the only runway. I did a straight-in approach, maintaining altitude until the last possible moment, then added 40 flaps and did a steep approach in for a crosswind landing on 03.
Diana and Tom contacted their mechanic, who turns out to be not only an excellent mechanic but also a great guy. He found seven fouled plugs and a stuck exhaust valve. Evidently leaning to RPM drop and then enrichening a quarter inch is not lean enough for this engine, so I'll lean to RPM drop and then richen the mixture just enough to smooth out (maybe 50 RPM). We'll see how that goes.
The flight over was an interesting lesson in "fly the plane, fly the plane, fly the plane". The 496 was handling the navigation and there was no time to communicate. I ran through a check of all of the expected items: carb heat first, which quickly proved not only to be not helpful but was stealing needed RPM. Primer, mags, mixture, fuel, etc. were all correct, which left "fly the plane". I learned quite a lot about my plane in those five minutes.
It's running better than ever now. :-)
The preflight, runup and takeoff were all normal. At 400 AGL, the engine began to show distinct signs of poorer performance. I was able to maintain 400 AGL at 80 MPH and made it to LLU where there was a fair crosswind for the only runway. I did a straight-in approach, maintaining altitude until the last possible moment, then added 40 flaps and did a steep approach in for a crosswind landing on 03.
Diana and Tom contacted their mechanic, who turns out to be not only an excellent mechanic but also a great guy. He found seven fouled plugs and a stuck exhaust valve. Evidently leaning to RPM drop and then enrichening a quarter inch is not lean enough for this engine, so I'll lean to RPM drop and then richen the mixture just enough to smooth out (maybe 50 RPM). We'll see how that goes.
The flight over was an interesting lesson in "fly the plane, fly the plane, fly the plane". The 496 was handling the navigation and there was no time to communicate. I ran through a check of all of the expected items: carb heat first, which quickly proved not only to be not helpful but was stealing needed RPM. Primer, mags, mixture, fuel, etc. were all correct, which left "fly the plane". I learned quite a lot about my plane in those five minutes.
It's running better than ever now. :-)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
We made it. :-)
We made it to Missouri tonight. I landed the plane at a farm that belongs to friends here in southern Missouri. The runway is surrounded by tall corn -- so tall that when the plane is on the ground you can't see anything but corn!
The flight from Indiana to Chicago was a bit challenging because of low clouds and haze. It took about an hour and I was flying about 1000' above ground for most of the flight. When I got to Joliet, the winds were directly across the runway at 12 knots gusting to "19 to 24 knots". That's a direct crosswind that makes landings more challenging. A gusty crosswind is even more challenging because the wind can change quickly. Joliet has a grass runway that is aligned with the winds but I assumed that it was unusable because of the all of the rain.
As I came in for a landing, I hit strong wind shear just short of the runway, which had the effect of pushing me toward the ground. I added full power immediately to stop the descent and needed to make an immediate decision to continue with the landing or go around and try again. I decided to continue with the landing and made a safe landing on the centerline. I suspect that an observer would have been saying "What the heck is that guy doing?" Oh, well, they can't all be pretty.
The flight to southern Missouri was actually in two segments. We flew from Joliet to Quincy, IL and then stopped to get fuel. We then continued on down to the farm and landed just as night was falling.
It was great to arrive. As we got close, our friends asked me to turn the landing light when I was still about five miles out. As soon as I did, they said "We've got you -- you're right on course." My first approach to the farm was dead on to the runway but I didn't want to land straight in without having seen the runways first from the air. I came around but was too close to the farm to make it safely, so went around again and came in for a better approach. The landing was safe and uneventful and I got stopped long before the end of the grass strip.
Our friends had a great pot roast waiting for us, along with good wine and good companionship. It was a great end to an excellent day -- even if all those winds out of the south did have us making awfully slow headway over the ground. :-)
The flight from Indiana to Chicago was a bit challenging because of low clouds and haze. It took about an hour and I was flying about 1000' above ground for most of the flight. When I got to Joliet, the winds were directly across the runway at 12 knots gusting to "19 to 24 knots". That's a direct crosswind that makes landings more challenging. A gusty crosswind is even more challenging because the wind can change quickly. Joliet has a grass runway that is aligned with the winds but I assumed that it was unusable because of the all of the rain.
