Today I went back flying for the first time since my break. Man oh man did it feel good. This must be how guys in the Army feel when they come back from tour and see their wives/gf. Except in this case my wife was in the plane with me, and I was coming back to the plane....
Nevertheless it was a breezy day. Winds variable from 270-310 8kts gusting to 14kts. Not a terrible day, but a nice fun crosswind to challenge me. I flew to the practice area and did a few turns, then flew to Indy Executive and did a touch and go. It was really bumpy and I had trouble getting my side slip the way I wanted. I came in fast and floated what felt like half of the runway, touched my wheels and firewalled the throttle.
My next go around I came in over the numbers at 55-60kts and kissed the runway perfectly. The left main rolled gracefully, followed by the right main firmly, and the confirming nod of the nose wheel. Text book. My excitement was short lived as I had a plane on final behind me. Once again, I gave her full throttle and departed to head back to Eagle Creek.
It must have been a pretty busy day today at EYE. About 6 miles out I heard the Comm Frequency full of chatter. One plane was departing, another departing the pattern west, and another inbound. I quickly made a mental picture of what was going on around me and tried to identify where everyone was. I had the departing traffic in sight, but I needed to find the traffic heading westbound. I called out "Eagle Creek, Departing Traffic what's your location". No response. "Eagle Creek Traffic Departing Traffic what's your altitude?". "Cessna XXX, I am 1800 and just west of EYE." By this time I was at the North end of the lake at 1800ft! "Eagle Creek 70PF will circle until west bound traffic has departed the pattern".
By this time the departing traffic was now airborne. "I caught him at my 12 o'clock as I finished making my circle. In ground school you are taught that if you see an aircraft and it's not moving and only getting bigger, then you are on a collision path. Well this plane wasn't moving and getting bigger. I let him depart the pattern, I entered my downwind and made my third and final crosswind landing of the day.
I love aviation so much. It challenges me in every way possible. I will probably get back up a few more times before October as I will be due for my first Bi-Annual Flight Review. I want to make sure my skills are sharp and I'm ready to go.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Reality of the Economy
To all my loyal readers and subscribers I'd like to thank you for reading my blogs. I bet you are wondering why haven't we heard from Captain K?
Well the answer is easy. Gas Prices. Most piston driven general aviation airplanes run off of what is called avGas. This is similar to the gasoline ran in your car except for one well known ingredient, Lead. AvGas is 100 octane leaded fuel. The lead helps reduce engine knocking and helps achieve the high octane rating.
When I first started flying back in 2009 gas was $3.49 per gallon. At that time it wasn't much higher than automotive gas. Well as you know the tides have changed. Automotive gas now soars above that with prices averaging around $3.99 a gallon at my local station. My home airport Eagle Creek EYE has AvGas priced at $5.80 a gallon.
The days of just waking up in the morning and punching holes in the sky are starting to fade away. Now the reality of "what is my mission" is the question I now ask. As I do pleasure flights, I must make sure that they are also benefiting my future ratings as well as currency requirements.
Aviation is still fun and something I pray is always a part of my life. But unfortunately until gas prices come back down, I'll spend more time on the ground.
Well the answer is easy. Gas Prices. Most piston driven general aviation airplanes run off of what is called avGas. This is similar to the gasoline ran in your car except for one well known ingredient, Lead. AvGas is 100 octane leaded fuel. The lead helps reduce engine knocking and helps achieve the high octane rating.
When I first started flying back in 2009 gas was $3.49 per gallon. At that time it wasn't much higher than automotive gas. Well as you know the tides have changed. Automotive gas now soars above that with prices averaging around $3.99 a gallon at my local station. My home airport Eagle Creek EYE has AvGas priced at $5.80 a gallon.
The days of just waking up in the morning and punching holes in the sky are starting to fade away. Now the reality of "what is my mission" is the question I now ask. As I do pleasure flights, I must make sure that they are also benefiting my future ratings as well as currency requirements.
Aviation is still fun and something I pray is always a part of my life. But unfortunately until gas prices come back down, I'll spend more time on the ground.
Monday, June 18, 2012
HOT HOT HOT
Today's fun fact is density altitude. Density altitude to most new pilots is the most CONFUSING thing to learn about in aviation.
For the sake of the keeping things simple (Which is my model) the hotter it is outside, typically the higher the density altitude. The higher the density altitude the more of a DECREASE in aircraft performance you will find.
A perfect example of this is a stock 2011 ford mustang gt with drag slicks could run a 12.5 second quarter mile in Denver Colorado on a hot summer day. That same exact car, could run a 11.2 second quarter mile on a cool spring day at sea level.
Density altitude is HUGE in aviation. In effects how much runway you need, your climb performance, your landing roll, and even how much fuel you burn. Density altitude for lack of a better description is the altitude the aircraft feels like it's at. An example is the field elevation at my home airport of EYE. It is around 800 feet. However today the temperature is 32 degrees Celsius, with a barometric temperature of 29.88inches which gives us a density altitude of about 3,000feet.
