Video of me landing at the Grand Strand airport yesterday.
Showing posts with label Wings of Carolina Flying Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wings of Carolina Flying Club. Show all posts
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Raleigh Executive to Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport
I was finally able to get my brother up in the plane on Friday after a few months of rain-outs and low-ceilings. I got off work a couple of hours early and drove down to Sanford to get ready while my brother drove up from down south. The plan was to go to Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport (IXA), which opened last year just south of Roanoke Rapids, NC. It was about 84 miles one way, and the flight path took us directly over downtown Raleigh.
The weather was very hot, about 91 degrees. There was a convective sigmet (basically big and powerful thunderstorms) about 100 miles to the west. I was a little concerned by it, but felt confident that the weather would be no factor for us.
Crawling around on the hot pavement during pre-flight checking the wheels and the underside of the plane was brutal. I was in a rush to get the plane started so we could have some air movement while we were on the ground.
Even though it was hot the air was surprisingly smooth and pretty hazy. There were scattered clouds about 5,500', so I decided to level off at 3,500 for the first half of the flight. It wasn't as high as I would like to have been, but good enough. We had a great view of Cary and Raleigh on the way up and got some great pictures. I always enjoy flying over familiar places. Here's a picture of Carter-Finley Stadium and the RBC Center.
As we approached IXA there was only one other plane taking off. They headed off in the opposite direction from us so no big deal. We made left traffic for runway 20 and greased the landing. A picture of the final approach to IXA is below.
The FBO was already closed for the night so we just taxied back to the runway and took back off to the southwest back to TTA. The plan was to climb to 4,500' for cruise. About 4,000 I started to notice the apparent lack of visibility, and realized that I was arguably in a VERY thin cloud that really couldn't be seen, but did cause a pretty quick decrease in visibility. I immediately descended back down to 3,500' to avoid going out of VFR conditions.
The flight back was somewhat uneventful. We went back over downtown Raleigh and NC State University just like before and made our way down US-1 to TTA. There were several other planes in the pattern, but we fit right into the left downwind for runway 3 and made another very smooth landing. The ride was pretty much bump free. They call that ego flying because it makes you feel like you're really good (even though I know better).
The photos below are 1) looking south down Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, 2) NC State's campus, 3) pretty cloud picture, and 4) final approach to runway 3 at TTA.
The weather was very hot, about 91 degrees. There was a convective sigmet (basically big and powerful thunderstorms) about 100 miles to the west. I was a little concerned by it, but felt confident that the weather would be no factor for us.
Crawling around on the hot pavement during pre-flight checking the wheels and the underside of the plane was brutal. I was in a rush to get the plane started so we could have some air movement while we were on the ground.
Even though it was hot the air was surprisingly smooth and pretty hazy. There were scattered clouds about 5,500', so I decided to level off at 3,500 for the first half of the flight. It wasn't as high as I would like to have been, but good enough. We had a great view of Cary and Raleigh on the way up and got some great pictures. I always enjoy flying over familiar places. Here's a picture of Carter-Finley Stadium and the RBC Center.
As we approached IXA there was only one other plane taking off. They headed off in the opposite direction from us so no big deal. We made left traffic for runway 20 and greased the landing. A picture of the final approach to IXA is below.
The FBO was already closed for the night so we just taxied back to the runway and took back off to the southwest back to TTA. The plan was to climb to 4,500' for cruise. About 4,000 I started to notice the apparent lack of visibility, and realized that I was arguably in a VERY thin cloud that really couldn't be seen, but did cause a pretty quick decrease in visibility. I immediately descended back down to 3,500' to avoid going out of VFR conditions.
The flight back was somewhat uneventful. We went back over downtown Raleigh and NC State University just like before and made our way down US-1 to TTA. There were several other planes in the pattern, but we fit right into the left downwind for runway 3 and made another very smooth landing. The ride was pretty much bump free. They call that ego flying because it makes you feel like you're really good (even though I know better).
The photos below are 1) looking south down Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, 2) NC State's campus, 3) pretty cloud picture, and 4) final approach to runway 3 at TTA.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Safe and Competent
Last weekend I had the pleasure of my second bi-annual flight review (BFR) thanks to the FAA's regulation requiring that I be reviewed by a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) every two years. This is to ensure that I am unlikely to kill myself or anyone else, or at least unlikely to destroy someone else's property. In normal Wings of Carolina Flying Club fashion, the club's safety regulations are more stringent than the FAA's. To fly a club plane, each member much have the equivalent of a BFR every single year. On years where it is not the FAA mandated review, it's called a Club Annual; they're the same thing. Although the review can be annoying once a year, the club's safety record speaks for itself.
The BFR consists of basic air work, various types of take-offs and landings, controlled field operations, and an oral review of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). My instructor for the day, Sam, and I sat down Sunday afternoon and began by reviewing the answers to the quizzes required by the club. The quizzes cover club rules and specifics about the plane I fly. Again, not required by the FAA, but helpful to the safety of the club members and planes, which keeps costs down for all of us. After grading the quizzes we discussed some airspace rules, required equipment, different things shown on the chart, and even what I can legally do as a Private Pilot in regards to using the plane and my certification for commercial purposes. Pretty interesting stuff.
The flying portion was good. We took off around 5:30pm, so the day's weather was winding down. The air was smooth and cool, which made the air work much easier. We started off with a couple of steep turns and went straight into stalls and slow flight. There's something that feels very unnatural about flying at 50mph. All of these are maneuvers that you don't want to screw up if they happen while you're less than 1000' above the ground in the traffic pattern, so you practice them to ensure that you can recover without losing too much altitude or making things worse.
