Dean, Joe and I went to Orange County NY (KMGJ) on Friday for lunch. It's very easy to find as it's just west of Stewart (KSWF)'s airspace. The airport is a great little airport. It has two runways, both adequately sized for most GA aircraft. It's nicely situated in a farm area next to a hill. It has a "Super Unicom" that i've never seen before. If you click the mic three times you get airport advisories. If you click the mic four times, you get a radio check as the computer transmits "transmission received" over the frequency.
Aside from the airport grounds itself, there's some other great things about the area as well - namely food. On the field is Rick's Runway Cafe which has just been redone. The inside is very clean and very well decorated. The menu is great and the food is certainly on par. Joe and I had a decent sized sandwich and fries and a drink for less than $10. Dean had a big salad for about $4.00.
I recommended it to Andy and ended up going there yesterday with him for breakfast. The weather in the morning was forecast to be CAVOK after 10am but before then, there was a layer of clouds and fog from 600ft up to about 1,500ft so we had to depart IFR. As soon as we got above the clouds, we cancelled IFR and continued the trip VFR. I had a very good egg sandwich. He had chocolate chip pancakes that were very large and looked great.
The airport has a certain personality that's very likable. It's busy but ironically things seem slow paced. We saw a couple of Chinese fighter planes from WWII and watched a couple of Navy guys flying in in a pair of YAKs doing breaks on the way in.
I'm definitly keeping this airport on my list of places to visit for a quick trip.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
I'm a Commercial Pilot!
Well I did it! I passed my checkride with "flying colors!" (Pun intended). The checkride was scheduled for 8am. I stayed up last night preparing for the oral portion for about three or four hours until I finally decided that sleep was probably as important as the studying.
I planned my cross country to Lancaster four different ways even though he only asked for two. First, he wanted the best performance. He said "Get us there as fast as possible." Because of the Arrow II's engine, I had the option of using 75% power at 4,500ft. or 65% at 6,500ft. Taking climb time, winds aloft and aircraft performance data, I found that it would take us 1hr and 31mins to get there at 4,500 feet using 75% power. That's what I expected since it is essentially "full power." But then I tried it at 6,500 feet at 65% power and found that it only took 3 minutes longer. I printed both flight plans out.
A similar option existed for best efficiency. It was more efficient to go up to 6,500 and use 55% power than to stay at 4,500 and use the same 55% power. Again, the difference was marginal so I printed both.
I got to the airport around 7am and the smell of sewage from the treatment plant across the street was making me nauseous. The air was completely still and the smell just wouldn't lift. I began my preflight which was very easy since I had the aircraft fueled and ready to go the night before. Right around 8am the examiner's blue C-172 touched down and taxiied over.
We got right into things as he organized his notes and checklists. Paperwork was first. He verified my hours, the application and my logbook. He had me prove to him I was legal and current. Next he had me prove the aircraft was legal and current. I showed him all of the maintenance logs and we moved right along. Next we went over every performance chart in the POH. He had me explain to them what they each displayed and had me show him the results for the current conditions (takeoff/landing roll, climb performance etc.). Next it was cross country planning time. He was very happy with the planning and was impressed that I did a little extra work. I said that while picking 4,500ft was 3 minutes faster, it'd be much safer to take the 6,500ft plan since the 2,000 feet would save on gas and would be much safer in the event of an engine loss. We went over some other things pertaining to what a commercial rating is good for, its limitations etc. After about 40-45mins we were done. "Excellent job so far. Let's go flying now!" he said.
As we walked toward the aircraft, I did another walk around and told him I was checking to be sure the aircraft wasn't accidently damaged while we were inside. "It was out of my sight so anything could have happened to it" I told him. I pulled the chock out and we got in the plane. I gave him a passenger briefing describing the horns and lights he might expect to hear and see. I told him how to operate the door and the seatbelt as well as the fire extinguisher. I started up, taxiied and did my runup. We departed and began the cross country. I reached the top of my climb just about exactly where I predicted and verified it with the visual reference points...exactly 7 mins after departure. Now it was time for the maneuvers.
