Flying in the Snow

N9559V - C172R - 2.0 hours

After my trip to Italy, I had to jump right back onto another plane to head to San Antonio (SAT) for work, which meant I spent quite a lot of time in aircraft this month.  As I was sitting on the connecting flight through Atlanta (ATL) to Dulles (IAD), I ran the mental math and it came out to be about 25 hours in the back of commercial aircraft.  Of course, even though I spent all that time in aircraft, I couldn't log any of it.  After landing at IAD, I decided that I'd take a plane out before the month's end so that I could at least log a couple hours.

After blowing up Facebook asking people if they'd like to join on a trip to Charlottesville (CHO), Phil and I worked out a plan for what we'd like to do.  As with all plans down to CHO, we would fly down, grab some food from Timberwood, and fly back.  Since Phil's brother was down near CHO, we also diverted course slightly to fly over where he would be.

When we got up to the airport, there was a sign up on the desk saying "NO STUDENT SOLO," which I asked about, because the weather seemed to be mostly okay, despite a lower scattered layer of clouds than what the METARs and TAF indicated.  Apparently the conditions on the other side of the Blue Ridge mountains (towards Winchester - OKV) were marginal at best, which is where the practice area is.  I was warned to be careful about low clouds, and to keep it legal.  For those who aren't quite clear on why it would be illegal, the reason I've been doing all of this flying is to get my instrument rating, which, in simple terms, allows me to fly in clouds and poor weather.  It's a separate rating because it is more difficult to control an aircraft and navigate by looking solely at gauges and dials in the aircraft, and not out the window.  Until you have that rating, you have to keep away from clouds.

After another quick check of the weather both online and outside, Phil and I set off to take up a plane in the fleet that I had not yet flown.  Oddly enough, the last time I flew, I walked by it noting that fact and thought to myself "maybe next time."  Phil checked the fuel while I gave the aircraft its shakedown, and then after tossing way too many electronics into the aircraft, we set off towards CHO.

As soon as I could, I threw the blinders on after departure so that we could both start logging time.  Phil kept us clear of the clouds, while I brought us out towards Upperville (2VG2), and then slightly west of the normal course to overfly Wolftown, VA.  We had to descend a couple times to avoid the clouds, but they lifted as we flew south.  After practicing a couple turns around a point, which turned out to be the wrong point (house), we almost gave up to land at CHO when Phil got a text message with his brother's location in a field.  After turning around, we spotted them standing next to their truck and took a couple laps around them before heading back towards the airport.  On the way, tower assigned Runway 3, and then switched it to Runway 21 because the wind shifted.  The change in runway ended up saving us some time with a straight in landing.

The video picks up after passing Piney Mountain.  The banter in the background is both Phil and me negotiating my target on the runway, which ended up being the old numbers and the new thousand foot markers.  After that, you can hear me groan a bit as I realized I missed it, Phil asking if I'm going to get the nose up for once, and then me groaning a second time about letting the plane float.  The landing was pretty smooth, but in an effort to jump off at the first taxiway I pressed a little too hard on the right brake, causing it to skid.  You can hear me jokingly denying it and then reading back the taxi instructions before the clip ends.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
We passed a Gulfstream on the way in, and for the first time in the entirety of parking at Landmark, nobody came out to park me.  I, of course, took it as an opportunity to park wherever I wanted, and did just that.  The rampies were actually busy towing another plane, but one stopped by to check on us and see if we needed fuel before returning to marshal another plane out.  It was only after walking inside that we found that the crew car had just been taken by the pilots of the aforementioned Gulfstream.  I gave Keya a hard time about letting someone take my car, but her retort was something to the effect of "well I had no idea what to do with it since you haven't been around in so long."  Valid point.  It wasn't a huge deal in the end as she just dropped us off with their van.

Brief pause for Clint Eastwood burger consumption.

