More Performance

N8454Y - PA32 - 1.2 hours

As I'm working my way through my training, I've been trying to figure out ways to use the flight hours to their fullest. Back in November, for example, I logged more simulated instrument time in a complex aircraft. That got me closer to the commercial requirement of the 10 hours in a complex aircraft, but also got me more simulated instrument time toward the instrument requirement.

Today, in order to try to knock out yet another requirement for the type of flying that I want to do, I figured I'd start getting into a high performance aircraft to get that endorsement, while also logging some simulated instrument time. The aircraft today was a Piper Saratoga, and is slightly larger than what I have been typically flying, with a much larger engine.

In order to get used to the aircraft, we took it just over the ridge to Winchester (OKV) to fly the VOR-A approach, land, and then back to Leesburg (JYO) for the ILS, and another landing. It was a simple flight, with nothing too spectacular. One thing I did learn, however, is that a smooth application of power goes a long way. I added power pretty quickly on the first takeoff, which contributed to some torque steer. It wasn't unmanageable, and I corrected for it, but it was a surprise nonetheless.

Since I'm getting to within 10 hours of the 40 required for the instrument rating, it's time to get more serious about getting that over with.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0.0 - 128.8 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.7 - 32.6 (of 40)
Dual Complex: 0.0 - 7.7 (of 10)
Total Time in Aircraft: 1.2 - 198.7 (of 250)

The Long Instrument Cross Country

N944DB - P28R - 5.0 hours

While I've been planning multiple variations for my long instrument cross country for some time, I never actually got around to flying it. Usually, it came down to an issue where I had other plans for flying, and that meant that there wasn't enough left in the month's flying budget for the longer flight in addition to the extra cost of having a CFI in the right seat. About a month ago, though, I was checking my progress against the requirements of the instrument rating and commercial pilot certificate and noticed that I'm getting rather close to both (as such, those who have read earlier posts here will notice the new additions to the hours section at the end of this post). Given my tendency to plan things out in great detail, I began to plan out the time between now and commercial minimums.

Aforementioned Simulated Aircraft

As one could probably tell, given my lack of updating this blog despite having flown a decent amount, flying the same aircraft that I've been flying for 12 years has been wearing on me. It's not that flying itself is getting boring; it's that one of my jobs allows me to fly simulations of some rather complex aircraft, and in comparison, a Cessna seems rather dull. Luckily, to satisfy my need for something different, the commercial requirements require 10 hours in a complex aircraft, and the school I rent from has an Archer to fit that purpose. In order to get my instrument rating I also need more instrument time, so on top of the new aircraft and a route to satisfy the long instrument cross country, I figured I'd do a significant portion with the blinders on. So, apart from getting to experience something new, I'd be able to maximize my flight dollar by knocking off several requirements in one long flight.

In order to get as much time in the Arrow as I could, while still getting the instrument cross country done, I planned out a flight that somewhat followed the shape of Virginia. This would allow me to depart Leesburg (JYO) and fly a route that provided flexibility for the approaches I wanted to fly. As planned, the routes were KJYO CSN V286 CCV V1 ORF [VOR 23] KCPK - KCPK FKN V266 SBV V136 PIGGS [ILS 34] KROA - KROA MOL V143 HOAGE [RNAV 17] KJYO. I had figured that the initial VOR approach into Chesapeake (CPK) would get the VOR approach out of the way, but also allow for a circling approach at a relatively calm airport if needed (though the forecast showed the wind favoring Runway 23 anyway). After that, Roanoke (ROA) had an ILS, an LDA, and a few RNAV approaches that I could fly, which allowed me to fly the opposite approach - ILS or RNAV - at JYO.

After getting back from my earlier flight, I grabbed the book and checklist to go familiarize myself with the plane for about an hour before the flight. The flight school I had worked at back in 2009 had a fleet of Archers and a couple Arrows that had a similar layout, so it wasn't entirely unfamiliar even though I had never flown them. After coming to grips with where everything was and getting all of my accessories situated - kneeboard ready, blinders readily available, and iPad within reach - Tim met me at the plane and we set off toward CPK.

