Fall Colors

N172DR - C172R - 1.9 hours

I'd have to say that autumn is my favorite season of all of them.  It's not too hot, it's not too cold, and although it's a little rainy around where I live, the leaves changing colors is pretty cool.  When I woke up this morning, I didn't think I'd go flying, but I did note how awesome one of the trees in my neighborhood looked.  When someone I met at work mentioned going flying, I knew exactly where we would be going.

No, not Charlottesville.

One of the better places to go around here, if you're looking to check out the fall colors, is Skyline Drive.  To the west of the ridge line that Skyline Drive follows is the Luray Valley, which is part of the Shenandoah Valley.  If you've ever been on Skyline Drive and thought it looked cool, you should see it by air.

Because Marcy and I wanted to actually see the colors, we were presented with a little time issue.  Meeting up at Leesburg (JYO) would've meant losing daylight after work, so I agreed to fly down to Manassas (HEF) to pick her up, and then continue to Luray (LUA).  This, of course, presented me with a little airspace issue.

The direct path would really get me in hot water with Dulles Tower, as you can see in the picture on the left.  Another option was to head out of the SFRA (the blue hatched arc with a white background in the picture) to the west and remain outside almost all the way until HEF.  That option would take more time, but it gave me more room to work with.  The final option is somewhat less obvious, unless you're really looking, and you're really comfortable with ATC and airspace.  The four blue lines near the center of the picture are the runways at Dulles (IAD).  The thick blue circle surrounding it is the airspace that starts at the ground and continues up to 10,000'.  The next ring out is airspace that starts at 1,500', which you can see over JYO.  As long as I stay under that 1,500' shelf of airspace, west of the floor airspace, and talk to Potomac Approach for clearance into the SFRA, I'm golden.

If you look closely, I even have a good landmark to keep me out of the floor airspace (aviation term for airspace that starts at the ground): Route 15.  What you can't really see are the Bull Run Mountains, which I've talked about before in past posts because they're tall enough that you can't fly over them with legal clearance, yet remain below the Class B airspace.  So, if I stay at 1,300', west of Route 15, and east of the Bull Run Mountains, I'm set.  It really isn't the most ideal route - I don't really like being kept that low to the ground, and being close to airspace always makes me a little nervous - but it shaves enough time to make it worth it.  I definitely wouldn't try it at night.





I took my time with the preflight, since I was slightly ahead of schedule, but still managed to get out ahead of a couple inbound aircraft.  Once airborne, I coordinated my departure path with one of those inbound aircraft as flying the standard pattern would have meant cutting him off.  I've noticed I've gotten a lot better at spotting traffic, for reasons I'm sure you already know if you've been following the blog for any amount of time.  After I was clear of the traffic, I called Potomac up and got cleared into the SFRA.  From there, I turned southbound to follow Route 15 down to Haymarket.

IFR really means "I Follow Roads" right?
(Route 15 runs right up the middle of the image)

Closer to HEF, Potomac passed me over to tower, who set me up on a left downwind for Runway 34R.  If the pilot or ATC-side of you thought that last sentence was odd, mine did too.  In the world of ATC, however, never forget two words: operational advantage.  While putting me on the left downwind for runway 34R made me cross the final of 34L, it kept me away from two helicopters using 34R.

After landing over a construction team still working on extending the runway, I taxied off to the main terminal.  Unfortunately, the main terminal doesn't have any parking spots painted on the ramp, so I asked the ground controller if she knew anything about the parking situation.  She said she didn't, but offered a frequency for one of the FBOs next to me.  The person who answered the call at APP Jetcenter was the GM, as I found out later.  He gave me instructions on where to park, and even came out to marshal me into a spot as all of the other rampers were busy with other aircraft.  I was pretty impressed, especially having been a ramp agent and supervisor myself.