Getting ready to head back, I paid for the fuel, and then Keya asked me a ton of questions about the Superbowl in order to get some idea of how to fill her pool sheet out.  Phil and I walked back outside to set up all of the electronics again, started up and set off towards JYO.  Since I've started a tradition of my own signature departure from CHO, here's the video of it.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
After turning on course, I threw the hood back on to log more time, which amounted to 0.9 hours of hood time for the day.  Just 0.5 hours left before I could finish the rest of the instrument requirement in a simulator if I really wanted to, but where's the fun in that?

Getting closer to JYO, and after switching controllers, our radar service was terminated because the radar up at IAD wasn't picking us up in all of the snow.  For a second, we came back up, but then dropped off again, so I told the controller we'd cancel the radar services and just utilize the normal JYO Maneuvering Area procedures.  It added a couple minutes to the flight, but it also kept us from giving the controller a headache.  The clouds dropped back down again, along with the visibility because of the snow falling.  Similar to the rain video I got a while back, the snow looks like you're hitting light speed as it flies by.  It was somewhat unnerving to hear Potomac working an IFR flight on the ILS Runway 17 approach to JYO as we continued in visually, but we sequenced ourselves properly over the frequency, landing in between that IFR Cirrus, and another VFR Bonanza behind us.

Right before I shut down, I snagged the AWOS weather report for insurance in case anyone questioned how visual the weather really was:
KJYO 262115Z AUTO 32005KT 5SM -SN BKN038 OVC044 00/M02 A3026 RMK AO2

I wouldn't recommend buzzing around an area you don't know very well in conditions like that, but if you know the area well and have good tools for situational awareness, you can remain reasonably safe even in degraded conditions.  I'll put it this way: I'll take those conditions in the day over clear and moonless with a low altitude at night.

Another awesome flight for the books.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 2.0 - 76.2 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.9 - 10.5 (of 40)

Short Runway - Strong Crosswind

N172DR - C172R - 1.8 hours

Phil and I have had plans to go flying for a while now.  Originally, it was a flight back in May, but that got cancelled so I flew out west on my own.  I'm pretty sure there were a few plans in between, but more recently we were thinking of helping a friend get home to Upstate New York.  Those plans also got cancelled as well, so like the flight back in May, we thought we'd head up to State College, PA.  Yesterday, we decided that flight would be a little longer than we would've liked, so we cancelled those plans as well and opted for a challenge instead.

To be honest, that last paragraph reminds me a little of this:



Back in February of 2010, I went for a flight out of Harford County Airport (0W3), right after one of the Snowpocalypse storms.  If the 2000' x 40' runway wasn't enough of a challenge, some of the snow plowed off of the runway was piled at the ends.  It wouldn't be enough to force pilots to hit a 2000' x 40' target, though.  Why not add in a 24' telephone line 500' from the runway, and some giant trees just beyond that?  This is also not mentioning that I hadn't flown since August of 2008 prior to that.  Despite it being a challenge, I really enjoyed it.  I think that was the reason I enjoyed it, actually.  It's a challenge.

We started the day early in weather that could only be described as "severe clear."  Clear weather, however, makes no mention of temperature or wind.  While it wasn't too incredibly cold, it was cold enough to put frost on the wings.  The wind only added to the chill at a steady 6 knots.  Phil preflighted the plane while I de-iced the wings of our plane, and several other aircraft on the way to put the de-ice bottle back inside.  Back outside, I got the interior all set up with Phil.  In the last flight narrative, I made fun of myself for the amount of technology I bring with me, but we essentially doubled it this time.  Phil had his GoPro, iPad, Dual XGPS150, and the audio setup.  I had my Contour, iPad, Garmin GLO, and audio setup as well.  Why not?

After starting and heading down to the end of Runway 35, I called Potomac to get my SFRA flight plan activated.  Apparently they didn't get it, though, so instead of bothering with Flight Service, Phil and I gave up the plan of a shortcut through the SFRA and just departed north, up and around it.  On climb out, my iPad was not agreeing with the Garmin GLO for whatever reason.  Phil ended up getting it sorted through cycling the power on both.  Once that was all sorted, I threw the blinders on so that we could both log time (and I could continue to chip away at the 40 hour instrument time requirement).

