We made it back to Columbus! We were ahead of schedule, and managed a wheels-up time of about 8:30AM. The folks at Landmark got the plane out of the grass for us so we wouldn't have to risk a prop strike and parked it right in front of the FBO. We made sure our flight plan was on file and correct, and we departed behind an experimental aircraft.
We climbed to 8,000 to clear the mountains, and it was smooth sailing until about 50 miles from Columbus. We were hearing reports that the haze was pretty nasty, and that pilots were actually shooting approaches into Port Columbus. The approach controllers at Port told us to intercept the localizer and follow it in to 28L. They held us at 8,000 until about 25 miles out, at which point we had to descend rather quickly to get down to the approach altitude. We got the glide slope, and flew the ILS into Port.
After a bouncy landing, we taxied to Lane Aviation and parked. I jumped out and got my stuff, and swapped with Jann's husband. They're continuing on to St. Louis for their grandchild's birthday party. Lots of flying for Jann!
Time to unpack, get some food, and do some LAUNDRY!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Fun in Frederick, MD
Jann and I left for the airport at 10:30AM this morning. The airport was having an "Airport Appreciation Day" from 10:00AM - 2:00PM, so there were a lot planes, helicopters, gliders, booths, and displays. Jann and I both took our intro flights in the Robinson 22 and had a lot of fun. I was just fine with straight and level flight, turning, climbing and descending, but kind of stunk at hovering. Didn't crash, and the instructor wasn't traumatized after we were finished, so life was good!Jann and I poked around the displays while waiting for her friend, and looked at all of the different airplanes. I told Jann that she needs a little Pitts Special to stick under the wing of her C182 in the hangar, after she gets the floats for the C182 of course.
We grabbed some ice cream for lunch and headed into the Landmark Aviation FBO to check weather and to grab a snooze in the sleep room. The weather looks good for a morning departure tomorrow, but we'll have some winds and clouds to deal with when we get into Columbus. Nothing too crazy, since we'll be filing IFR.Jann's friend found us, and we walked her and her family out to the plane to show them around. The kids really got a kick out of "Aunt Perky's Plane." We then all packed into the family minivan and headed out to dinner and back to the hotel.
After arriving at the hotel, we had to track down the airplane keys. We have an extra set, but we had to submit one set for airplane impounding. That turned out to be an ordeal. Thankfully, we got that all squared away and we'll be picking the keys up tomorrow (and submitting our suggestions for future races!) for a 9:00AM departure.
I forgot to mention in a previous post that at the Meltdown Party, I sat with a gentleman who looked very familiar to me. I'm sitting next to him and thinking, "Where have I seen this guy? I'm not THAT tired from flying . . . maybe everyone is starting to look familiar to me? Maybe I'm losing it?" I finally asked him where he works. He told me that he works for AOPA in the magazine division. AHA! It was Tom Horne who writes the "Waypoints" article for the AOPA Pilot magazine each month. I had a fun conversation with him and his family. Very nice people.I found the link to the news clip. The whole thing won't load on my computer, but a friend assures me that there is nothing incriminating in it, and that I don't look like too much of a ding-dong. You can find it here.
Open Day!
There is nothing major scheduled for today, so Jann and I are going to take it easy. By taking it easy, I mean that Jann and I have both signed up for helicopter lessons! We are going to head back out to the airport around 10:30AM with another racer to take some lessons in a Robinson 22. Assuming we (and by we, I mean I) don't crash, we are then going to meet up with some of Jann's friends and head downtown. Frederick has a historic area, so we'll poke around there for a bit and then grab some dinner.
Score sheet signing is today, but the schedule is all bungled up, so if they really want our signatures on a non-competition class score sheet, they can come find me. I'm not missing my chance to zoom around in a helicopter because someone screwed up the schedule!