Here's a simple chart that's used to calculate it.
So next time you hop in your car on a hot day and you ask yourself "Man why does my car feel sluggish", you can now respond "Density Altitude".
For the sake of the keeping things simple (Which is my model) the hotter it is outside, typically the higher the density altitude. The higher the density altitude the more of a DECREASE in aircraft performance you will find.
A perfect example of this is a stock 2011 ford mustang gt with drag slicks could run a 12.5 second quarter mile in Denver Colorado on a hot summer day. That same exact car, could run a 11.2 second quarter mile on a cool spring day at sea level.
Density altitude is HUGE in aviation. In effects how much runway you need, your climb performance, your landing roll, and even how much fuel you burn. Density altitude for lack of a better description is the altitude the aircraft feels like it's at. An example is the field elevation at my home airport of EYE. It is around 800 feet. However today the temperature is 32 degrees Celsius, with a barometric temperature of 29.88inches which gives us a density altitude of about 3,000feet.
Here's a simple chart that's used to calculate it.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Cloud Time
Yesterday I logged some cloud time. I must admit it was pretty cool. My CFII called up Indy Approach and grabbed a pop up clearance. Indy gave us a squawk code and cleared us up to 4,000 feet.
Once we entered the clouds it was a very different feeling. Throughout my entire life as a pilot I have been trained to AVOID the clouds. Remain 500 feet below them or 1,000 feet above them. Now we are purposely going in the clouds. I have to tell you it is the strangest feeling ever.
Once I entered the clouds I was engulfed in whiteness. The best way to describe it to non pilots is imagine being in your car with a white sheet being placed over your windshield and you are traveling 130 mph while 3,000 feet above the ground.
Reality hit that I'm no longer in a scrimmage game. I'm in the real deal. I'm flying under REAL Instrument Flight Rules, under REAL instrument conditions. Instinctively I buried my head even further down into the instruments performing my scan.
This is important because while in the clouds I began to get the leans. What this means is I felt as if I was turning and climbing, when I was actually flying straight and level. If I didn't trust my instruments I would have corrected for the turn that didn't really exist, thus putting the plane into a turning descent.
Flying under IFR is serious business and I was reminded again why pilots say this is one of the HARDEST rating to get.
There were pockets of flying when I would briefly pop out of the clouds and be able to see the sky above me. It is absolutely the prettiest thing in the world. It almost makes you feel as if you are touching the hands of God. You look below and you see fluffy cotton candy, above you blue sky shielded by wispy cirrus and stratus clouds and the flicker of sunshine. We were then interrupted by Indy Approach. "Zero-Papa-Foxtrot, traffic 5 miles, 3 o'clock level at 5,000, Heavy - DC-10". My CFII replied "Looking for traffic 0PF". We entered another cloud, and popped up and sure enough a FedEx DC-10 was flying over head us. I really wanted to take a picture, but it was getting bumpy so my hands were a bit busy.
We then asked to return to EYE and got vectors from ATC to shoot the localizer 21 approach at Eagle Creek. I shot the approach, landed, refueled, and put the plane away safely in the hangar.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Instrument Training and IFR Flying 101
Well since March began I have hit my instrument flight training pretty hard. I'm somewhere at about 10 hours or so into it and I can tell you that it is CHALLENGING!! This is honestly one of the hardest things I've done in aviation. I remember back when I first started learning how to fly that landing was the hardest. Now it's tackling these advanced maneuvers and procedures.
I've touched on this before in previous post but I'll try to summarize things again. There are two types of flying "rules". These rules are Visual Flight Rules 'VFR' and Instrument Flight Rules 'IFR'. The rules vary depending on your altitudes and airspace, but for the purpose of the blog VFR minimums are 3 statute miles of visibility, and 1,000 foot ceilings. IFR flying minimums are essentially 0 ceiling and 0 visibility. However to land using an Instrument Landing System you need 200 foot ceilings and 1/2 mile visibility. (Pilots, remember this blog is geared towards non pilots, so I know these minimums vary and depends on a ton of factors).
Currently I am a non instrument rated pilot. Which means I can only legally fly under VFR rules. In essence VFR flying requires me to have my head outside the window and using the see and avoid method to avoid obstacles, and visual methods to navigate. This is similar to driving a car, you look outside to see where you are going while occasionally glancing at your speedometer, gps, or whatever gizmo you have in your car.
Instrument flying is the complete opposite. Since you cannot see outside and have no visual references since you are in the clouds; you are relying on the aircraft's instruments to maintain proper attitude, and to navigate.
