My Flying Blog

Surgery on the Trinidad

2012-01-10T08:04:00.000-05:00

Last year on the birthday, Mrs. IFR Pilot bestowed a long-sought iPad 2 on the IFR Pilot. It's been used for a few flights, but the lack of a proper mount has meant resting it on the lap, glareshield, or the co-pilot's seat when that was unoccupied. Time to rectify that.

Using a Christmas gift card and prowling the depths of Amazon.com, the IFR Pilot located this little gem:

That's an Arkon IPM2-FSM 18.5-Inch Flexible Floor Mount for iPad 2. Price? A whopping $34.99. Note that the actual pad holder that was supplied looks a little bit different than what was pictured, but remains completely workable.

Here's what it looks like installed, using an existing bolt in the co-pilot's seat rail:

Close up:

Here's how it was secured to the aircraft:

A preliminary check shows that full reward deflection of the elevators and leftward deflection of the ailerons is still possible without any interference. The arm is flexible, so it can be promptly repositioned in-flight if necessary. Also, the iPad holder can be detached from the arm in the event that the front seat area becomes too crowded.

You can also see in the cigarette lighter a dual 12volt charger that was also secured from Amazon.com, which can be used for simultaneous charging of the iPhone and iPad. Haven't checked yet to see if that will trip a breaker, so that needs to be done before any in-flight usage.

All told, with free Super Saver shipping, the cost for bringing 2TB's cockpit into the iDevice age was $50.42. Can't hardly beat that!

We've Got Momentum

2012-01-08T23:15:00.000-05:00

A peek at the logbook reveals:

January 2011: .8 hours for the month
January 2012: 2.4 hours by January 7!

The first week of January has seen unusually warm temperatures to Northeast Ohio. As a result, 2TB has been pulled from her hangar twice already for flying adventures.

On Friday, SL and I took our first flight together. He's one of two prospective partners in the aircraft, and so we did a demo flight. I flew for a bit, he flew for a bit. Flying an unfamiliar airplane from the right seat by a non-CFI probably isn't the easiest of tasks, but SL did just fine, particularly so on the ILS 19 at CAK with winds that were something like 15G20. There are certain to be some adventures together in the near future. Stay tuned.

On Saturday, Momma Nature continued her benevolent ways and so the IFR Pilot dragged nephew JK for his first ride in a light aircraft. The plan was for a quick flight to PHD for some chicken wings. The winds made it a choppy experience, but I think he still enjoyed every second of it. The only hiccup was that Perfect Landing restaurant is no more. Apparently, it closed some time ago and was converted to a pizza parlor. Apparently, there was some controversy about it all. However, no one had reported the closure AirNav.com, so it was quite a surprise when we arrived -- because the restaurant doesn't open until 4:00, and we were ready for lunch at 1:00.

Fortunately, the owner was there, invited us in, and offered to make us the pizza of our choosing. Turned out, it was quite good. Thin crust, and made with a yellow cheese (later disclosed to be Colby Longhorn) instead of the more traditional mozzarella. JK and I each polished off a 10" pie. With one drink, the total tab was a reasonable $20. And the owner didn't want to take our tip! It gets the IFR Pilot's official rating of two thumbs up! Check it out for yourself!!!

Looking Back and Going Forward

2012-01-04T16:14:00.002-05:00

Looking Back

Unfortunately, 2011 was another valley in the peaks and valleys of the IFR Pilot's aviation career. Here's a look at the cold, hard numbers and other matters of interest:

Total flights: 18

17 in N62TB
1 in N2447E, a G-1000 equipped Cessna 182T during a trip to Phoenix/Sedona.

Total flight hours: 32.0

30.2 in TB20; 1.8 in C-182T.
29.3 daytime; 2.7 night
1.5 actual instrument; 3.2 simulated instrument
23.0 hours cross-country

31 day landings, 11 night landings
12 approaches
New airports visited: 3 (KDVT, Phoenix, AZ; KAOO, Altoona, PA; KPKB, Parkersburg, WV)
Longest leg: 3.9 hours from KWST to the Home Base
1 Angel Flight (boo, hiss, unacceptable give-back)

Here's the long-term picture of how 2011 stacks up against prior years:

There was a brief glimmer of hope that one more decent flight in 2011 would reverse the 4 year decline, but Momma Nature slammed the door on that idea with some crummy weather during the last week of December.

Going Forward

Here are a variety of things that ideally will be accomplished in 2012, in no particular order:

Sell 2TB, or better yet, find one or two partners to share the costs. (Active discussions occurring as we speak. Keep yer fingers crossed.)
Obtain single-engine commercial pilot certificate.
Obtain sea-plane rating.
Write more for the blog.
Get an nFlight Cam and post more videos to the blog.
Attend the Socata.org Fly-In in Florida in April (if 2TB doesn't sell).
Find another outlet for publishing law-related aviation articles.
Fly five Angel Flights.
Master flying GPS approaches with the Garmin GNS480, both with and without the autopilot.
Fly at least once with a local TV personality.

States Visited: An Update

2011-12-16T10:13:00.001-05:00

Rifling through the virtual pages of the blog led the IFR Pilot to realize that the "States Visited" page hadn't been updated since the acquisition of 2TB. So, after combing through the various routes listed in the logbook, here's the updated map:

Still Around

2011-12-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend saw N62TB used both days. First time in some time the IFR Pilot has flown on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday involved a few takeoffs and landings, showing N62TB to a prospective partner. Inbound to KMFD, the ATIS had the following notice: "Caution, the firing range next to the airport is active." That was just a wee bit disturbing to hear!

Sunday involved a quick trip to Dayton for lunch with a relative attending UD. A lovely day to fly in Northeast Ohio, with visibility stretching to the horizon and relatively calm winds. Only a matter of time before the Lake Effect Snow Machine kicks into high gear and the aviating gets shut down.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

An Update

2011-05-06T10:41:00.002-04:00

N62TB still remains in the family, so might as well fly it. SM and I did a little instrument currency flight last night: ILS 23 @ CAK twice, followed by the LOC 25 at AKR. All went well, and it was a lot easier pushing 2TB back into the hangar with the tires properly inflated!

Here's a nifty map of all the places the IFR Pilot has logged a takeoff or landing via light aircraft:

2TB Up For Sale

2011-04-06T17:19:00.002-04:00

Here's the ad. Asking $114,500.

Page 46

2011-02-01T13:04:00.004-05:00

An interesting article on leasebacks...

A Home Movie and a Flashback

2011-01-28T13:45:00.005-05:00

Mentioned in prior entries before is a wonderful aviation read, Flight of Passage, by Rinker Buck. It chronicles the 1966 flight of two young boys piloting a PA-11 Cub, N4971H, from New Jersey to California and back.

The book was written by one of the two participants, Rinker Buck, who is currently a staff writer for the Hartford Courant. A few years ago he won an award from AOPA for his aviation writing, in particular a series of articles dealing with the JFK crash. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.)

Rinker wasn't a licensed pilot at the time, as he was too young. So most of the actual flying was done by his older brother, Kernahan. To this day, Kern Buck is an active CFI.

A random internet search today turned up this video -- obviously from a home movie camera -- of Kern Buck's first solo in 1964. According to the book, Kern actually soloed four different airplanes that day. Quite a feat for any budding aviator. If you enjoy the book as much as I do (the abridged CD, read by Rinker himself, is even more fantastic), then perhaps you'll enjoy this video as well!

After the flight was over, Kern and Rinker were guests on To Tell The Truth. See for yourself:

Take a peek at the book through Google Books. Listen to Rinker share some more about his trip and general aviation at Episode #25 of The Pilotcast (February 2006).

Still Kicking

2010-12-09T09:39:00.003-05:00

The IFR Pilot and 2TB are alive and well. Only 34.3 hours of flying in 2010, and if the current weather patterns in Northeast Ohio hold true, there may not be any more flying this year. Hard to justify the economics of sole-aircraft ownership for that few number of hours. Early resolution for 2011: Find someone to link up with, or consider "scaling back" to something that flies behind an IO-360.

Meanwhile, The Dad came through with an early Christmas present: A Spot Satellite Messenger with GPS. Look for implementation of that on this website soon! Wish we had one of those when we made the Alaska trip in '05.

Oh, and with the most recent flight, the logbook hit 700.0 total hours!!!

Garmin 480 Instruction?

2010-09-14T09:58:00.003-04:00

Any recommendations for a CFII, preferably located in the Great Lakes or Mid-Atlantic, who can offer instruction on the intricacies of the Garmin 480 (nee CNX-80) GPS? A recent event-filled flight suggested that a day or two of intensive instruction with someone who knows this box in and out would be well worth the investment. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Video of Put In Bay Water Landing

2010-08-13T17:31:00.002-04:00

Earlier today, there was an apparent water landing in the vicinity of the Miller Ferry Dock in Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island. The Miller Ferry helped rescue the passengers, all of whom survived. Kudos to the pilot!

Watch this amazing video of the ferry and its crew coming to the rescue. Note also that the airplane sunk in less than the 2 minutes that this video lasts.

Procedure Turn?

2010-06-18T08:34:00.005-04:00

Why, yes, there is proof that we executed the PT at DALTS. See for yourself!

Here's even more proof:

Back to the Skies

2010-06-17T11:40:00.002-04:00

Today was the first flight I've taken since Mark passed away. It was a bittersweet moment, to be sure. He loved 2TB, thought it was the ideal platform for the missions that we had defined for ourselves. It will not be the same not having him sitting in the seat next to me, chiding me for not leaning the way he did, not navigating the way he did, and generally for not being him! :-)

However, I had to take to the skies because I needed 3 instrument approaches to remain current. So, I enlisted a brave CFI, DC, and we blasted off into skies that were reported SCT to OVC between 1300 to 1500. Perfect - low enough to do the approaches in actual, but reasonably high enough that we'd be able to return to the Home Base, which is VFR only.

I filed a flight plan just in case. Always strange to have departure and landing points be the same, and you've really got to finagle the AOPA Flight Planner to let you file something like that. I ended up using just a local intersection as an intermediate waypoint and put into the remarks section, "Requesting multiple instrument approaches."

Takeoff was a non-issue, and we remained VFR while contacting Akron Approach. We got the approaches we asked for: ILS 1 @ CAK, LOC 25 @ AKR, and GPS 2 @ 3G3.

When it was all said and done, about 1.5 hours later, I had 1.2 hours of actual, .2 hours of simulated instrument, and a great deal more confidence. While I used the autopilot for a lot of the vectoring and maneuvering, I hand flew the actual approaches, keeping things mostly within PTS.

The only hiccups were that I had a bit of trouble getting the Garmin 480 to understand that after AKR, I wanted to proceed direct DALTS and then turn inbound to execute the approach. Apparently, a bit more time with the GNS 480 manual and quick reference book are in order. The other hiccup was a 100 foot altitude excursion that I'm blame entirely on the autopilot. I put it into ALT mode at 2600', but it descended to 2500' and held that.

All in all, a good workout and confidence builder. Sorry, no pictures -- too busy flying!

From the Archives

2010-06-13T22:14:00.004-04:00

In November 2009, MS and the IFR Pilot flew N62TB from her old domicile on the island of Friday Harbor, Washington, to her new home: The Home Base.

The insurance company required that we get checked out. So, while MS flew with the CFI, the IFR Pilot got the chance to shoot some video. In 7 years of flying together, this is the only video that I've located that actually shows MS at the controls.

He made a fine approach and the landing, although it appears rough, was pretty good when you consider it was his first time landing 2TB.

Enjoy. Godspeed, MS.

R.I.P.

2010-06-06T21:06:00.002-04:00

Godspeed, MS. You will be missed. Flying will never be the same without you.

Story here.

Apparently, it was a nascent tornado.

My best friend's obituary.

Please pray for his wife and two young sons.

Night Flying

2010-04-23T12:11:00.008-04:00

Summoned by the lure of a calm atmosphere and good weather, the IFR Pilot and MS decided to work out the kinks on the autopilots while flying a couple of ILS's at KCAK. After which, they headed back for night quals at The Home Base.

Fly By Night from IFR Pilot on Vimeo.

That is all.

Spring Abounds

2010-04-09T19:13:00.007-04:00

MS and the IFR Pilot are in Tallahassee for about 18 hours. Weather was crummy leaving the Home Base, had to stay VFR below the scud for about 30 minutes. Then, we climbed above it, and just south of the mountains, it was CAVU.

MS spotted a lovely dam in the mountains:

Here we are landing at KAHN, Athens, Georgia:

There, we saw a lovely Avanti on the tarmac, just waiting for us to fly it. Alas, we didn't get a chance to do so. Perhaps someday?

They had an AWESOME objet d'art hanging from the room of the FBO at Athens. Witnesseth:

Finally, at TLH, we were joined by some Jet-A burners from the Navy:

What A Difference A Few Days Makes

2010-04-02T12:18:00.002-04:00

Today's TAF tells a much different story from the fog seen earlier this week:

KCLE 021551Z 20009KT 10SM FEW120 BKN250 26/07 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP160 T02610072

Unfortunately, after spending the last 1.5 days on the couch, doing battle with some sort of flu-like bug, the IFR Pilot is strapped into the left seat in his office, pushing around papers.

The good news: MS and the IFR Pilot are off on a journey to Florida next Friday. Good times abound for the approximately-36-hour trip we're planning.

Foggy!

2010-03-30T14:38:00.003-04:00

What a difference a few miles makes:

KBKL 301753Z 28005KT 3/4SM BR OVC001 03/02 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP177 T00280017 10033 20017 58012

KCLE 301751Z 33007KT 10SM SCT021 09/02 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP184 8/100 T00890017 10089 20033 58005

Still Around

2010-03-24T09:31:00.003-04:00

Yes, the IFR Pilot does still exist. There simply hasn't been much flying lately, due to the crummy state of the weather in the Great Lakes. Even last night, after blue skies all afternoon, arrival at the Home Base was greeted with the contemporaneous arrival of a low-hanging post-rain scud that made even pattern work a no-go. *sigh* We'll try again tonight.

In the meantime, here's what arrived in today's "West Headnote of the Day":

48B Aviation

48BIII Airmen

48Bk122 k. Certificate or license in general.

It was not abuse of discretion for the Federal Aviation Agency to reject individual application for exemptions from the Agency's "Age 60 Rule" even if applicant demonstrated that he personally was a Superman immune from impairments that age normally inflicts.

Starr v. Fed. Aviation Admin., 589 F.2d 307 (7th Cir. 1978)

First Repair Job

2009-12-17T12:45:00.003-05:00

On firing up the GNS 480 the other day in preparation for a morning breakfast run, an error message popped up. The internal battery needs replacement. Apparently, this happens about once every blue moon (Section 6.4 of the installation manual says the battery lasts "about 10 years"). And even though the prior owner had just sent the unit in for a software upgrade, no one bothered to check the battery while they were poking around inside the unit.

So, the IFR Pilot dropped the unit off today at the Avionics Shop at Constant Aviation, located at "The Big Airport" here in town. One hour of labor and $50 for a battery (plus shipping and tax). Should be returned tomorrow, just in time for a lunch run on Saturday.

As luck would have it, the internal battery on the Garmin 396 ALSO needs replacement. Sheesh! This one, we might tackle ourselves.

Oh, the joys of aircraft ownership!

Speaking of Garmin 396, we have an extra one for sale. E-mail me (address in the upper right corner of the blog) if you are interested. Asking price is $950. Includes all cables, mount, case, and user guide. Some signs of wear and tear, but otherwise completely functional.