Potomac TRACON (PCT) cleared us via STILL CSN WAIKS, despite my well-intended filed route. We were cleared to CSN well before getting to the STILL intersection, and it was about that point that I began to see how sluggish the Arrow can be in the summer with full fuel and two people in it. Passing through 5000, PCT asked us if we could give them our best rate to 6000, which we acknowledged, and then joked to each other that we were essentially already giving it to them, despite it being rather paltry. Just prior to reaching CSN, we were given a vector to the southeast, and then direct to CPK. Closer to CPK, Norfolk TRACON sent us to the ORF VOR and cleared us for the approach.

The approach clearance came a little late, which resulted in needing to turn back toward the approach course, but that also allowed me to get rid of some extra altitude, so it wasn't unwelcome. The rest of the approach wasn't bad, and having Tim calling the altitudes and managing the radios made things a lot easier. After switching to the CPK common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF), we were somewhat surprised by the lack of traffic in the pattern as it was such a nice day. After taking the blinders off, I maneuvered for landing and brought the plane in. For my first landing in an Arrow, it wasn't terrible, but managing the heavier controls made things interesting.

After taxiing off the runway and back down to the runup area, we began to set up for the next leg of the flight. Unfortunately, we couldn't raise anyone on the clearance or approach frequencies for a clearance while still on the ground, so we planned on departing VFR and picking up our IFR clearance in the air. While we were on the ground hoping for a response from the controllers, I snapped a picture of the altimeter. I know I've flown to Ocean City (OXB) a few times, which is close to sea level, but I don't think I ever paid attention to how close to sea level the altimeter showed that we were. To me, seeing it so low was novel enough for a picture.

Soon after, we were airborne and flying the noise abatement departure procedure, as there are houses pretty close to the airport on the west side. Tim called for clearance while I maneuvered toward the FKN VOR to begin my planned route. Unlike with PCT earlier, Norfolk cleared us "as filed," which made things easier as I didn't have to write down a full route clearance and set a new flight plan into the GPS. Approaching Suffolk Airport (SFQ), we were vectored away from it in order to avoid parachute jumpers. Later on, after FKN, we were given direct ROA, with a vector around restricted airspace near Blackstone Army Air Field (BKT). Closer to Lynchburg (LYH), we were handed off to Roanoke TRACON, who noticed the remark on the flight plan requesting the ILS or RNAV approach, and were cleared for the ILS approach to Runway 34. I chased the localizer and glide slope more than I would have liked, but I ended up generally where I wanted to be when I took the blinders off, so all was not lost. The landing, too, wasn't too graceful, as I chopped the power a little early and the nose dropped some just prior to touching down.

After we taxied over to Landmark and shut down, Tim gave the line guy the fuel order and I snapped a picture of the plane and walked inside. By then we were pretty hungry, so we grabbed a crew car and set off in search of food, which ended up being Sonic right down the road. That trip turned into another trip as we'd been handed the wrong order and drove off without checking it. After scarfing food, joking a bit with the staff, and settling the fuel bill, we went back out to the plane to head home.

Tim, working the radios again, called for clearance. Like the initial clearance from JYO to CPK, this one was altered, but it was also altered to the point that the whole clearance was just a single fix, so it was a simple change. We were given Runway 34 for departure as well, which meant a relatively immediate turn after departure because of terrain. The Arrow climbed slowly through the now hotter air, though some updrafts off of the terrain assisted at times. The associated turbulence, however, wasn't as welcomed.

The leg home was rather uneventful. We flew right up the eastern side of the Shenandoah Valley, and as soon as we crossed over into the Piedmont we were sent up to the initial approach fix for the RNAV approach to Runway 17 at JYO. The approach went relatively well, but an intermittent GPS position issue knocked my vertical guidance out and I had not caught it. The result was that I was slightly below path for the latter part of the approach. For future approaches, I'll have to be more mindful of the flags. In order to mesh better with traffic in the area, we broke off the approach and circled around to land on Runway 35. This landing was better than the one at ROA, but it'll take me more time to get used to the Arrow.