As I came in for a landing, I hit strong wind shear just short of the runway, which had the effect of pushing me toward the ground. I added full power immediately to stop the descent and needed to make an immediate decision to continue with the landing or go around and try again. I decided to continue with the landing and made a safe landing on the centerline. I suspect that an observer would have been saying "What the heck is that guy doing?" Oh, well, they can't all be pretty.
The flight to southern Missouri was actually in two segments. We flew from Joliet to Quincy, IL and then stopped to get fuel. We then continued on down to the farm and landed just as night was falling.
It was great to arrive. As we got close, our friends asked me to turn the landing light when I was still about five miles out. As soon as I did, they said "We've got you -- you're right on course." My first approach to the farm was dead on to the runway but I didn't want to land straight in without having seen the runways first from the air. I came around but was too close to the farm to make it safely, so went around again and came in for a better approach. The landing was safe and uneventful and I got stopped long before the end of the grass strip.
Our friends had a great pot roast waiting for us, along with good wine and good companionship. It was a great end to an excellent day -- even if all those winds out of the south did have us making awfully slow headway over the ground. :-)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
New Map :-)
While I'm waiting for the ceilings to lift, I decided to update my "states I've landed a plane in" map. I posted the previous version as one of my first posts to this blog. Here's the current map. :)
Rain, rain, go away
More weather delays... low ceilings and poor visibility in northern Illinois are keeping us grounded for now. It should improve in a couple of hours but, for now, we're in a holding pattern.
Seeking Illinois
I'm less than 45 minutes from Joliet by air but I don't think I'm getting there today. It's still raining and the winds are picking up to a point where Joliet's single paved runway isn't the greatest choice. We'll probably use Lewis University instead, which is just a few miles up the road from Joliet. With long, paved, crossing runways, it's a much better choice with higher winds from the south.
I hope I can depart here by 9:30 am. That would let us head south to Missouri by 10:30. The winds in the Chicago area will be picking up later today, so I'd like to get going. If we're lucky, we'll be in Missouri by mid-afternoon. It's 383 nautical miles (440 statute miles) to Diana and Tom's farm from Chicago, but it's going to be slow going today because of the strong winds from the south. We'll be lucky if we make 85 knots (97 mph) over the ground.
I hope I can depart here by 9:30 am. That would let us head south to Missouri by 10:30. The winds in the Chicago area will be picking up later today, so I'd like to get going. If we're lucky, we'll be in Missouri by mid-afternoon. It's 383 nautical miles (440 statute miles) to Diana and Tom's farm from Chicago, but it's going to be slow going today because of the strong winds from the south. We'll be lucky if we make 85 knots (97 mph) over the ground.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Another video :-)
A friend asked me "Why do you only put landings in your videos?" I replied that I liked landings and that pilots like landings. Landings are fun and challenging and always interesting. But, for my friend, I created a new video that has a takeoff, a tiny bit of cruise flight and another landing. The takeoff was from Kendallville, Indiana today and the landing was the subsequent landing at Valparaiso, Indiana. The video can be viewed by clicking on the following link or by clicking on the video in the video bar at the bottom of the posts, below.
Takeoff from Kendallville and subsequent landing at Valparaiso.
Takeoff from Kendallville and subsequent landing at Valparaiso.
We made Indiana!
In the terrific book, Flight of Passage, Rinker Buck describes how he and his brother, Kern, flew a Piper Cub from NJ to California when they were only 15 and 17 years old. It was an amazing flight and the book is a great read. In it, they describe calling home after the first loooonnnng day and telling their parents "We made Indiana!"
Well, it took me two days to make Indiana but I made it today. I had hoped to reach Joliet, IL, to pick up another pilot and then head south. The weather at Joliet made that clearly impossible, so I decided to go as far as I could.