I decided to try something new with the videos.  I've always wanted to be able to add the voice communication to the recordings I take, but everything gets drowned out by the sound of the engine.  I actually bought a cable to work with my voice recorder a while ago, but just got it (story and review of that will come at some point).  With it, I'm now able to record the audio and then overlay it using the same program I use to create the time-lapse videos.  This is the result:


It gives it an interesting new feel, and now I don't have to try to explain the things I find funny on frequency.

The rest of the flight was pretty simple.  After taking off, tower kept me on runway heading for departure traffic on Runway 34L.  Once that traffic turned southbound, I got my turn on course and frequency change to Potomac.  Despite listening in to the frequency for a few seconds and calling when it was clear, the controller snapped back with "all VFR traffic standby!"  As I've mentioned before, controllers often work combined frequencies, so you can't always hear the other traffic on the frequency.  While the tone did seem a little unnecessary, I shrugged it off.  In any case, I continued on my way to LUA, climbing under the Class B airspace.  After crossing the mountain ridge, I descended into the valley to get a closer look at the colors and continued inbound to the airport.

After landing on Runway 4, I parked the plane on the North Ramp and got a ride into town from Kenny for dinner at Uncle Buck's.  If you haven't flown in during the week, you probably haven't run into Kenny, but he's a great guy, just like John.  They have a good crew down there.

The flight home was pretty quiet, and the landing at JYO was uninterrupted as there aren't many people who fly later in the day on weekdays.  After landing on Runway 17 and parking the plane back in its spot, it took a while to get all of my technology out.  It hadn't occurred to me until just now how much I have in there: the Contour, the iPad, the Garmin GLO, and a voice recorder.  That's all on top of the other normal items.

No idea where the next trip will take me, but I'm not going unless I can get some simulated instrument time.  Yes, that's an invitation to my other pilot friends.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 1.9 - 72.4 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.0 - 8.3 (of 40)

Garmin GLO vs. Dual XGPS150

If any of you reading this took a look at my review of the iPad, ForeFlight and the Garmin GLO, you'll remember I briefly mentioned the Dual XGPS150, but I didn't go into much detail.  Reviews are all well and good, but they get better if you have something to compare different products.  Luckily, my friend Phil has the Dual XGPS150 and let me borrow it for one of those little comparative reviews.

Before I jump into the actual review, I want to point out what I checked on each of them:

Ease of use (power on/power off, really - there's not much else to them), ease of Bluetooth connectivity, time to connect via Bluetooth, time to acquire satellites for position, time to acquire satellites for altitude, and general user interaction.  As far as acquiring goes, I used hot boots, meaning I let each one boot up fully and acquire, shut them off and booted again within a minute.  I've also thrown in some manufacturer statistics like battery life (sorry, I'm not sitting there with a stopwatch to time that for you), and size.

The Dual XGPS150

Not much needs to be said for the XGPS150.  Even if you've casually glanced at the product on Amazon, or anything of that sort, you'll see the raving reviews.  It's really simple, compact, and easy to use.  Out of the box, you get the unit, a non-slip pad, a strap (for wearing, or securing more permanently in a car/aircraft), a USB charging cable, and an adapter to charge it in a car or properly equipped aircraft, all for $99.99 (as of writing).

The small size - a 2.25" square - makes it easy to store without taking up too much space, and it has a weighted feel to it that just feels sturdy.  The red circle in the middle is a large button to turn it on, with the pressure point being slightly below center.  Said button takes a firm prodding with your thumb to turn it on, but if it's being stored in a pilot bag, or similar, you don't want the button to be too easy to press.  Pressing and holding once again will turn it off.  On the side of it, you'll find a door that hides the USB charging port and a button that switches the data format from Apple to everything else.

Holding down the button for a few seconds will bring it to life with all of the lights confirming you have, in fact, brought it out of its slumber.  At that point, the appropriately blue Bluetooth light begins flashing to let you know that it's in discoverable mode, while the green GPS light flashes until it picks up the required amount of satellites.  Going into your iPad's Bluetooth panel, you'll find XGPS150-[serial number].  Click to connect.  Begin using it.