Score sheet signing is today, but the schedule is all bungled up, so if they really want our signatures on a non-competition class score sheet, they can come find me. I'm not missing my chance to zoom around in a helicopter because someone screwed up the schedule!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Elkhart, IN - Parkersburg, WV - Frederick, MD
We made it! We have arrived in Frederick, MD!
We departed Elkhart around 8:30AM this morning enroute to Parkersburg. It was hazy, but no significant cloud layers or weather activity. We crossed through Ohio State's practice area and said good morning to Alex and everyone else out practicing. We cruised at 5,500 and picked up VFR flight following from Port Columbus. Right around Port Columbus, we started to see a cloud layer building up at 5,500. We had to do a little bit of ducking and weaving until we got to Parkersburg. We decided to not land at Parkersburg and continue straight on to Frederick.
We did the flyby to continue at Parkersburg, and started the climb to 7,500 to clear the mountains. We had to dodge more clouds, but eventually got on top. Right about then, Jann noticed that the SFRA around Washington had turned red, like a TFR. We weren't sure what that meant, and I really wasn't in the mood to be escorted, so we decided to call a Flight Service Station. Well, there is a lack of communication outlets in West Virginia, so I did the fun trick of calling them up over a VOR. You could tell that the lady on the other end was really surprised to hear from us. We inquired about the status of the Camp David prohibited area and the Washington SFRA, and she assured us that they were in their normal statuses.
We still didn't like it, so we picked up VFR flight following into Frederick. I got to talk to Washington Center and Potomac Approach! Exciting! We cleared the mountains and started the descent into Frederick.
About 5 miles out from the flyby, we hit nasty turbulence. I whacked my head on the ceiling and my headset got all messed up. It hurt! I didn't have any time to worry about it, because I was 5 miles from having to do a full-throttle flyby at 300' AGL. We did the flyby beautifully and circled to land.
I didn't have enough time and/or space to slow down, so my first approach had us coming over the threshold at about 130 knots. No good. I went for the go-around, and the next time was much nicer.
On the ground, all of the racers
are parked in a single line about (I kid you not) one mile long. It's insane. The airport is also incredibly busy, with flight training, jets, helicopters, and the racers.
When we parked, the ground crew warned us that the news wanted to talk to us. Ruh-roh. As soon as we popped the door open, a news crew was there. I felt bad for Jann, because I was in the left seat at the moment and the crew was interviewing me like it was my plane! I felt like a yammering idiot because I had just done two legs, a flyby, go-around, landing, and taxiing, and my brains were a little cooked. She told me that they had filmed us flying around the airport (ruh-roh again), so you may be able to find a clip of me on YouTube balking a landing and then stammering my fool head off. Fun!
The flyby wasn't as nearly as scary as the ride over to the hotel. Our driver was from New Jersey. I thought we were going to die. Swerving, weaving, slamming of brakes, yelling . . . yikes. We made it OK, though, and now we are at the hotel and trying to figure out if we have any required events this evening. I think there is some sort of party we need to go to, in addition to a film screening, and maybe something else. I haven't quite gotten that far yet. I would like to go back to the airport and see the AOPA building and find out if there is anything interesting to see in town.
We departed Elkhart around 8:30AM this morning enroute to Parkersburg. It was hazy, but no significant cloud layers or weather activity. We crossed through Ohio State's practice area and said good morning to Alex and everyone else out practicing. We cruised at 5,500 and picked up VFR flight following from Port Columbus. Right around Port Columbus, we started to see a cloud layer building up at 5,500. We had to do a little bit of ducking and weaving until we got to Parkersburg. We decided to not land at Parkersburg and continue straight on to Frederick.
We did the flyby to continue at Parkersburg, and started the climb to 7,500 to clear the mountains. We had to dodge more clouds, but eventually got on top. Right about then, Jann noticed that the SFRA around Washington had turned red, like a TFR. We weren't sure what that meant, and I really wasn't in the mood to be escorted, so we decided to call a Flight Service Station. Well, there is a lack of communication outlets in West Virginia, so I did the fun trick of calling them up over a VOR. You could tell that the lady on the other end was really surprised to hear from us. We inquired about the status of the Camp David prohibited area and the Washington SFRA, and she assured us that they were in their normal statuses.
