Dizzy Yet?

N172DR - C172R - 1.4 hours

I was supposed to go on a flight with my friends Matt and Mike this past weekend, but weather got in the way of that twice.  Saturday afternoon was cancelled because of low clouds and rain, and Sunday was cancelled because of wind and turbulence.  Of course, having just received my new mounts and camera, I was itching to go play with the new toys.

As I've mentioned a few times in previous posts, the commercial pilot license requires a certain amount of solo night flight experience, and a part of that is 10 takeoffs and landings at a towered field.  I've passively thought of my options since learning of the requirement, and my general conclusion was that none of them were particularly good.  Charlottesville (CHO) requires about 45 minutes just to get there, though the tower stays open all night.  Martinsburg (MRB) is closer, but the tower closes earlier than I'd need it to.  Dulles (IAD) would be great, but the A/FD says "no flight training after 2200 local," and you'd be nuts to try to request pattern work there.  After some thought, though, I remembered that Frederick (FDK) now has a tower, and it stays open long enough to fit in 10 landings after dark.

At first, I figured I'd wait and just take care of the flight later, but between the days getting longer and the potential for controllers to be furloughed in the near future, I thought the best time would be now.  I booked a plane, packed my stuff, and set off towards Leesburg (JYO).

Before preflighting, I set up the three cameras so that I could get some video of it from multiple angles.  The video that came from them wasn't the best, but the angles worked out pretty well for the flight itself.  They'll all look better with a day flight, too.  You know, being able to actually see things makes video that much better.

Here's the ContourGPS shot over the nose:

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
I imagine that the ContourGPS will always be up somewhere on the windscreen so that it can get a clear shot up to the GPS satellites, so you'll always have that typical angle to look forward to.  The next angle, shot from the ContourROAM is out the right window, which caught some pretty cool reflections off of the right wing.  You can see the sunset reflected, and the moon as I turn north.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
The final angle I got with the new ContourROAM2 was of the panel, which included my back.  Phil shoots from this angle with his GoPro, and the end result is pretty cool looking.  I'll try it out the next time I fly during the day.  Unfortunately, I didn't bother getting a larger SD card for the new camera, so it cut out just before I landed back at JYO.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
I also managed to get myself a copy of Adobe Premiere Elements 11, so the video edits in the future should be a heck of a lot cooler.  Don't get me wrong, Windows Live Movie Maker is a decent starting point (not to mention, it's free), but it can't pull off what I'd like it to.  We'll see what I can put together as I learn more about the program.

The flight up to FDK was nice and quick, and I was worked into the pattern behind another aircraft to begin what I saw as my own version of the Daytona 500.  In order to pass the time, I made each lap a game of judging how well I got the nose up in the flare.  After three times around, I told the controller taking over for the last controller that I was going to be doing seven more laps so that he knew what the plan was.  He worked me in between a couple others who showed up for pattern work, and another couple of IFR arrivals.  The last few trips around the pattern were under the guidance of the first controller.  Getting closer to the 10 landings mark, I actually lost count, despite making tick marks on the scratchpad of ForeFlight.  After an insurance lap, just in case I had double counted a lap, I let the controller know on the upwind that I was done bothering her for the night and was heading back to JYO.  As she and I exchanged salutations, another pilot in the pattern checked to make sure I was spacially-oriented well enough to get home with "you dizzy yet?"

With the assistance of ForeFlight, I kept myself below the Class Bravo airspace as I got closer to JYO.  The landing, which would make 12 for the night, was a simple straight in approach to Runway 17.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
I'm off to mess around with Premiere Elements 11 to see what I can to do these videos.  So far, I haven't found a feature to correct my bonehead error of not properly leveling the ContourGPS, so I'll try to make sure it's level next time.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0.0 - 76.2 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.0 - 10.5 (of 40)

Higher Tech

I joined the ranks of the more technologically advanced back in February when I got my ContourGPS.  Since then, I've been gotten a few new mounts for it.  The first one is the suction cup mount, which I've used for quite a while now, and you have all seen the results in the videos.  It gets great shots over the nose of the plane, mounted up on the windscreen.  Since the view from the inside is pretty normal these days (just look on YouTube), I started to look into ways to mount a camera externally.  I've seen a few people mount cameras externally using the 3M tape that came with the camera, but I'm not so sure I'd trust tape against the relative wind and turbulence.  Beyond that, the planes I fly are owned by other people, and I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate tape residue all over their planes.  Looking around at the automotive mounts, I thought I'd found what I was looking for: a roll bar mount.

The mount comes with a hose clamp in a rubber sleeve, which keeps it in position and avoids scratching the strut.  Since the included hose clamp is meant for a three inch bar, I bought a larger clamp and wrapped it in electrical tape.  The ContourGPS is marketed as resistant to water, mist and spray, but I'd prefer not to find out how resistant it really is, since it was rather expensive.  Because of that, I opted to hold off until I bought one of the basic models.  Though all Contour cameras all have the option for a case, I could capture more video with a second camera, so why not get another?

The ContourROAM is slightly less expensive than the ContourGPS, is waterproof to one meter, has a wider angle lens, and has an instant record switch.  The latter means I don't have to worry about it being on or off before trying to start recording, which has caused issues in the past.  The still picture mode also allows a higher picture frequency than the ContourGPS (one picture per second, rather than every three seconds), which means the time lapse videos will seem a lot less jerky.  My thought was that flights would be shot externally on the ContourROAM, and internally on the ContourGPS.