Rolling out long, we jumped off on the taxiway that put us right near our parking spot, shut down, and put the plane away. Despite the sluggishness in the climb, the Arrow was an enjoyable departure from the norm. In the end, the flight was 5.0 hours, which means that I have another 5.0 hours in it to finish off the commercial requirement. Having knocked out the long instrument cross country, 3.9 combined actual/simulated instrument, and my biennial flight review (BFR), I'd consider it a success. Now all I need to do is rack up 12.8 more hours of instrument time and I can go take care of the instrument rating. Having that will really open up the possibilities for flying days to begin taking a closer aim at the commercial requirements. Along those lines, I need to finish the aforementioned 5.0 hours in a complex aircraft; fly a solo cross country trip with a leg length of greater than 250 nautical miles between JYO and some other airport, stopping at another airport on either the way out, or the way back; and finish up the remainder of the 69.3 hours between what I have now and the 250 hour minimum. So close, yet so far away.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 5.0 - 112.0 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 3.9 - 27.2 (of 40)
Dual Complex: 5.0 - 5.0 (of 10)
Total Time in Aircraft: 5.0 - 180.7 (of 250)

More Instrument Time - Less Weather

N172DR - C172R - 3.0 hours

My friend James and I have been talking about flying off and on for years. I actually met him when I lived out in Phoenix, which was partially the reason this blog came into existence (trip reports for my family/friends, as I'd intended to get my additional ratings out there back in 2008), and even though we worked at the same flight school, we had never flown together until today. Since we had been talking about flying and my last flight didn't go as planned, I figured we would try it again.

We flew up to Reedsville (RVL) through the use of VORs only. I'd planned on this, but we found that the GPS ended up being INOP when we got to the plane. As I was under the blinders for the flight, I was guided around a few cells all the way up to RVL, shot the LOC Runway 6 approach, flew the missed with one lap around the hold, and then flew the approach again for more practice. To get the cross country time, I touched the wheels down on the runway and then set off towards home.

Adding to this non-GPS challenge was some sort of issue (my guess is vacuum-related) that made my artificial horizon gauge unreliable. It's always an interesting situation when you've developed a good trust in your instruments, and then they start wandering on you. As I was flying the first LOC approach, I noticed that when the gauge shows wings level, I felt like we were turning, and the turn coordinator and directional gyro confirmed this. I never thought I'd get actual partial panel experience, but it was actually neat to see it in a controlled environment.

The route back was by VOR again, and finished with the ILS Runway 17 approach back into Leesburg (JYO). Another 2.7 hours of simulated instrument in the book, so I'll call that a success.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 3.0 - 107.0 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 2.7 - 22.9 (of 40)

Fighting Weather

N329ME - C172S - 2.6 hours

As I've been in an endless struggle to accumulate more simulated instrument hours, I plotted out a couple flights that would help me to that end. Given the weather we've been having lately - lower clouds with rain - I figured a route to the south and a route to the north would give me the best chances. The mountains to the west could get dicey if the clouds got too low, the airspace to the east is relatively foreboding, and the north/south option gives me an option to use the opposite direction if we departed and found the weather to be less than desirable in the initial direction (it's summer, and storms are regular).

Of course, that plan of having a backup worked in our favor, as a storm began to develop over Warrenton (HWY), which is where we were headed. Phil pointed this fact out to me since I couldn't see it under the blinders, so I turned back to the north to pick up the Martinsburg VOR (MRB) and continue in that direction to Reedsville (RVL). Unfortunately, weather developed in that direction, too, and cut us off from the airport as we began the instrument approach to the field.

Nope...

After turning back around to head home, I decided to pick up an ILS approach into Hagerstown (HGR) to get a break and use the facilities, and then head back to fly the ILS into Leesburg (JYO).

Despite not accomplishing the goal of flying the approach into RVL, I still picked up 2.4 hours of simulated instrument, so I'm now over half way there.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 2.6 - 104.0 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 2.4 - 20.2 (of 40)

Dinner and an Approach

N5165M - C172R - 1.1 hours

Today was primarily a last minute decision to take advantage of nicer weather and fly. This time, the plan was to fly up to get dinner at a restaurant in Hagerstown (HGR) that the DC-3 crew frequents with Phil and his friend Brittany. The flight up to HGR is pretty simple as you don't really have to even turn much if you're departing Runway 35. There is a tower there, though, so there is a little extra radio work. The flight up and back was barely 1.1 hours total, and part of that time was added by flying an approach to Runway 17 at Leesburg (JYO).