We still didn't like it, so we picked up VFR flight following into Frederick. I got to talk to Washington Center and Potomac Approach! Exciting! We cleared the mountains and started the descent into Frederick.
About 5 miles out from the flyby, we hit nasty turbulence. I whacked my head on the ceiling and my headset got all messed up. It hurt! I didn't have any time to worry about it, because I was 5 miles from having to do a full-throttle flyby at 300' AGL. We did the flyby beautifully and circled to land.
I didn't have enough time and/or space to slow down, so my first approach had us coming over the threshold at about 130 knots. No good. I went for the go-around, and the next time was much nicer.
On the ground, all of the racers
are parked in a single line about (I kid you not) one mile long. It's insane. The airport is also incredibly busy, with flight training, jets, helicopters, and the racers.When we parked, the ground crew warned us that the news wanted to talk to us. Ruh-roh. As soon as we popped the door open, a news crew was there. I felt bad for Jann, because I was in the left seat at the moment and the crew was interviewing me like it was my plane! I felt like a yammering idiot because I had just done two legs, a flyby, go-around, landing, and taxiing, and my brains were a little cooked. She told me that they had filmed us flying around the airport (ruh-roh again), so you may be able to find a clip of me on YouTube balking a landing and then stammering my fool head off. Fun!
The flyby wasn't as nearly as scary as the ride over to the hotel. Our driver was from New Jersey. I thought we were going to die. Swerving, weaving, slamming of brakes, yelling . . . yikes. We made it OK, though, and now we are at the hotel and trying to figure out if we have any required events this evening. I think there is some sort of party we need to go to, in addition to a film screening, and maybe something else. I haven't quite gotten that far yet. I would like to go back to the airport and see the AOPA building and find out if there is anything interesting to see in town.
Departing for Parkersburg and Frederick
We are all packed and ready to depart for Parkersburg and Frederick. The weather looks good, and we should have no trouble getting in. We may not even have to stop for fuel in Parkersburg!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Preparing for Departure Tomorrow
We had a good time at the barbecue. The local EAA chapter didn't tell us that we were the evening program, but it was a good time. Most of the chapter members didn't know a whole lot about the race, so Jann and I stood up and gave a talk and answered questions. The local 99's chapter was there also, and everyone was very friendly, nice, and helpful. They had homemade peach cobbler in an iron kettle over coals and homemade ice cream. I am going to sleep well tonight!
The word on the street is that many of the planes that departed this morning had to get IFR clearances in the air, thus disqualifying them from the race. The low ceilings were forcing them to go dangerously low, so they opted to go IFR rather than hit a mountain. Good choice.
Looking on the ARC website, it seems as if the majority of the teams have made it to Frederick, MD already. The rest of the teams are scattered around the other airports. I believe there are six teams here in Elkhart.
If you are wanting to listen to the arrivals into Frederick, you can get them from LiveATC here: http://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kfdk. My guess is that most teams will be arriving in the late morning/early afternoon. The deadline to arrive in Frederick is 5:00PM tomorrow. We are planning to be wheels up by 9:00AM at the latest, so we should have a few hours of cushion to get there.
The weather for tomorrow looks fantastic. We may have a slight headwind, but nothing drastic. Skies are forecasted to be generally clear, with maybe a few or scattered layer at or around 4,000. I think that haze or morning mist may be a slight factor for the first leg, but nothing really crazy. It should all be burnt off by the time we get to Parkersburg.
Another benefit of hanging around for a day is that the crazies have gone on ahead! We should have lots and lots of room now to do our flybys, get fuel, and do our flybys to restart. No more airplanes on top off/next to/under us when we get to airports! Other than all of the ugly airspace around Frederick, MD, stress factors should be much lower on these two legs. Add to that a free dinner, a free hangar for two nights, free transportation, and we are sitting pretty!