Home!

2009-11-22T20:47:00.003-05:00

MS and the IFR Pilot made it home safely yesterday afternoon. 2.5 days, 2100 NM covered. Hard IFR, scud running, CAVU, haze, mountains, flat lands, Columbia River Gorge, and more! N62TB was put through all of its paces on the ferry flight home, and the squawk list is pretty short, thank goodness. Here is a plot of our final route of flight, with overnight stops in Spokane and Sioux City, Iowa:

Lots of Ground Covered

2009-11-20T22:37:00.005-05:00

MS and the IFR Pilot blasted out of Spokane early this morning, eager to conquer the Rocky Mountains during good weather. Tailwinds were with us, and we consistently saw 160 knots on about 12-13 gallons per hour. We decreed that performance to be "most excellent."

Today's route of flight covered about 1000 NM in 6.7 hours of flying:

The sights were incredible and pictures will be posted after we arrive home. Barring an unforeseen mechanical problem, we should be back at the Home Base by noon or so tomorrow. Time for some shut eye.

The Ferry Home Begins

2009-11-19T22:38:00.006-05:00

MS and the IFR Pilot are residents of Spokane, WA tonight. It's Day One of The Ferry Flight, bringing N62TB to its hangar at The Home Base. No longer to be a resident of Friday Harbor, Washington, Two Tango Bravo can expect to be plying the skies to Connecticut, Florida, and New Orleans on a regular basis. A full recap will follow when we return. In the meantime, here's today's route - a total of about 450 nautical miles to cover about 220 nautical miles straight-line. Thanks Mother Nature!

Here's a couple other pics for your viewing pleasure:

Flight Planning

2009-11-11T17:13:00.011-05:00

MS and the IFR Pilot are kibitzing on alternative routes for transporting 2TB from KFHR to the Home Base. Transiting the Cascade and Rocky Mountains in November is certainly an -- pardon the pun -- "uphill" challenge. Here's what we've come up with so far:

Leg 1: KFHR to KCOE

This is the current intended first leg:

Assuming 160 knots in a Trinidad, this leg would take about 2 hours.

As a possible alternative, if weather in Stampede Pass prevents passage there, we will go further south. Thusly:

This leg would take about three hours.

UPDATE: It's always been a mystery to the IFR Pilot why the AOPA Real Time Flight Planner didn't display a profile view of a selected route. As it turns out, it does. You just have to click on the "Profile View" link that is to the left of "Print Chart." So, here's the profile view of Leg 1A:

Assuming it ever stops raining in Seattle, both routes should provide great sights. We intend to stop in Oregon, where we will switch seats. That way, we can both check off Oregon in our respective "States Visited" map.

Leg 2: KCOE to KCTB or KGTR

We're still working on this one, but right now we're strongly considering this route:

It's a bit circuitous, but it spends much of the trip in river valleys. Only the final leg requires us to cross over the top of the peaks.

Obviously, the biggest challenge at this time of the year will be the weather. We've got time to spare, so we won't rush it. It should be relatively straightforward flying once we are clear of the Rockies, territory that the IFR Pilot knows somewhat from the Great Alaska Flying Adventure of 2005. Here's hope for a nice high pressure system to arrive in Washington around Wednesday morning of next week!/span>

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2009-11-06T07:48:00.000-05:00

V-tail Bonanza.

Turbo Arrow.

Mooney.

1985 Socata Trinidad TB-20? Yep, that's the one.

Airframe Total Time: 2525 Hours
Engine Time: 598 SMOH

AVIONICS

PAI 700 Vertical Card Compass
King KAP-100 Autopilot coupled to NAV, HSI and GPS
Stec 60 PSS Pitch Stabilization System with Alt Hold, Vertical Speed and G/S Intercept
DAC GPSS Roll Steering
King KCS-55 Slaved HSI
King KMA 24 Audio Panel/Marker Beacon
Garmin 480 with CDI, coupled to A/P and HSI
King KX-155 Nav/Com with Glideslope
King KT-76A Transponder
King KR-87 Digital ADF w/ Combined Loop/Sense Antenna
King KN-64 DME
EDM 700 Graphic Engine Monitor with Fuel Flow
4 Place Panel Mount Intercom with Music Input and 4 Headsets
Backup Garmin 396 with XM Weather and Terrain

OTHER EQUIPMENT

Gami Injectors
Tinted Windows and Windshield (New Windshield 1/08)
Reclining Front Seats
Tail Strobe Light
Electric Standby Vacuum
External Power Receptacle
True Airspeed Indicator
IFR Certified
88 Gal Fuel
1.5 HP Power Tow

The pre-buy is set for next week. Financing is in place. Insurance quoted and ready to bind.

If all goes well during the prebuy, we'll be picking up Six Two Tango Bravo during the week of November 16. Currently located in Puget Sound, the flight home should be another blogworthy adventure for MS and the IFR Pilot!

Another Change of Plans...

2009-10-29T21:32:00.000-04:00

Now considering another option. Details later. But, a possibility exists that we might have to bring the plane home from Washington state. So, the IFR Pilot is seeking free advice on best strategies from crossing the Continental Divide.

Mission Aborted

2009-10-28T12:45:00.003-04:00

Icing. Drat.

Moving Beyond Evaluations

2009-10-27T12:25:00.003-04:00

Bank has OK'd the loan.

Insurance quote in hand. It is reasonable, and no additional dual required.

The prepurchase inspection and test flight are set for tomorrow.

There could be a new "star" on My Flying Blog soon.

On Further Reflection

2009-10-26T21:17:00.001-04:00

Two words: "Turbo Arrow."

Stay tuned...

Evaluations Continue

2009-10-22T10:45:00.004-04:00

Candidate #2 was evaluated in person yesterday. The seller brought it from Michigan to BKL in exchange for our picking up the cost of fuel. A fair trade.

Impressions: Striking ramp presence. Sits very high. Had trouble inspecting the top blade of the two-blade prop when it was straight vertical. Paint scheme is very nice and it's definitely new, but some finishing work is needed. Engine compartment very clean. Like the Continental engine design that puts the alternator in the back, so you don't have to deal with the prop if you have to change the alternator belt. Cowling requires a screwdriver to open, unlike the newer designs that have push button release mechanisms. Tip tanks provide for an increase in MTOW, so if you don't fill them (80 gallons in the mains is plenty), you get a nice increase in useful load. Interior is newer but still shows a degree of aging.

The panel was very nice, and the avionics very workable. Interestingly, instead of building-up the wiring harness by hand, the owner went with an avionics hub and connection cables from these guys. The idea is that once you install the hub, anytime you want to change a radio or other item, you just contact them and purchase the appropriate connector cable. Plug one end of the the cable into the radio and the other into the hub, and -- voila! -- all the necessary interconnections are accomplished without your avionics technician having to do them wire by wire. GENIUS!!!

The rubber met the road, however, when MS sat in it. His knees were interfering with just about every control you need. Throttle and mixture were abutting the outside of his kneecap, and the tops of his knees interfered with the control arm on which the yokes are mounted. In an instant, the dream was over. No way that MS could fly that plane. While it's unclear whether the next plane with be purchased solo or in co-ownership, what is clear is that there will no plane will be purchased that can't be flown by someone who is very, very likely to spend time in the cockpit with the IFR Pilot.

We spent an hour or so this morning examining a local Bonanza A36 as another potential option. More on that later. Back to work!

Mike Hotel Farewell Pictures

2009-10-20T09:20:00.003-04:00

MS took the first, IFR Pilot the second and third while MS was at the controls of Mike Hotel.

Candidate #2

2009-10-18T15:35:00.006-04:00

Here's the #2 candidate. Based in Michigan, the owner reports he's willing to fly it here for a personal inspection.

Detail specifications:

1961 Beech Bonanza N35

5318 TTAF
104 TSOH on IO-470-B
104 SPOH
New interior 2004 and new paint 2008
Avonics include PMA 7000B audio panel, Garmin 430, NSD360 HSI, KX155 w/ GS, STEC 50 auto pilot w/GPSS
PAV80 DVD driving display for rear seat
JPI EDM 700 engine analyzer
GAMI Injectors
Beryl d' Shannon tip tanks
Speed slope windshield

A nice, relatively understated paint scheme.

Clean panel. An HSI would be awesome step up from 2MH.

The transponder screams for an upgrade to a GTX-327 or -330. But, that could wait until the classic Narco goes Tango Uniform.

Despite being new, the seats suggest "old school." And, no heatrests.

This aircraft was involved in an incident in 1968. During a go-around, the commercial pilot/flight instructor, who was age 70 and had 17,000 hours total time and 5000 hours in type, inadvertently retracted the landing gear during a go-around. Damage was described as "substantial." No further details are presently available. Once again, an order has been placed with the FAA for the airplane's detailed records.

The owner appears to have taken great care of the airplane and invested heavily in it to make it a fine traveling machine. He has upgraded to a Baron and a Navajo, and has now decided to reduce the size of his fleet to just the Navajo. Asking price is $99,500 and is listed as "must sell."

Conclusion: Also still in the running. Working to gather more information about having a pre-buy done by someone with substantial experience with Bonanzas.

Candidate #1

2009-10-16T09:30:00.007-04:00

In-person airplane browsing has commenced. Here is the first prospect:

1977 Mooney M20J

4041 TT, 1043 SMOH, 685 SPOH
Garmin 430 WAAS, KX 155
Century 2000 A/P
Apollo GX-55 (VFR Only)
True Flight GPS WAAS with XM
Speedbrakes
New interior in 2006
Some new paint, but some leading edge surfaces needing attention

Based nearby, with maintenance apparently done by an independent A&P based at The Home Base.

Does have some damage. In 2000, it was damaged during a landing accident involving wake turbulence from a nearby helicopter that was in hover. According to the NTSB report, "The right wing contacted the ground and the nose of the airplane rotated 90 degrees to the right. The flight instructor then closed the throttle and the airplane impacted the runway landing gear first. The airplane came to rest upright on its landing gear." Careful examination of the top and bottom of the wing surfaces make it hard to discern the specific area of repair, so that's a good thing. The current owner (who did not own the aircraft at the time) reported that there was also an engine tear down.

FAA records have been ordered for further examination. He also offered to provide copies of the logs that could be reviewed on my own time.

Pictures and commentary:

N number erased to protect my competitive shopping advantage. Overall condition looks good.

Some leading edge surfaces need a bit of TLC.

Engine, obviously.

Interior still has that "new leather" smell.

The dark floor carpeting and black panel are a bit, well, dark for my liking. The True Flight GPS, which is velcroed below the throttle quadrant, banged right up against my knee. And I worry that having to look down at the display for weather and then back to the panel to fly is a bad recipe for potential vertigo or vestibular disruption during prolonged instrument flight.

Conclusion: Still in the running.

More Nostalgia

2009-10-15T09:52:00.006-04:00

Recently unearthed on a website for plane spotters based in Philly is this awesome photo of MS in the process of landing during an Angel Flight a couple years back:

You gotta admire the skills of the unknown photographer, to whom we tip our proverbial hat.

In the continuing saga of what to do for a replacement airplane, the IFR Pilot is off to look at an M20J tonight.

Nostalgia

2009-10-14T13:09:00.005-04:00

In the wake of Mike Hotel's transfer to warmer climates, a sanguine IFR Pilot continues his search for a replacement steed. Beech Sierra, anyone?

Meanwhile, from the depths of the photo archives comes this gem from one of our last breakfast runs in N72MH:

Rumor has it that this little lad knows all too well how to retract gear and flaps on the Microsoft Flight Simulator at MS's house...

Saying Goodbye

2009-10-13T07:56:00.003-04:00

The buyers showed on Friday and did a thorough prebuy on Mike Hotel. They poked and prodded, checked and rechecked. Having found the airplane to be as represented in our ads, an agreement was reached to sell our beloved Mike Hotel, subject only to a test flight that would occur the next morning when the forecast was set to improve.

Saturday morning was a big improvement from Friday, weatherwise. Still not great, but doable. MS handled the test flight with aplomb. Fitting that he'd get the last flight, because the IFR Pilot was the first leg pilot, way back in May of '06 when we began the ferry flight home from KSEE.

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye.

Here are the final numbers:

Total flights -115
Total time - 219.9
Night time - 11.8
Cross-country time - 167.9
Solo hours - 64.3
Day landings - 162
Night landings - 31
Instrument time - 29.4
Instrument approaches - 51
Best trip - ALL OF THEM

Now, for the $64,000 question. Mooney M20J, Beech Bonanza F33A, or Cirrus SR22?

SOLD

2009-10-09T17:04:00.001-04:00

Mike Hotel was sold today. Thanks to those that expressed an interest. Stay turned for further flying adventures!

Priceless

2009-09-25T10:07:00.003-04:00

93 octane for the 30 statute mile ride south to work - $5.00.

100LL for the 35 nautical mile trip north to work - $10.00.

Flying to work on a beautiful fall Friday morning just because you can - priceless.

(Old and tired, I know, but still true. Also, sorry for the crummy blackberry photo. Left both of the good cameras at home. )

Meanwhile, Mike Hotel is parked on the ramp at KBKL near N794AJ, the Zero G Experience B-727. For a mere $5000 (plus tax), you too can have a trip on the only private Vomit Comet in the USA. Sold out while in Cleveland, but look for a visit to your town.

Morning Flying

2009-09-03T11:09:00.002-04:00

Real Life has interfered with Flying Life for far too long. When there has been good flying weather, there's been more work than you can imagine. When work has been slack, the weather has been unacceptable. And on at least one occasion, when both items aligned, the IFR Pilot couldn't get the engine started, flooded it, and then ran the battery down. Due in Columbus shortly thereafter, Mike Hotel had to be return to the hangar pronto and the A4 was flown to the meeting.

Translation: Not a lot of hours in the logbook so far.

This morning, however, everything aligned. Weather was just about CAVU with the exception of some morning ground fog/mist in low lying areas. With the boss out of town, work could wait.

I met with CFI DC, and we blasted off for a bit of instrument work. After 1.5 hours, we had knocked out ILS 1 @ CAK twice, LOC 25 @ AKR (runways closed!), and the GPS 2 @ 3G3 (love that LNAV+V on the Garmin 430W) with a procedure turn/hold at DALTS.

Notable deficiencies:

1. Late turn onto the localizer the first time at CAK.

2. Failure to retract gear following low approach at AKR. Which explains why it took forever to get to DALTS for the procedure turn.

3. Neglected to add the last notch of flaps when landing at The Home Base.

Things done well:

1. Kept all altitudes within tolerances.

2. Accurately anticipated parallel entry to the hold.

3. Checked the identifier on the localizers.

With that, the Mrs. and I are off to Connecticut this weekend to visit with mi familia.

Groom's Cake

2009-07-08T12:22:00.002-04:00

Have you ever seen a finer piece of aviation cake art?

Crash on Video

2009-06-15T16:39:00.001-04:00

From AvWeb:

Trip Report Forthcoming

2009-06-10T11:17:00.011-04:00

Here's a recap of what MS and the IFR Pilot did last week:

A trip report is forthcoming. In the meantime, enjoy this hair-raising video delight:

Lazy Web Request

2009-05-13T22:25:00.002-04:00

The IFR Pilot will be giving a PowerPoint presentation on Sunday. Anyone have any links to a good general aviation template?