If you're interested, you can also download an app from the app store that allows you to see what's going on behind the scenes with the device.  I'd explain further, but pictures are better:

The Garmin GLO for Aviation

Somewhat later to the game is the Garmin GLO.  Reviews are just about as good for the GLO as the Dual on Amazon, and I'd expect similar from other stores.  It's equally simple, easy to use, and just about the same size.  Out of the box, you get the unit, a non-slip pad, a USB charging cable, and an adapter to charge it in a car or properly equipped aircraft, for $129.99 (as of writing).  The regular Garmin GLO comes with the unit and the USB cable only, for $99.99.

Though it's a slightly different shape and appears larger, it's 0.0465 square inches smaller, based on the manufacturers' measurements.  The size difference being negligible, it's just as portable and doesn't take much room in any bag you'd carry it in.  The only button is clearly visible and functions as the power button.  One press turns it on, and a press and hold will turn it off.  The USB port is on the side of the unit by the power switch, in the open.  Additionally, there are no special switches to switch between devices.

A press of the power button will bring it to life, and just like the XGPS150, the blue Bluetooth light will flash until it's connected to another device, and the green GPS light will flash until it has acquired enough satellites for an accurate position.  In the iPad settings panel, you'll find Garmin GLO #[serial number].  Click to connect.  Enjoy.

No apps for the GLO, unfortunately.

Side by Side

Looking at the above summaries, they seem like they're just about the same, and they really are.  Even through my simple testing, they came up about the same by the numbers.

Here are the side by side manufacturer specs:

	Garmin GLO	Dual XGPS150
Weight	2.12 oz	1.8 oz
Size (L/W/H)	3.04/1.65/0.70"	2.25/2.25/0.75"
Battery Life	12 Hrs	8.5 Hrs
GPS	GPS/GLONASS	GPS
WAAS	Yes	Yes
Refresh	10 Hz	>1 Hz

Just in case you forgot your old physics knowledge, 1 Hz is once per second. In the case of refresh rates, more Hz is better. Dual's website only says "at least once per second," so I just indicated that as greater than 1 Hz, or >1 Hz.

Before I provide the data from my tests, I want to be very honest in that these tests were done literally in my back yard and not in some field.  Both devices proved very capable of picking up signals both outside and even inside.  In any case, both devices were tested in the same spot, so despite not being in the middle of an open field, the same disadvantages were present for both devices.  Additionally, when testing the vertical accuracy, I gave it a +/- 10 foot buffer and stopped the clock when it reached that.  I included the first altitude indication time as well.

Here are the test specs:

	Garmin GLO	Dual XGPS150
Bluetooth Connection Time	14 sec	5 sec
Position (2D) Time	22 sec	18 sec
Position (3D) Time	30 sec	30 sec
Accurate (3D) Time	49 sec	100 sec

Conclusions and Other Notes
The Dual had a clear advantage in its Bluetooth time, while the Garmin seemed to fully latch on to the satellites slightly faster.  The Dual satellite times may be slightly longer as my iPad seemed to be arguing with it at first.  This was shown in the fact that I had to close ForeFlight and reopen it before I could see a position the first few attempts.  I believe I got it sorted out for some more accurate times, but I want to put that out there.  The fact that they both provided vertical data at about the same time leads me to give the Dual the benefit of the doubt on the accurate 3D time.

To be honest, you're not going to go wrong with either device.  They're just about even all around, both in performance and ease of use.  The Dual does have an app for the iPad so that you can check up on the device.  At the very least, it's nice to know what the battery life is looking like, which is possible in the app.  The lack of an app for the Garmin doesn't set it back too far, but there's some mystery in how much battery life is left if you haven't just charged it.  This is also somewhat offset by the fact that the Garmin's non-slip pad has a cutout where the charger can fit, which allows you to plug it in while using it in its non-slip pad.  The Dual's pad hides the charge port entirely, and even then it's hidden behind a door.  You could easily remedy that issue with scissors by cutting the pad where you'd like to have access for the charger.