We are going to fly high tomorrow, probably around 5,500 or 7,500 feet. For Ohio, the altitude is not that critical, but once we pass Parkersburg, we have some mountains to consider. Jann and I were speaking with a pilot that learned to fly in that area of West Virginia, and she said that she never flies over the mountains any lower than 7,500 on account of the mountain rotor activity. We are going to take her advice and climb up to 7,500 before we get near the mountains. That will also keep us on top of all of the class D airspaces between Parkersburg and Frederick. We want to keep it as simple as possible so we don't get into a conflict with Camp David or the Washington SFRA. I do not want to be escorted down.
Fun fact: the Washington SFRA is pronounced "suffer." A pilot from the area told me that. I thought that was pretty funny!
I was giving other racers a heads-up about OSU's practice area and the Columbus class C airspace. I wonder if the Columbus approach controllers' heads were spinning off their shoulders today! I think we will overfly them or ask them if we can transition through for tomorrow.
Time to pack up and go to bed. I don't want to be a zombie like I was this morning!
The word on the street is that many of the planes that departed this morning had to get IFR clearances in the air, thus disqualifying them from the race. The low ceilings were forcing them to go dangerously low, so they opted to go IFR rather than hit a mountain. Good choice.
Looking on the ARC website, it seems as if the majority of the teams have made it to Frederick, MD already. The rest of the teams are scattered around the other airports. I believe there are six teams here in Elkhart.
If you are wanting to listen to the arrivals into Frederick, you can get them from LiveATC here: http://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kfdk. My guess is that most teams will be arriving in the late morning/early afternoon. The deadline to arrive in Frederick is 5:00PM tomorrow. We are planning to be wheels up by 9:00AM at the latest, so we should have a few hours of cushion to get there.
The weather for tomorrow looks fantastic. We may have a slight headwind, but nothing drastic. Skies are forecasted to be generally clear, with maybe a few or scattered layer at or around 4,000. I think that haze or morning mist may be a slight factor for the first leg, but nothing really crazy. It should all be burnt off by the time we get to Parkersburg.
Another benefit of hanging around for a day is that the crazies have gone on ahead! We should have lots and lots of room now to do our flybys, get fuel, and do our flybys to restart. No more airplanes on top off/next to/under us when we get to airports! Other than all of the ugly airspace around Frederick, MD, stress factors should be much lower on these two legs. Add to that a free dinner, a free hangar for two nights, free transportation, and we are sitting pretty!
We are going to fly high tomorrow, probably around 5,500 or 7,500 feet. For Ohio, the altitude is not that critical, but once we pass Parkersburg, we have some mountains to consider. Jann and I were speaking with a pilot that learned to fly in that area of West Virginia, and she said that she never flies over the mountains any lower than 7,500 on account of the mountain rotor activity. We are going to take her advice and climb up to 7,500 before we get near the mountains. That will also keep us on top of all of the class D airspaces between Parkersburg and Frederick. We want to keep it as simple as possible so we don't get into a conflict with Camp David or the Washington SFRA. I do not want to be escorted down.
Fun fact: the Washington SFRA is pronounced "suffer." A pilot from the area told me that. I thought that was pretty funny!
I was giving other racers a heads-up about OSU's practice area and the Columbus class C airspace. I wonder if the Columbus approach controllers' heads were spinning off their shoulders today! I think we will overfly them or ask them if we can transition through for tomorrow.
Time to pack up and go to bed. I don't want to be a zombie like I was this morning!
Well, Would You Look at That?
This is the reason we elected to stay. See that line of storms? Sitting right over Parkersburg and working its way to Frederick? How about that?
I pulled a TAF (terminal aerodrome forecast) near Frederick, and they are calling for thunderstorms with heavy rain and wind up to 45 knots. Now that the front has gotten ahead of us, we could probably follow it out, but why bother when tomorrow is supposed to be clear skies?