Once the air work was complete I went under the "hood" to simulate instrument flying. While under the hood I turned us towards Fayetteville Regional and navigated about half of the trip, contacted approach control, and prepared for a visual approach into the airport. Of course I got to take the hood off about 15 miles out so I could land visually, but I was really happy with how the simulated instrument flying went. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to afford the instrument rating.
In Fayetteville we requested a touch and go and were cleared for the option. First I did a soft-field landing, simulating a landing on a grass runway. The main wheels touched and, without letting the nose wheel touch, performed a soft-field takeoff. We were cleared for left traffic and performed a short-field landing and takeoff before heading back to Raleigh Executive.
The last thing we did was a gliding approach and landing. The point here was to simulate landing without an engine. On the downwind leg "abeam" the touchdown point, we pulled the engine back to idle and had to time the descent and turns so we could glide in and land without any power. It was a success.
When we got back in, Sam had to fill out a form reviewing what we did and making any comments. He wrote that I am "safe and competent" along with a few other comments. I had a lot of fun, even though it was a review/test.
The BFR consists of basic air work, various types of take-offs and landings, controlled field operations, and an oral review of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). My instructor for the day, Sam, and I sat down Sunday afternoon and began by reviewing the answers to the quizzes required by the club. The quizzes cover club rules and specifics about the plane I fly. Again, not required by the FAA, but helpful to the safety of the club members and planes, which keeps costs down for all of us. After grading the quizzes we discussed some airspace rules, required equipment, different things shown on the chart, and even what I can legally do as a Private Pilot in regards to using the plane and my certification for commercial purposes. Pretty interesting stuff.
The flying portion was good. We took off around 5:30pm, so the day's weather was winding down. The air was smooth and cool, which made the air work much easier. We started off with a couple of steep turns and went straight into stalls and slow flight. There's something that feels very unnatural about flying at 50mph. All of these are maneuvers that you don't want to screw up if they happen while you're less than 1000' above the ground in the traffic pattern, so you practice them to ensure that you can recover without losing too much altitude or making things worse.
Once the air work was complete I went under the "hood" to simulate instrument flying. While under the hood I turned us towards Fayetteville Regional and navigated about half of the trip, contacted approach control, and prepared for a visual approach into the airport. Of course I got to take the hood off about 15 miles out so I could land visually, but I was really happy with how the simulated instrument flying went. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to afford the instrument rating.
In Fayetteville we requested a touch and go and were cleared for the option. First I did a soft-field landing, simulating a landing on a grass runway. The main wheels touched and, without letting the nose wheel touch, performed a soft-field takeoff. We were cleared for left traffic and performed a short-field landing and takeoff before heading back to Raleigh Executive.
The last thing we did was a gliding approach and landing. The point here was to simulate landing without an engine. On the downwind leg "abeam" the touchdown point, we pulled the engine back to idle and had to time the descent and turns so we could glide in and land without any power. It was a success.
When we got back in, Sam had to fill out a form reviewing what we did and making any comments. He wrote that I am "safe and competent" along with a few other comments. I had a lot of fun, even though it was a review/test.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Flight from Raleigh Executive to MCAS Cherry Point (yeah, that's right)
Thanks to the forethought and planning of one of my fellow Wings of Carolina Flying Club members, I recently was able to fly into MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Cherry Point (NKT). About 8 planes from our club took the 116 mile trip from Raleigh Executive (TTA). It was a really nice day.
The weather was beautiful, in the mid 60's and crystal clear. There was a bit of gusty wind, but up at 5,500' it was as smooth as glass.
I was cleared to land on runway 32L using a base to very short final so I could sneak in before another club member, who was in a Cessna 152 on a 6 mile final. I felt I was getting a bit short-changed on this approach so I requested to follow the Cessna on final in, which the controller kindly allowed.
The runway from edge-line to edge-line is 200' wide with an extra 100' beyond that, making for a 400' wide strip of pavement that is about 8,000' long; big strip of concrete. The excessive width made the gusting cross-wind a little less of a problem than it would have been on, let's say, a 75' wide runway. Long story short, the landing was pretty darn good (if I do say so myself). We were given taxi instructions to our parking spot, shut down, and got out. Clearance to land required a VFR flight plan, so I had to call Flight Service to close that.
The first stop of the tour was a hanger that housed a Cessna Citation and two military equivalents of a DC-9. All three of these were for the travel of Marine higher-ups. We got to go inside one of the DC-9s, but the pictures didn't turn out so well (that's why they aren't included here, sorry). Also in the hanger were two search and rescue helicopters. I didn't catch the exact model, but take a look at the picture. They were pretty awesome.
After the hanger we were treated with an up-close and personal view of the Harrier Jet line. They had quite a few two-seaters for training. Our tour guide was a Harrier student pilot, and had a lot of interesting info. I won't go into any details here, but we learned a lot and left much more impressed with the plane than when we got there. During our tour there were 3-4 Harriers flying around the base doing some training.
From here we went to eat lunch at a restaurant on the base. I was about to starve. It was good, not great. Our tax money at work.