First we did power off stalls, then power on stalls, then steep turns in both directions. We went from one maneuver into the next. There was no break at all in between. He then asked for an emergency decent. I banked the aircraft about 60 degrees, pulled the throttle and began circling the area below. I was getting about 1500fpm descent rate. He stopped me and asked how I could descend faster. "Flaps and gear down?" I asked? "Sure that'll help add some drag but I would just nose it down and keep the airspeed less than Vno." So I tried that and i was easily getting 3000fpm. Wow, how had I come this far in aviation and never done that before? I wasn't even near Vno yet i couldn't push the nose down any harder. That plane can sink! Now that we were down low, we did Chandelle's to get back up. One to the left, then one to the right. Then it was Lazy Eights time. To the left, then back to the right again. "Keep doing more" he said as he started covering up instruments. Before I knew it, he covered my attitude indicator, airspeed indicator, DG, and VSI. "It's an outside maneuver so you don't need those anyway" he joked. So I kept doing lazy eights and they kept getting better not worse. I suprised myself. Then it was time to lose some altitude with steep spiral descents. I found a bridge and began circling at 60 degrees of bank holding best glide. Immediately after my third revolution he said "Ok let's do some eights on pylons." I picked out my reference points and began the maneuver. I went through it twice and then he said "Ok maneuvers were great...Let's do some takeoffs and landings."
Back to the airport for a short field landing. Pattern was completely normal and winds were calm so it was nothing out of the ordinary. I planted it right at the top of the numbers and got off of the first taxiway. Takeoff was to be a short field takeoff. Next time around he asked for a soft field landing. Again, normal pattern and I landed just past the numbers and held the nose off. Now time for a soft field takeoff. As I approached the numbers on downwind, he pulls the engine on me and I immediately begin aiming the aircraft at the numbers. The gear was already down so I pitched for best glide and started going through the checklists. I could tell he thought I was crazy because the plane was coming down about 1200fpm but I know this plane and was sure I would make it...you just have to turn toward the runway immediately and can't fly any sort of pattern whatsoever. I landed nice and soft on the numbers and taxiied off of the runway. "Wow I can't get over the descent rate of that aircraft! Are you sure 105mph is the best glide airspeed in that plane?" I reassured him that I was positive. He wanted to go up again and do a test. Again on downwind he pulled the throttle. "This time try 95mph instead." Sure enough, the plane was descending at about 700fpm and I actually had to slip it to get it down on the numbers again. We concluded that the POH's best glide airspeed was obviously accurate for gear up situations but for gear down, the best speed is much lower. That's an interesting and useful thing to know.
We taxiied back and as soon as I cut the engine he said "Congratulations...You're ready to be a commercial pilot." It's a great feeling to be done! As I cleaned up the aircraft and handed him my logbook, I told him the total time was 1.2hrs. "That's it?! That's the fastest commercial checkride I think i've ever done!" We went inside where he handed me my new paper certificate. He kept my old plastic license which I was hoping to keep as a souveneir. Oh well...
No rest for the wicked! Time to get in gear for CFI and CFII!
I planned my cross country to Lancaster four different ways even though he only asked for two. First, he wanted the best performance. He said "Get us there as fast as possible." Because of the Arrow II's engine, I had the option of using 75% power at 4,500ft. or 65% at 6,500ft. Taking climb time, winds aloft and aircraft performance data, I found that it would take us 1hr and 31mins to get there at 4,500 feet using 75% power. That's what I expected since it is essentially "full power." But then I tried it at 6,500 feet at 65% power and found that it only took 3 minutes longer. I printed both flight plans out.
A similar option existed for best efficiency. It was more efficient to go up to 6,500 and use 55% power than to stay at 4,500 and use the same 55% power. Again, the difference was marginal so I printed both.
I got to the airport around 7am and the smell of sewage from the treatment plant across the street was making me nauseous. The air was completely still and the smell just wouldn't lift. I began my preflight which was very easy since I had the aircraft fueled and ready to go the night before. Right around 8am the examiner's blue C-172 touched down and taxiied over.
