N96178 - C172P - 2.0 hours
I was supposed to go flying on the 4th, but for various reasons that didn't end up happening. Since then, it's been a little rough between my personal life and work, so I figured I'd take myself flying to clear my head. Before I go any further, I just want to point out that I did consciously wait until a point in the week that my head was clear enough to actually fly safely. I just wanted to put that out there before someone decided to call me out on the S in the
IMSAFE checklist.
Ground life aside, I figured I'd head out west to try a new destination on my own. The flight back would be at night, too, which would count towards hours I'll need in my next rating (commercial rating: 61.129(a)(4)(ii) Solo VFR Night). I debated a few destinations, to include Altoona (AOO), Somerset County (2G9) and Garrett County (2G4). I ended up settling on 2G4 primarily because one of my ideas for my long IR XC includes approaches at AOO and 2G9, so I figured I might as well go somewhere I won't go on that flight. My friend Phil flew out there a while ago and he seemed to enjoy the flight, which factored into the decision. Finally, of all of the airports I've flown in and out of, it would be the highest in terms of altitude above sea level, at 2933'. Before tonight, that spot was held by Blacksburg (BCB) at 2132'.
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| CBE In the distance |
The flight out was slightly hazy looking west, but as the daylight waned, the haze became less of a problem. I passed just north of Winchester (OKV) and south of Cumberland Regional (CBE), where I flew
back in December. The original track would've had me a lot further south of CBE, but I changed my track to go direct to the Grantsville (GRV) VOR so I could fly the VOR RWY 27 approach into 2G4. I was able to spot GRV in the middle of a field as I flew overhead, which made timing my turn for the approach pretty easy. Obviously, the practice approach was simply to get used to working the radios and flying approaches on my own. Not having a safety pilot to look out for me, I couldn't wear the blinders and log the approach, but I still think it was worth it to get used to the idea of flying approaches. If nothing else, I was able to see what the approach looks like out the window.
I reported my position inbound to land on Runway 9 as soon as I passed over GRV, and made the standard calls from then on. Luckily, the approach off of GRV puts you on the downwind for Runway 9 if you fly it long enough. The wind was pretty light, but 2G4 is around a lot of changes in terrain. It's perched near the top of the hill, so there are all kinds of weird wind issues as the wind carries up and downhill. Adding to that, the crest of the hill is slightly north of the field and is 20-40 feet higher, which changes that dynamic as well. All of that together makes even light wind somewhat of a battle all the way down final and into ground effect. I pulled off the runway after landing and taxied back to kill some time to let it get darker. When I got back to the end of the runway, I noticed a ski resort south of the field. Google Maps says that it's Wisp (it's just out of the frame to the left in the picture), so if anyone needs a flight this winter, let me know.
On the way home, I listened to Cleveland and Washington Center sequence traffic into Dulles, National and BWI to pass the time on an otherwise quiet flight home. As I got closer to OKV, I circled around the city in order to log a little more time at night. In the end, I came out with 1.1 hours more hours of solo VFR night. Unfortunately, my long time buddy N96178 has a fully front lit panel, and not the nice back lit panel of the newer R models I've been flying. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, turn down the dash lights in your car, shine a red flashlight on the speedometer, and try to drive like that. It made for an interesting approach, since I couldn't see the airspeed indicator as well as I would've liked, but the landing wasn't half bad. You know the rest.
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| Proof that sunsets from the air are thousands of times better than on the ground |
Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 2.0 - 63.4 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.0 - 6.6 (of 40)