One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity to see the air traffic control facilities. I got to visit the inside of a control tower for the first time. It was similar to what I expected except for the people in there. I was expecting some older, seasoned-looking controllers (like what you see on Top Gun). I get up there and there are about 10 really young looking guys -- yes, younger than me -- half of them training and the other half being trained. Because it was Saturday they were all dressed in their street clothes, making it all seem a little less impressive. Notice I said "seem", it was still all business. It was great to see everything from their perspective.
From the top of the base to the bottom, we found ourselves next in the radar room. Radar rooms, to those of you who don't know, are really dark. My eyes adjusted to the low red light, but I couldn't imagine working in there for several hours without going a little crazy. Beyond that, it was still very cool to see the radar screens, have the controllers explain what they do and, again, see it from their perspective.
The surprise of the day was when the Marines asked if they could come see our planes. We scoffed, "sure, yeah right, you can come look at our planes." To our surprise, they were actually very eager to see them. It dawned on me that most of these guys probably have never seen planes up-close other than Harriers and other cool military planes. A Piper Warrior is a new thing to them. It was pretty cool.
So all in all it was a great trip. I got to land at a military base, saw some planes up close that I've never seen up close before, saw air traffic control, and got to fly the longest flight of my "career"; yes, 116 miles. It was a great time.
The weather was beautiful, in the mid 60's and crystal clear. There was a bit of gusty wind, but up at 5,500' it was as smooth as glass.
The view looking east-ish towards Beaufort and Cape Lookout
I was cleared to land on runway 32L using a base to very short final so I could sneak in before another club member, who was in a Cessna 152 on a 6 mile final. I felt I was getting a bit short-changed on this approach so I requested to follow the Cessna on final in, which the controller kindly allowed.
Final Approach to runway 32L. 400' wide, pretty big.
They practice carrier landings here. This is the arresting gear for the
mock carrier landings that they've pulled off of the runway for us.
mock carrier landings that they've pulled off of the runway for us.
The runway from edge-line to edge-line is 200' wide with an extra 100' beyond that, making for a 400' wide strip of pavement that is about 8,000' long; big strip of concrete. The excessive width made the gusting cross-wind a little less of a problem than it would have been on, let's say, a 75' wide runway. Long story short, the landing was pretty darn good (if I do say so myself). We were given taxi instructions to our parking spot, shut down, and got out. Clearance to land required a VFR flight plan, so I had to call Flight Service to close that.
The tower. If you look close on the right you can see a Harrier flying by.
The first stop of the tour was a hanger that housed a Cessna Citation and two military equivalents of a DC-9. All three of these were for the travel of Marine higher-ups. We got to go inside one of the DC-9s, but the pictures didn't turn out so well (that's why they aren't included here, sorry). Also in the hanger were two search and rescue helicopters. I didn't catch the exact model, but take a look at the picture. They were pretty awesome.
Planes in the hanger.
Search and rescue helicopter.
After the hanger we were treated with an up-close and personal view of the Harrier Jet line. They had quite a few two-seaters for training. Our tour guide was a Harrier student pilot, and had a lot of interesting info. I won't go into any details here, but we learned a lot and left much more impressed with the plane than when we got there. During our tour there were 3-4 Harriers flying around the base doing some training.
Up close and personal with a Harrier.
From here we went to eat lunch at a restaurant on the base. I was about to starve. It was good, not great. Our tax money at work.
One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity to see the air traffic control facilities. I got to visit the inside of a control tower for the first time. It was similar to what I expected except for the people in there. I was expecting some older, seasoned-looking controllers (like what you see on Top Gun). I get up there and there are about 10 really young looking guys -- yes, younger than me -- half of them training and the other half being trained. Because it was Saturday they were all dressed in their street clothes, making it all seem a little less impressive. Notice I said "seem", it was still all business. It was great to see everything from their perspective.
View from the tower. That's N81917 out there (I fly it sometimes).
From the top of the base to the bottom, we found ourselves next in the radar room. Radar rooms, to those of you who don't know, are really dark. My eyes adjusted to the low red light, but I couldn't imagine working in there for several hours without going a little crazy. Beyond that, it was still very cool to see the radar screens, have the controllers explain what they do and, again, see it from their perspective.
The surprise of the day was when the Marines asked if they could come see our planes. We scoffed, "sure, yeah right, you can come look at our planes." To our surprise, they were actually very eager to see them. It dawned on me that most of these guys probably have never seen planes up-close other than Harriers and other cool military planes. A Piper Warrior is a new thing to them. It was pretty cool.
Marines checking out my plane.
Parked plane with Harrier in the background.
Taxiing out among the Harriers.
Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN) with New Bern and the Neuse River.
So all in all it was a great trip. I got to land at a military base, saw some planes up close that I've never seen up close before, saw air traffic control, and got to fly the longest flight of my "career"; yes, 116 miles. It was a great time.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA) to Lumberton Municipal Airport (LBT)
The original plan was to fly to Greensboro to get a few pictures of the new runway, but the weather was not cooperating. There were low clouds west of Sanford, and as a non-instrument rated pilot, I have to be able to see the ground and navigate by reference to it alone. Sure I can use the GPS and other nav radios, but my primary source of navigation still has to be reference to objects on the ground.
The skies to the eastern side of TTA were clear. Lumberton seemed to be a good choice, no clouds between TTA and there, and a good route that took us over Fayetteville. I dialed in a new setting on the camera that morning in hopes of getting sharper images and thought Fayetteville would provide some good photo ops. I think it worked.