Off-Airport Landing Captured on Video

2009-04-22T19:06:00.004-04:00

If you haven't seen this already, here's a video of an off-airport emergency landing -- in the middle of a city street!

Absolutely amazing to see on video.

Night Current

2009-04-10T10:04:00.003-04:00

After two ILS 23's at CAK (visual conditions only, left the darn foggles in the back someplace) to a full stop, and one "firm" landing at the Home Base, the IFR Pilot is officially night current. Flew for the first time with CFI DC. Enjoyed that very much, and talked to him about resuming the commercial training. Definite possibilities there.

Off to KNEW next week with ML for the 15 year law school reunion at Galatoire's. Going to New Orleans in one's own aircraft never gets old -- at least not for this pilot.

The Way To Travel

2009-04-09T14:23:00.003-04:00

Recently, the IFR Pilot had BSF had occasion to attend a week-long trial in a southern locale. Due to the necessity to be on time, we had to fly commercially even though Mike Hotel would have provided far more expedient travel. Nevertheless, the flight home was about as close to private jet travel as the IFR Pilot is ever likely to experience.

We had flown on full fare tickets because of the need for flexibility. Sometimes trials end early or last longer than expected. With the amount most airlines charge now for change fees, it's often easy to justify the added expense of full fare tickets so that change fees can be avoided.

So, when I sat down at the computer that morning to change our return flight, I was presented with a list of five available flights home. I had expected four of them, but there was one that wasn't on the list that my assistant had sent me. It was a few minutes earlier than the flight I had intended to book us on, and so with BSF and I both desiring to get home sooner rather than later, that's the one I picked.

We waited at a fairly uncrowded gate for the late arriving aircraft. It discharged a whole group of young ladies and their parents, who turned about to be traveling for a sports tournament. Suddenly, the IFR Pilot and BSF were paged to see the gate agent. We were asked a whole bunch of questions about when and how we had made our reservation. All in all, a rather strange experience.

It turns out that the IFR Pilot had managed to book passage on the return leg of a charter flight. The young ladies were actually a sports team whose flight the prior evening had been canceled due to weather. As there was not going to be any easy way to scatter them on other regularly-scheduled flights, the airline had set up a special flight to take them to their destination. The plane was due to return to our neck of the woods empty.

And that, kids, is the story of how the IFR Pilot and BSF were the only two passengers on a 75-seat Embraer 145 from Atlanta to Cleveland. Here are the (crummy cell phone camera) pictures to prove it. The FA, shown in one of the pictures, was also kind enough to give me part of the passenger manifest, showing a final passenger count of "2."

Truly, this is the way to travel!

143 Days...

2009-03-09T21:47:00.004-04:00

It's been 143 days since the IFR Pilot last flew in Mike Hotel. Since then, it's been trips via the pressurized aluminum tube of discomfort. At last count, I've logged "back seat time" aboard an E145, CRJ, A320, and a Saab 340, among others. Unfortunately, none of that keeps a passenger current as PIC.

So, last week, when the weather broke and it was possibly to play hookey for an hour, the IFR Pilot attempted to get current. Unfortunately, the evil spirits were still at work and the flight had to be aborted due to an abnormal fuel pressure reading. As it turns out, when it's 10 degrees F outside, things don't always work they way they are supposed to.

However, the weather gods smiled on Northeast Ohio tonight and the IFR Pilot was able to scoot out of work unnoticed. An hour later, the hangar doors were open and Mike Hotel was being readied for flight into the dusky twilight skies. The first takeoff was uneventful, and soon we were level at 2500 feet, making a beeline for KBJJ.

Entering the downwind for Runway 10, everything was copacetic. Three in the green, mixture rich, prop full forward, holding 75 knots on final. Flare, hold it, hold it, hold it, bzzzzzzzzz - the stall horn goes off, chirp go the tires. Now that's a landing for the first time back in nearly 5 months.

Taxi back, takeoff, let's do it again, then we're headed back to the Home Base. The landing there was a bit less perfect, with the stall horn going off a little higher than desired and the resulting smack a bit harder than you might like. But any landing at the Home Base that gets braking action before the yellow line is good! (Just kidding.)

Thirty minutes after takeoff, the IFR Pilot is PIC current again. Just in time for a business meeting in Columbus on Friday that's about 2 miles from KOSU airport....

Tried to Knock the Rust Off. No Joy.

2009-02-02T08:51:00.002-05:00

The IFR Pilot tried twice this weekend to return Mike Hotel to the skies. No joy either time, despite clear blue skies and crisp temperatures that would have allowed the IO-360-C1C6 to taste flight for the first time since October!

Saturday, the only accomplishment was to get the A4 stuck in the snow. "All Wheel Drive Quattro" does not make an A4 into a snowmobile. As a result, my visit to the hangar consisted of removing the snow shovel, digging out the A4, and returning the snow shovel. After which, I drove home. Ugh.

Sunday, following a melting spell that extinguished Saturday's snow drifts, and with MS at the wheel, we tried using the Home Base's snow plow to clear the hangar apron. Once again, foiled. The snow was simply too wet and heavy to move. Plus, the tires on the plow seemed to be lacking in traction. We even tried bringing the IFR Pilot's snow blower back to life. Not having run in the several years that it has been stored in the hangar, the outlook wasn't optimistic. It turned out that we could bring it back to life, but the motor just didn't sound right -- it was revving way to high and even when we attacked the snow, we just could make a dent in it. FOILED ONCE AGAIN.

So, the IFR Pilot replaced the GPS chips and the IFR charts, and we went home. Bummer, dude. We'll try again this weekend, if Momma Nature cooperates.

Block Island Photo Blog

2008-10-15T14:17:00.004-04:00

Trying something new here...

Thursday through Sunday saw the IFR Pilot and ML depart the strangely-mid-October-warm confines of the Home Base for the warm confines of Block Island, RI and then on to CT to visit with Dadster and other relatives. Rather than write a lengthy recap that mostly only serves to entertain me, presented for your perusal if you happen upon this entry is the first My Flying Blog "photo essay" blog entry.

Check out the slides, read the captions, look for the occasional note embedded in the pictures. (Click on the lower right corner to switch to full screen mode, they are more impressive that way.) Some of them turned out quite good, IMHO. I'm sure those are the ones that ML took, not me.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Tomorrow, the IFR Pilot is off to Rockford, IL for work. Thankfully, having Mike Hotel available allows one to avoid arriving at Hopkins an hour early, taking an hour flight to O'Hare (can you say "DELAYS"), busing over to the rental car facility, waiting for rental car, and driving 1.5 hours from Chicago to Rockford. Instead, 2:40 in Mike Hotel direct to Chicago Rockford International Airport. (Well, really, it's Home Base - JOT - KRFD, but that's close enough....)

Anyone for dinner in Rockford tomorrow night?

Lunch Anyone?

2008-10-11T10:33:00.003-04:00

For some strange reason, we couldn't get any lunch delivered to us yesterday...

Feet Wet!

2008-10-09T21:30:00.004-04:00

A full report will have to wait until we return home (and have access to the USB cable necessary to offload pictures from the camera). In the meantime, you'll have to settle for the crummy camera phone picture, taken out of the window of our hotel room:

Even after Labor Day, Block Island is wonderful and you need to come visit. My only complaint was that the Narragansett Inn ran out of lobster before we arrived for the $25 all-you-can-eat special. Rumor has it they are doing it again tomorrow night; this time, we'll be EARLY, not late!

Instrument Current

2008-10-06T14:39:00.003-04:00

Yes, Mike Hotel and the IFR Pilot return to the skies on Saturday, more than 2 months since ML and I went north. (Report still pending...) The goal was to renew the IFR Pilot's instrument currency in anticipation of a trip to RI and CT this weekend. Currency had completely lapsed, so this necessitated a full renewal, a/k/a 6 approaches, hold, etc., etc., etc.

AW was summoned to be safety pilot since MS was "unavailable." After two months in the hangar, Mike Hotel needed a bit of TLC, including lots of av gas and some air in the tires. With those necessities out of the way, and cool air in abundance, AW and the IFR Pilot rocketed off The Home Base's Runway 3.

First up was the VOR-A at 3G4, which included the IFR Pilot creating his own course reversal just outside the FAF instead of flying another 10 miles to the VOR for the published reversal. Sorta like own nav to the FAF, I suppose.

Then, we did the GPS 10 into BJJ. Done this a million times, so no sweat, except for having to go around early so as to avoid messing with the local traffic pattern much.

From there, it was the ILS 1 at CAK twice. AW observed that the IFR Pilot flew the needles much more accurately the closer we got to the runway threshold -- the opposite of most people, who are accurate further out but then have trouble holding the needles inside the donut near the runway. What can I say, I work best under pressure. The second time around included a touch 'n go.

Fifth approach was the LOC 25 at AKR. This is a bit of a slam dunk, especially if you don't get down early enough. Once again we did, but had to go around early to avoid traffic that we departing runway 7.

We skedaddled over to RITZS, did the required hold thingy, and then popped out the GPS 2 into 3G3.

All that remained was to land the aircraft in one piece. We did, but only after we deftly negotiated with other inbound traffic that was headed to the same place we were at the same time. AW was handling radios at that point and in his best airline pilot voice piped up with "Where are you now and do you see us?!?!?!?" Fortunately, our position reporting was a bit more accurate than theirs, and so we elected to proceed #1 to land.

If it hadn't been for the last bit of unexpected wind gust, the IFR Pilot would have managed a spot landing on the target. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-)

Currency renewed, vacation awaits. See you on the backside!

(P.S. - signed up for MGMT 317, "Organizational Behavior," in the October session of ERAU Worldwide. We'll see how interesting this one is.)

Still Among the Living

2008-09-15T17:48:00.002-04:00

Yes, yes, yes, the IFR Pilot is still with y'all. Been quiet on the aviating front since July, when I went Up North for a bit and still haven't had time to post a Pirep of our Adventures On The Georgian Bay (tm).

However, things are looking up. Nice weather tomorrow evening may allow a return to active flight status with a few night currency takeoffs and landings. And then, next week? "Beautiful" Rockford, Illinois for work. Keep yer fingers crossed.

Oh, yeah, got an "A" in Principles of Management. Starting another class in mid-November, haven't decided which yet.

Check back soon.

Schoolhouse Recap

2008-06-26T16:31:00.002-04:00

As previously noted, the IFR Pilot is tackling the challenge of obtaining a Certificate in Management Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University via its Worldwide Online offering. As the name implies, it's a totally on-line experience -- a dramatic change from the last schoolhouse I attended in 1994. (Side note: I was literally laughed at in my first year Torts class in the Fall of 1991 when I broke out a notebook computer to take notes during a lecture; today it's pretty much standard practice for the kids in law school to use laptop computers and most law schools, of course, have wireless internet access. How things have changed in a mere 17 years!)

Anyhow, the current class is MGMT 201, "Principles of Management." Class consists of:

1. Reading two chapters each week in the assigned textbook.
2. Completing a case illustration assignment from each chapter.
3. Posting a response to a discussion question on a classroom bulletin board.

The reading is relatively straightforward and, seeing as how it is a first- or second-year college level class, it's not all that complex. The case illustration questions generally consist of a set of hypothetical facts followed by somewhere between two and five discussion questions. Answering them essentially involves processing key concepts from the chapter and applying those concepts to the hypothetical facts. Each weekly posting is worth 10 points, so 50 available so far.

The bulletin board discussion questions are not complicated to answer, but have on some occasions proven to be fairly provocative. I've done my best to avoid doing what others do, which is just posting a few random thoughts. Instead, I've tried my best to relate the question to something that's been covered in the chapters we've read that week, and to annotate the posting with hyperlinks to relevant third-party materials. Each week, students can earn an additional 10 points if they fully participate in the discussion (post a response, respond to others, be courteous, etc.), so that's another 50 available so far.

This week, we took the mid-term examination. Open book, 40 questions (true/false and multiple choice) and two essays. Total points available: 100.

IFR Pilot's total points to date: 200.

As I commented to ML today, "Everyone should wait until they are 40 to go to college. You really take it seriously then, especially when you are paying for it!"

Six weeks down, six to go.

Captain, We Need More Power!

2008-06-14T16:43:00.003-04:00

Interesting times at the Home Base since MS and the IFR Pilot returned from NOLA. Unmentioned in the prior post was the borderline scary takeoff from the Home Base's 2350 foot runway. Picture this: It was about 91 degrees F outside. We had some baggage, fuel to the tabs, and two bigger-than-FAA-standard people on board. In other words, we were right at the edge of the W&B envelope. Then, add in what seemed to be a 60 degree crosswind (instead of a helpful headwind!). The result was a meager, meager, meager climb rate off the Home Base's Runway 3, which has these pesky little TREES just beyond it. We cleared 'em, but I swear I could count the leaves...

So, when the mechanic called the next morning and said, "I saw that takeoff. Your plane's coming into the shop when you get home," MS and I both knew we needed to heed his advice. (Of course, every other takeoff during the trip was absolutely fine, though we did consciously choose to refuel at airports that had generous runway lengths.)

Upon our return, mechanic extraordinaire B fetched Mike Hotel from the hangar and began checking things. Compressions. Exhaust system. Lobe wear on the camshaft. Alternate induction air door. Everything. MS and the IFR Pilot scoured the internets for data about the Arrow IV and the Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 that powers it. We had run all kinds of experiments on the way home to see how Mike Hotel's performance compared to the POH; the results showed that we were in the target range for an that's 1500 hours toward a 2000 hour TBO.

The only thing that B uncovered was an enlarged hole on a plate or some other kind of thingamajiggy on the propeller governor. His theory was that although we had the prop control full forward, we might not actually have been getting the full bite of the prop because it was taking whatever pitch it wanted. So, he pulled the governor and shipped it across the state to our new friends at Tiffin Aire for a rebuild. I'll admit I wasn't sure I understood all the details about how this could explain what we were seeing, but I understood that something was out of spec and needed to be fixed. I also sucked in a deep breath when B delivered the foreboding announcement that the rebuild was going to be expensive.

A couple days later, B installed the new governor and MS and I convened at the Home Base for the test flight. We had already determined that he'd be the guinea pig, I mean, test pilot, so by the time I arrived, he was already doing the run up. I watched with baited breath as he accelerated down the runway, Mike Hotel pitched up, and then soared into the sky. It was a glorious sight, right up until MS landed. Let's just say that it wasn't one of his best -- though the wind was being a bit squirrely.

The IFR Pilot then jumped aboard and we did another takeoff. We paid particular attention to acceleration and where on the runway we were achieving each 10 knots of airspeed. We had sufficient airspeed by the halfway point to perform a short field takeoff in accordance with the POH, and by the time we had cleaned up and hit the end of the runway, we were established in a 500 FPM climb at 70 KIAS. Looking good!

Down to BJJ we went for a few more takeoffs in different configurations. Everything was on the money (well, except for MS allowing us to get blown way past final on the first landing), so we turned tail and headed back to the Home Base. We decided to add fuel to the tabs and go for one more takeoff.

Things went like a charm on the final trip around the pattern, and we concluded that it was acceptable to declare Mike Hotel operational. It's a happy, happy plane now, as it also got an oil change and a new pilot-side vent window while it was in the shop.

Back to normal flight ops here at My Flying Blog. Thanks for reading!