I had forgotten to mention in my previous post that none of the aircraft were damaged from the storm, even the ones that were left out. Some did get loose from their tie-downs, but all they did was spin around a bit. The control tower had no power this morning, so they were using hand radios and trying to organize the people departing. It has not been a good couple of days for them!
The people here in Elkhart have been awesome. We hooked up with an EAA guy at the airport who let us use his hangar, and he has been shuttling us back and forth from the airport. The local 99's chapter has also been fantastic. They've been shuttling people back and forth and providing snacks and goodies. Everyone we've met here in Elkhart has been super friendly and helpful.
Time to hit the pool and then off to a barbecue party!
Waiting it Out in Elkhart, IN
We are still on the ground in Elkhart. The ceiling this morning was very low with scud and rain. It was MVFR at best. Here is the current METAR:
KEKM 241355Z 30007KT 10SM BKN013 BKN023 OVC029 20/17 A3003 RMK AO2
It's still not very good. Yeah, you can probably get out (and many aircraft have already departed), but there are forecasted thunderstorms for both Parkersburg and Frederick. Frederick is supposed to have severe thunderstorms. They are all popping off of the cold front that we beat in last night. I don't particularly see a good reason why we should be chasing the cold front if we are a day ahead, so we are going to wait it out here for today. If it improves drastically, then we'll go.
Tomorrow's forecast is showing a high pressure area and sunny skies all the way out to Frederick. We may get into some haze, especially as we get into Parkersburg, but at least we won't have to worry about thunderstorms or low ceilings. I don't want to get squeezed into a mountain.
My big plan for today is to go back to bed, jump in the pool, grab a shower, and go to a barbecue that the local EAA chapter is putting on at the airport. I'll do our flight planning in there somewhere when I can think straight again. I can't speak for Jann, but I am still worn out from yesterday. Jann says that when you are still tired enough in the morning that even dressing is difficult, then you are certainly not safe to fly so a day to relax and catch up on sleep is definitely in order. My vote is also for tomorrow's blue skies (forecasted).
KEKM 241355Z 30007KT 10SM BKN013 BKN023 OVC029 20/17 A3003 RMK AO2
It's still not very good. Yeah, you can probably get out (and many aircraft have already departed), but there are forecasted thunderstorms for both Parkersburg and Frederick. Frederick is supposed to have severe thunderstorms. They are all popping off of the cold front that we beat in last night. I don't particularly see a good reason why we should be chasing the cold front if we are a day ahead, so we are going to wait it out here for today. If it improves drastically, then we'll go.
Tomorrow's forecast is showing a high pressure area and sunny skies all the way out to Frederick. We may get into some haze, especially as we get into Parkersburg, but at least we won't have to worry about thunderstorms or low ceilings. I don't want to get squeezed into a mountain.
My big plan for today is to go back to bed, jump in the pool, grab a shower, and go to a barbecue that the local EAA chapter is putting on at the airport. I'll do our flight planning in there somewhere when I can think straight again. I can't speak for Jann, but I am still worn out from yesterday. Jann says that when you are still tired enough in the morning that even dressing is difficult, then you are certainly not safe to fly so a day to relax and catch up on sleep is definitely in order. My vote is also for tomorrow's blue skies (forecasted).
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Hot Springs, AR - Cameron, MO - Carbondale, IL - Elkhart, IN
We are on the ground in Elkhart, Indiana! For those of you that have been watching the weather, we are all in one piece and the plane is hangared. Assuming the hangar hasn't blown away, we should be fine. More on that later.
The departure from Hot Springs was a little hairy. There was a Falcon behind us on departure (a jet) that kept asking us where we were at. I'm thinking to myself, "Friend, you are a Falcon. You can outclimb us. What seems to be the issue?" He was all hot and bothered about us departing. And guess what? We were no factor. Off to Cameron!
There isn't a whole lot to see on that leg and it was very hazy, so not a lot of pictures from there. Cameron is a single runway uncontrolled field with no weather station. Which leads me to my next point: altimeter settings.