I planned the flight at the last minute. We did this one a couple of years ago so the flight plan itself was already done. I just had to get the weather and apply the winds to our flight plan. Interesting side note… while I was on the phone with the weather briefer he mentioned that the briefer next to him was talking about a large fire in New York City. I actually forgot about that until right now, but haven't heard anything so it must not have been a big deal.
It was morning and an AIRMET had been established, but was expiring at 10am local. To those of you who don't know what an AIRMET is, it stands for "Airmen's Meteorological Information". Basically, it's an advisory/description of the occurrence or expected occurrence of some sort of weather phenomena which may affect the safety of aircraft operations (yeah, I stole that from wikipedia). AIRMETs give info on instrument conditions (ceilings less than 1000' and/or visibility less than 3 miles), turbulence, or icing. All things for me to avoid.
We had the plane until noon, and had about 50 miles to go and back, so we were pushing it on time. We started up, taxied to runway 3, and off we went. We made left traffic, but continued climbing through pattern altitude of 1200' MSL. Upon reaching 1700' MSL (500' above pattern altitude) we turned south toward Fayetteville. Direct flight to Lumberton is not allowed because of the restricted areas above Fort Bragg. Our course took us towards the lesser known of the two air bases in Fayetteville, Simmons Army Airfield.
From here we turned slightly toward the west and pretty much followed I-95 all the way to Lumberton. In the distance we could see where it all began for me, the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MEB). It was about 20-25 miles away. It's always satisfying to me to see something that clearly from that far away.
From about 12 miles out we could easily make out LBT in front of us. Up until this point I had been on with Fayetteville Approach for traffic advisories. Once LBT was visible, I let them know and they cleared me to change to the airport's local radio frequency. We executed a standard pattern entry to runway 5 and had a nice landing on a really flat runway.
Because of our lack of time we taxied straight back to the runway and took back off. I wanted some good pics of the airport, and the sun was to the southeast, so I turned east and then south after taking off so we could get a good view of the airport with the sun behind us before heading back home to the north. Emily takes great pictures.
We got back in touch with Fayetteville Approach for traffic advisories. The trip back was a lot like the trip down. The weather was fantastic for flying, clear and smooth air. On the way back over Fayetteville we got a good view of the Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY) off the right wing.
Minutes later we were flying over Fort Bragg with Pope AFB (POB) in the background. The controller said that the restricted airspace over Fort Bragg was inactive at my altitude, which I'm assuming means I could have flown right through. I stuck with the original plan and flew around, but I did get a little closer to Pope than I usually do. It was pretty cool.
Coming back into TTA there was only one other plane on the radio who was doing an instrument approach to runway 3. He was in a faster plane than me so I gave way to him. To enter the pattern I had to overfly the field at 1700', then loop around and descend at the same time 1200' to enter the left downwind for runway 3. We landed at 11:56 (4 minutes to spare!). Great trip, it was fun.
The skies to the eastern side of TTA were clear. Lumberton seemed to be a good choice, no clouds between TTA and there, and a good route that took us over Fayetteville. I dialed in a new setting on the camera that morning in hopes of getting sharper images and thought Fayetteville would provide some good photo ops. I think it worked.
Our route
I planned the flight at the last minute. We did this one a couple of years ago so the flight plan itself was already done. I just had to get the weather and apply the winds to our flight plan. Interesting side note… while I was on the phone with the weather briefer he mentioned that the briefer next to him was talking about a large fire in New York City. I actually forgot about that until right now, but haven't heard anything so it must not have been a big deal.
It was morning and an AIRMET had been established, but was expiring at 10am local. To those of you who don't know what an AIRMET is, it stands for "Airmen's Meteorological Information". Basically, it's an advisory/description of the occurrence or expected occurrence of some sort of weather phenomena which may affect the safety of aircraft operations (yeah, I stole that from wikipedia). AIRMETs give info on instrument conditions (ceilings less than 1000' and/or visibility less than 3 miles), turbulence, or icing. All things for me to avoid.
We had the plane until noon, and had about 50 miles to go and back, so we were pushing it on time. We started up, taxied to runway 3, and off we went. We made left traffic, but continued climbing through pattern altitude of 1200' MSL. Upon reaching 1700' MSL (500' above pattern altitude) we turned south toward Fayetteville. Direct flight to Lumberton is not allowed because of the restricted areas above Fort Bragg. Our course took us towards the lesser known of the two air bases in Fayetteville, Simmons Army Airfield.
Simmons AFB in Fayetteville. If you look closely almost in the middle of the ramp
closest to the camera you can see a helicopter hovering about 50' off the ground.
closest to the camera you can see a helicopter hovering about 50' off the ground.
From here we turned slightly toward the west and pretty much followed I-95 all the way to Lumberton. In the distance we could see where it all began for me, the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MEB). It was about 20-25 miles away. It's always satisfying to me to see something that clearly from that far away.
From about 12 miles out we could easily make out LBT in front of us. Up until this point I had been on with Fayetteville Approach for traffic advisories. Once LBT was visible, I let them know and they cleared me to change to the airport's local radio frequency. We executed a standard pattern entry to runway 5 and had a nice landing on a really flat runway.
Short final to runway 5, LBT
Because of our lack of time we taxied straight back to the runway and took back off. I wanted some good pics of the airport, and the sun was to the southeast, so I turned east and then south after taking off so we could get a good view of the airport with the sun behind us before heading back home to the north. Emily takes great pictures.
