Friday the 13th

N5294W - C172R - 2.8 hours

Apparently this weekend is beach weekend for just about everyone, and I got tired of reading everyone's Facebook updates on the matter, so I did something about it.  Using the same media they were using to celebrate the fact that they were going interesting places, I asked if anyone wanted to go to Ocean City for the evening.  Interestingly enough, an old friend from high school picked up on the offer with a "plus one," if you will.

We worked it out so that he'd get there at about 6:30, and we'd leave around 7.  As I walked into the terminal, I passed by a tall guy who looked a lot like Rick Santorum and thought to myself "hey, that guy looks a lot like Rick Santorum - poor guy must get that a lot."  I dismissed it and walked inside to file a flight plan and write down all the frequencies.  As I rounded the corner, I saw a familiar face from back when I lived out in Phoenix and worked at Deer Valley (DVT).  Turns out one of the flight instructors there, who now works the charter side, just flew Rick Santorum back from a conference in St.Louis.  We caught up for a few minutes and he showed me the plane quickly, but they were off for one more leg to Teterboro (TEB).  Crazy.  Unfortunately, as we'd all find out in a few minutes, none of us were going anywhere anytime soon.

Joe and crew waiting patiently

As I was preflighting and waiting for fuel, Matt and Z both got situated in the plane.  At some point in there, Joe taxied by for the flight up to TEB.  Soon thereafter, as I was getting myself situated, I saw a guy pushing a Cessna on the runway.  Getting out for a closer look, the guy was trying pretty hard to get the plane off of the runway, so Matt and I both ran down there to try and help out, joking that our high school track days are long gone.  The plane had a flat on the left main, so it wasn't going anywhere.  We tried to pull it farther off into the grass, but the airport officials said it wasn't far enough and closed the airport until it was moved.

Killing time

Luckily, the Landmark crew brought a tug out to pull it back to their hangar to take care of it.  As we were waiting, there was very little for us to do, so the pilot of the plane started taking pictures of the plane, and I started taking pictures of the sunset.  I'm sure the people sitting in the run-up area were less than pleased that we weren't doing anything productive, but there was really nothing we could do.  In the end, I think there were four or five aircraft in the run-up before the airport reopened and aircraft could depart.

As soon as the Cessna was past the hold line and clear of the runway, I went back to our plane to get us out of there.  Unfortunately, by this time it was already about 8, which is very clear in the video.  I had it running in HD 1080 this time, not that it looks any better since the low light means it's not picking up much.  The high resolution also killed the battery at about 45 minutes in.  To avoid that in the future, while still capturing high def, I ordered a power adapter.  Here's the takeoff, though:


[Video was here, and then Contour went bankrupt for a bit, so it got lost.]

The flight out started off somewhat oddly, as I couldn't turn eastbound until Potomac TRACON observed my transponder (note the terminology), so that I could proceed through the SFRA and the VFR Corridor that I flew through back in August.  I talked to MULRR (126.1) first, then WOOLY (128.7) and BWIFS (119.7).  While with WOOLY, I got to listen in to the controller handling two flights into Fort Meade (FME).  He pointed them both out to me, and then handed me off to BWIFS where I was alerted to three more targets over the Chesapeake Bay.  Two of them passed under me in an uncomfortable way.  I'm really not sure what they were doing, but they seemed to have gone into Annapolis (ANP).  I wish the video picked it up, but it didn't (though it did pick up my opinions of the pilots, muted somewhat by the sound of the engine).

OC Oceanfront at the Inlet

As soon as I cleared the Bravo and climbed a little, I passed the controls to Matt so he could fly some.  Potomac handed us off to Patuxent Approach, and we stayed with them all the way out to Ocean City.  Closer in to Ocean City, I took the controls and brought us out over the city so Matt and Z could get some pictures of the shoreline. Nearing the boardwalk, I attempted to bring us in to Runway 32, but I was so high I needed to circle back around.  That did the trick, and after landing we taxied back to a dark, motionless ramp.

Walking out, we grabbed a Ford Expedition that was left for us and headed off to the boardwalk.  There, we grabbed some pizza and ice cream before stopping by another friend's place up on 89th Street.  Since we needed to have the plane back, we didn't stay too long and made the trek back to the airport around 11ish.