Because we didn't get an SFRA clearance, we flew a route that would hug the outside: DINUW LINSE TAFFI 0W3.  In order to log another approach, I flew the RNAV (GPS)-B off of TAFFI.

One of the issues with flying GPS approaches is that you never know whether or not the GPS database in the aircraft is up to date when it comes to renting from flight schools.  It all depends on the school, really, but the one I rent from tends to be pretty good about keeping the aircraft up to date.  The ever-so-trusty N172DR has a KLN-89B, and looking at the unit, it seems pretty simplistic.  If you're a flyer of an aircraft with a simpler-looking GPS, don't discount it too much as a lot of them have some pretty neat features buried in them.  Unfortunately, most of the CFIs don't know a lot of the features and normally only show you how to use the Direct-To feature.  That's nothing against them, really, as some fleets have different equipment in just about every plane, but it's tough to utilize the tools in front of you if you've never been shown how.  If you're not going to be shown the neat features, you might as well go learn them on your own.  The KLN-89B actually has a free simulator that's out there on the internet.  Unfortunately, I can't find a link from the manufacturer, but I did find a link through Software Informer.  If you fly with a different unit, there's probably a free simulator out there somewhere as well.  To be honest, the only reason I knew the KLN-89B had a moving map and an approach database was through the simulator in the link.

So, all that to say I was able to load the GPS approach after TAFFI through a little homework.  Since the GPS was only going to give me lateral navigation, I flew the approach with step downs.  Looking at the track in CloudAhoy, I didn't do too poorly.  At the far left, you can see a very subtle bend in the track, which is my turn over TAFFI.  After that, the more obvious turn in the middle is SNAZI, where you can see I turned a little more than necessary, and had to adjust closer to the field in order to land on Runway 10.  I'll review CloudAhoy in another post, but check out the screen capture in Debrief Mode.

When I began the approach, I checked BWI's ATIS as noted on the approach plate, as there's no weather station on the field.  It noted the wind was 040 at 9, meaning a nice crosswind for the approach, but nothing too unmanageable.  After the little sidestep at the end of the approach, I brought the plane in for what I thought would be a nice showing of my landing skills.  Unfortunately, the weather had other plans.  The 9 knot wind wasn't so much of a 9 knot wind as much as it was a gusty 9 knot wind.  It wasn't until I landed and checked the weather that I found out how gusty exactly.

In any case, here's the video of me fighting the crosswind down to the runway.  Closer in, you can hear Phil say "nosewheel," anticipating me hitting nose first as I bring it in typically flat.  I think I managed to hit the mains first, but wound up airborne again.  I couldn't get it to settle and the end was coming up quickly, so I went around.  Note the telephone line and giant trees at the end that I mentioned earlier, too.

[Video was here until Contour closed down for a bit, and all was lost.]
After going around, I wrapped the pattern back around to try the approach to Runway 28.  In the video, you can see that the wind sock shows the wind somewhat favored Runway 10, but the last time I flew here I used Runway 28, so I figured I'd try that.

The second approach wasn't any better than the first, so I went around.  The third attempt, however, was good enough to set down.  I won't say it looked pretty because it really didn't, but I at least made it down to the ground, despite a gust picking the right wing up slightly, causing me to drag the right wheel while trying to brake.  Thankfully, I had Phil to dump the lift by raising the flaps when I called it.

The video picks up on final, and you can definitely see how close you come to the trees and the telephone lines this time around.  Contour changed the style of the videos as well.  I'm not so much of a fan of the new overlay, but it is what it is.  Just make sure not to pay attention to the speed display.  It's not very accurate, which you can see as it still displays 70 mph when I'm pulling off the runway.