Lumberton Municipal Airport - Runway 5 is the one on the far left with the big "5" on it.
I-95 is the highway on the other side of the airport. If you've ever driven down that way
you may recognize the big water tower painted like an American flag directly
above the wing out by the highway.
I-95 is the highway on the other side of the airport. If you've ever driven down that way
you may recognize the big water tower painted like an American flag directly
above the wing out by the highway.
We got back in touch with Fayetteville Approach for traffic advisories. The trip back was a lot like the trip down. The weather was fantastic for flying, clear and smooth air. On the way back over Fayetteville we got a good view of the Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY) off the right wing.
Fayetteville Regional Airport
Minutes later we were flying over Fort Bragg with Pope AFB (POB) in the background. The controller said that the restricted airspace over Fort Bragg was inactive at my altitude, which I'm assuming means I could have flown right through. I stuck with the original plan and flew around, but I did get a little closer to Pope than I usually do. It was pretty cool.
Fort Bragg with Pope AFB
Coming back into TTA there was only one other plane on the radio who was doing an instrument approach to runway 3. He was in a faster plane than me so I gave way to him. To enter the pattern I had to overfly the field at 1700', then loop around and descend at the same time 1200' to enter the left downwind for runway 3. We landed at 11:56 (4 minutes to spare!). Great trip, it was fun.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thought about going flying today... but I didn't.
The plane came available yesterday for this morning. The person that was going to have it occupied came back early so I considered reserving it taking to the skies today. But, I decided to pass, it was just too darn cold. The temperature at the time I would've been cranking the engine was forecast to be about 20 degrees F. The combination of thicker oil and decreased battery performance (not to mention the frozen engine components) would have made it really difficult to start. If you crank for too long, you could even burn out the starter.
Frost, the other potential problem to deal with, was likely to have been on the wings this morning. Frost can be difficult, if not impossible, to remove when it is 20 degrees F and no access to a warm hanger.
Plus, who wants to be outside in 20 degree weather?
Frost, the other potential problem to deal with, was likely to have been on the wings this morning. Frost can be difficult, if not impossible, to remove when it is 20 degrees F and no access to a warm hanger.
Plus, who wants to be outside in 20 degree weather?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Learning to Fly Part 1 - Ground School
In January of 2005 I was working through the crossword puzzle of the Technician, the school newspaper at NC State University, during a break between classes. I saw a small ad near the puzzle for ground school that was beginning in a few weeks. Hmm...
I mentioned in an earlier post that I've always wanted to fly. As far back as middle school I can remember being really interested and wanting to learn. I don't know why I didn't look into it earlier in life. I think for a long time I talked myself into believing it was just for rich people who had a ton of money to spend, and that it would be a long time before I could afford to do it.
Seeing that ad prompted me to investigate a little. I went home and checked out the web address on the ad. The address led me to the website of the Wings of Carolina Flying Club. I was interested so I dug deeper. The flying club had included a page on their website that discussed learning to fly, the time commitment, as well as the estimated cost.
Now, I wasn't rich at the time (still not!). I didn't make a ton of money. But I was working almost full time as a waiter, and living off of the financial aid I received for school. So, for a while, I was able to put every penny I made as a waiter into savings. Voila: I had the money to fly. I emailed to sign up for the ground school, and received the schedule and other information.
My first night of ground school was my first lesson in weather. That day in Raleigh it snowed. If you're from NC you understand that, when it snows, everything shuts down. I called the instructor and asked if the ground school was still on. He sounded surprised that I was calling. Apparently it wasn't snowing in Sanford, which is where Wings of Carolina is located. So, the lesson was that weather isn't the same everywhere. Imagine that.
I got there early (one thing that playing football taught me, always be early) and was the second or third one there. I gave a polite "hi" and sat down to wait. Over the next little while more people showed up. In all I think there were 30 or so people. Next the instructor came in. We quickly found out that he's a nice guy but concerned only with safety and getting down to business. The ground school was ten weeks long, and we had A LOT of material to cover. We dove right in.
We all went around the room, introduced ourselves, mentioned why we were there, and class began. We started by taking a look at and purchasing all the materials including text books, study guides, testing materials, flight computer, and a few other odds and ends. From there, we began with the million dollar question: "How does a plane fly?" We went through the principles and various theories of lift, why it works like it does, and how a plane produces it. We also discussed the four forces of flight (lift, gravity, thrust, drag). This conversation led directly into the control surfaces and how the pilot controls the plane.
By this point the 3 hour class was over and all went home. There were lots of questions asked and good discussions. To be honest it was a bit of a sensory overload. I questioned whether or not I really felt like learning all of this new information while I was trying to do school and work at the same time. The questioning didn't last long, however. I found myself more interested in the flying than what I was learning in school (still am more interested in it, actually). It was awesome. I was finally learning about something that really mattered to me.
The next 9 weeks were the same. Sensory overload, tons of questions, lots of discussion, mental exhaustion, and enjoyment learning about my passion. The most difficult class to follow (and stay awake in) was the review of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). Super important to know and understand, but mundane and a bit boring. No problem, it was leading towards flying an airplane.
The ground school ended and I was given an endorsement by the instructor to go take the official FAA knowledge test. I took this test on a special computer at the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) at the Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA), which is where Wings of Carolina Flying Club is located. It's a timed, multiple choice test. You can miss only a certain amount and then you fail. if you pass, you're passing score is good for two years. You then have two years to get the flight training required for the private pilot certificate.