Both devices will have issues with heated windscreens, but most have reported good results after moving the device into the cabin.  The range of Bluetooth being about 30 feet allows you to move it just about anywhere in any aircraft where you'd want an external GPS.

There really isn't a clear winner, and as a result, I'm not going to say you should go get one or the other.  In the end, it'll probably come down to a price issue.  In order to get the same features (minus the strap) for the Garmin, you have to spend an extra $30, so despite all else being just about equal, there's that.  Hopefully I've provided enough information for you to make a more informed decision.

If you'd like to see anything else reviewed here, let me know on the Facebook page, or @TheLifeOfAPilot on Twitter.

Good luck in your decision making.

Dual XGPS150 - Garmin GLO for Aviation

Currency and Checkouts

Recently, I've talked to a few pilots who had a few questions about currency and checkout requirements.  Currency and checkouts come in a few different forms, and where each has its roots is often confusing.  Hopefully, this post will help to clear some of it up.

Currency

Currency is often required by a couple different entities.  The FAA, of course, is the most important one to satisfy, and the requirements are pretty basic.  First, you need a review every two years, which we all know and love as the biannual flight review, or BFR.  The secondary requirements are currency for passenger carriage and instrument flight.  Broken down by numbers, the FAA side looks like this:

Flying, in general: BFR within 24 months
Passenger carriage (day): 3 takeoffs and landings within 90 days
Passenger carriage (night): 3 TO/LND, full stop, at night, within 90 days
Instrument flight: 6 approaches within 6 months, to include tracking and holding
(or an Instrument Proficiency Check if not within 12 months)

Other requirements for currency come from other entities like flight schools, flight clubs, and insurance companies.  As an example, the flight school I rent from requires 3 takeoffs and landings within 60 days to remain current in their aircraft.  A lot of the pilots I know actually get confused by that.  This particular requirement was set by the flight school (and likely their insurer), not the FAA.  As far as the FAA is concerned, if you're flying VFR without passengers, you could go 729 days without flying and still legally fly for one more day.


Checkouts

In the realm of flying different aircraft, again, there is a difference between the requirements of different operators and the FAA.  As in the case of currency requirements, the FAA offers more room.  First, you have to be rated for the aircraft type.  Second, you have to be rated for the number of engines.  Third, you have to be endorsed for anything other than standard.  Broken down, the FAA side looks like this:

Type:  Airplane, seaplane, rotorcraft, and so on
Engines:  Single, or multi
Endorsements:  Tailwheel, high performance, complex, and so on

Other requirements come from other entities like flight schools, flight clubs and insurance companies.  As an example, the flight school I rent from requires a specific checkout by aircraft type.  In order to fly one of their aircraft, you need to fly with one of their CFIs.  After that point, you can fly any of that aircraft type provided you maintain the aforementioned 60 day currency.  Since I had my BFR in a C172, I can fly any of their C172s (though I did need to get checked out on the G1000 - again, flight school requirement, not FAA).  In order to fly any of the other aircraft, I'd have to fly with one of their CFIs.  As far as the FAA is concerned, however, as long as it's a single engine aircraft with tricycle landing gear and 200 horsepower or less, it's fair game.  Even though I've never flown one, if my friend had a Diamond 20 and was going to let me borrow it, I could do so without having anyone fly with me beforehand and still meet FAA requirements.

The only "checkouts" you need from the FAA are called endorsements, and I'm sure the puzzle pieces are falling into place now.

That's the long and short of it.  Hopefully that clears up some of the confusion.


Just to cover my own rear, here's a generic disclaimer:
The content provided here is informational only, and is not in any way, shape, or form legal guidance.  If any doubts exist, please contact your local FSDO, the administration, or an aviation lawyer.