We got right into things as he organized his notes and checklists. Paperwork was first. He verified my hours, the application and my logbook. He had me prove to him I was legal and current. Next he had me prove the aircraft was legal and current. I showed him all of the maintenance logs and we moved right along. Next we went over every performance chart in the POH. He had me explain to them what they each displayed and had me show him the results for the current conditions (takeoff/landing roll, climb performance etc.). Next it was cross country planning time. He was very happy with the planning and was impressed that I did a little extra work. I said that while picking 4,500ft was 3 minutes faster, it'd be much safer to take the 6,500ft plan since the 2,000 feet would save on gas and would be much safer in the event of an engine loss. We went over some other things pertaining to what a commercial rating is good for, its limitations etc. After about 40-45mins we were done. "Excellent job so far. Let's go flying now!" he said.
As we walked toward the aircraft, I did another walk around and told him I was checking to be sure the aircraft wasn't accidently damaged while we were inside. "It was out of my sight so anything could have happened to it" I told him. I pulled the chock out and we got in the plane. I gave him a passenger briefing describing the horns and lights he might expect to hear and see. I told him how to operate the door and the seatbelt as well as the fire extinguisher. I started up, taxiied and did my runup. We departed and began the cross country. I reached the top of my climb just about exactly where I predicted and verified it with the visual reference points...exactly 7 mins after departure. Now it was time for the maneuvers.
First we did power off stalls, then power on stalls, then steep turns in both directions. We went from one maneuver into the next. There was no break at all in between. He then asked for an emergency decent. I banked the aircraft about 60 degrees, pulled the throttle and began circling the area below. I was getting about 1500fpm descent rate. He stopped me and asked how I could descend faster. "Flaps and gear down?" I asked? "Sure that'll help add some drag but I would just nose it down and keep the airspeed less than Vno." So I tried that and i was easily getting 3000fpm. Wow, how had I come this far in aviation and never done that before? I wasn't even near Vno yet i couldn't push the nose down any harder. That plane can sink! Now that we were down low, we did Chandelle's to get back up. One to the left, then one to the right. Then it was Lazy Eights time. To the left, then back to the right again. "Keep doing more" he said as he started covering up instruments. Before I knew it, he covered my attitude indicator, airspeed indicator, DG, and VSI. "It's an outside maneuver so you don't need those anyway" he joked. So I kept doing lazy eights and they kept getting better not worse. I suprised myself. Then it was time to lose some altitude with steep spiral descents. I found a bridge and began circling at 60 degrees of bank holding best glide. Immediately after my third revolution he said "Ok let's do some eights on pylons." I picked out my reference points and began the maneuver. I went through it twice and then he said "Ok maneuvers were great...Let's do some takeoffs and landings."
Back to the airport for a short field landing. Pattern was completely normal and winds were calm so it was nothing out of the ordinary. I planted it right at the top of the numbers and got off of the first taxiway. Takeoff was to be a short field takeoff. Next time around he asked for a soft field landing. Again, normal pattern and I landed just past the numbers and held the nose off. Now time for a soft field takeoff. As I approached the numbers on downwind, he pulls the engine on me and I immediately begin aiming the aircraft at the numbers. The gear was already down so I pitched for best glide and started going through the checklists. I could tell he thought I was crazy because the plane was coming down about 1200fpm but I know this plane and was sure I would make it...you just have to turn toward the runway immediately and can't fly any sort of pattern whatsoever. I landed nice and soft on the numbers and taxiied off of the runway. "Wow I can't get over the descent rate of that aircraft! Are you sure 105mph is the best glide airspeed in that plane?" I reassured him that I was positive. He wanted to go up again and do a test. Again on downwind he pulled the throttle. "This time try 95mph instead." Sure enough, the plane was descending at about 700fpm and I actually had to slip it to get it down on the numbers again. We concluded that the POH's best glide airspeed was obviously accurate for gear up situations but for gear down, the best speed is much lower. That's an interesting and useful thing to know.