Learning to fly is a lot of information, but if you love it, it's worth it. It takes a lot effort, determination, and studying, but the rewards are great. Next time I'll write in detail about the flying portion of my training. It was a lot of fun.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I've always wanted to fly. As far back as middle school I can remember being really interested and wanting to learn. I don't know why I didn't look into it earlier in life. I think for a long time I talked myself into believing it was just for rich people who had a ton of money to spend, and that it would be a long time before I could afford to do it.
Seeing that ad prompted me to investigate a little. I went home and checked out the web address on the ad. The address led me to the website of the Wings of Carolina Flying Club. I was interested so I dug deeper. The flying club had included a page on their website that discussed learning to fly, the time commitment, as well as the estimated cost.
Now, I wasn't rich at the time (still not!). I didn't make a ton of money. But I was working almost full time as a waiter, and living off of the financial aid I received for school. So, for a while, I was able to put every penny I made as a waiter into savings. Voila: I had the money to fly. I emailed to sign up for the ground school, and received the schedule and other information.
My first night of ground school was my first lesson in weather. That day in Raleigh it snowed. If you're from NC you understand that, when it snows, everything shuts down. I called the instructor and asked if the ground school was still on. He sounded surprised that I was calling. Apparently it wasn't snowing in Sanford, which is where Wings of Carolina is located. So, the lesson was that weather isn't the same everywhere. Imagine that.
I got there early (one thing that playing football taught me, always be early) and was the second or third one there. I gave a polite "hi" and sat down to wait. Over the next little while more people showed up. In all I think there were 30 or so people. Next the instructor came in. We quickly found out that he's a nice guy but concerned only with safety and getting down to business. The ground school was ten weeks long, and we had A LOT of material to cover. We dove right in.
We all went around the room, introduced ourselves, mentioned why we were there, and class began. We started by taking a look at and purchasing all the materials including text books, study guides, testing materials, flight computer, and a few other odds and ends. From there, we began with the million dollar question: "How does a plane fly?" We went through the principles and various theories of lift, why it works like it does, and how a plane produces it. We also discussed the four forces of flight (lift, gravity, thrust, drag). This conversation led directly into the control surfaces and how the pilot controls the plane.
By this point the 3 hour class was over and all went home. There were lots of questions asked and good discussions. To be honest it was a bit of a sensory overload. I questioned whether or not I really felt like learning all of this new information while I was trying to do school and work at the same time. The questioning didn't last long, however. I found myself more interested in the flying than what I was learning in school (still am more interested in it, actually). It was awesome. I was finally learning about something that really mattered to me.
The next 9 weeks were the same. Sensory overload, tons of questions, lots of discussion, mental exhaustion, and enjoyment learning about my passion. The most difficult class to follow (and stay awake in) was the review of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). Super important to know and understand, but mundane and a bit boring. No problem, it was leading towards flying an airplane.
The ground school ended and I was given an endorsement by the instructor to go take the official FAA knowledge test. I took this test on a special computer at the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) at the Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA), which is where Wings of Carolina Flying Club is located. It's a timed, multiple choice test. You can miss only a certain amount and then you fail. if you pass, you're passing score is good for two years. You then have two years to get the flight training required for the private pilot certificate.
Learning to fly is a lot of information, but if you love it, it's worth it. It takes a lot effort, determination, and studying, but the rewards are great. Next time I'll write in detail about the flying portion of my training. It was a lot of fun.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA) to Danville Regional Airport (DAN) and back
My latest flight was from Raleigh Executive (TTA) to Danville Regional (DAN). It was a great flight, took Emily's cousin, Ian, with me. It was the second time he's ever been on a plane, and I think he had a good time. Ian was in control of the camera taking these pictures. The full set of pictures can be found on my Flickr page.
We got up early and made the drive to Sanford. It was cold and frosty, so when we got to the airport we had some work to do. It was foggy too, so we had time to kill anyway. The plane's wings were covered in frost, and any pilot will tell you rule #1 of winter flying: don't fly with ice on your wings. Not only does it interrupt the airflow over the wings and decrease lift, it also adds weight to the plane that you don't need. So off it comes.
Step 1: Turn the frozen side of the plane towards the sun so it can begin to melt it. You have to be careful because the already melted part (what was already facing the sun) will freeze again if it's below freezing.
Step 2: If the sun isn't working fast enough or it's not able to melt shady areas, fill a milk jug with hot water and pour it over the ice to melt it.
Step 3: Hopefully it's above freezing by this point, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is up in the air. If water stays on the wings after takeoff it could freeze again. Not too terribly likely, but if you want to be cautious you can dry the plane off before taking off. We opted for overly cautious and dried it off.
As I said, this was Ian's second time in a plane. His first was a night flight from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Raleigh-Durham International (RDU). Needless to say, he seemed pretty excited.
I'd say he looks excited.
We went around the pattern once, which is my way of making sure everything is working before taking my wife's cousin 5,500' in the air.
View of Jordan lake from the pattern, looking north.Our route took us between Durham and Burlington, near Mebane. Shortly after leaving the pattern I contacted Raleigh Approach for flight following. We crossed I-40/I-85 a few miles to the east of Mebane. Those of you that are familiar with that stretch of road will recognize the weigh station in the following picture.