Phil, in keeping with his constant challenges (makes him a great safety pilot), "failed" my GPS and had me keep the blinders on until right above minimums. Despite chasing the needles some when I got closer to the airport, I ended up settling on the localizer and glideslope nicely and removed the blinders with the field right ahead. Can't argue with that.

Short flight - short post.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0.0 - 98.5 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.5 - 17.1 (of 40)

Practice Approaches

N571DS - DA40 - 2.4 hours

I've been wanting to get some time under the blinders, along with some approaches in recently. With that in mind, I sent a message to Phil to see if he'd be up for sitting right seat while I attempted to follow imaginary lines in the sky by reference to the instruments inside the airplane alone. The route I came up with was Charlottesville (CHO), a hop over the Blue Ridge Mountains and an approach into Shenandoah (SHD), and then a trek back to Leesburg (JYO). Through all of this, the plan was to just string it all together without getting out of the plane. Luckily, that all went as planned.

Departing JYO, we flew to the Casanova VOR (CSN) and followed the V140 airway to just prior to WITTO, where we were cleared to the HOODE intersection and onto the RNAV Z Runway 21 approach at CHO. After briefly setting the wheels down so that I could log the flight as cross country time, we were vectored to OLAJO and onto the RNAV Runway 23 approach. We flew the missed approach toward GABEL, but Potomac vectored us back toward JYO before we got there to avoid wasting time. Closer to JYO, the controller vectored us in for the ILS Runway 17 approach to round out the flight. Luckily, Phil took a few pictures of the flight as having the blinders on makes for boring imagery and flight narratives.

Here is one crossing the ridge between CHO and SHD:

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 2.4 - 95.6 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 1.9 - 16.6 (of 40)

Freezing and Flying

N172HF - C172S - 1.1 hours

When I went up for my BFR, my intention was to fly down to Raleigh (RDU) for another ice hockey game, but the weather didn’t end up looking too great. In order to make sure a plane was available, I had booked the flight well in advance. I felt bad having reserved the newest plane in the fleet for a flight I wouldn't be taking so I ended up just editing the reservation to push it back by about a week. Luckily, my pilot friend Katelyn wanted to join, so I could continue to get more simulated instrument time. We flew together nearly two years ago, on a quick flight down to Luray (LUA).  Even though she had flown more recently than that flight, it had still been a while so she wanted to go back up and get the feel for it again. That said, we worked it out where I would get simulated instrument time and approaches in between Leesburg (JYO) and Winchester (OKV), and she would get some landings in to get the feel for it again.

I was able to escape work a little early to make the long trek out to JYO (it takes forever now that my office is in DC), but Katelyn ended up getting stuck in traffic. Jokingly, I told her that I would sit there and pass the time taking pictures of myself with the plane. Once I finally got to the plane, however, that joke actually sounded like a good idea since I’m pretty sure this blog now has over 200 photos in it (the videos take that number even higher), and I’m pretty sure I’m in maybe 10 of them. In an effort to make said author less faceless, here’s a picture of me and an ironic statement all in one.

If you're not getting the ironic statement, look at the tail versus my apparel

I was able to get the plane all set up prior to her getting there, which ended up working out, as we departed as night time officially started (for logging it, anyway). As soon as we departed, we went directly to CLADD to fly the ILS Runway 32 approach into OKV. On the way, I pointed out some of the features of the G1000 as we both joked continuously about how it really felt like cheating based on the equipment we learned to fly with. Since she’d flown with Garmin equipment, though, she picked it up pretty quickly.

I flew the approach down near the minimums, but with the flight path vector (FPV) and runway showing up on the Synthetic Vision display, it really felt like I was just flying in a low detail version of Flight Simulator (side note, I was recently part of a Washington Post article on that very topic). I made the first landing since I flew the approach down so low.  After the landing, I took back off, and passed the controls over to Katelyn for a few laps of her own.  Three landings later, I took the controls back to fly the LOC Runway 17 approach into JYO (the glideslope has been out for a while, so it’s LOC only for now).