Big Easy, Re-Re-Re-Dux

2008-06-05T11:48:00.012-04:00

MS and the IFR Pilot are back from what has become an annual rite of passage: Taking in New Orleans. A quick review of the logbook shows we were there in April of '05 with 78S, and in December of '06, March of '07, and now May of '08, all with Mike Hotel.

Flying down on Sunday, we battled serious headwinds and hot temperatures, stopping twice for fuel. Our first refuel was in KBWG (Bowling Green, Kentucky). We nearly had a heart attacks when the FBO quoted us $6.77 for avgas! Fortunately, we had spotted a self-serve pump. The list price of $5.50 suddenly seemed far more reasonable.

Skipping lunch, we blasted back off and dodged thunderstorms throughout Kentucky and Tennessee. Mississippi wasn't much better, either, but we pulled it off and remained VFR the entire way. Our first fuel stop was aborted when ATC advised that they -- unsolicitedly (is that a word?) -- had called ahead and the FBO had just closed. Of course, we could pay an extra $50 for a call-out. Umm, no thanks, we still had lots of fuel, we'll push on. Ended up stopping at Bobby L. Chain Memorial Airport in Hattiesburg, for a super-quick fill up that wasn't unreasonably priced. After that, it was just 45 minutes direct to the Big Easy, where MS made the nice landing that was the subject of the prior post. Also captured some of those nice images you saw in June 2nd's "Guess The IFR Pilot's Location, Part Deux," so no pictures here of that flight.

We did what most folk visiting New Orleans do: In between MS attending a conference and the IFR Pilot hanging out with former co-workers, we ate unreasonable amounts of food and walked around the French Quarter. List of establishments visited in our Sunday evening to Wednesday-morning whirlwind visit:

Semolina for pasta. (No Double Cheeseburger Pasta available, doggone it.)
Palace Cafe for Cochon De Lait Pot Pie. (Mmmmmm!)
Fire of Brazil for more artery-clogging red meat than you thought possible in a single meal.
Central Grocery for muffuletta and Zapp's Tabasco-flavored potato chips.
Gordon Biersch for a beer and "lighter" dinner.

Waddling back to the W for lights-out, I aptly remarked to MS: "Good thing no dessert, or we'd have to redo the weight and balance for sure!"

Wednesday morning, we jetted off, enjoying a fierce tailwind that gave us 150+ KIAS groundspeeds. We made it from Lakefront to our refueling stop in Tullahoma, Tennessee in 2.7 short hours, VFR all the way. The radar picture in Ohio was pretty ugly at the time:

Weighing our options, we elected to grab the crew car and go for lunch. Unfortunately, the culinary talents of Tullahoma, Tennessee do not favorably compare to those of New Orleans. As a result, we ended up at Applebees. Being the world-renowned gastronomes that we are, however, we didn't let this stop us. We'll have two of those "Ultimate Trios," and MS threw in a salad to boot. (He's always pretending to be health-conscious, you know.)

One interesting sight at KTHA was the DC-3 parked on the ramp. While MS fuddled with the weather computer, the IFR Pilot grabbed the camera and attempted some "artistic" photography:

Also, the airport had a wind tetrahedron. It looked to be balanced rather precariously, though I suspect it's actually perfectly balanced so that it can rotate with the wind.

Shortly, MS had a plan. Instead of proceeding northeast direct for the Home Base, we'd fly more to the north, wait for things to move to the east, and sneak in around the back end of things. And that's pretty much how things worked out. If memory serves (and I'll admit I read the USA Today and slept while MS was carrying the laboring oar), our route ended up being something like:

According to the flight planner, this route added maybe twenty minutes to the flight, but it kept us very, very safe. The route also took us over a couple of intersections that reinforced the notion that, despite widespread opinion to the contrary, the FAA really does have a sense of humor:

Let's just hope that no one ever misconstrues ATC's instruction to proceed "Direct Jim Beam, then Bourbon."

As we made our way around Cincinnati's airspace toward Dayton, we could see the ominous remains of the front we had avoided and which was headed further east. The display on the 396 reinforced what we could tell just from looking at this beast -- it wasn't to be taken lightly!

Amazingly, however, we remained dry throughout, and MS recorded only about .2 in IMC after we received a pop-up clearance from Mansfield Approach so we could descend through the clouds to VFR below. Some of it was captured for your viewing pleasure:

Once clear of the clouds, it was a milk run back to the Home Base to test MS's landing skills once again. Once again, you get to judge for yourself:

With that, our latest junket came to a conclusion.

Lest You Think I Lied

2008-06-03T20:09:00.002-04:00

Every single guess has been correct: MS and the IFR Pilot have once again descended upon New Orleans. Pictures later, video will have to suffice for now!

Guess the IFR Pilot's Location, Part Deux

2008-06-02T15:20:00.006-04:00

We'll have to make it a bit harder this time. MS and the IFR Pilot flew Mike Hotel yesterday. We dodged a variety of thunderstorms that were racing across America. The Flight Aware track shows a bit of what we were doing, and offers some insight as to the direction we were headed -- but it doesn't reveal where we ended our day. You'll have to guess that yourself.

1. Elapsed time: between 6 and 7 hours.
2. Landed on Runway 18R.
3. Flew over water for a bit.
4. At today's lunch, MS wanted to know what "filé" was.

(A cool griffin-like cloud encountered near sunset.)

Landing video to be uploaded to You Tube later.

Low and Slow

2008-05-29T15:03:00.009-04:00

Ventured back to the edges of Texas Hill Country on Wednesday to take advantage of a hidden gem: Rental of a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub from Boerne Stage Airfield (info here, website here; note that Boerne is pronounced "BERN-ie," not "bohrne"). My host for the afternoon was CFI Jordan Schultz, who's been instructing for about seven months.

We began with a brief overview of the IFR Pilot's overall flight experience, experience flying a Cub (none), and experience with tailwheel aircraft (none). We quickly decided that in the couple of hours that we had available, a complete checkout and tailwheel endorsement wasn't in the cards, but we could certainly tackle some aerial flightseeing. Given that the airplane cruises slower than most pickup trucks drive on a Texas Interstate Highway, the reality was that we weren't going to go that far. Then again, it wasn't about seeing anything in particular, but more about honing some stick and rudder skills, flying low and slow, and communing with one of my aviation heroes, Rinker Buck, author of Flight of Passage, a memoir of two young brothers who fly their Cub from New Jersey to California in the mid-1960's.

Predictably, we started with the preflight inspection. Our faithful steed for the day was NC70997, a 1946 J-3. She was in immaculate condition, with nary a scratch on the doped linen, and the classic yellow Piper Cub paint scheme.

There wasn't all that much to check on the preflight: oil (at least 3 quarts), fuel, rigging lines (free movement, no corrosion), cotter pins in the cowling, and a couple of other do-dads. As the panel shows, this Cub is all-original -- no electrical system. Just an RPM gauge, airspeed indicator, whiskey compass, (non-functional) altimeter, and oil pressure and temperature gauges. The red-lines on the RPM and airspeed gauges appeared to have been added by red pain pen on the outside of the glass!

Jordan also reviewed the cockpit controls (pretty simple: stick, carb heat, magneto switch), although the separate pedals for the heel brakes were a revelation. He also reviewed the mechanics of hand propping, which he'd be doing. The IFR Pilot was quite attentive to this, as it would have been quite a downer if Jordan had been run over during the start sequence!!!

Preflight complete, the biggest challenge of the day arrived: Stuffing my non-1946 sized body into the cub. This involved no small amount of gymnastics on my part, all of them attempted with a delicate touch lest so damage be done to the airplane. The challenge is that you can't step in the base of the strut like you may be used to doing in your favorite Cessna. I finally grabbed the upper bars and literally pulled myself into the seat.

Jordan dutifully hand propped the Cub -- after making sure several times that yours truly was standing on the heel brakes hard enough! Then we taxied for some fuel. S-turns were in order, as was a lot of the IFR Pilot's head sticking out of both sides of the cockpit to look for obstructions. After adding a couple of gallons of 100LL, we started up again and taxied to the runway. A quick run ensued, basically just a mag check and a check of the flight controls -- and then it was onto Runway 17 for takeoff.

Jordan primarily handled the takeoff, although I kept hands and feet on the controls to get a sense of the delicate touch needed with a tailwheel airplane. Moments after takeoff, however, Jordan turned the controls over to the IFR Pilot and away we went. We climbed for a while at 55 MPH, eventually leveling off at 1000 to 1500 AGL. We flew with the right side door down and the window up, so it was a new experience to stick my head out of the cockpit and look down at the trees and scrub passing below us.

Our destination was Medina Lake, a man-made lake southwest of the airport. We circumnavigated a particularly large transmitting tower, and then dropped down to a couple of hundred feet off the surface of the lake and flew over the entire length of it. See for yourself:

And, there's even some video available as well!

After we finished out tour of the lake, we climbed back up to altitude and I put us on a reciprocal heading back to 5C1. All too soon we were in the pattern, and Jordan handled the landing. We called it quits after that, as he had another student arriving for a lesson.

All in all, it was a great time, and well worth the $120 that it ended up costing. If you find yourself in the San Antonio area with some free time on your hands, get out to Boerne Stage airport and get some stick time in NC70997. When it's done, you'll end up with a smile on your face bigger than mine!

From KSAT to KERV

2008-05-27T23:18:00.009-04:00

Grabbed a rental car from the hotel this morning, plugged in the Tom Tom, and sped 65 miles west into the Texas Hill Country. Destination? Well, that should be readily obvious:

Earlier this year, the IFR Pilot had the opportunity to spend some quality time with a couple of senior executives from Mooney Airplane Company. When they learned that Yours Faithful Narrator would be in San Antonio for a week with little to do (shhhh, don't tell The Boss), they kindly offered a factory tour and the chance to fly one of their hand-crafted masterpieces.

Arriving around 10:30 this morning, it was already 85+ degrees F, and -- smartly dressed in LONG pants and polo shirt with undershirt -- I was reminded why I do enjoy living on the shores of Lake Erie. In any event, I was given an in-depth tour by Mr. Stanley Fuller, who has been a Mooney employee for 48 years, including by his count seven different ownership groups. He took me through the machine shop, the upholstery and electronics shops, the subassembly and assembly lines, and other places I can't remember. The factory employs about 430-440 people, each of whom obviously takes great pride in their craftsmanship. Stanley also pointed out some marks on the concrete floor where Mooney used to assemble the wood wings of their original M20 and M20A models.

After the factory tour concluded, I had lunch with Tom Canavera, the Senior Director-Delivery. Tom's job involves making Mooney customers happy, and with his quick wit and amiable personality, it's easy to see why he was selected for this position. We went to a local Kerrville establishment and caught up on some business issues.

We returned to the factory, and Tom had to take another employee to San Marcos to pick up another Mooney. I quickly jumped at the offer to tag along, and so climbed into the back seat of N509RT, an Ovation2 GX. Tom and his partner in crime did their best to one-up each other with various insults and verbal taunts, making it quite clear that you'll need a thick skin to work with them!

Taxiing to the active, we had to hold short for the departing jet traffic:

I took the opportunity to capture an image of the cockpit, dominated of course by the twin screens of the Garmin G1000 electronic flight display:

Shortly thereafter, Tom blasted us off. Watch it for yourself:

I knew that we were in a speedier steed than 2MH when we hit 120 knots IN THE CLIMB! That's the same speed I use for flight planning. Upon reaching our cruise altitude of 3500, we trued out at 170+ knots, and with the push from the winds, our ground speed was nearly 180 knots. All of that on about 15 gallons. Not too shabby.

We had company for the part of the flight, an Air Force T-6A Texan II. It was flying low, maybe 500' off the deck and maneuvering. Fortunately, we had TIS overlaid on the G1000 and it was but a fool's errand to monitor the traffic at our 9:00! Fearless, we are.

All too quickly, it was time for Tom to prove his mettle and land this thing. He did it with aplomb. Don't believe me? See for yourself:

We did a quick swap, and I assumed my "rightful" position in the front seat. We taxiied for 72 miles (don't believe me? look at the airport diagram yourself!) to get to Runway 17. Tom once again handled the takeoff duties with expertise, but shortly after demonstrating some of the niceties of the Garmin GFC700 autopilot, he turned the controls over to the IFR Pilot.

Now, truth be told, I don't have all that much experience in flying from the right seat. A bit here and there, but it hasn't been a deliberate focus of my flying activity. But let's not have that stand in the way of taking control of this fine piece of aviation technology. Shut that autopilot off and let the IFR Pilot see if he can keep us straight-and-level and on course.

I did that more or less, and all too soon, we were in the Kerrville arrival area. Tom took control, and then we flew a 27-mile extended downwind to permit a Skyhawk complete its VOR-A approach. OK, it wasn't quite 27 miles, but it was without doubt the single longest downwind leg I've ever flown. Moments later, however, we were on the ground.

And that's the story of the first Mooney time that's made it's way into my log book. I'm quite a fan, although trying to cram MS and I into the cockpit would be a substantial challenge. Of course, that's a moot consideration until I win this week's lottery....

By the way, the plane's for sale, if you need a new ride. She's a beauty:

Tomorrow, we visit the polar opposite of the aviation technology spectrum: A 65-hp, all-original Piper J-3 Cub!

Update from KSAT

2008-05-26T23:04:00.004-04:00

It seems that reader John is geographically knowledgeable. He promptly guessed the IFR Pilot's whereabouts as San Antonio, Texas. Tomorrow's plan involves test flying a very, very fast airplane. Look for a ride report in the evening. In the meantime, feast on some more pictures:

Cruising along on the Rio Taxi.

San Antonio's finest, watching the Spurs beat the Lakers 103-84.

(Yes, we went to the top of the Tower of the Americas. It was cool, but I was very, very happy to get back to terra firma.)

Guess the IFR Pilot's Location

2008-05-24T11:55:00.005-04:00

Currently, the IFR Pilot is on location (a/k/a "vacation"). Clues to his current whereabouts:

1. Total flight time from Delta's hub in CVG: about 2.75 hours.

2. Local temperature: Freaking hot. Really freaking hot.

3. Photographic evidence:

If current plans materialize, stay tuned for ride reports in a J-3 Cub and a high performance G-1000 equipped speedster.

Requiem for an Airline

2008-05-11T09:23:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the silence on the blogging front. There has been much flying, but little time to blog about it. We shall endeavor to play catch-up this week.

Late April say the IFR Pilot make a short-hop to Columbus, Ohio for the Spring meeting of the Ohio Aviation Association. Upon landing on runway 28L (after the proverbial "cleared to land runway 28L, keep your speed up") and taxiing to Land Aviation, I had a good chuckle at the irony of it. ATC certainly wasn't asking for an expedited approach to make room for Skybus. After all, they had gone bust and Port Columbus was chock full of bright orange aircraft. It was actually kind of sad:

The reality of the matter is that far too many members of the general public treat transportation by air as if it were nothing more than a flying bus. The cold, hard truth is that this view could not be further from the truth. Air transportation involves exponentially more variables that impact operations, not the least of which are the multitudinous regulations of the FAA.

It used to be that travel by air was a special occasion; today, its a hair's width -- if that -- above being a fungible commodity. No longer do people put on their Sunday best to travel, perhaps in large part because the TSA is going to make you remove your belt, shoes, coat, and more before you submit to the metal detectors.

Only time will tell which of the legacy carriers will survive the gauntlet thrown down by $120+ oil. Time will also tell when the price of 100LL reaches the breaking point.

In the interim, Mike Hotel and the IFR Pilot will continue to ply the skies.