The weigh station on I-40/I-85 east of Mebane from 4,500'
The weigh station on I-40/I-85 east of Mebane from 4,500'Once we got north of this point we were able to see more and more snow left on the ground from the storm almost a week before. It was the first time I had ever seen snow from the plane, so it was exciting to me. About 20 miles out from Danville Regional the controller handed me off to Washington Center. I wasn't on with them for very long since we could see the airport from about 10 miles away. Once we had visual contact I canceled flight following and switched to the unicom frequency.
The wind was calm but the person who answered me on the unicom when I made my initial position announcement said that other traffic had been using runway 2. Even though there was no other traffic around I decided to follow previous traffic and use runway 2. It worked especially well because I wanted to check out the runway before landing, and pattern entry to runway 2 from our location would warrant flying over the field. NOTAMs that morning said that thin ice had been reported on the runway, which is why I wanted to check it out before landing.
Setting up to enter the downwind for runway 2,
the left most runway, using a teardrop entry.
From 500' above traffic pattern altitude I could see that the runway was dry except for a small area of moisture on the opposite end of the runway from where we were going to be landing. Also, the air temperature was well above freezing at this point and sunny, so I decided it was safe to land.
Turning final put us right over the Dan River.
Final to runway 2 at Danville (DAN)
The wind was calm but the person who answered me on the unicom when I made my initial position announcement said that other traffic had been using runway 2. Even though there was no other traffic around I decided to follow previous traffic and use runway 2. It worked especially well because I wanted to check out the runway before landing, and pattern entry to runway 2 from our location would warrant flying over the field. NOTAMs that morning said that thin ice had been reported on the runway, which is why I wanted to check it out before landing.
Setting up to enter the downwind for runway 2,the left most runway, using a teardrop entry.
From 500' above traffic pattern altitude I could see that the runway was dry except for a small area of moisture on the opposite end of the runway from where we were going to be landing. Also, the air temperature was well above freezing at this point and sunny, so I decided it was safe to land.
Turning final put us right over the Dan River.
Final to runway 2 at Danville (DAN)Once we landed, we taxied back to runway 2 without getting out, and made our way back south in the direction of TTA. Once airborne, I contacted Washington Center and, once again, requested flight following. Shortly after radar contact was confirmed we were handed off to Raleigh Approach for the remainder of the flight. We initially climbed to 5,500', but were asked by the controller to descend to 4,500' for traffic. I assume because my route took me through the approach path into the active runways at RDU. I was happy to comply.
It was a gorgeous day. Really clear with the exception of a haze layer (picture below). The cold clear air and the snow on the ground really made for a nice view. Can't wait for the next trip.
Beautiful day
The top of the haze layer is really visible in this picture
Mapleview Farms (good ice-cream)
Steam rising through the haze from the Sharon Harris Nuclear Power Plant,
probably 30 miles away from it when this picture was taken.
Final to runway 3 at Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA)
It was a gorgeous day. Really clear with the exception of a haze layer (picture below). The cold clear air and the snow on the ground really made for a nice view. Can't wait for the next trip.
Beautiful day
The top of the haze layer is really visible in this picture
Mapleview Farms (good ice-cream)
Steam rising through the haze from the Sharon Harris Nuclear Power Plant,probably 30 miles away from it when this picture was taken.
Final to runway 3 at Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
New flying pictures uploaded to Flickr
New pictures from my last flight. This was my first time flying into a snow covered airport. Raleigh Executive (TTA) to Danville Regional (DAN). It was great. Check them out!
Flight details coming soon.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA) to Henderson Oxford Airport (HNZ) and back
A couple of weeks ago I took my friend Jeremiah flying. I wanted to fly him over some familiar areas, and of course wanted some cross country time, so I decided to take him to the Henderson-Oxford Airport (HNZ). I fly out of The Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA), and rent a plane from the club I belong to, Wings of Carolina Flying Club. Flying from TTA to HNZ took us right over both of our houses in Durham.
Our route - red is going, blue is coming back
Here's Jeremiah's serious face
I don't get to fly nearly as much as I'd like to, but I do try to go often enough to where I feel safe. The goal is once or twice a month, with at least one of them being cross country. But, since I don't get to very much, I like to start each trip with one time around the pattern.
The weather was great, really high broken cirrus clouds, light and variable wind at TTA, and cool; perfect day for some VFR. The calm wind runway at TTA is 3, so we cranked the engine, made our call and taxied out to runway 3. There were other planes in the pattern, so we had to wait momentarily for the runway to clear. When clear, we taxied out and announced "closed traffic".
Takeoff was relatively uneventful, as was the rest of the pattern. The pattern at TTA provides a great view of the southern end of Jordan Lake, as well as the Sharon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. We turned crosswind, downwind, base, and then set up on final for a touch and go. The landing was smooth enough (I didn't "grease" it, but also didn't slam anything on the ground). Once I "cleaned it up", which includes raising the flaps and confirming again that the mixture is rich and carb heat is off, I opened the throttle, took off again, and began our climb to 4,500 feet MSL. This time, we were heading to HNZ.
The last time I went to HNZ, Raleigh Approach routed me around the Class C airspace. They didn't tell me to remain clear this time, but I had already planed to go around the western side so I went with that plan. The route took us north over Chapel Hill and then north east over Durham. We went a little further north than we needed to so Jeremiah could see his house. From there, we went up to HNZ.