We taxiied back and as soon as I cut the engine he said "Congratulations...You're ready to be a commercial pilot." It's a great feeling to be done! As I cleaned up the aircraft and handed him my logbook, I told him the total time was 1.2hrs. "That's it?! That's the fastest commercial checkride I think i've ever done!" We went inside where he handed me my new paper certificate. He kept my old plastic license which I was hoping to keep as a souveneir. Oh well...
No rest for the wicked! Time to get in gear for CFI and CFII!
Monday, August 07, 2006
Commercial Written......Check!
So I took the written exam today at Hummingbird Heliport. It was infinitely easier than going to East Haddam like I had to do for my Instrument written back in 1999. I walked in, showed them my ID and within a few minutes I was working on the test.
For the most part, it was everything that I expected. It's essentially a Private Written but with a heavy emphasis on aircraft performance and Commercial CFRs. I went through the whole exam in 45 minutes and then went through the ones that I flagged to return to. There was about 10 of them that I wasn't sure of the answers to. I had them all narrowed down to 2 possible answers and depending on the interpretation of the question, it could be either of them. I did my best and walked out of there with an 89%.
Not the best score in the world but certainly passing and acceptable. When I got home, I looked at the classifications for the questions I missed and they were mostly in the areas that I had originally flagged. I suspect my educated guesses weren't the greatest.
I called the FAA Examiner and scheduled my checkride for this Thursday! I better hit the books and prepare for the oral exam. He wants me to plan a flight to Lancaster PA and he wants it planned twice. First for best performance and again for best efficiency.
For the most part, it was everything that I expected. It's essentially a Private Written but with a heavy emphasis on aircraft performance and Commercial CFRs. I went through the whole exam in 45 minutes and then went through the ones that I flagged to return to. There was about 10 of them that I wasn't sure of the answers to. I had them all narrowed down to 2 possible answers and depending on the interpretation of the question, it could be either of them. I did my best and walked out of there with an 89%.
Not the best score in the world but certainly passing and acceptable. When I got home, I looked at the classifications for the questions I missed and they were mostly in the areas that I had originally flagged. I suspect my educated guesses weren't the greatest.
I called the FAA Examiner and scheduled my checkride for this Thursday! I better hit the books and prepare for the oral exam. He wants me to plan a flight to Lancaster PA and he wants it planned twice. First for best performance and again for best efficiency.
Monday, July 17, 2006
I'm Safe
This one everyone should have memorized but i'll include it for the sake of completeness...
I - Illness (Any symptoms?)
M - Medicine (Over the counter or prescription)
S - Stress (Can i concentrate on the flight?)
A - Alcohol (Any drinks within 8 hours? Blood/Alcohol Level?)
F - Fatigue (Proper Rest)
E - Eating (Properly Nourished)
I - Illness (Any symptoms?)
M - Medicine (Over the counter or prescription)
S - Stress (Can i concentrate on the flight?)
A - Alcohol (Any drinks within 8 hours? Blood/Alcohol Level?)
F - Fatigue (Proper Rest)
E - Eating (Properly Nourished)
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Aircraft Airworthiness
These are the required checks for an aircraft to be legal to fly...
A - Annual
V - VOR Check (for IFR)
1 - 100hr (If used for hire)
A - Altimeter (Altimeter/Pitot Static System)
T - Transponder
E - ELT Battery
These are the things that must be present on board for the aircraft to be legal to fly...
A - Airworthiness Certificate
R - Registration
R - Radio Operators License (Mainly for International flights)
O - Operators Manual (POH)
W - Weight and Balance
A - Annual
V - VOR Check (for IFR)
1 - 100hr (If used for hire)
A - Altimeter (Altimeter/Pitot Static System)
T - Transponder
E - ELT Battery
These are the things that must be present on board for the aircraft to be legal to fly...