Compared to the approach I flew at the end of my BFR, this one looked really good. Then again, the approach I flew during my BFR wasn’t aided by Synthetic Vision displays, or a cue that factors in wind drift for you. I seriously feel like I’m cheating using something like that. Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s an awesome tool for the practical environment, but I think I’m going to stick to doing it the hard way for my training. It’ll help me appreciate the G1000 with SVT more, and it’ll keep my skills sharp for all of the fleet.

In the end, it was 1.1 total and 0.7 of that with the blinders on. Not bad since the only major obstacle between me and the instrument rating is all of the simulated instrument time.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0.0 - 88.2 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.7 - 14.7 (of 40)

So I Almost Ran Out of Fuel

Granted, I almost ran out of said fuel in a sim – where you can print your own money and fix planes with free mouse clicks – but the lesson I learned was an important one.

It's a situation you really don't ever want to be in.  Well before you're handed the keys to an airplane, an instructor is supposed to have drilled the idea of proper planning for just about anything into your head.  That's all nice information for your average fly-by-day weekend warrior, but it becomes even more important to your instrument flight rules fliers: running out of fuel and not being able to see the ground doesn’t quite give you a fighting chance to set down somewhere forgiving.

I, of course, strapped into a plane, knowing the weather was low even at the departure airport, and set off for an airport buried in mountains.  The only thought in my mind when planning fuel was "the flight takes about 50 minutes, so two hours of fuel looks good."  Why?  That’s the value I generally always use to get there.  I didn’t give any thought to hold fuel, alternate fuel, or contingency fuel, which ended up getting me close to trouble.

Here’s how it all shook out:

One of my favorite routes is Dulles (IAD) to Roanoke (ROA) and back.  It’s short, and when the weather isn’t ideal – read as “less than nice, but not terrible” – you often have to shoot a somewhat challenging LDA approach that brings you down a valley.  Even at the departure airport, though, things weren’t particularly nice.

KIAD 170152Z 00000KT 2SM -DZ BR OVC005 11/10 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP250 P0000 T01060100

For the non-pilots reading this, that's a wonderful combination of low clouds and low visibility, due to drizzle and mist.  This makes approaching and landing at an airport more difficult than normal.

Of course, I paid little attention to the fact that bad weather at IAD often means worse weather down near ROA.  Sadly, that’s something I should know all too well, having spent four years near ROA while at Virginia Tech.  Moreover, one of those years included a trip back to Tech in this same month of November where Interstate 81 got shut down due to an accident caused by poor weather.   I chose the Blue Ridge Parkway as an alternate route, assuming it was something others wouldn’t think of, and would choose Route 11 instead.  Unfortunately, the November weather was all too similar, and I ended up crawling along the Parkway in heavy fog.  My assumption that nobody would be driving on it proved correct, however.

That lesson was apparently forgotten.  Had I bothered to check the weather, I would’ve seen this:
KROA 170254Z 14003KT 1/2SM FG VV002 11/11 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP244 60001 T01110111 56004 $

Again, for the non-pilots, that’s worse visibility than at IAD, because of fog.  Beyond that, I would’ve also checked a few alternates around ROA to be sure I could land there if the weather at ROA was too bad.  Alas, I did not.


Everything was normal until I got closer to ROA and finally decided to check the weather.  Even then I didn’t really put the weather together with the minimums on the charted approaches (the weather was below the minimums for all of the approaches at ROA).  As I got closer to the airspace controlled by ROA Approach, the controller restated the weather and asked my intentions.  My response was what most pilots say while still in denial: “we’ll give it a shot and head to an alternate if we can’t make it in.”

At that point, I reduced my thrust to slow the aircraft down in hopes that arriving later would mean the weather would clear up some.  This move ended up costing me extra fuel though that I really didn't have, as I didn’t add any contingency fuel.  Of course, had I actually looked at the forecast I would’ve seen that the move was futile, as weather wasn’t supposed to improve until the following morning.