Buffalo. Again.

2008-04-24T22:09:00.008-04:00

The work gods saw fit to dispatch the IFR Pilot back to Buffalo for the umpteenth time in the last few months. So, after rising at 5:30 a.m. yesterday to fly to Columbus for the ORBAA meeting, your faithful narrator was up at 5:00 a.m. and out the door at 5:45 this morning for a 6:30 launch for Buffalo.

MS, faithful co-pilot that he was, decided to accompany. It was, after all, the beautiful CAVU day and who wants to spend such a glorious day cooped up in a downtown office building when you can be in Buffalo? Well, at least the Anchor Bar, home of the original chicken wing is in Buffalo!

Court was convening at 9:00 a.m., and there's no being late when you've been summoned by a federal judge. Thus, the 20 knot headwind that we stumbled upon at our cruise altitude of 4000 feet was most unwelcome. Even after we climbed to 6000 feet, we barely saw the ground speed exceed 100 knots. In fact, I think the highest we saw until we descended was 104 knots. That sure makes for a long, long trip to Buffalo.

The Garmin 496, mounted in a new fully articulable mount that MS scored from Aircraft Spruce, showed an arrival time of 8:28 a.m. That was cutting it close. Our descent at 140 knots shaved a couple of minutes off things, but then we were confounded by ATC. Although winds were calm, the traffic was landing runway 23. So, even though we were set up perfectly for a direct to runway 5, approach sent us around to runway 14.

The IFR Pilot made a nice landing on 14, we made the first turnoff to taxiway Q, and were at Prior Aviation by 8:30. They were kind enough to have driven the rental car onto the ramp. So we jumped in and sped for downtown Buffalo. The traffic demons were at rest, and MS dropped the IFR Pilot off at the federal courthouse with 10 minutes to spare. Perfect!!!

Several grueling hours later, boosted by a "healthy" lunch at Chili's, we were back at Prior Aviation. A little friend was waiting for us on the ramp:

Departing VFR, shortly we caught sight of something we hadn't noticed before: Apparently, there is a windmill farm just south of downtown Buffalo. We've got one of these in downtown Cleveland at the Great Lakes Science Center, but it was neat to see several of them in a row:

Turning southwest, we enjoyed a nice 140 knot ground speed all the way to the Home Base. MS did one of the few things at which he is especially talented:

Oh well, at least he wasn't bitching at me about leaning the mixture or listening to "crappy music." Truly, he's delightful company in the cockpit of Mike Hotel.

Tomorrow calls for a 7:00 a.m. blast off, with Nashville as the destination. The justification? Attending the 2008 Aviation Insurance Association meeting/conference. There's some weather headed this way, so we'll see if perhaps an early start will help us avoid cumulonimbus buildups that are sure to afflict the route by the afternoon.

Quick Summary

2008-04-21T22:37:00.005-04:00

Spring has arrived here in Northeast Ohio. Not soon enough, truth be told. This was a long, crazy winter, typified by the previous week. On Sunday, the IFR Pilot found himself wearing four shirts, gloves, and shorts, refereeing soccer games in temperatures that were barely in the mid-30s. But, by Friday, it was 70 degrees and leaves were returning to the trees.

Anyway, as the weather patterns have trended toward the flyable, the IFR Pilot and Mike Hotel have returned to the friendly skies. So far, we've:

1. Flown to TZR for ribs at JP's.

2. Renewed instrument currency with MS as the Safety Pilot. Returned the favor by safety piloting for MS, too.

3. Renewed night currency.

4. Flown to Dayton for dinner with ML's niece.

In lieu of taking the time to write something substantive, here's some pictures to prove that I'm not just making this up!

"A light lunch at JP's."

"IFR Pilot-In-Command."

"Short Final at TZR." (new desktop wallpaper)

"A little more to the left, please..."

"Wright-Patterson Overflight."
"Me Taking Picture Of You Taking Picture Of Me"

Friday, we're off to Nashville for the Aviation Insurance Association 2008 annual meeting. Then, next week, Atlantic City for the AOPA Legal Services Plan seminar. Good times, indeed. Momma Nature, please send good weather!!!

Flew the Cirrus SR-22!!!

2008-04-04T09:18:00.010-04:00

Despite the current crushing workload, the IFR Pilot stole away from the office for a couple of hours yesterday to visit with the Cirrus representative who was attending an open house at BKL. What I thought might be an up close and personal inspection, with perhaps a right seat trip around the pattern, turned into a full-out test flight in the left seat.

We flew N576SR, a 2006 SR-22GTS. This was the IFR Pilot's first experience with a Cirrus and with any kind of glass cockpit. There was a tremendous amount of button pushing and knob twisting to get us going (and in the air), and, truth be told, it was a bit hard to keep track of all the details. Nevertheless, after a brief orientation, we taxiied into position and held short of BKL's Runway 6R.

The Indians were playing during the day yesterday, so that meant the Stadium TFR was in effect for ~~Jacobs~~ Progressive Field, so touch and goes became out of the question, as were any kind of operations inside BKL's Class Delta airspace. We had to get the heck out of dodge, so we went southeast for some maneuvers, including slow flight and steep turns.

Not surprisingly, the sight picture out the front of the Cirrus is vastly different from both 78S and 2MH. I felt that we were consistently in a nose-down pitch attitude, and apparently I kept pulling back on the sidestick (which was pretty easy to operate); meanwhile, the demo pilot said we were climbing at 1500 FPM!

The maneuvers went well, and the traffic-enabled Garmin 430 was helpful in alerting us to other maneuvering traffic nearby. Much easier to spot than just based on the callout from ATC.

We then punched the GPS 27 for 1G5 into the 430 and watched as the autopilot maneuvered us onto the final approach segment. I disconnected the autopilot inside the FAF and hand flew 6SR from there. The demo pilot said I did a pretty nice job on the landing, but I think it was just OK. After taxiing to the turnaround, we did a "hot swap" of pilot and backseat passenger and the other gentlemen flew us back to BKL.

I left the DSLR at home, but remembered to grab the point-and-shoot that was given to me for my recent 40th birthday (thanks M!). So, I took some stills, and even filmed the takeoff and landing using the video function.

Takeoff Video

Landing Video

It would be great to own a Cirrus; clearly, it is a serious cross-country machine. But the finances of it are absolutely daunting (I reserve the right to amend this after I win the MegaMillions tonight!). Even assuming you could manage the 10% down payment and monthly installment payments, the insurance could be something like 400% of what we now pay. Plus, I think operating it out of the Home Base's 2350' foot runway would be a dubious proposition. That means finding a new place to house the airplane. So, I won't be buying one.

Waiting on the tarmac was a nice surprise, a DA-42. Didn't get a chance to see it in flight, but even on the ground, it has a striking ramp presence.

Finally, if the weather gods cooperate, 2MH is bound for Rick's this evening. Spring's here, it's time to get out a see some sights!!!

No Flight Time, But Back To The Schoolhouse

2008-04-02T08:38:00.005-04:00

Despite multiple potential opportunities to use Mike Hotel to facilitate the IFR Pilot's travels last week, the plane never left the hangar. Instead, it sat all week while miles piled up, both on the PT Cruiser and in the Continental Airlines frequent flyer account. Perhaps the most disappointing was the inability to self-aviate to Montreal (Friday's revised destination, much better than yet another trip to Buffalo), for which the commercial ticket cost in excess of $1500.

Oh well, it was the safe bet all the way around. We did get the new actuator for the gear; with installation, MS and I are out only a total of 2.5 AMU's. (That's Aviation Monetary Units, otherwise known as $100 bills.)

Meanwhile, the IFR Pilot returns to the schoolhouse, compliments of the web. I'll be pursuing a certificate in management studies through Embry-Riddle's worldwide campus. Because, you know, I'm not busy enough!

Changes and Travels

2008-03-21T11:24:00.005-04:00

Today, the IFR Pilot became subject to FAR 61.23(c)(3)(ii)(B). In other words, my third class medical is now only good for 24 months instead of 36. As to this, I am not entirely happy. I should have renewed it yesterday. Then, it would have been good for another 36 months. *long sigh*

At least the IFR Pilot can look forward to the following flight schedule next week, assuming Momma Nature cooperates:

~~Monday - Home Base to Buffalo, NY and back~~
Tuesday - Home base to Columbus, OH
Wednesday - Columbus, OH to Augusta, GA
Thursday - August, GA to Home Base and then to Buffalo, NY
Friday - Buffalo, NY to Home Base

And then, to top it all off, on the following Monday: Back to Buffalo.

I'm sure my partners will be happy when I pass out from exhaustion. Of course, the best part of this agenda is that it's all work related, which means the fuel bill gets paid by someone else!!!

5:00 p.m. Update: MS took Mike Hotel for a quick trip around the pattern this afternoon. The gear wouldn't raise. The Mechanic has diagnosed it as a broken actuator. The part's on order, but won't be here until Monday. So, the IFR Pilot will be flying his PT Cruiser to Buffalo instead of Mike Hotel. At least MS and the IFR Pilot were able to fly to Buffalo the other day. One of these days, MS will forward the high-def video that he shot and it'll be posted here...

Mmmmmmm, Pictures!

2008-03-16T07:55:00.005-04:00

At the Home Base recently, a young lady was about to make her first solo flight. The IFR Pilot was in the right place at the right time and was able to snap some photos of this momentous occasion.

Good job! Keep up the flying!!

The Difference A Few Miles Makes

2008-03-15T09:58:00.005-04:00

Well, it was certainly an interesting drive into work this morning. Behold, the METAR from Cleveland Hopkins:

KCLE 151351Z 21003KT 1/4SM FG VV001 00/00 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP115 8/6// T00000000

Meanwhile, safely ensconced in my office overlooking Burke Lakefront Airport, it's a completely different story. Witnesseth:

KBKL 151353Z 24004KT 5SM BR FEW060 02/01 A2983 RMK AO2 SLP105 T00170011

There's actually been some flying of Mike Hotel lately, but work and other responsibilities have made it darn near impossible to carve out time to write things up and post them here. Suffice it to say the WAAS-enabled Garmin 430 (aka Garmin 430W) is the best thing since sliced bread. MS and the IFR Pilot have both renewed instrument currencies with the benefit of the wonderful magenta line it produces. The refresh rate is astonishing, and the added situational awareness that comes from compliance with TSO C146a (the FAA standard for WAAS receivers) is amazing.

There's some possibility of some quick turn flights to Buffalo in the next couple of weeks thanks to work, so that will present the first opportunity to try the 430W in something other than training conditions. Failing that, the annual Stag Flight is in early April. Destination is the Udvar-Hazy Wing, in which case the 430W will assuredly help us avoid P-40!

For Sale...

2008-02-18T15:58:00.005-05:00

No, no, no, we are not selling 2MH. Breath easy, the flying adventures will continue. In fact, in the works is a story about Saturday's flight to have the Garmin 430 WAAS installation completed.

Meantime, the 430 WAAS installation requires a 16MB data card. You get one with your unit, so we're covered there. For ease of updates, however, we use a second data card, and swap them out during following each update cycle.

The non-WAAS 430 uses a 4MB card. You can see the issue, right?

So, today, the IFR Pilot got on the phone and ordered the 430 WAAS data subscription and an additional 16MB card. That leaves us with a spare 4MB card. It's now available for your purchase.

The 4MB card retails new for $129. Ours is about 18 months old, meaning its been used maybe 10 times or so. It's got a relatively current database in it, which I think expired in January 2008. Rather than list it on eBay and get paid via PayPal, in the process paying way too much in service fees, I thought I'd see if any of the faithful readers of My Flying Blog would be interested. First $80 gets it, shipping included. That's a bargain compared to Jeppesen!!!

E-mail me at ifrblogger at gmail dot com if you are interested. There's a direct link in the upper right-hand corner of the site, as well.

New Hangar Art

2008-02-13T11:19:00.002-05:00

From a top secret web site disposing of surplus government property, the IFR Pilot and MS just acquired some new "art" for the hangar. Behold:

Best part - total cost was $45. Can't beat that with a stick. Next task will be to install some lights and put it on a base. Then, it's time for a party at the hangar. Well, at least it will be when temperatures get above the freezing point!

WAAS Upgrade, Part I

2008-02-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

As previously reported, Mike Hotel is undergoing an upgrade on its Garmin 430 to make it WAAS-enabled.

Today, I needed to deliver the 430 to the shop that's performing the work, so they can box it up and ship it out to Garmin for delivery by February 7. Should have been an easy flight from the Home Base to PHD, .3 on the tach. Done it a million times. OK, maybe not a million, but according to my electronic logbook at least 14 times, including a visit on my student pilot long-cross country.

The outlook briefing I received last night predicted MVFR conditions due primarily to low ceilings. Good visibility, and so long as there was a couple thousand feet below the clouds, the flight was certainly doable given the relatively flat terrain that needed to be traversed.

Fast forward 12 hours and peek out the window. Uh oh, that doesn't look so good. Fire up the computer and get a full briefing. Ceilings are around 1400 overcast, and there's an AIRMET for icing from surface to 5000 feet. After hemming and hawing for a bit, and debating whether to sit tight and see if the flight could be done later in the afternoon, I made the decision to drive, in no small part because I knew the boss was expecting to see my face in the office for at least a little while today.

This turned out to be very, very wise, because as I screamed east on Interstate 76, I espied the 1074-foot tall transmission towers here:

What I couldn't see, however, was the top of the tallest one. That, of course, means that the ceilings were more like 900 to 950 foot, and that's far too dicey to be out scud running. There's already been one aviation tragedy this weekend, I won't be contributing to it!

So, what should have been a couple hour adventure turned into 5+ hours of driving. First, drive to the Home Base, track down the mechanic, and have him pull the radio. Then, get on the road and head south. Get off one exit too soon, drive too far west, get hopeful when I see an airport sign, then come to find out it's not the right airport. (2D7 looks pretty interesting though, with a nice grass runway having VASIs at both ends, a couple sets of T-hangars that seemed full, and a beat-up DC-3 parked nearby.)

Retrieve laptop and cell modem from back seat, fire 'em up, and get more directions. Get back on highway, go south one more exit, drive a few more miles, and -- voila -- there's PHD. Drop off the 430 and eat a dozen chicken wings at Perfect Landing. Get back in car, drive home.

For the record, I enjoy visiting New Philadelphia more by air the flight much more than the drive, even with satellite radio in the PT Cruiser...

The Hazards Of Commercial Air Travel

2008-01-31T21:20:00.001-05:00

Twice this week, the IFR Pilot ventured to the Home Base in an effort to conduct night takeoffs and landings to become night current again. Mother Nature foiled the plans both times.

Monday evening, all went well until it was just about time to pull Mike Hotel out and fire up the engine. Next thing you know, it's freezing rain outside. Mind you, a full weather briefing had been obtained and there was no rain forecast until well into Tuesday morning. Oh well, at least it started raining before we were in the air.

Wednesday evening, the IFR Pilot was confounded by what appears to have been a frozen door lock. For the life of me, I couldn't get the key into the lock. I could unlock the upper deadbolt, but not the lower door knob. Tried to warm it but didn't have the right equipment in the flight bag, nor did any of the airport bums, so I swore and went home with my tail between my legs. There is now a bottle of lock deicer in my flight bag.