I departed Findlay, OH, in the morning and headed to Kendallville, IN, just an hour away but halfway to Valparaiso, IN, where I hoped to end up for the night. I was hoping that I'd find someone in Kendallville who was knowledgeable about Indiana weather and airports who could advise me on my course of action. I was very lucky: after landing, I went into the FBO and met John Earlywine, a flight instructor and a gentleman. We checked the weather radar and he gave me his thoughts on what we were looking at. Then we went over my sectional (a chart used by pilots) as he pointed out a whole series of "good airports" between Kendallville and Valparaiso. With that in hand, I knew that if I ran into bad weather I could turn back before I got caught in it and would have good options for landing no matter how far I'd gotten.
I watched the weather carefully as I progressed toward Valparaiso. There was bad weather all around but it stayed in the clear. I was able to land before the first raindrops began to hit the 70L's windshield.
The FBO put 70L in a hangar for the night and lent me a "crew car", free of charge. You meet a lot of nice people when you travel by small plane. :-) Marriott had a hotel one mile from the airport, so I was all set for the night. Hopefully, I'll be able to fly the last hour to Joliet tomorrow morning and then turn south to Missouri.
Well, it took me two days to make Indiana but I made it today. I had hoped to reach Joliet, IL, to pick up another pilot and then head south. The weather at Joliet made that clearly impossible, so I decided to go as far as I could.
I departed Findlay, OH, in the morning and headed to Kendallville, IN, just an hour away but halfway to Valparaiso, IN, where I hoped to end up for the night. I was hoping that I'd find someone in Kendallville who was knowledgeable about Indiana weather and airports who could advise me on my course of action. I was very lucky: after landing, I went into the FBO and met John Earlywine, a flight instructor and a gentleman. We checked the weather radar and he gave me his thoughts on what we were looking at. Then we went over my sectional (a chart used by pilots) as he pointed out a whole series of "good airports" between Kendallville and Valparaiso. With that in hand, I knew that if I ran into bad weather I could turn back before I got caught in it and would have good options for landing no matter how far I'd gotten.
I watched the weather carefully as I progressed toward Valparaiso. There was bad weather all around but it stayed in the clear. I was able to land before the first raindrops began to hit the 70L's windshield.
The FBO put 70L in a hangar for the night and lent me a "crew car", free of charge. You meet a lot of nice people when you travel by small plane. :-) Marriott had a hotel one mile from the airport, so I was all set for the night. Hopefully, I'll be able to fly the last hour to Joliet tomorrow morning and then turn south to Missouri.
Landing at Findlay, Ohio
I took a few minutes last night to upload a video of my arrival and landing at Findlay, Ohio at dusk last night. The camera makes it look a bit brighter out than it seemed at the time; ah, the magic of lenses.
I was too tired to fool with music or soundtracks, so all you get is the sound of the plane itself. You can find the video in the video bar as well; all of my videos will always be accessible there.
Approach and landing at Findlay, OH, August 6, 2009, at dusk.
I was too tired to fool with music or soundtracks, so all you get is the sound of the plane itself. You can find the video in the video bar as well; all of my videos will always be accessible there.
Approach and landing at Findlay, OH, August 6, 2009, at dusk.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Made it to Ohio!
The first day was a success. :-) I wanted to get to Findlay, Ohio and that's where I'm sitting as I write this. However, it wasn't as smooth as all that. I had a late start today and the forecast for clear skies didn't materialize. Instead, it was cloudy all the way across NY and down into PA. Consequently, I was flying at 3,000', dealing with turbulence the whole way. If you think about skiing moguls, it takes longer to ski up the mogul and then down the other side than it would to just ski a straight line through them. Flying the bumps is the same thing: it takes longer to get somewhere if you're spending a lot of your time flying up and down.
I left Glens Falls and went to Olean, NY. That was 220 NM (Nautical Miles), or about 250 regular (statute) miles. Olean is a very pretty little airport perched up high on a plateau amongst a lot of hills. The older man there who got me fueled up turned out to be a very nice guy. He's a pilot and a flight instructor and used to deliver the mail by plane. :-) He gave me some good tips on how to deal with long trips.