Back in the air I called Washington Center for flight following, but the controller had me wait and let him know when I was passing 4000'.  At first I was confused as to why, but then I remembered it probably had something to do with the radar not picking up aircraft below that altitude (the area is normally covered by Patuxent, using a different radar site, but they had closed for the night).  Later on with Potomac, I managed to get a clearance through the Bravo all the way back to Leesburg.

FlightAware track for the flight home

Once I had Leesburg in sight, the controller dumped me to CTAF for the landing.  You know the routine from there.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 2.8 - 53.2 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.0 - 5.6 (of 40)

A New Checklist Item

N172DR - C172R - 1.6 hours

First, I must point out why the title is what it is:
For the second time I've made a mistake with the video camera that has cost me some valuable footage.  Today, I somehow managed to turn the camera off instead of on, so I captured absolutely nothing today.  I missed two approaches, a whole bunch of pattern work, and a few other cool things that I guess I'll just try to convey via text.  The new checklist item, however, is "camera on and recording."

I only think it's recording right now

Camera issues and related frustration aside, it was actually an awesome flight.

My friend Ashley asked me yesterday if I would like to go flying sometime soon, and after telling her when I had time, she said "tomorrow?"  You all know I'm not one to turn down a flight, especially when it's with a fellow pilot I can split time with.  She's been wanting to find a pattern to get a few landings in for a while, so I began flipping between the hassle of staying here (JYO) or going to Winchester (OKV).

On the drive out, I'd been thinking more of flying out to OKV for a relatively empty pattern and not having to worry about special procedures.  When I got to the airport, I had time to kill, so I sat down and continued plotting.  That plotting included throwing in an instrument approach so I could log some more simulated instrument time and chip away at the rest of the 35 hours I still had left, so I bought a current copy of the Virginia and Maryland approach charts.

I settled on the OKV idea, and the Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 32 at Winchester.  It was really convenient because it was in line with our route to the airport, and it put us out at an airport where we could run laps around the traffic pattern undisturbed.  On the way out I called up Potomac TRACON, who accommodated the request via radar vectors.  After a few heading changes, I was cleared direct to CLADD to shoot the approach.  Nearing CLADD it seemed like the localizer (the part of the ILS that guides me laterally) was reverse sensing (it was showing me right of course, when I was left), but it seemed more normal as I got to CLADD and continued inbound.  Ashley called out altitudes and watched for traffic while I had the horse blinders on, attempting to follow radio beams to the runway.  For one of my first times flying an instrument approach, it wasn't bad.  I was tracking the localizer well, but there was a mix up with the frequency set in the second nav radio, so I wasn't able to pick up the necessary cross radials off of Linden to determine my steps down in altitude before intercepting the glideslope (the part of the ILS that guides me vertically).  That put me above the glideslope, but after checking how far I was from CLADD on the GPS, I found that I was near the point that I should be following the glideslope and descended to capture it and follow it all down to the runway.  I took the blinders off just above the minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the approach and landed with a little bit of a gusty wind from the north.

After landing, we taxied back to Runway 32 to do some pattern work.  Ashley took the first lap around and opted for a go-around after the wind tossed us around some on short final.  On climbout, I was handed the controls again to give her a break from fighting the wind for a lap.  My first trip around the pattern wasn't too bad, but the wind did distort it slightly.  The strong wind from the north meant there was a decent crosswind, but it also meant that we had to turn to base and final closer in to keep the same descent angles.  If you're not used to adjusting your pattern for wind, it can definitely throw you off.

Ashley took over again for a few more trips around the pattern with better results.  For not having flown in a while, the landings were on point, and they only got better with each pass.  I made a few more landings of my own, and I remember thinking that I was glad I had the camera to record some of them.  Right... Taxiing back for the last departure, I pulled out the approach plates again to get set up for another instrument approach heading back into JYO.

After departing OKV, I turned north towards Martinsburg (MRB) to pick up the VOR (navigation radio) there as it's the initial approach fix (IAF) for the ILS Runway 17 approach into JYO.  Potomac again got me situated on the approach, and provided traffic advisories.  Over MRB, I was switched from 120.45 (MANNE) to 126.1 (MULRR), and then over to ASPER (125.05) as I got closer to getting established on the localizer.  The controller saw that I was established on the approach and told me to switch over to JYO's CTAF so that I could let them know what I was doing.  He also, however, told me to remain outside of the Class B airspace, which annoyed me to a certain degree.  I understand the controller had a job to do that was a lot more important than VFR practice approaches, but it put me in a tough spot not knowing specifically that the approach in itself would keep me out of the Bravo airspace.  I'll readily admit that I didn't cross-reference the approach chart with a sectional to see if the approach remained clear of the airspace, but finding that information out is not as simple as you'd think.