Chapel Hill
Jeremiah's House (aka "the farm")
The landing at HNZ was good. We entered on the pattern from the 45 degree entry to the upwind, then followed the pattern around the crosswind, downwind, base and then final to runway 6. The landing was very similar as the touch and go earlier, smooth enough, but not perfect. After landing, we decided to taxi right back to the end of the runway for take-off, instead of stopping to get out. So, we taxied back and performed a normal take-off, also from runway 6.
The trip back was good. The sun was beginning to set, which made for some great views. I love the view from a plane, it's the best view in the world. I'd love to make the cockpit my office, but that's a whole different story.
Man that's awesome
Anyway, we flew out over my house on the way back. Emily was outside and actually saw us fly over, which was cool.
My neighborhood, Emily was down there!
We went back towards Chapel Hill and then south to TTA. I wondered if the controller thought I had any idea how to navigate. He didn't tell me to remain clear of the Class C airspace, but I did anyway. At one point he asked me if I needed vectors to TTA, which I responded by saying that I decided and planned to remain clear of the airspace. That seemed to be a sufficient enough answer for him.
Durham looking east
About 10 miles out I reported TTA in sight. The controller cleared me to switch frequencies and code 1200 into the transponder. There was plenty of traffic both in the pattern and nearby so I decided to point myself towards a well known landmark to TTA pilots, the 3M plant. Beginning pattern entry from the 3M plant puts you in perfect position to enter the downwind from 45 degrees. Plus, it's a good landmark to announce where you are because mostly everyone else in the area is familiar with it.
As I turned final I decided to show off a little and showed Jeremiah the pilot controlled lighting. If anyone asked why I used the lighting, my plan was to say the sun was getting a little low and I felt the need for lights. I clicked the radio 7 times and the lights burned bright. Jeremiah thought it was pretty cool, as do I. I don't fly much at all at night, so seeing the lights on is a bit of a bonus for me as well.
The landing was good, we cleared the runway and taxied back to the south ramp on taxiway alpha. At shutdown, total time was 1.8 hours cross country. Better than zero!
Our route - red is going, blue is coming back
Here's Jeremiah's serious faceI don't get to fly nearly as much as I'd like to, but I do try to go often enough to where I feel safe. The goal is once or twice a month, with at least one of them being cross country. But, since I don't get to very much, I like to start each trip with one time around the pattern.
The weather was great, really high broken cirrus clouds, light and variable wind at TTA, and cool; perfect day for some VFR. The calm wind runway at TTA is 3, so we cranked the engine, made our call and taxied out to runway 3. There were other planes in the pattern, so we had to wait momentarily for the runway to clear. When clear, we taxied out and announced "closed traffic".
Takeoff was relatively uneventful, as was the rest of the pattern. The pattern at TTA provides a great view of the southern end of Jordan Lake, as well as the Sharon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. We turned crosswind, downwind, base, and then set up on final for a touch and go. The landing was smooth enough (I didn't "grease" it, but also didn't slam anything on the ground). Once I "cleaned it up", which includes raising the flaps and confirming again that the mixture is rich and carb heat is off, I opened the throttle, took off again, and began our climb to 4,500 feet MSL. This time, we were heading to HNZ.
The last time I went to HNZ, Raleigh Approach routed me around the Class C airspace. They didn't tell me to remain clear this time, but I had already planed to go around the western side so I went with that plan. The route took us north over Chapel Hill and then north east over Durham. We went a little further north than we needed to so Jeremiah could see his house. From there, we went up to HNZ.
Chapel Hill
Jeremiah's House (aka "the farm")The landing at HNZ was good. We entered on the pattern from the 45 degree entry to the upwind, then followed the pattern around the crosswind, downwind, base and then final to runway 6. The landing was very similar as the touch and go earlier, smooth enough, but not perfect. After landing, we decided to taxi right back to the end of the runway for take-off, instead of stopping to get out. So, we taxied back and performed a normal take-off, also from runway 6.
The trip back was good. The sun was beginning to set, which made for some great views. I love the view from a plane, it's the best view in the world. I'd love to make the cockpit my office, but that's a whole different story.
Man that's awesomeAnyway, we flew out over my house on the way back. Emily was outside and actually saw us fly over, which was cool.
My neighborhood, Emily was down there!We went back towards Chapel Hill and then south to TTA. I wondered if the controller thought I had any idea how to navigate. He didn't tell me to remain clear of the Class C airspace, but I did anyway. At one point he asked me if I needed vectors to TTA, which I responded by saying that I decided and planned to remain clear of the airspace. That seemed to be a sufficient enough answer for him.
Durham looking eastAbout 10 miles out I reported TTA in sight. The controller cleared me to switch frequencies and code 1200 into the transponder. There was plenty of traffic both in the pattern and nearby so I decided to point myself towards a well known landmark to TTA pilots, the 3M plant. Beginning pattern entry from the 3M plant puts you in perfect position to enter the downwind from 45 degrees. Plus, it's a good landmark to announce where you are because mostly everyone else in the area is familiar with it.
As I turned final I decided to show off a little and showed Jeremiah the pilot controlled lighting. If anyone asked why I used the lighting, my plan was to say the sun was getting a little low and I felt the need for lights. I clicked the radio 7 times and the lights burned bright. Jeremiah thought it was pretty cool, as do I. I don't fly much at all at night, so seeing the lights on is a bit of a bonus for me as well.
The landing was good, we cleared the runway and taxied back to the south ramp on taxiway alpha. At shutdown, total time was 1.8 hours cross country. Better than zero!
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