I tried to use the roll bar mount plus ContourROAM setup on my flight back in August, but it wasn't sitting correctly and seemed loose in the clamp.  I wasn't about to lose the camera that I had just bought and potentially damage something on the ground, so I opted to hold off on using it.  The roll bar mount is for round tubes up to three inches, but the Cessna strut is larger and flattened to be more aerodynamic.  Because of that, the mount sits on top of it, instead of around it.  I'm still working on a solution for it, but whatever I come up with has to be absolutely secure.  Beyond that, I'm still trawling the regs to see if it would be in violation of something, but if you recall, the GoPro commercial did have externally-mounted cameras on an Extra.  As to whether or not they had special approval for that or not, I have no idea.

The ROAM2 in its assorted colors

For now, though, I have two more suction cup mounts on the way from Contour.  One will be used with the ContourROAM to snag different camera angles, and the other will be used with a ContourROAM2 I'm hoping to snag in the near future.  I have plans to add more, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.  In the end, I'm hoping to have an array of cameras for an idea I have to add more to what's written here.

www.contour.com

Every Flight Is Unique

At first, I was going to take a stab at talking about weather, but as I began looking back at what is required of pilots on each flight, I thought I'd take a broader approach.

One of the nice things about the regulations is that they offer a broad scope of authority to pilots.  While the regulations can get very specific about certain topics, you'll note FAR Part 91.3 is rather broad:

§ 91.3 Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.
(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.
(b) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.
(c) Each pilot in command who deviates from a rule under paragraph (b) of this section shall, upon the request of the Administrator, send a written report of that deviation to the Administrator.

Using a broad brush here, the basic summary is that the pilot in command is responsible for, and has the final say in, the operation of the aircraft, but may have to justify his or her actions upon request.  You have to admit, that's a lot of authority that's being handed over.  Just like many things in life, however, it's a double-edged sword.  That wide-ranging authority also means that you may be called upon to answer for wide-ranging regulatory issues that may have arisen during a flight.

So, how do you minimize your risk of being called upon to answer for those wide-ranging regulatory issues?

You avoid them as much as possible.

Being a pilot doesn't mean that you need to walk around with the ability to cite the FARs at any possible moment, but knowledge of those FARs is extremely important.  At a minimum, you should be very familiar with Part 91, which should keep you out of most troubling scenarios.  In addition to the regulations, however, you should be aware of the information required by FAR Part 91.103:

§ 91.103 Preflight action.
Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include—
(a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC;
(b) For any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use, and the following takeoff and landing distance information:
(1) For civil aircraft for which an approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual containing takeoff and landing distance data is required, the takeoff and landing distance data contained therein; and
(2) For civil aircraft other than those specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, other reliable information appropriate to the aircraft, relating to aircraft performance under expected values of airport elevation and runway slope, aircraft gross weight, and wind and temperature.

Of the many things that can get you into trouble, the main issues you're going to run into are probably airspace, P/R-Airspace, MOAs, TFRs, and weather.  Airspace, to include prohibited/restricted airspace and MOAs, is easily avoided by maintaining situational awareness and keeping a chart handy.  TFRs and weather, however, are a different story, as they change more frequently.  TFRs are something pilots in my area have grown accustomed to.  Being so close to Washington DC, you have to be particularly aware of what's going on, as the Nation's political happenings often include some form of TFR.  Other than that, the last main issue is weather, which should always be something to watch.

The difficulty with weather, though, is that it's constantly changing.  Beyond that, it's also occasionally difficult to understand the weather picture with some of the tools we've been given.  We have the METARs and TAFs (Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts) as closer pictures of the weather, with the FA (Area Forecast, and yes, FA is the abbreviation) providing a wider range of coverage.  Outside of that, you can look at the radar and satellite images, and even out your window.  Even with all of the tools at the Aviation Weather Center, sometimes your own interpretation of the weather isn't exactly as it is in the air.

Two of my last three attempts at flying ended up having weather that was not as forecast.  The first flight attempt had some pretty strong wind that was over 16 knots higher than forecast for the time, while the third flight had clouds that were lower than forecast, along with snow.  The visibility also left something to be desired at times.  The thing to remember, however, is that forecasts are forecasts.  They're a prediction of the future based on what is available at the time, and we all know how difficult predicting the future can be.

Occasionally, I'll find myself glancing at the TAF when it disagrees with the actual weather, wondering when it will actually take over and allow me to go flying.  That desire to go flying is always hard to shake, but remember that you're going to be flying in what you're seeing and what's reported, and not necessarily what's in the forecast.

As the pilot, you're charged with the final operation of the flight.  In order to ensure the safety of that operation, you're also charged with becoming familiar with all possible aspects of the flight prior to departure.  That includes a weight and balance, and other performance information.  Aircraft performance changes with weather, and as weather changes all the time, your measurement from the last flight might not be accurate.  If you have a lot of runway at your disposal, you may not think it's necessary, but if the actual performance differs significantly from the estimated performance, the information could be just as valuable to you as the engine check you made in the run up area.

Make sure to get a briefing, but remember that weather models and forecasts are not always correct.  If you do go flying, always have an out, but also remember that you can always stay on the ground.

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.