The approach chart clearly shows the SFRA, but nowhere does it show the overlying Bravo shelves (it wouldn't need to if you're IFR, anyway).  The Sectional Chart also clearly shows the SFRA and the Bravo shelves, but not the instrument approach, or the fixes on the approach.  You'd think the FAA would design approaches with things like that in mind, but that's not the case.  There was a big issue a few years ago where one of the missed approach procedures at Frederick (FDK) placed you inside of the ADIZ (precursor to the SFRA).  If you were flying VFR practice approaches and you ended up flying the missed approach, you would bust the airspace.  Despite this, there was very little understanding from the FAA.  The AOPA fought hard against it so the FAA, as a result, began depicting the ADIZ (and later the SFRA) on the charts for situational awareness, but the stance remains: bust the airspace, and we'll bust you.

In any case, my distraction with trying to remain under the Bravo, while also flying the approach took its toll and I ended up right of course.  That all worked out in the end, though, as that put me in the right spot to enter the traffic pattern for Runway 35.  As we arrived in the traffic pattern, though, a helicopter based at JYO called inbound for a non-standard entry into the pattern.  Luckily, we spotted it pretty far out, and they called us in sight soon after.  Even so, it was unnerving turning towards it on base, and even more so knowing it was also going to approach over the taxiway parallel to me.  When I turned final, I attempted to just lock everything else out of my head except landing, and because of that, I pulled off one of my best landings ever, celebrating in my mind that I just caught it on camera.  Again...right... I even managed to have the nose up (a rarity for me, as you know) and the stall warning as I touched.

As I taxied off, I got buzzed by the helicopter, which I wasn't so pleased with, but it's not like it was too close for comfort.  It's just startling to have a large bright yellow thing pass just ahead of and above you.  After parking, we put the plane back in its spot and set off for a much needed dinner.

For those of you who fly out of JYO and are wondering what I found out about the ILS Runway 17 approach, it does actually remain under the Bravo.  I made the chart by superimposing the approach chart on top of a sectional and copying the Class B lines over.  Obviously, it's for reference only, and don't come busting down my door if the FAA comes busting down yours.  If you're still unsure, you can go to SkyVector.com and enter the approach fixes to see where they're depicted on the sectional and you can check the altitudes on your own.




Let's see if I can actually remember to turn the camera on next time.





Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0 - 50.4 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.7 - 5.6 (of 40)

A Cloudy Sendoff

N172DR - C172R - 1.2 hours

As sometime occurs with my flights the intentions are to go one place, but in the end you go where the weather takes you.  Oddly enough, the reason I'm trying to fly so much recently is to work towards a rating that would help me avoid the weather issue.  In any case, despite a nice forecast, the weather this morning was pretty low and hazy.  Every weather station in the area, and those as far away as Charlottesville (CHO), Baltimore (BWI) and Martinsburg (MRB), reported low clouds that would just about prevent me from flying.

To a certain degree, it was somewhat of a sendoff, as my boss Jason (of the Bridgewater trip fame), and his wife Vanessa will be moving out of the country at the end of the week.  The original plan was to try to pull off what I did on my last flight, but fly into BWI this time.  BWI has a smaller runway that's really only used for smaller planes so I wouldn't be too much of a pest trying to fly in.  Unfortunately, I don't exactly have connections there like I do at Dulles, so the ramp and landing fee would've been around $80.  Added to that was the fact that the ceiling (lowest broken or overcast cloud level to the ground) this morning was at 900 feet.  Needless to say, I quickly tossed that idea out.

Martinsburg's weather showed the most hope with a high ceiling and some low spotty clouds, and the terminal aerodrome forecast (TAF) supported that, with that weather eventually heading towards Dulles.  That in mind, Jason and I looked west for a few spots just so we could go flying before he leaves.  In the end, we decided on Winchester (OKV) and Front Royal (FRR).  Winchester is an airport I'm familiar with, so if the weather didn't improve, finding it wouldn't be as bad as finding an airport I hadn't been to before, and it's relatively clear of mountains (at least more so than the other airports I fly to).  I added FRR to keep it interesting, since I'd never been there before, and it was still pretty close to home if the weather didn't live up to expectations.