Saturday, Mike Hotel heads in to the shop for a WAAS upgrade. Hopefully, everything will be back in time for a scheduled trip to the Southern Methodist University Air and Space Law Symposium, which begins February 21. If you're in the metro Dallas area and want to grab an adult beverage around that time frame, shoot me an e-mail and we'll see if we make it happen.

Finally, be careful about what writing implements you bring aboard, they could cause lots of consternation. From a NASA ASRS form:

Level at 33,000 feet...a strong odor similar to paint thinner was detected by both pilots. Cockpit crew initiated a fume checklist. After securing mask and goggles, cockpit crew established communications with flight attendants. The number one flight attendant reported that he also smelled a strong odor and a flight attendant in the aft of the aircraft also reported an odor. Since we were not able to determine the source of the strong odor, and considering that all of the flight crew reported noticing the smell, the flight crew determined that an emergency should be declared, followed by a divert to ZZZ. After declaring the emergency, ATC cleared the flight to turn 180 degrees for vectors toward ZZZ. As the aircraft was in the turn, the number one flight attendant called the cockpit and informed the crew that the source of the fume-like odor was identified. Apparently, two children sitting in First Class had just begun to color with ink markers. The flight attendant reported, without a doubt, that the smell was coming from the ink being applied to the paper. This was verified by the other flight attendants working the flight, as well as by a pilot in uniform commuting to work. The number one flight attendant reported that the marker is printed with a warning to avoid use of the marker at high altitudes, or in confined spaces....

ATC was then informed that we discovered the source of the unusual odor, and that the situation was now safe and under control. We rescinded the emergency declaration and requested vectors to continue the flight on to our destination. We landed on time, without incident.

(From Callback Issue 337.)

An Uncomfortable Day

2008-01-18T12:55:00.001-05:00

Long-time readers know that the IFR Pilot's office has a breathtaking view of BKL. For those that don't know, and those that need a reminder, here's the view, captured via camera phone (the new BlackBerry Pearl, in blue, thankyouverymuch):

Yesterday, however, the view wasn't so great. Or pleasant. It was still breathtaking, but in a fundamentally different way.

See, while most other folks were reading about the British Airways 777 that landed short at Heathrow, folks on the North Shore had their own parochial aviation disaster. Wednesday evening, at 7:24 p.m., a Beech Baron took off from BKL, and promptly went down into Lake Erie. With water temperatures hovering just above freezing, the pilot, assuming he could have survived the impact, would have had a heck of a time not perishing from hypothermia.

So, yesterday was spent watching out the window as the United States Coast Guard attempted to locate the wreckage and the pilot. By the end of the day, news reports confirmed that the pilot had perished in the accident, and that his body, still strapped into the fuselage, had been located.

As you can imagine, it was rather eerie, watching the Coast Guard vessels and helicopters combing the waters of Lake Erie immediately north of the IFR Pilot's office. They were there when work started at 8:00 a.m., and they didn't finish until well after 4:00 p.m.

The throngs of media that had been gathered most of yesterday at the foot of East 9th Street are all gone now. It was overcast and crummy most of the day yesterday; today, it's bright and sunny. But there's still a pall outside my window, even though flight operations continue at BKL unabated.

Remember when you go home tonight to kiss the one you love.

2007 Year In Review

2007-12-31T15:47:00.000-05:00

It’s time for the annual retrospective on what was accomplished, flying-wise, during year 2007. Let’s start with the goals set in the beginning of the year, and recap whether they were met.

1. Obtain commercial pilot, single-engine rating, including the written test by February 28 and the certificate by June 30. Passed the written on January 13 with an 89%. An impressive start. Took a number of flight lessons in April once the weather broke and supported regular flying. Things fell apart after that, due to work and other life commitments. So, we’ll generously call this one a “D.”

2. Obtain flight instructor license, including the written test by September 1 and the certificate by December 31. Nothing accomplished here, with the notable exception, squeezed in at the proverbial eleventh hour, of passing the Fundamentals of Instructing written test. Call this a “D----.”

3. Fly ten Angel Flights. Volunteered for a bunch, several were cancelled by Angel Flight, a few by the IFR Pilot due to changes in work commitments, and one (on December 26, which was a GREAT weather day) due to sickness within the preceding 48 hours. Since the “no illness in 48 hours” is a personal minimum for me, I really had no choice. All of this is a long way of saying that the IFR Pilot did fly one actual Angel Flight during 2007. So, this one is also a “D-,” especially after a really nice article was written earlier this year about the IFR Pilot’s involvement with this very worth charity.

4. Log 20 hours of actual instrument time and 10 approaches in actual. Given that I only flew a total of 57.7 hours during 2007, there’s no surprise here that this goal wasn’t met. Logshare.com reports that I flew a total of 5.9 hours in actual instrument conditions and another 2.9 under the hood, with a total of 14 approaches. So, that’s a total of 8.8 hours, or 15% of my total time for the year. In the past, I’ve averaged around 110 to 120 hours for a year. Had I flown the average and met the 20 hour goal, that would have translated to a total of about 17% of my time on the gauges. Call this a “B” performance for the year.

5. Return to publishing "Accident of the Week" each week, or at least on a more regular basis. I did this for a while, but frankly, the content of some response e-mails that I received convinced me that this isn’t a worthwhile endeavor at this point. Call this a “withdrawn goal.”

6. Publish one freelance aviation article. This one was accomplished, but only after pounding the pavement to find a willing publisher (Piper Flyer magazine, September 2007 issue). The freelance aviation writing gig appears to be a harder nut to crack than I first thought. However, I was asked to submit some more to the magazine, and I’ve finally had time to sketch out some ideas, so perhaps we can keep the momentum moving on this one.

Overall, it’s tough to grade the year. I guess I’d call it a “C,” in other words, average. Some goals weren’t met, but I did at least make an honest effort towards them. Also, I did conceive and help organize the first Blogging Pilot World get-together in Toronto. Here’s hoping we can do that again this summer.

So, what’s the plan to 2008? Simple: Meet the goals of 2007, and add in obtaining the Ground Instructor ratings this winter while the weather precludes regular flying. Some of these goals could be even more challenging in the coming year, as there’s a bit of uncertainty concerning Mike Hotel’s future. But, those issues aren’t ripe for full analysis or disclosure here yet. Stay tuned on that front!!!

Here’s one last piece of analysis, something I’ve shied away from doing in the past. We all know and understand that aviation is an expensive addiction, and airplane ownership is the apex of that addiction. That being the case, I have never tried to sum up how much I’ve spent in a year to operate either N3978S or N72MH. But, let’s explore the actual costs of operation for a minute.

For the 57.7 hours that I flew in 2007, I wrote checks to our little partnership for a total of $9932.83. After subtracting $558.00 for expenses that I would classify as not directly related to owning the plane or are one-time expenses, I spent $9374.83 to own Mike Hotel during 2007. That translates into $162.48 per hour to own, insure, operate, and maintain a very, very nicely equipped Piper Arrow. I don’t think that I could find a plane of the same caliber anywhere in the local area. Keep in mind, our equipment includes Garmin GNS 430, MX-20 MFD, Garmin 396 with XM weather, standby electric attitude indicator, autopilot, and vertical card compass. These are all items that increase the safety and reliability factor. Then, add in having the plane available anytime I want it, with no daily minimums, etc., it starts to approach a “no-brainer.”

Assume for a moment that I had actually flown 100 hours in 2007, the level that is often bandied about as the “break-even” point for aircraft ownership. My costs would have increased by $1607.40 (assumes fuel only, no additional maintenance, which I recognize might not be entirely accurate), for a yearly total of $11,540.23. Or, about $115 an hour.

Now that makes it a real bargain. A 182RG at our airport rents for about $136 an hour, but its Garmin 430 isn’t kept up to date. I’d have to purchase a renters insurance policy ($300 to $600 for the year). And, if I wanted to keep my Garmin 396, I’d still be paying $50 or so a month for the data. Also, our monthly payment to the airplane partnership includes subscriptions for charts, approach plates, and the Flight Guide. So, I’d still have those expenses if I was renting. All of that piles on to the hourly rental rate. Then, throw on the intangibles, such as not having the plane available when I want it, not controlling the maintenance decisions, and the like.

Ultimately, there’s no denying that it’s expensive to own and operate an airplane, especially when you don’t engage in deferral of maintenance squawks and aren’t afraid to make the decision to spend more to upgrade the airplane. So, I’ll take what I’ve got and be happy.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Update from Lake Erie's Shores

2007-12-28T13:39:00.000-05:00

It's been pretty quiet, aviation-wise, here on the shores of Lake Erie. Although there have been a number of spectacular days for flying, they have yet to coincide with days that the IFR Pilot has off from work. Translated, that means no flying. Our fingers are crossed that Sunday will permit a local flight, but who knows.

In the meantime, our Faithful Narrator can reveal that -- in an effort to accomplish something aviation-wise this month, he crammed for and passed the Fundamentals of Instruction test this afternoon. To tell the truth, it's the easiest of the five FAA written tests taken so far, and it was over in about 15 minutes. A perfect 100% was not achieved; instead, a healthy, respectable 92% was achieved. Not bad.

As crummy weather shall be upon us for the better part of the next couple months, the immediate goal will be to achieve AGI and perhaps IGI ratings.

Happy 2008 to you all, I'll have the annual recap post done soon.

Mmmmm, Breakfast

2007-12-03T09:17:00.000-05:00

Saturday, the IFR Pilot dragged his lazy butt out of bed early enough to justify taking Mike Hotel out to play. The weather gurus were predicting lovely weather here in Northeast Ohio until about 6:00 p.m., after which Old Man Winter was going to make his first appearance of the season, in the form of freezing rain, sleet, ice, and maybe even some snow. That was plenty enough reason to take the plane out while the taking was good.

Fortunately, after last weekend's touch and go session, I had installed the AeroTherm heater, so the engine was ready to go upon arrival. Not so much so for the Garmin 430 display, which doesn't like to cold weather too much. It takes a loooooooooooong time to warm up, so if you're the betting kind, don't be surprised that when the 430 goes in for its WAAS upgrade in February, Garmin tells us we need a new display as well. (MS, you've been warned!)

After filling the tanks, it was time to blast off. Man, the airplane leaps off the runway in winter! Briefly holding 70 KIAS in the climb, the VSI was showing probably 1000 FPM. Quickly dropping the nose to effect 80 KIAS, the VSI still showed a nice, healthy rate of climb, which is always nice when you're using Runway 3 at the Home Base -- lots of tall trees immediately beyond the end of the runway.

Destination was KMFD, which the "Flying Turtle" has changed hands and morphed into "Flyboys Cafe." Vectored for a visual to 32, ATC then switched the active to runway 5. Already established on a left base for 32, Tower offered the option of 5 or 32. The IFR Pilot elected to remain inbound for 32. Might as well get a cross-wind landing in the book.

All went well, and before you know it, Mike Hotel was properly secured and the IFR Pilot was eating the biggest ham steak in the history of mankind. Of course, I'm sure that it sent my sodium content through the roof, but hey, what's the point of eating a "healthy" $100 breakfast???

After laying waste to the eggs, homefries, and toast that accompanied the ham steak, it was time to head home. Remember, stay awake even though your tummy is quite full.....

Holding #2 for takeoff on runway 5 behind a Twin Comanche, the IFR Pilot's ire got the best of him. With a Decathlon just exiting the runway and a Cirrus on a 2 mile final, the TwinCo pilot requested a takeoff clearance. "We can expedite if it will help."

Tower did the proper thing and denied the clearance due to traffic on final. The TwinCo pilot's response was unbelievable:

"Well, if we're going to have to hold much longer here, I'll have to shut down an engine."

Amazing. You want to shoehorn a takeoff in front of a aircraft on final, probably doing 85 to 90 knots, just so that you can save about 3 minutes of fuel in your one engine? Brother, if that's the case, go back to flying a Single Engine Comanche!!! You just aren't that important to jeopardize safety so you can save $5 or so in avgas!!!

OK, rant over. After the TwinCo departed, the IFR Pilot got cleared for takeoff with an immediate right turn towards the Home Base. Rocketing up to 3500 feet, Yours Truly settled in for a leisurely flight back home. The landing was pretty much a non-event, except for the bottom dropping out on final and a bit of extra throttle having to be applied to salvage the landing.

And that was that. By 7:00 p.m., it was snowing. Today, it's Lake Effect Snow Warnings, with some areas expected to get 15" or so. Who knows when there will be another beautiful CAVU winter day.

(Forgot the camera. Again. Doggone it.)

Still Alive!

2007-11-30T14:53:00.001-05:00

Well, ~~some~~ most of you probably think the IFR Pilot has gone out in a blaze of glory.

Sorry to disappoint those of you hoping this might be true. Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

It's just been awfully quiet on the aviation front, with concomitantly higher activity on the lawyer front. Gotta pay those bills, you know.

Anyhoooooo, a couple of developments to report.

1. MS and the IFR Pilot escaped the 2007 Annual of Mike Hotel relatively unscathed. Other than routine stuff (brake pads, filters, oil change), the only item of note was new spark plugs. We did have a vertical card compass installed, so that just about completes our list of planned upgrades. (We are having a WAAS upgrade in February.) Total was $925, so that's not too shabby.

2. Our old compadre, JS, has returned to the fold and has been taking Mike Hotel to see some new sights, inc

3. Did a few takeoffs and landings last week, just to knock a bit of the winter rust off. The first was absolutely outstanding, you gotta love being in the flare with the stall warning horn going off. Although I had the camera with me, I didn't snap any photos. Why, again, did I spent too much money on a new camera last year if I'm not going to be using it???

4. I'm just about ready to take the FOI exam. The goal of becoming a CFI by the end of 2007 is clearly not going to happen. Perhaps now the question is whether I can get my AGI rating in the next 30 days. We shall see, we shall see.

"You Flyin' A Jet???"

2007-10-30T22:16:00.000-04:00

The trials and tribulations that are the practice of law coalesced and sent the IFR Pilot back to Buffalo. Twice in six weeks. Ugh, why can't we have some clients with legal predicaments in more exotic places?

Anyway, it was an absolutely beautiful afternoon to fly. The flight plan was filed was ACO DKK LODIY KBUF, and the clearance came back "as filed." Nice, gotta love that. Climbed immediately to 5000, and caught a tailwind. Ground speeds averaged 145+ for the better part of the trip. Wheels up to wheels down was 1:20, much faster than one could do the trip by car.

Cleared for the visual to 23 behind a landing DC-9, the ALSF2 was lit up in all its glory. The ILS was dialed in just for practice, and the IFR Pilot managed to hold the glide slope all the way to touchdown. Wahoo!

Best part was as soon as I had parked at the FBO and turned on the cell phone, it started ringing. MS must have been watching the trip on Flight Aware. Opening salvo:

"What were you flying? A jet?"

Obviously not. But Flight Aware reported an initial ground speed in excess of 160 -- even though I'm certain it never got that high.

All good things must come to an end, however. I'm sure that todays tailwind will be tomorrow's massive headwind, and it'll take three hours to return to the Home Base. Oh well, as long as I make it back for Trick Or Treating, it'll be all good.

Mother Nature: Vanquished!

2007-10-26T12:51:00.000-04:00

Wednesday saw the IFR Pilot skipping work and performing his first Angel Flight of the year. Despite a New Year's vow to do 10 of them this year, the demands of work and other distractions have limited the time available for this incredibly worthy cause. (We'll see how many more we can get done between now and the end of the year.)