I then headed out for a one-hour flight to Franklin, PA, where another nice guy filled up the tanks again. By that time, it was almost 6:30 pm. My next leg was going to take me to Findlay, Ohio by a route that would take me south of Akron, to avoid all of the complex airspace around Akron and Cleveland. But, standing on the ground in Franklin, I realized that I wouldn't make it before dark and I prefer to fly in daylight. So, I decided to go direct. I departed Franklin, contacted air traffic control in Youngstown, OH and asked for "flight following" direct to Findlay. I knew this route would take me directly through Youngstown's TRSA airspace and also through Cleveland's "bravo" airspace but it seemed the only thing to do. Air traffic control was extremely helpful all the way to Findlay. It was fun having crossing jets pointed out to me by Cleveland approach. :-)
70L flew like a champ today. I have lots of pictures and some videos but will need to wait until I have a bit more time before I post them.
Tomorrow, I'll be up early and head toward Chicago. The weather in Chicago may take a one-day turn for the worse tomorrow so it's possible that I'll end up stuck in Indiana or even stuck in Chicago. If all goes well, I'll get to Chicago, pick up friends and head south to Missouri.
Today was a total of 477 NM (550 statue miles). It took seven hours, from start to stop, including two 30 minutes stops. I was very glad to see that there was an Applebee's open in front of my hotel tonight. :-)
I left Glens Falls and went to Olean, NY. That was 220 NM (Nautical Miles), or about 250 regular (statute) miles. Olean is a very pretty little airport perched up high on a plateau amongst a lot of hills. The older man there who got me fueled up turned out to be a very nice guy. He's a pilot and a flight instructor and used to deliver the mail by plane. :-) He gave me some good tips on how to deal with long trips.
I then headed out for a one-hour flight to Franklin, PA, where another nice guy filled up the tanks again. By that time, it was almost 6:30 pm. My next leg was going to take me to Findlay, Ohio by a route that would take me south of Akron, to avoid all of the complex airspace around Akron and Cleveland. But, standing on the ground in Franklin, I realized that I wouldn't make it before dark and I prefer to fly in daylight. So, I decided to go direct. I departed Franklin, contacted air traffic control in Youngstown, OH and asked for "flight following" direct to Findlay. I knew this route would take me directly through Youngstown's TRSA airspace and also through Cleveland's "bravo" airspace but it seemed the only thing to do. Air traffic control was extremely helpful all the way to Findlay. It was fun having crossing jets pointed out to me by Cleveland approach. :-)
70L flew like a champ today. I have lots of pictures and some videos but will need to wait until I have a bit more time before I post them.
Tomorrow, I'll be up early and head toward Chicago. The weather in Chicago may take a one-day turn for the worse tomorrow so it's possible that I'll end up stuck in Indiana or even stuck in Chicago. If all goes well, I'll get to Chicago, pick up friends and head south to Missouri.
Today was a total of 477 NM (550 statue miles). It took seven hours, from start to stop, including two 30 minutes stops. I was very glad to see that there was an Applebee's open in front of my hotel tonight. :-)
We're off to see the wizard
... who was appropriately located in the midwest. :-)
The plane is ready, I'm ready, and the weather is beautiful all the way. I'll be departing soon, heading towards Chicago. I don't know how far we'll get today but I'll post an update later from somewhere along the route.
The plane is ready, I'm ready, and the weather is beautiful all the way. I'll be departing soon, heading towards Chicago. I don't know how far we'll get today but I'll post an update later from somewhere along the route.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Best laid plans...
Well, the morning forecast didn't develop, so the anticipated early departure didn't happen. By afternoon, my attention was needed on other matters (should have left earlier! :-)) and by the time I was ready to leave I would have gotten to my first fuel stop after they had closed. No other reasonable fuel stop would be open in the evening, so leaving today would simply strand me tonight two hours from home.