Getting closer to ROA, I started looking at the weather at other fields:

KBCB 170255Z AUTO 00000KT 1 3/4SM BR OVC016 11/11 A3025 RMK AO2
KPSK 170255Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC013 11/11 A3024 RMK AO2


Since Blacksburg (BCB) was a little closer, I chose to try an approach there, despite the lower visibility.  I flew the LOC/DME Runway 12 approach, which is an approach I’ve flown before outside of the sim, one snowy February day in a Cessna 207.  I flew it down to the minimums twice before deciding to try somewhere else, making nervous glances at my fuel on the second approach.  Having looked at Pulaski (PSK) before, I decided to try an approach there.

The ILS Z Runway 6 approach into PSK was nice and easy.  With the glideslope and increased visibility, I was able to spot the approach lights while still pretty far out with no issue.

By the time I’d landed, I had about 45 minutes of fuel left, so I ended up landing with a reasonable amount.  The issue, however, is that it all came down to chance.  I got lucky that the weather at PSK was as good as it was.  Had it not been that good, 45 minutes of fuel may not have been enough to get to another destination, make an approach, and land.  Had I properly planned, I would have planned better for the weather by adding fuel to accommodate any issues it might have caused.

While the sim doesn’t have the same dire consequences as the real world, the stress I was feeling in the situation will hopefully stick with me.  I’m hoping it’s memorable enough to push me to plan all my flights such that I won’t find myself in a similar real world situation.

Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 0.0 - 13.7 (of 40)
Despite all of this happening in a sim, it wasn't in a sim approved by the FAA for logging time.

Chipping Away at the Instrument Requirement

N96178 - C172P - 2.3 hours

Initially, there was some talk that I would be flying someone around this weekend, but I never heard back about it.  By the time Saturday came and I saw how nice it was outside, the thought that I should have been flying resurfaced.  Not being able to suppress the thought, I called Phil to see if he would want to be a safety pilot for a few hours.

My initial thought was a quick trip out to Grant County (W99), because it has an interesting approach, and would be an easy flight out and back.  Phil brought up the idea of State College (UNV) again, from the times we've debated doing it in the past, adding that it would be a good spot for dinner.  Unfortunately, the dinner idea didn't work out as well as we had expected, as the restaurant we wanted to go to would have been closed by the time we got there.  Adding to that issue was that the wind at airports to the north and east weren't exactly the best.  While we both noted that I had previously put a plane down on a tiny runway with a gusty crosswind (note that the link refers to plans to go to UNV, as well), I really didn't want to deal with it.  We also looked at a few other airports, but as you've heard several times before, I knew there would be a car and a restaurant in Charlottesville (CHO), and the airport had an instrument approach along with favorable wind.

Phil and I preflighted and set up the equipment while waiting for fuel and oil.  For some reason, it seems that the new FBO, ProJet Aviation, is a little slow with fuel requests.  They were also the reason for our late departure on my last flight down to Raleigh (RDU).  Given that they're new, I'll give them time to adjust, but it's still somewhat irksome when seemingly nothing else is going on.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
Taxiing down to the runway, the bald spot the tire that we noted on the preflight was causing quite a rumble (you can see the camera shake in the takeoff video above). It wasn't bad enough to have to take the plane back, but it was definitely obvious.  After departing, we headed west to get out of the SFRA, and then south towards CHO.  In that process, I was able to throw the blinders on and log some time.  Getting closer to CHO, I called Potomac Approach for flight following and a practice ILS approach to Runway 3.  After being vectored around a bit for spacing from other traffic, I was turned inbound for the approach.

For some reason, I managed to park in front of the wrong hangar, despite having flown there too many times to make that mistake.  After moving the plane, we found the crew car gone (the people using it had kept it over the two hour limit), and the attendant unable to let us borrow the van "just in case he needed it."  The curiosity, however, was that he was also unable to drop us off because he needed to remain at the airport.  So, what exactly would you need to keep the van for when you're unable to leave the airport?  Even more of a curiosity was the fact that he dropped us off at the terminal to get a cab, which is arguably just about the same amount of time as driving us to Timberwood Grill.

The cabbie we got from the terminal partially ignored us and was on his phone most of the time during the ride, to the point where I had to interrupt him a few times to point him in the right direction.  A 1.5 mile journey for his minimum fee of $25.  Luckily the food was good and the cab ride back was much better.  It was cheaper and the cabbie was hilarious.