Anyway, the synoptic picture wasn't pleasant. We were on the backside of a low pressure system that had moved into the Atlantic. Happily, there was no convective activity to be found. There were, however, very widespread areas of low-hanging clouds, along with lots of precipitation. The freezing level was at or above 10,000' MSL, so at least ice wouldn't be on the top of our list of worries for the flight from BKL to N94 (Carlisle, PA).

(Side note: Anytime I see this patient needing a flight, I try to volunteer. Carlisle Airport features somewhat prominently in the early part of Rinker Buck's cross-country flight at age 15 in a Piper Cub, recounted in his memoir Flight of Passage, one of my favorite reads. Go and get yourself a copy and enjoy it as much as I do. Or, get it on tape or CD, and listen to Rinker himself entertain you with a wonderful blend of aviation and teenage angst/familial conflict.)

The reposition flight from the Home Base to BKL was the usual milk run. Cleveland Approach always sends you 30 degrees further east than you want to, and then it's a turn back to the west once they cut you loose. Keep it high over the dense urban terrain, cross over the shoreline near the power plant, chop the power, and put it down on 24 Right. These days, listen carefully for your taxi instructions as there is a big repaving project underway, leaving men and equipment all over the place.

After loading the passenger and his wife, we had the usual chore of hot starting the Lycoming. Some days, it just doesn't want to jump to life after it's been run.

Then, it was verbal sparring with Ground Control who claimed that I had no flight plan on file. I knew I did, I spoke with the briefer personally (instead of filing via DUAT). Things got sorted our quickly when I gave the ground controller the exact location of my briefer and the specific N number that I used to file. (Angel Flights use "NGF" followed by the last three letters/numbers of your normal call sign.) He obviously found it and we got cleared direct.

But then he directed us to takeoff on runway 6L. Hey, that means taking off with an 8 knot tailwind. We're pretty heavily loaded, with three not-so-FAA-standard passengers and a bit over the tabs on fuel. This could be interesting... At least the runway is 6000' long.

Keeping a bit of forward pressure on the yoke to ensure the nose remained down, we accelerated quickly. I let an extra 5 or so knots of airspeed build before I rotated and we screamed off the ground and were airborne.

Of course, we were immediately instructed to turn to a heading of 350, sending us right over the waters of Lake Erie and well away from our on course heading of 120. We climbed into the clouds, obligingly maintaining a heading of 350. But, having learned my lessons on this once before, I simply started nagging Cleveland Approach to allow me to turn on course and get feet dry. The second time was the charm, and we got our right turn on course.

Within about 15 minutes, we were out of the clouds and enjoying the scenery. We climbed to altitude and enjoyed the tailwinds. I turned control of the XM radio over to the passenger, hit the "Pilot" button on the audio panel, and reveled in playing hookey and doing a good deed simultaneously!!!

Crossing into Pennsylvania, the NEXRAD starting painting some showers ahead. There was much green, a bit of yellow, and the occasional red. The supplemental weather spotting equipment - a/k/a my eyes - showed very little and it looked like we were going to miss it all. After a bit, ATC started reporting that we were headed toward an area of heavy precipitation. But there was no sign of it out the front window. We did finally get a bit wet, performed a small deviation "just in case," but never really hit anything coming anywhere close to "heavy." Just a nice ride between layers.

Soon enough, however, we were in the thick of it and I was on the gauges. Turned over to Harrisburg Approach, we were told to expect the VOR-A into N94. No problem, it's an offset approach, haven't practiced one of these in a while, but we've got lots of redundant equipment to back us up and keep us from getting into too much trouble.

I queried Approach whether we would be vectored or should expect to perform the full procedure, which uses a hold in lieu of a procedure turn. The obliging controller advised that he would vector us, and I thanked him for that.

The vector ultimately diverged from my expectations, however. Perhaps I should have spoken up, and perhaps there's a lesson to be learned here. Anyway, I expected that he would vector me to a position outside the IAF/FAF, in this case the HAR VOR. Instead, however, he vectored me to a position about one mile inside the fix. I thought this strange, because I couldn't then time the approach to have a backup basis for determining whether we had reached the MAP.

I started our descent, killed the XM, and instructed my passenger to get his eyes up and look for the airport. I fired up the light to help us, but we were still in IMC. There were moments of clear below, but I was momentarily confused about how to read the DME off of the GPS, when I realized that we had passed the MAP. Hey, no farting around here, we're going missed and the paxs are taking a cab to their car.

I firewalled the throttle, initiated the climb, and reported missed with a request for the ILS 13 at MDT, my alternate. We were immediately vectored for it, and it resulted in the 360 degree turn you saw on my "Teaser" post.

Soon enough, we were inside the FAF, needles alive and centered, everything's looking peachy. Whereupon, my approach clearance was canceled, turn left 070, there's an Air Canada inbound behind and overtaking you on the approach, we'll send you around. Ugh!

Once again, we complied. But then, Momma Nature did her best to really mess with everyone: Winds at the surface shifted 180 degrees and the airport switched to landing on runway 31. OK, cancel the ILS 13, grab the ILS 31 plate, quickly review it, and get vectored to the other side of the airport. Air Canada gets cleared first, then we're turned onto the final approach course, needles alive, let's ride 'em down to the patch.

And that's just what we did. We broke out about 900 feet above the runway, transitioned to the visual, and got Mike Hotel safely on the ground.

What should have been an 1:45 to 2:00 flight turned into 2:30, with three different approaches, and lots of time in the clag.

Of course, then I had to fly through it all again to get home...

Teaser

2007-10-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

Did an Angel Flight yesterday. Thanks to Mother Nature, this was not to be the usual milk run. Expect a full report when I have time to write this evening. But in the meantime, here's a bit of a teaser for you. Too bad it doesn't show all of the machinations we had to endure to get on the ground safely...

So, I Forgot the Camera

2007-09-26T09:18:00.000-04:00

Last week's flying adventures to Columbus and Buffalo, NY were delightful. It was total CAVU weather on all of the flying legs. And there would have been great pictures for your viewing pleasure. Except, the IFR Pilot left the camera at home. Doh!

On the bright side, however, the RITTR article was published in the September 2007 issue of Piper Flyer magazine. Right on page 58. Contact me via private e-mail if you'd like to review the article yourself.

Sunday looks like a dinner flight to TZR for some ribs. This time, I'll try to remember to bring the camera!!!

He's Going Flying...

2007-09-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

It's been crazy, crazy, crazy the IFR Pilot's world the last few months. There's been no flying whatsoever. Last week, I finally climbed back in the saddle and did three night takeoffs and landings. So, I'm good for the next 90 days to carry paxs at night, a very useful thing as the days grow shorter and night arrives sooner.

But, today through Wednesday, I'll be putting Mike Hotel to good use. Tonight, I'll blast off from the Home Base and head to KOSU. Not a long flight, an hour or so, but so much better than driving to Columbus. What's the occasion, you ask? The IFR Pilot is presenting at the annual meeting of the Ohio Aviation Association. I'll be bridging the aviation/law gap, and hopefully the attendees will find my remarks to be of at least some interest.

Then, tomorrow afternoon, I blast off from KOSU to KBUF. A lovely little flight following the shore of Lake Erie. The occasion is an appearance in federal court on Wednesday morning.

Can I gloat a bit, and just say how certifiably awesome it is not to have to drive from Columbus to Buffalo? The computer says that would be about a 5.25 hour drive. Via Mike Hotel, it's under two hours. Plus, I can jump right back to work after court on Wednesday, rather than killing the day driving back home.

That's it, kids. I will try to remember to bring the camera, as the weather gods predict CAVU weather for tonight's flight, and probably the same for tomorrow. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming...

Yet Another Upgrade

2007-08-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Breaking his silence, the IFR Pilot reappears...

Mike Hotel has been scheduled for another upgrade. As many of you may know, Garmin will be dramatically increasing the pricing on WAAS upgrades to its series of 430/530 GPS/Nav/Coms at the end of this month. Something like doubling the price overnight!

With some insightful questioning of our avionics tech, we learned that to obtain to current pricing, we didn't need to have the work done by the end of August, only to have it scheduled. And it could be scheduled months out. The only hitch is that its a "must-do." You can't change your mind and cancel, although you don't have to give Garmin any money in advance.

So, guess what we did today? We decided to schedule to upgrade. For February 2008! That gives us months to worry about how to pay for it, although truth be told, we planned for this when we installed the 430. We already have the proper type and length of coax cable in Mike Hotel. Essentially, this should be a remove and replace the unit (after the factory does its magic), and then change out the antenna.

It'll be nice to have that WAAS upgrade, although now I'll have to decipher all of the strange acronyys at the bottom of the NACO charts showing MDAs and DHs....

More Success!!!

2007-08-03T17:48:00.000-04:00

Another quiet period on the aviation front. Nothing to report, as the IFR Pilot hasn't been aviating since the Delaware junket. Still need to offload the pics taken while at Blogging Pilot World 2007.

In the meantime, there is good news to report: After six months of pounding the pavement, someone has finally stepped up to the plate and accepted my article on RITTRs for publication! Yea for the IFR Pilot, another 2007 goal accomplished -- though it may prove to be the last.

Anyway, when it finally appears in print, you will be duly notified. And now, back to reviewing documents at my desk...

Success!

2007-07-16T23:18:00.000-04:00

Despite some nasty weather in the DelMarVa area this afternoon, MS and the IFR Pilot literally "threaded the needle" and managed to get from the Home Base to Dover, Delaware. About an hour of actual conditions, much of it after sunset, into a 2500' foot runway at 33N. Tomorrow, I work, and MS does whatever MS does to keep himself happy in the hotel.

Further updates upon return to the homestead.

Aviation Is Resuming Its Proper Place In My Life

2007-07-10T16:09:00.000-04:00

It's self-evident that the IFR Pilot hasn't been much of an aviation junkie the last two months. Just look at the paucity of entries in this here little blogetty-blog. But looking forward to the next three weeks, it appears that my aviation feng shui is being restored:

Friday-Sunday of this week: Fly Mike Hotel to Toronto for the inaugual Blogging Pilot World fly-in. As I don't want to miss an entire day of work, I'll fetch Mike Hotel in the morning and commute to work by air. Then I bust out at lunch time and head for Toronto. Sounds like a plan, eh? All I need now are my USCIS decal and my charts that I ordered from Sporty's (I waiting too long and so the shipping rates and delays from any Canadian sources were prohibitive.)

Tuesday-Wednesday of next week: Return to Delaware for the removal of components from a wrecked aircraft that is the subject of litigation yours truly is helping defend. This will also involve commuting to work by air. It will also allow me to avoid the absurdity of a 45 minute flight to BWI and a 2+ hour drive to Delaware; instead, 2 hours and 34 minutes of flying time in Mike Hotel will put me within 20 minutes of my destination. That's a "much mo' bettah" proposition, as Justin Wilson would say.

July 31: The IFR Pilot serves as the AOPA Legal Services Plan at the Air Safety Foundation's presentation "Regulations: What Every Pilot Should Know." Since it's in Toledo (not Kent, as I was originally advised, but who cares), the IFR Pilot will be "forced" to once again commute by air to work, and then take Mike Hotel to the presentation.

It looks like a good month, aviation-wise. If only I could find some outlet to publish my RITTRs article...

Back in the Saddle

2007-07-05T08:11:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I've done any flying. In fact, other than some brief sightseeing flights during the Memorial Day BBQ, I haven't done any flying since my trip in early May to Baltimore with S and W for crabcakes and a dinner flight with N a couple of days later. My instrument current lapsed on Saturday, and with next weekend's planned jaunt to Toronto for the inaugural gathering of pilot bloggers, it was time to do some flying and get current.

Tuesday night, I enlisted the help of my (worthy?) partner, MS. We blasted off, and it was clear that the IFR Pilot was rather rusty. No major snafus, but just a little behind the plane. We flew the ILS 1 at CAK twice, first time without the autopilot and the second time with.

On the first approach, the controller vectored us waaaaaaay to close, and I couldn't lose altitude fast enough. Managed the keep the localizer somewhat close, but overall, I'm glad this was in VFR conditions! Low approach only, then we're getting sent around.

On the second approach, we were vectored a bit further out and, combined with the autopilot flying the localizer, this one worked out much better. We departed straight out to the south for the GPS-A into PHD.

This one went fine, but after reaching the MDA, we realized how uncomfortably close you are to some radio towers on a hill northeast of the airport. Make a note, be real, real careful if we ever fly this one in actual conditions!

Naturally, we couldn't stop at PHD without dinner. Nachos, chicken wings, salads, and pasta made us a fat and happy crew on the way home. My night currency has also lapsed, so I insisted that MS earn his dinner and bring us home.

Being the night before the Fourth of July, the skies were dotted with fireworks everywhere. A great sight indeed, although it did make picking out the Home Base's airport beacon a bit more challenging than usual. MS did a nice job getting set up for the landing to 21, which involves a final approach over trees that are far too tall and near the runway threshold for anything other than a dead-on approach. MS did well, but the landing was a bit firm. He later suggested that we add a user waypoint to the 430 over the trees and establish a descent height so that in the future we have some assurances that we really are, in fact, clear of the trees.

After tucking Mike Hotel away, we prowled around the airport for a bit, sipping on beverages from the vending machine that MS recently acquired and installed in the hangar. As you can imagine, it holds quite a bit more than our dorm fridge did, so there's always certain to be a cold one available for you if you stop by our humble hangar.

Wednesday, I dragged JS out. Turns out we've had Mike Hotel over a year and this was to be his first flight in it. (Sorry about that...)

Back to CAK for the ILS 19. No problems this time. Our wishes were granted, and we received the ASR to 23. I always like doing these, and you can't always get them. But, I figured, hey, it's a holiday, it was relatively quiet on the approach frequency, maybe they'll indulge us. And they did!

This also went well, although it involved a somewhat steep descent for the runway after the controller commanded, "Descend to your minimum descent altitude now."

We were then cleared for a low approach behind a departing Boeing, "Caution, wake turbulence." Umm, yeah, we'll break it off now, please. No need to get anywhere close to that big mutha!

JS and I then hopped over to the RITZS intersection for the obligatory hold. I mangled it pretty good on the first try. The second time was much better, and so with that task accomplished, it was time for the GPS 2 into 3G3. This approach is a bit different from the usual T-based GPS approach, as it involves a 13 degree right turn after passing the FAF.

The only hiccup here was the pattern traffic that was landing opposite us due to the prevailing surface winds. We spotted them early enough and broke off the approach to the east of the airport for the 2 mile trek back to the Home Base. All that remained now was the task of landing the airplane well enough to impress my safety pilot.

I'll let him decide if I passed, but I noticed no loose dental work on the seat or in the foot well of the cabin, so I think it was acceptable! JS kept commenting about how comfortable the seats were in Mike Hotel compared to those in the rental planes he's been relegated to since we dissolved the 78S partnership. Hey buddy, you're welcome to fly with me anytime if you survive next week's skydiving adventure!

With that, the IFR Pilot can once again call himself that, as he's instrument current. Toronto, here I come!!!

Off-Topic

2007-06-01T07:32:00.000-04:00

Not much flying here lately, just lots of work and soccer refereeing. Commercial training has been placed on hold after three lessons until I can focus exclusively on that, which likely won't be until after my lad's baseball season concludes. Attending games three nights a weeks precludes doing much else when you're still trying to work an honest amount of hours.