Flying a plane under real IFR conditions by hand without the use of an autopilot is the equivalent to driving in a construction zone, while eating dinner, changing radio stations, while its raining, speeding, and talking on the cell phone to that person you really don't feel like talking to but you've hit ignore too many times before. Oh yeah, and don't forget the mental math you must be doing, so let's equate that to balancing your checkbook. Now doing any one of these task by hand is really simple and not difficult at all, but doing them all at once is a balancing act which is very challenging and mentally tiring.
My lessons are anywhere between 1 - 1.5hrs long and I can tell you I'm BEAT afterwards. I can fly VFR for about 3 hrs before I get tired and need to stretch my legs.
Navigating under IFR is done just like it was back in WWII. There are 'fixes' or navigational aids located on the ground. These navigational aids are all radio based and basically send out signals. These signals are then picked up by equipment in the airplane to tell you how far you are from the fix, and what radial or angle you are in relationship to the fix.
This is a visual depiction of what a radial is and how a plane fly's on it. As you can see the top planes are flying to and from the station, while the plane at the bottom is transitioning the area and using the VOR to determine it's location relative to the station.
The instrument above is the primary navigation receiver called an Omni Bearing Selector OBS. The numbers on the outside can be rotated with the OBS knob to select what radial you are tuned to. Then the needle points to tell you if you are tracking from the station or to the station.
This last picture shows an OBS which is tuned to the 360 radial. If the pilot the plane on the 360 radial the needle will swing and line up like the picture above. The key is for the pilo flys t to keep the needle lined up on the radial he/she wants to fly on.
I've touched on this before in previous post but I'll try to summarize things again. There are two types of flying "rules". These rules are Visual Flight Rules 'VFR' and Instrument Flight Rules 'IFR'. The rules vary depending on your altitudes and airspace, but for the purpose of the blog VFR minimums are 3 statute miles of visibility, and 1,000 foot ceilings. IFR flying minimums are essentially 0 ceiling and 0 visibility. However to land using an Instrument Landing System you need 200 foot ceilings and 1/2 mile visibility. (Pilots, remember this blog is geared towards non pilots, so I know these minimums vary and depends on a ton of factors).
Currently I am a non instrument rated pilot. Which means I can only legally fly under VFR rules. In essence VFR flying requires me to have my head outside the window and using the see and avoid method to avoid obstacles, and visual methods to navigate. This is similar to driving a car, you look outside to see where you are going while occasionally glancing at your speedometer, gps, or whatever gizmo you have in your car.
Instrument flying is the complete opposite. Since you cannot see outside and have no visual references since you are in the clouds; you are relying on the aircraft's instruments to maintain proper attitude, and to navigate.
Flying a plane under real IFR conditions by hand without the use of an autopilot is the equivalent to driving in a construction zone, while eating dinner, changing radio stations, while its raining, speeding, and talking on the cell phone to that person you really don't feel like talking to but you've hit ignore too many times before. Oh yeah, and don't forget the mental math you must be doing, so let's equate that to balancing your checkbook. Now doing any one of these task by hand is really simple and not difficult at all, but doing them all at once is a balancing act which is very challenging and mentally tiring.
My lessons are anywhere between 1 - 1.5hrs long and I can tell you I'm BEAT afterwards. I can fly VFR for about 3 hrs before I get tired and need to stretch my legs.
Navigating under IFR is done just like it was back in WWII. There are 'fixes' or navigational aids located on the ground. These navigational aids are all radio based and basically send out signals. These signals are then picked up by equipment in the airplane to tell you how far you are from the fix, and what radial or angle you are in relationship to the fix.
This is a VOR receiver. VOR's transmits radials in 360 degrees out from the station. My plane's VOR receiver then can be tuned to the radial and I can fly either to the station or from the station. These stations are interconnected throughout the country to form what are called airways. Ever wonder why you always hear planes flying over head? Maybe more so during cloudy days? It's possible you have an airway over your home. These airways are crucial for not only general aviation, but commercial travel.
This is a visual depiction of what a radial is and how a plane fly's on it. As you can see the top planes are flying to and from the station, while the plane at the bottom is transitioning the area and using the VOR to determine it's location relative to the station.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Currency Renewal
As I look through my log book I realize its time for me to renew my night currency. FAR 61.57 Recent Flight Experience states that "no person may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers or of an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot flight crew member unless that person has made at least 3 takeoffs and three landings withing the preceding 90 days".
Specifically for night experience "No person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise, unless within the preceding 90 days that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise."
So basically what that means is tonight I'm going flying!!! This will be kind of a boring flight, but it will give me a chance to focus on some basic fundamentals and pattern work. I'm a firm believer that solid fundamentals make for solid performance of advance maneuvers.
Specifically for night experience "No person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise, unless within the preceding 90 days that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise."
So basically what that means is tonight I'm going flying!!! This will be kind of a boring flight, but it will give me a chance to focus on some basic fundamentals and pattern work. I'm a firm believer that solid fundamentals make for solid performance of advance maneuvers.
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