The weather for Thursday looks glorious. 70L and I are hitting the skies early. :-)
The weather for Thursday looks glorious. 70L and I are hitting the skies early. :-)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
A Journey Begins
Well, 70L and I are about to begin a new journey, our first together. Tomorrow, we'll head out on a trip to the midwest states, where we'll join other pilots for a few days of fun in Missouri. After that, we'll head back north and eventually meander our way back to Glens Falls.
Our route of flight for the first part of the trip will take us from Glens Falls west through New York's southern tier, to Oleon. A quick stop there will give me a chance to stretch my legs and get some fuel unless I have enough to make it to my next stop with at least one hour in reserve. This will depend on the winds aloft. Then it's on to Franklin, PA, where the fuel is a half-dollar cheaper per gallon. :-) This will also give me a chance to claim Pennsylvania as a state that I've landed a plane in.
Then it's on to Ohio. I'll fly south of the Cleveland and Akron airspaces while staying north of the Pittsburgh airspace. I could just fly right over Akron but this will will be more fun. At Magnolia, OH, I'll turn northwest and head to Findlay, OH. I'll stop there for more fuel, claiming OH at the same time. Depending on how I feel and how the weather looks, this could be my last stop for the day. Or, if I feel good and the weather looks good, I'll press on to Indiana and possibly Illinois.
Either tomorrow or the next day, weather permitting, I'll head to Nappanee, IN, for fuel and so I can land in Indiana. :-) Then it's on to my first real destination, Joliet, Illinois. This is where I'll meet friends and turn south toward Missouri. More on that leg in another post.
Here's the proposed route of flight between Glens Falls and Missouri. If the weather turns bad, the route could easily change. Nothing is set in stone, including time on route and even the actual route. I might well find myself sitting in an airport someplace waiting for storms to pass by. Progress reports will follow, along with photographs.
Our route of flight for the first part of the trip will take us from Glens Falls west through New York's southern tier, to Oleon. A quick stop there will give me a chance to stretch my legs and get some fuel unless I have enough to make it to my next stop with at least one hour in reserve. This will depend on the winds aloft. Then it's on to Franklin, PA, where the fuel is a half-dollar cheaper per gallon. :-) This will also give me a chance to claim Pennsylvania as a state that I've landed a plane in.
Then it's on to Ohio. I'll fly south of the Cleveland and Akron airspaces while staying north of the Pittsburgh airspace. I could just fly right over Akron but this will will be more fun. At Magnolia, OH, I'll turn northwest and head to Findlay, OH. I'll stop there for more fuel, claiming OH at the same time. Depending on how I feel and how the weather looks, this could be my last stop for the day. Or, if I feel good and the weather looks good, I'll press on to Indiana and possibly Illinois.
Either tomorrow or the next day, weather permitting, I'll head to Nappanee, IN, for fuel and so I can land in Indiana. :-) Then it's on to my first real destination, Joliet, Illinois. This is where I'll meet friends and turn south toward Missouri. More on that leg in another post.
Here's the proposed route of flight between Glens Falls and Missouri. If the weather turns bad, the route could easily change. Nothing is set in stone, including time on route and even the actual route. I might well find myself sitting in an airport someplace waiting for storms to pass by. Progress reports will follow, along with photographs.
"The plane crashed when the engine stalled"
The newspaper report was crystal clear: "The plane crashed in the field when the engine stalled." The accompanying photograph is also clear: a small plane, totally intact, sitting in a field with no apparent damage.
99.8% of the people in the US will never learn to fly a plane. (That's right: only 2 people out of each 1,000 are pilots.) So it's not surprising that aviation knowledge isn't widespread but it would be nice if the press could get at least the basics right. Unfortunately, they seldom do.
The statement quoted in the first sentence above has two basic errors: the plane sitting in a field evidently didn't crash. Instead, the pilot made a safe landing in an off-airport field. Sometimes emergency landings do result in crashes, especially when there's no suitable place to land. But most off-airport landings result in little damage to the airplane or injury to the occupants.