[Video was here until Contour closed down for a bit, and all was lost.]
As I exit, you can barely hear me coordinating with the aircraft holding short of the runway, who I later joked with about the luxuries of longer runways.  Because I don't have any specific audio editing software, or audio hosting for that matter, I made it into a short YouTube clip:

After that departure, we headed back to JYO and I put the hood back on.  Closer to Frederick (FDK), I remembered that they now have a tower and that I would need to avoid their airspace, or call them up.  I opted for the former by climbing above it.  The controller seemed to have his hands full with a couple pilots still adjusting to the relatively new tower, and I didn't feel like adding to his workload.  After turning south, I handed the controls over to Phil so he could get in a landing.  Compared to my landings, his was nice and smooth.


Here's the evidence:

[Video was here until Contour closed down for a bit, and all was lost.]

After I got home and checked the weather, it turns out that BWI's weather information updated right after I flew the approach.  This report matches more of what I felt:

KBWI 171454Z 04012G21KT 10SM CLR 08/M03 A3059 RMK AO2 SLP359 T00831028 51019

For the non-pilots among us, this is saying that the weather at BWI (KBWI) today, at 1454 UTC (171454Z), had wind from the northeast at 12 knots gusting to 21 knots (04012G21).  The rest is sky conditions, temperature and pressure.

Definitely an airport I would return to - wind or not. I loved the challenge.


Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 1.8 - 74.2 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 1.3 - 9.6 (of 40)

Going High Tech

One of my Christmas presents was a gift certificate to REI.  Now, I'm not the biggest outdoorsman out there.  If I spend any time in a store like REI, it's probably to look at the bikes and marvel at how pretty they are.  I'm not saying I didn't appreciate the gift, I'm really just saying I have a tough time spending money certain places, and REI is one of them.  Since Christmas, I've been thinking of what I want to get from there.  Some of my ideas were biking-related.  Like I said, I'm not the biggest outdoorsman, but I'll spend all day on a bike by choice, and a new helmet and gloves would be in order, but I don't need them.  Yes, I know some of you are thinking "man, I'd kill money there in seconds," and I did.

Phil, my pilot friend in the Charlottesville trip back in December, has a GoPro camera that he's taken on a few flights and it seems like it would be pretty cool to have on flights of my own.  It almost happened in a sort of epiphany the other night as I was trying to figure out what to get with this REI card.  I figured GoPro cameras and their ilk are things REI would have, so I checked the site this morning and sure enough, they had them.  As somewhat of a competitor to the GoPro, there's another camera out there called the Contour, which my roommate has.  I figured I'd have a look at both.

When I showed up at the store, they had both the GoPro Hero ($200) and the Contour GPS ($300).  At first, I figured I might as well take the cheaper option, thinking I wouldn't really need the GPS feature.  After thinking it through for a few minutes, though, I thought the GPS tracking would be pretty cool for the flights, so I took the Contour.  The Contour is also much more aerodynamic should I ever work up the courage to mount it externally.



The interface shows both the video and the GPS tracking with Google Maps, which is pretty awesome, no lie.  The days of me trying to grab a screenshot of my FlightAware track are over.  To be honest, I'll probably still include them if my flight gets picked up by the system (so far, only two have), but this will probably steal the spotlight.

The only disadvantage is that these newer smaller cameras use CMOS image processing, which is also commonly referred to as "rolling shutter."  If you're not familiar, and you have an iPhone or other smart phone, try taking a picture of something moving really quickly.  Here's an example from my dad's iPhone on my Luray trip back in October:

That rubbery line with the weird line above it is the prop.  If you YouTube it you'll see how ridiculous how these cameras make props look  Here's a video of it.  It looks pretty ridiculous.  One review said there's a setting on the camera that reduces the effect, but we'll see how it goes.  I'll have to get inventive with how I mount it to avoid too much exposure to the prop.  As boring as it sounds, I think for a lot of the training flights, I may mount it to look more at what I'm doing so I can review what I did and critique it.  Who knows.  We'll see how it goes.  My next flight should be in the next week or so with my dad out to Elkins, so I'll test it out then.