A - Airworthiness Certificate
R - Registration
R - Radio Operators License (Mainly for International flights)
O - Operators Manual (POH)
W - Weight and Balance
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Systems Requirements for Day/Night VFR
For Day VFR…
M - Magnetic Compass
A - Airspeed Indicator
T - Tachometer
F - Fuel Quantity Gauges
O - Oil Pressure Guage
O - Oil Temperature Guage
L - Landing Gear Position Indicator (If applicable)
M - Manifold Pressure Gauge
A - Altimeter
T - Temperature Guage (Liquid Cooled Engines)
And for Night VFR…
F - Fuses
L - Landing Light (For hire only)
A - Anticollision Light
P - Position Lights
S - Source of Electrical Power
M - Magnetic Compass
A - Airspeed Indicator
T - Tachometer
F - Fuel Quantity Gauges
O - Oil Pressure Guage
O - Oil Temperature Guage
L - Landing Gear Position Indicator (If applicable)
M - Manifold Pressure Gauge
A - Altimeter
T - Temperature Guage (Liquid Cooled Engines)
And for Night VFR…
F - Fuses
L - Landing Light (For hire only)
A - Anticollision Light
P - Position Lights
S - Source of Electrical Power
Instrument Checks
The five T’s are a quick instrument checklist that’s used when setting up for an instrument approach.
1. Turn
2. Time
3. Twist
4. Throttle
5. Talk
There's also the WIRE checklist for other quick reminders
W - Weather (ATIS/ASOS etc)
I - Instruments (VOR OBS set, DG aligned etc)
R - Radios (ILS/LOC/VOR/DME/ADF/COMM)
E - Everything else (Flaps, Gear, Engine power etc)
1. Turn
2. Time
3. Twist
4. Throttle
5. Talk
There's also the WIRE checklist for other quick reminders
W - Weather (ATIS/ASOS etc)
I - Instruments (VOR OBS set, DG aligned etc)
R - Radios (ILS/LOC/VOR/DME/ADF/COMM)
E - Everything else (Flaps, Gear, Engine power etc)
Monday, October 06, 2003
Flying to Kankakee
Dave, Laura and I flew up to Kankakee IL or Con-cocky as Dave pronounces it. It started off as a beautiful morning, clear skies and calm winds. Dave flew out there and as we started getting closer it started to get a little bumpy but not too bad. As Dave sets up to land, one of the two planes in front of us reports wind shear on final and warns us to be careful. Neither Dave nor I really took much interest in that because we’ve been up in far worse conditions than this. The guy in front of us lands and we watch him as we turn final. It looks okay at first and then you see the guy drift all the way over to one side of the runway. As he’s rolling out, he starts talking on the radio to the previous aircraft and says “Wow that was a difficult landing. I had full right rudder in and i barely got it down.” Dave and I look at each other like “What is this guy talking about…the wind is almost down the runway?!” By this time, Dave is just about over the runway threshold and the previous guy is so busy talking on the radio that he’s not getting off of the runway. Now technically, he was far enough down the runway that we could have landed and he wouldn’t have been a problem but a good pilot never takes that chance so Dave hits the throttle, mutters some expletives and goes around. The next time around Dave plants it on the runway. No big deal, no need to get excited or worried. So we go inside and take their courtesy car which is a Ford Taurus from the 80’s. The damn thing pulled to the right like a shopping cart. Anyway, we drove to Burger King, had lunch and then I flew us home. On the way back, Laura sat in the front seat and I let her fly a bit. It was real bumpy at this point but she still had fun. Dave on the other hand was in the back seat not feeling too hot. I think he had a bug and the bumps and swaying of the plane just made it worse. I landed back at Purdue which was VERY busy because of the Illinois Vs. Purdue game that day. Quite a few people were flying in to attend the game. That was the extent of my weekend.
Sunday, March 30, 2003
Where'd They Put the Damned FBO?
Well today was a rather interesting day. I went flying with Dave. We went to Eagle Creek airport in Indianapolis. Because navigation is my forte, I very efficiently led us to the wrong building once we landed. In my defense, the FBO moved since I had last been there so whatever. 
The weather was fairly good but the ceilings were getting lower and it was raining in some parts of the state very lightly.
The weather was fairly good but the ceilings were getting lower and it was raining in some parts of the state very lightly.
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