Plus, there's now this little distraction:

Should make those 35 mile drives to the Home Base a bit more enjoyable, don't ya think?

Crabs!

2007-05-15T23:11:00.000-04:00

No, this isn't some on-line confession to a horrible VD. As if I were some drunken sailor. Puh-lease.

As previously reported, Mother Nature conspired to abort the original plan for early May: To hop down to NOLA and take in what was appropriate described as the best Jazzfest lineup in years. Even if we could have circumnavigated the horrible thunderstorms that were predicted to be blowing through the area, who wants to spend the better part of two or three days on the infield of the Fairgrounds -- surely to be a mudpit by then??? So, we scrubbed the trip.

But Mike Hotel was mine, and so it was time for the proverbial "Plan B." Hmm, where to go. Hey, I know, let's go have some crab cakes for lunch. My original travel companion, S, was game, and so we her friend, W. So, we jumped into the plane, filed (almost) direct to KMTN, and off we went.

S had flown with the IFR Pilot once before, back when he was a newly minted private pilot. And even though W had never been in a light aircraft before, she confessed that she was looking forward to it.

Travel time was just a couple of hours from KBKL, and we had CAVU weather for 95% of it. Here's a couple of obligatory in-flight shots of the flight crew and pax:

Inbound to KMTN, a Falcon was hot on our tail. Just as we turned final, the tower instructed us to remain west of the final approach course, make a right 360 for spacing, and cleared us to land #2 behind the Falcon. Jeez, those jet guys get all the first class treatment... :-)

Anyhow, we landed without incident, and other than having to wait inordinately long for clearance to back-taxi, we made it to the FBO. Whereupon, we experienced our only real hiccup of the day - the IFR Pilot forgot to make advance arrangements for a rental car. And they had none available on the field. OK, we'll just cab it down to the Inner Harbor. We have a lovely preview of downtown Baltimore as we sped down the interstate highway:

When prompted, the driver gave us a primo recommendation for a luncheon spot: Legal Sea Foods. Given that S and the IFR Pilot both share this occupation, we thought it a good omen for a great lunch. Especially when we realized they had outdoor seating that was just PERFECT for a spring day. See for yourself:

We promptly occupied the one remaining outside table, and proceeded to order more food than you can shake a stick at. This included three different soups (I was especially fond of the Clam Chili that S ordered), and perhaps that most delicious crab cake I have ever had. Loads upon loads of delish lump crab, and very little bread crumbs. In addition, some "adult beverages" were also procured for the non-crew members. S particularly enjoyed her sangria. I've got the evidence to prove my case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury:

Dining outside is always a favorite activity, as it allows vast amounts of people watching. It's an amusing spectator sport. You get to sights like this:

Hey dude, nice hat.

Anyway, after eating way too much, we took a walk around the Inner Harbor. More obligatory pictures:

After traipsing around the Harbor, we found our way into Little Italy. On the advice of the man behind the counter at Velleggia's Casa di Pasta (from which the IFR Pilot purchased the most delicious Lobster Ravioli, which he cooked up for dinner the next night), we found our way to the nearby Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop. Whereupon, even more calories were consumed:

For the gourmand challenged, that's 3 mini cannoli in the foreground, with a bowl of Amaretto gelato on the back right and some mini creme puffs on the back left.

To work off some -- but certainly nowhere near all of the calories that we wolfed down -- we hiked over to Camden Yards. Ladies, strike a pose please!

With that, we cabbed it back to MTN. Hilarity ensued when the IFR Pilot tried to fuel up and the ground cable detached itself from the reel. Great, just my luck. With a bit of assistance from the line crew, we straightened out that snafu and launched into the Wild Blue Yonder.

Initially, our routing to the west was pointing us right into a mass of developing storms. But, an opportunely-requested "any chance direct destination" met with a favorable reply, and a turn to the northwest kept us well clear. Not even a drop of rain on Mike Hotel. A couple hours later, after a spectacular overflight of downtown Pittsburgh, we were home, safe and sound.

Truly, a great way to spend 5.1 hours in the air!

The Good, The Bad, and the Just (Plane) Weird

2007-05-03T22:52:00.000-04:00

I'm a ~~day~~ week late, and a dollar short on joining the Blogging Pilot World for the first group theme post. But, now that I'm back from ~~frolicking~~ networking with these folks (NO, I can NOT get you a discount on your renewal premiums), I thought I'd chime in.

The Good. There have been a panoply of "goods," including many of which I've shared here. The first flight (November 15, 2000, N94589, C-152, .5 hours at BKL). There's the obligatory first solo story. There was the sightseeing flight in Las Vegas during AIA 2004. And, of course, the Great Alaska Adventure (tm) with the Dadster. I'd be remiss if I didn't also include the acquisition of Mike Hotel and the flight home over Memorial Day 2006 (posts here, here, and here.

The Bad. Topping the list would be the crash in Lethbridge. No, not the IFR Pilot's crash, but the crash of the gentlemen in the Long-Eze while I was preparing to test fly 78S after our encounter with a rough running engine. Believe you me, you don't ever want to fly over the smoking wreckage of an airplane crash. Oh, and the Pink Slip on my instrument checkride wasn't a particularly high point in my aviation career, either.

The Just (Plane) Weird. So here's a story that I haven't shared with you, my loyal and faithful readers. It was May of 2005, and the IFR Pilot was out for his first Angel Flight. It involved a flight from Carrol County, Ohio to Eagle Creek Airpark in Indianapolis. My passenger was en route home from New York, where she had been receiving treatment for Lyme Disease.

I rendezvoused with the linking pilot on time. The passenger seemed like a nice lady as I help her into 78S. She was not unattractive, perhaps 5'5" or 5'6", thin and lithe, with longish hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Dressed casually, as you'd expect for someone about to be crammed into a light airplane for the better part of several hours.

Walking was obviously painful for her, and she maintained balance with the use of dual walking sticks. I invited her to take the right front seat, explaining that she would be free to have PIC responsibilities for the satellite radio, but she demurred in favor of the rear seat, saying she'd probably zonk out for the flight. OK, no problem by me.

So, after getting her strapped in and her luggage on board, we blasted off for Eagle Creek. Twasn't a long flight, maybe 2.5 hours or so, and she said nary a word to me, having eschewed the headset in favor of ear plugs. I peeked back occasionally to make sure she was OK, and each time she appeared to be fast asleep.

I politely roused her when we were about 15 minutes from touchdown. She donned her headset and we chatted briefly about her condition, how she contracted it (hiking in the Mountain West), and the various ways in which she fought to reclaim some semblance of normalcy in her day-to-day activities. I tried not to ask too many questions, but rather to let her talk about whatever was on her mind. Just because I'm flying people doesn't mean that I have the right to ask about their personal details. But, I'm a good listener and I think she liked sharing.

We landed without incident, and retired to the FBO. She was to wait for her ride and I was waiting for a top off of 100LL. We talked some more and then her ride arrived. I bid her adieu, and she said she'd be traveling for more follow-up treatment, perhaps I could volunteer to fly her again. I was flattered, after all, this was my first Angel Flight and I really wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. So, I guessed that it went well.

So, I wasn't all that surprised when a few days later, an envelope arrived with a return address in the Indy area. I assumed it was a thank you card, which it was.

What I wasn't prepared for was the letter inside. After expressing her personal thanks for the flight, she then went on to say something like this:

I can't believe I'm writing this, as I know nothing about your personal life. Perhaps you are in a relationship, perhaps not. But I thought you were very handsome and kind. There's quite some distance between us, obviously, yet I wonder if you might be interested in dating me.

Gulp. Am I seriously reading this? Have I just been asked out -- by letter -- from a woman living hundreds of miles from me that I have only talked to for maybe an hour? It reminded me of a letter I got from a stalker ex-girlfriend when I was in middle school (but that's a story for another day). Sure, I was flattered, but I was also weirded out.

So, I did the most mature thing I could do: I just ignored the offer and didn't respond.

Don't hate. Maybe you would have done something different, but I didn't. Clearly, I couldn't date her. First, I was already involved. Second, dating a passenger has to violate some sort of Angel Flight ethical code. Third, even if those didn't apply, maybe this was nothing more than a manifestation of some Florence Nightingale syndrome. Thanks, but no thanks, I'd rather not have any part of that.

There you have it, my best Just Plane Weird story. Now, what's the topic for the next group theme post, y'all?

Weather Blues

2007-05-03T17:33:00.000-04:00

Mother Nature has once again, literally, rained on the IFR Pilot's parade. Plans to steal down to New Orleans and take in the best Jazzfest lineup in 20 years have been scrubbed due to predicted thunderstorms all weekend. Not good to fly in. Even worse to stand in during on outdoor, day-long series of concerts. Guess we'll have to try again next year.

Travels Abound

2007-04-26T08:13:00.000-04:00

The IFR Pilot leaves tomorrow for Palm Springs for, ahem, "work." No, really, one must hob-nob with potential clients on the golf course and during the convention. I'll be there through Tuesday morning. Anyone want to go fly in the desert? I'm free on Saturday afternoon...

Then, I'm back in the office on Wednesday before blasting off on Thursday for -- hold on now -- New Orleans. Haven't been there in, what, a couple of weeks? This time, the plan is to take in JazzFest. For your viewing pleasure, here's a sample of what I'll be reveling in during three days of glory at the Fairgrounds:

Steely Dan

The Radiators

George Benson

John Mayer

Here's hoping I don't get too bad of a sunburn!

Quick Update

2007-04-18T13:49:00.000-04:00

Not much time to blog, dear readers. Here's a quick update from the trenches:

Commercial lesson #1 on Saturday. Chandelles, steep spirals, emergency descents. Wow, the ground comes at you fast at 120 knots!

Commercial lesson #2 on Tuesday. Lazy eights, eights on pylons. Not altogether bad, but nowhere near PTS standards, obviously. Much work to be done.

MS and I signed papers and purchased the hangar we've been renting for the last year. Building equity always better than paying rent.

More commerical lessons scheduled for Friday and Sunday. Stay tuned for further details! Now, back to work.

Stag Flight 2007 - In Pictures

2007-04-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

Two weeks late, but better late than never. Proud to present: The 2007 Stag Flight.

Thursday

We blasted off into the clag, MS handling the aviating and IFR Pilot managing the communicating, including the air-to-air with our colleagues in the 182RG.

Approaching the Ohio River, things cleared up and we were treated to some spectacular views:

We landed at JWN, and headed to downtown Nashville for some grub for our hungry bellies.

Friday

Our colleagues in the 182RG. Smile, boys, you're on the blog!

Space Camp, here we come:

MS and the IFR Pilot put down in Alabama for some 100LL. The airport was rather quaint, and the fuel was attractively priced!

Look, Ma - Mike Hotel grew an extra engine. OK, just kidding, but this paint job was vaguely deja vu all over again.

Three miles base to final at Panama City. You don't want to be low on the glideslope here if you're inbound on the ILS:

Working off the intersecting runway was a banner tow operator. Wonder if this qualifies as an acrobatic move:

An old friend arrived before we did:

Views from the motel room:

Saturday

Here's the "beach" that was out the back of our room. Hidden from view was the oil storage facility that abutted us.

Hmm, gonna be a long time before we get to the parking lot at the airshow...

OK, we're outta here. Let's hit New Orleans. Aerial tour of the Panhandle Beaches of Florida along the way:

Short final for Runway 18R at BKL. This makes the third time the IFR Pilot has handled the duties of landing at Lakefront, yet another airport that you want to be just a bit above the glideslope!

Another plane vaguely reminiscent of Mike Hotel. This one seats 6, however, and appears to have been well designed for this family's needs:

Nearly two years after Katrina, Lakefront is still struggling to mount a comeback.

And so are many homes in the city, although most have had the door signatures of the urban search and rescue teams painted over. Not this home, however:

While the streetcars haven't returned to St. Charles Avenue yet, they are plying their trade in the French Quarter:

Shipping along the River remains as vigorous as ever:

Strangers hamming for the IFR Pilot's camera:

Muffalata anyone?

How about a close up of that fine sandwich? (Hand modeling complements of MS.)

Jackson Square was partially occupied by a film crew, shooting a pilot of "K-Ville," a new series supposedly being developed for Fox.

Sights and sounds of the Quarter:

Recruiting standards for the NOPD appear dubious.

Not quite the Rebirth Brass Band, but they were still banging out quite the tunes.

Only in NOLA, baby!

For those in the know...

That's how we roll, drinks in the Quarter on a Saturday afternoon, BlackBerries close by:

With live jazz to boot!

The NOPD's French Quarter vehicles:

Sunday

IFR takeoff:

Breaking up as we approach the North Shore of the Lake:

Downwind to the Tennessee fuel stop:

A little high on final:

That's more like it:

On the ground, safe and sound.

The crew car. MS did his best impersonation of Boss Hogg throughout the trek to Applebee's, the hottest Sunday afternoon luncheon joint in all of McMinnville, Tennessee!

Well, that's about it for the pictures.

2007 Stag Flight turned out not too bad, although MS and I deviated "slightly" from the advanced agenda.

Stay tuned for more adventures. The IFR Pilot returns to NOLA in early May for JazzFest! (Yes, K, I do have a day job...)

Upgrades Complete

2007-04-07T10:38:00.000-04:00

We picked Mike Hotel up on Tuesday, before Winter returned to Cleveland. (Currently, there are 5+ inches of snow outside my townhouse. When we picked the plane up, it was 75+ and the ASOS was reporting density altitude.)

As you may have read, we recently overhauled the panel. There really wasn't anything wrong with it, but MS and I won the MegaMillions and we decided to blow a few thousand each on some new goodies. OK, part of that statement is a lie, I imagine you know which part. Hint: the "few thousand" may, in fact, be an understatement.

Currently, the panel now consists of:

Garmin 430 GPS/NAV/COM with GI-106A indicator
Garmin MX-20 (sporting a brand new display and other upgrades after an service call)
Garmin GMA 340 audio selector panel
MAC 1700 digital NAV/COM with VOR/LOC/GS and KI-209 indicator
Garmin 327 digital transponder
Garmin 396 portable GPS with XM WX Satellite Weather, hardwired for power and slaved to 430 for automatic input of flightplan data

In addition, we had a bypass installed on the #2 COM antenna. In the event of electrical failure, we can disconnect the #2 COM radio from the antenna and patch in our handheld transceiver. That should give us much better range than the antenna on the transceiver itself.

I know, I know, you want pictures. Sure 'nuf, Igots 'em right here:

(Note: "GPS for VFR" placard will be removed when FAA sends in approval paperwork.)

See it for yourself in Toronto!!!

The $800 Switch

2007-03-29T14:16:00.000-04:00

You all may recall the days when newspapers screamed accounts of the US government spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on mundane items like hammers and toilet sets that are available at the local Home Depot for a fraction of the price.

It's too bad that we see the same expenses in aviation, yet without there being a ready alternative.

Case in point: The electric pitch trim switch in Mike Hotel could stand to be replaced. It works fine for nose down pitch, but is very intermittent for nose up pitch. So, we asked the avoinics tech if he could fix it which the rest of the panel is torn apart.

Of course he can. The only hiccup is that a new pitch trim switch is -- get this -- $800. That's right, a relatively simple SPDT thumb switch, available at your local Radio Crack for under $10, will cost $800 because it's being installeed in an airplane.

As an alternative, we can get a used switch from the junkyard. That's a bargain at $400, except it comes with no warranty. I.e, no guarantee that it will actually work...