The biggest error, though, and the one that grates on the nerves of pilots is "when the engine stalled." The engine in a plane might stop running and we'd say it stalled if it was in a car. In a plane, we don't because the word 'stall' has an entirely different meaning when it comes to planes. In a plane, the wing stalls, not the engine. The wing stalls when it can't develop enough lift anymore. The simplest way to think about it is to think of the nose of the plane pointing too high in the sky for the wings to keep generating enough lift to keep the plane up.
What happens when the wing stalls? Usually not much: the plane will lose a little altitude (maybe 50 feet), the pilot pushes the yoke forward, the stall is broken and the plane flies normally again. Pilots are trained to do this and practice stalls. And, oh yeah, what happens when the engine stops?
The pilot lands the plane. :-) We're trained to do that, too.
99.8% of the people in the US will never learn to fly a plane. (That's right: only 2 people out of each 1,000 are pilots.) So it's not surprising that aviation knowledge isn't widespread but it would be nice if the press could get at least the basics right. Unfortunately, they seldom do.
The statement quoted in the first sentence above has two basic errors: the plane sitting in a field evidently didn't crash. Instead, the pilot made a safe landing in an off-airport field. Sometimes emergency landings do result in crashes, especially when there's no suitable place to land. But most off-airport landings result in little damage to the airplane or injury to the occupants.
The biggest error, though, and the one that grates on the nerves of pilots is "when the engine stalled." The engine in a plane might stop running and we'd say it stalled if it was in a car. In a plane, we don't because the word 'stall' has an entirely different meaning when it comes to planes. In a plane, the wing stalls, not the engine. The wing stalls when it can't develop enough lift anymore. The simplest way to think about it is to think of the nose of the plane pointing too high in the sky for the wings to keep generating enough lift to keep the plane up.
What happens when the wing stalls? Usually not much: the plane will lose a little altitude (maybe 50 feet), the pilot pushes the yoke forward, the stall is broken and the plane flies normally again. Pilots are trained to do this and practice stalls. And, oh yeah, what happens when the engine stops?
The pilot lands the plane. :-) We're trained to do that, too.
Monday, August 3, 2009
My Repitched Prop
When I bought 70L, I discovered that the top speed of the plane was somewhat faster than I had expected. Then I discovered that its climb performance -- how fast it will climb when taking off or how fast it will climb from one altitude to another -- wasn't as good as I expected it to be.
It turned out that 70L had what's known as a "cruise prop". Propellers are not flat but are, instead, twisted a bit. The length of the propeller (70L's propeller is 76 inches long) and the amount of twist in the blades determines it's performance characteristics. A cruise prop is a prop that is designed to give maximum speed when cruising along in the air.
Conversely, a "climb prop" is designed to give maximum takeoff performance but can't deliver as high a top speed as a cruise prop. Since I enjoy landing at and taking off from short strips, including short grass strips, I wanted 70L's performance to be less oriented towards top speed and instead shifted back toward climb performance. When a strip is short and surrounded by trees, it's good to know that you can get off the ground and over the trees in time. :-)
The solution: instead of buying a new propeller (the cost of propellers starts in the thousands of dollars and goes up from there), I decided to have the propeller overhauled and "repitched". As a propeller ages, it invariably picks up a bit of damage. A spinning prop can easily throw small stones and gravel into the air on an unimproved runway and these can damage the prop. Each year, when a plane has its required annual inspection, the mechanics are obligated to examine the prop and file out any particularly bad damage. Some mechanics are better at this than others.
70L's prop had been on the plane for a long time. We're not sure if it's the original prop from 1966 (we suspect not) but it showed the inevitable results of years of wear. Overhauling the prop resurfaces it and smooths out the prop and restores all of the correct angles. It essentially makes the prop close to new again. I also wanted it to be repitched -- twisted a little bit more to make it a bit more like a climb prop.
We got the prop installed today and it's beautiful! It looks like a brand-new prop. It also has made a huge difference in 70L's climb performance. Where before it would lift off the ground, today the plane was leaping off the ground. :-) I'll find out soon how much I've paid in terms of lost top-end speed but it shouldn't be too terribly much. Whatever it is, I will gladly accept it for 70L's new-found ability to leap free of its earthly shackles.