It seemed as if everyone saw that the weather was improving and jumped at the chance to get up and out, so we joined a line of aircraft ready to depart.  Luckily, we were number two in a line of four or five.  As usual for a Runway 17 departure, we turned west as soon as possible in order to avoid busting the corner of the SFRA, but this time we just headed directly to OKV.  The Class B airspace kept us low initially, but the clouds ended up keeping us low in the end.  As we crossed over Blue Mountain, I brought up the old joke that IFR really stood for "I Follow Roads," as we were essentially following Route 7 all the way.  Getting closer to OKV, I attempted to call in a position report, but had forgotten I was still listening in to the MANNE sector of Potomac Approach.  Since that was the active comm frequency, I ended up transmitting my location and intention to Potomac, who was slightly caught off guard by the remark.  Being me, I apologized, took a jab at myself, and ended with "hey, April Fools, right?"  Humoring me, the controller responded "yeah you got me good there," and off I went.

The landing wasn't too bad, but I'll let the video speak for me.


[Video was here, and then Contour went bankrupt for a while, and it got lost]

If you turn the volume up on the video, you can probably hear me ask Jason if we were going to stop in Winchester to do anything, or if we were just going to head back out.  Because we all had plans after the flying, we opted to just continue on to FRR and then home so we weren't rushed.  After taxiing back we departed Runway 32, climbed over Interstate 81, and then headed southeast to FRR.  Since it's a short flight, I switched directly from OKV's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) to FRR's CTAF.  As soon as I tuned it in, I could hear a glider pilot coordinating with a tow plane which wasn't too comforting.  I don't have anything against gliders, but they're higher in the pecking order, so I have to stay out of their way.  They're also frequently white, which doesn't contrast too well with clouds.  We ended up spotting the glider circling well above pattern altitude when we were a few miles out so it wasn't too much of an issue in the end.

I entered on a right 45 for Runway 28, turned in slightly early and ended up high on the approach.  Despite the runway's shorter length compared to the runways at most of the airports I fly to, the high approach didn't cause any trouble.  The landing actually turned out pretty nice, though it was my signature flat landing.  You can hear it in the video as all three wheels make contact at about the same time.  You can also see the approach path alignment panels (APAP) to the left of the runway, which you may remember I talked about in one of my posts about Luray (W45).  I laugh at them every time, but they're effective enough.  In all, the flight took 12 minutes.


[Video was here, and then Contour went bankrupt for a while, and it got lost]

Whenever I fly, I make it a point to avoid doing anything that would scare passengers, or make them even more uneasy than they already are.  I try to make turns shallower, transition from level to climbs and descents more gradually, and so on.  One of the first things to go is the short field takeoff that I occasionally do, just to keep things interesting.  I didn't it at JYO because it was the first time Vanessa flew with me, and I didn't want that to start things off on the wrong foot.  At OKV I didn't do it because it wasn't necessary.  At FRR, however, it wasn't entirely necessary, but it wouldn't hurt, so off we went.  For the record, yes, I know I drag out the ground effect acceleration longer than I need to, compared to the 'proper' procedure.  If I was really pressed for space, I'd climb out at the proper speed, but in this case I wasn't too pressed for space.


[Video was here, and then Contour went bankrupt for a while, and it got lost]

After departing, Jason flew the last leg back into JYO with a little guidance from me on how to get there.  The clouds kept us low again, but it wasn't a big issue.  As we were getting closer I attempted to call JYO's CTAF, but I was still on Potomac's frequency again, having just sent them a pilot report (PIREP) about the weather for a flight going into Martinsburg (MRB).  For the second time in an hour, I called Potomac like it was a CTAF.  I shook my head a bit, as I'm sure the controller did a little as well, and switched over to JYO CTAF to let them know I'd be arriving in the pattern shortly.  Closer in, I took over the controls and maneuvered north of the field, entered the left 45 for Runway 17, landed and taxied in.


[Video was here, and then Contour went bankrupt for a while, and it got lost]

Despite my frequency issue, it was a great flight.  While I didn't make any progress towards my instrument rating, it was still nice to be able to go flying with a pilot friend (and company) who won't be able to fly for a while.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0 - 50.4 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0 - 4.9 (of 40)