Heading back, there was a little bit of an issue with the comms that we somehow sorted out by the hold short point for Runway 3.  Shortly after departing the tower closed (as a normal, nightly thing - not because of the impending tower closures) and I picked up flight following back to Leesburg (JYO).  After a handoff to another controller, I isolated my comms (cutting Phil off from hearing me and ATC) and asked if I could get a touch and go at Dulles (IAD).  The controller initially declined the request, saying "they don't do that anymore," but later came back with "expect an operation at Dulles - proceed direct to Dulles."  I was given Runway 1L, which for anyone else flying into IAD is a punishment (because of the absurdly long taxi to the terminal), but was welcomed by myself as it meant I wasn't getting in anyone's way.  Checking in with the tower controller, I was met with "say request," which caught me by surprise, as it should have already been communicated that I would be doing a touch and go.  I responded that I would be doing a touch and go on Runway 1L, which was met with a slightly perturbed "and then what?"  After letting her know I'd be going to JYO, we landed, took off, and headed off in that direction.

[Video got lost when Contour closed down for a while.]
Phil got the landing at JYO.  For not having landed a plane since we last flew together back in January, it wasn't too bad.  In the end, I got 1.6 hours of simulated instrument time towards the 40 that I need for the rating.  Looks like I need to cut down on the joyrides and force myself to work harder at it, but at the same time, all of the joyrides are contributing to the total hours that I'll need later for the commercial rating and beyond.

As long as the weather behaves, the next flight should be at the end of next month down to Roanoke.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 2.3 - 82.0 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 1.6 - 12.1 (of 40)

A Stormy First

N5294W - C172R - 1.7 hours

Earlier this week, Ashley asked if I wanted to go flying soon.  Of course, I'm always up for a flight and we both had time tonight, so I set us up with a plane for some flight maneuvers and perhaps an approach.  Her friend Greg also joined us to get a feel for flying the smaller stuff.  As far as flights in small planes go, this would be his first.  Unfortunately, throughout the week, the forecast had a decent chance of storms in the evening.  Leaving work, I could definitely see some convection that could get in the way, but summer storms are spotty and I know there are a good number of airports locally should we need to get down quickly.


While Ashley and Greg were caught in traffic, I got the plane all set up, and then relaxed in the shade under the wing for a few minutes.  Once they got there, Ashley ran through her own checks of things, explaining them to Greg.

I-66 below and 522 in the distance

After we all got situated, we departed to the west so that we could fly around the practice area (out by Winchester, VA).  On the way out, I took advantage of the fact that there was another pilot on board and got some hood time until we got out there.  Once there, Ashley took over to get some time at the controls to brush up on turns around a point and s-turns.  After a few attempts, hindered by the wind of a storm a few miles to the northeast of us, I was given the controls again for some hood work.  Ashley called out directions and I followed them to the best of my ability.



Of course, even though I checked to make sure the camera started the recording, it apparently died before I plugged it in after starting the plane, so I caught the few moments up to starting the engine and that was it.  The hood work, rainbow and lightning all went unrecorded.  Unfortunately, all of these issues were brought on by myself.  I never charged it after using it last, figuring I had enough time left to run it until I had a chance to plug it in.  Oh well.  Greg caught the rainbow with the still camera, so all wasn't lost.



In the end, Ashley directed me closer and closer to Winchester (OKV), where she could practice a few landings.  Since it had just rained and the runway was recently grooved, it was actually pretty cool looking.  The last few feet on either side didn't have grooves, so the rain made that part shiny, while the middle appeared perfectly dry.  After a couple trips around the pattern, I was handed the controls again and took us north towards the Martinsburg VOR (MRB).  Even though I didn't have my charts, my ForeFlight trial had expired, and I didn't want to look the chart up on my phone, I was still able to fly the approach by pulling it up in the KLN-94 GPS.  As opposed to the last logged approach, this one was a lot better.  We'll see how it looks next time.

I'm still trying to get over the fact that I need the same amount of time that it took to get my private pilot license under the hood for my instrument rating.  At least this flight took a full hour out of that total.

Hours:
Pilot in Command Cross Country (PIC XC): 0.0 - 56.3 (of 50)
Actual/Simulated Instrument (Act/Sim): 1.0 - 6.6 (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)