You can see the newly-overhauled prop in the picture posted above. :-)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
States that I've landed a plane in
The map below shows the states that I've landed a plane in so far. I'm hoping to add every state in the union to the map, as well as all of the Canadian provinces. That might take some time but I expect to be adding a few states in an adventure that will be starting this week. Stay tuned! :)
How far can you fly?
70L has four seats but if I fill it full of fuel, I can only carry about 650 lbs of passengers and cargo. If I need to carry a bit more, I can leave some fuel behind, but that means landing sooner for more fuel. With full fuel, I can go for almost four hours without stopping, but since I always want at least an hour's worth of fuel on board full fuel will actually only take me about three hours away. If I leave behind about 100 lbs. of fuel, then my range is reduced to about an hour and a half of flying before refueling.
70L can cruise at about 110 knots, which is roughly 125 mph. But that doesn't mean that I can go 125 miles in an hour. When you fly, you can have a headwind or a tailwind or a quartering wind or no wind at all. If I'm flying at 125 mph and I have a 20 mph tailwind, I'll actually cover 145 miles over the ground in an hour. But if I'm flying into a 40 mph headwind, I'll only go 85 miles in that same hour. As you can see, the wind is important!
The winds don't blow in the same direction and speed at all altitudes. Consequently, pilots check the "winds aloft" through the weather services when they are going to make a flight and try to fly at an altitude that will give them the most favorable winds for the direction in which they need to fly.
70L can cruise at about 110 knots, which is roughly 125 mph. But that doesn't mean that I can go 125 miles in an hour. When you fly, you can have a headwind or a tailwind or a quartering wind or no wind at all. If I'm flying at 125 mph and I have a 20 mph tailwind, I'll actually cover 145 miles over the ground in an hour. But if I'm flying into a 40 mph headwind, I'll only go 85 miles in that same hour. As you can see, the wind is important!
The winds don't blow in the same direction and speed at all altitudes. Consequently, pilots check the "winds aloft" through the weather services when they are going to make a flight and try to fly at an altitude that will give them the most favorable winds for the direction in which they need to fly.
My Plane ...
As I mentioned before, my plane's name is 70L. It's a 1966 Cessna 172 and it's my first plane. It's in great shape, has good avionics and also an autopilot. Avionics are the instruments in the plane that help pilots navigate and communicate -- two very important things! 70L has two separate GPS-based navigation systems, one that is built into the plane and another that I bring onboard when I fly it.
The GPS that I bring on board the plane also has the ability to display live weather, so I can see what the weather is like up ahead as I'm flying. The autopilot is connected to the other GPS, the built-in one. If I want, I can plot a course on the GPS and have 70L fly it for me.
The GPS that I bring on board the plane also has the ability to display live weather, so I can see what the weather is like up ahead as I'm flying. The autopilot is connected to the other GPS, the built-in one. If I want, I can plot a course on the GPS and have 70L fly it for me.
Welcome!
Welcome to Brian's Flying Adventures. I'll be updating this blog from time to time with text, photos and videos that describe the fun I'm having with my plane, 70L.
When pilots talk about specific planes, they refer to the plane's "N-number", which is the FAA registration number. Usually, we shorten it to the last three characters. Every letter has a name, so 'L' is "Lima". "Lima" isn't like the "lima" in "lima beans"; it's "leema". So my plane's name is Seven-Zero-Lima. When you see me write "70L", it's my plane that I'm talking about. That's 70L in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
It's my hope that 70L and I will have some flying adventures together. As we do, I hope to share some of the fun with you, through this blog.
When pilots talk about specific planes, they refer to the plane's "N-number", which is the FAA registration number. Usually, we shorten it to the last three characters. Every letter has a name, so 'L' is "Lima". "Lima" isn't like the "lima" in "lima beans"; it's "leema". So my plane's name is Seven-Zero-Lima. When you see me write "70L", it's my plane that I'm talking about. That's 70L in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
It's my hope that 70L and I will have some flying adventures together. As we do, I hope to share some of the fun with you, through this blog.
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