Jann and I saw a shining example of this in Hot Springs. Along the way, the altimeter setting continued to change. We updated accordingly. We fly by, we land, and everything is peachy. Suddenly, we hear this screaming engine. We turn, and there is a racer, doing a flyby at (I kid you not!) 20' AGL off the runway. Yikes. They were so low, you could see the plane get into ground effect from the ramp. They didn't crash, and I'm not sure where they are at now.
The altimeter monster was back at Cameron. We had been checking weather stations in the area, and the altimeter settings were very widely varied. We didn't like the spread, so we called the field and informed that we would not be doing the flyby, but to get our time "wheels on." We would take a hit on time, but who cares? There are obstructions around the airport, and I don't want to smack into them.
After we landed and got into the conga line for fuel, I talked with a few other racers. Each conversation went something like this:
M: What did you think about the spread of altimeter settings?
Racer: I know! That's crazy! I heard you do wheels-on timing! You know that's bad for your time, right?
M: . . . Yes. But safety comes first, right?
Racer: Well, I just want to get a good time! I flew off of one of my three GPS altitudes! They didn't agree with each other, but I wanted a good time!
Jann and I waited for fuel for 1.5 hours at Cameron. They didn't have a truck; only a self-serve fuel pump. Ouch. So I sat and judged how low everyone was on the flyby. That particular flyby was supposed to be 200' AGL. Some were at 50', some were at 300'. Interesting. After we got fuel, it was off to Carbondale!
Carbondale is a towered airport, and I was expecting more insanity like we had in Tuscaloosa. I have to take my hat off to the controller at Carbondale. He was a pro. We were vectored in, did the flyby (perfectly, I might add), and turned right in for a crosswind to landing. Not once did I feel unsafe, rushed, or forgotten. I should also mention that this guy was also working ground. There were approximately 4 planes in the pattern with us, 5 waiting to depart, and about 3 or 4 waiting to taxi. He was AWESOME!
Jann and I checked the weather in the FBO. We saw a line of storms, but they were far out and moving at 30kts. Seemed easy enough to beat. We got our fuel, said our goodbyes to the awesome controller, and were off again!
There were more interesting things to see on the way to Elkhart. Wind turbines, power plants, rivers . . . much m
ore entertaining. My eyeballs were glued to the NEXRAD radar watching that storm that had looked so innocuous on the ground. It had picked up speed and strength and was cooking in toward Elkhart. Jann and I had originally planned to go around some MOAs, but I didn't want to waste the time, so I called up Chicago Center and made sure it was cold to cross through. Chicago Center was totally intrigued about us racing, and gave us the go-ahead to go on through.
We were getting a really good tailwind from the storm, so we pressed on the Elkhart. The poor controller was overloaded, and got us confused with a plane 1 mile behind us. Very scary. We became one airplane to him, but I straightened him out. We landed and taxied to parking. There, we found an interesting situation.
The weather had really picked up steam and was throwing hail and tornadoes. It was about one hour to the west of us, and there wasn't enough hangar space for all of the planes that had landed. Jann and I stayed with the plane and made SURE that it was in a hangar before we left the airport. At the hotel, the tornado warnings started going off. We headed to the basement and camped out for awhile until we got the all clear. And here we are now!
We would like to press on to Parkersburg, WV and then on to Frederick, MD tomorrow, but I'm not sure if the weather will cooperate. I'm going to have to check in the morning. We're both so tired, we are even saving the route planning until tomorrow. Missing dinner to take care of the plane and wait out the tornado warning hasn't helped the brain fog either. A good night's sleep...
The departure from Hot Springs was a little hairy. There was a Falcon behind us on departure (a jet) that kept asking us where we were at. I'm thinking to myself, "Friend, you are a Falcon. You can outclimb us. What seems to be the issue?" He was all hot and bothered about us departing. And guess what? We were no factor. Off to Cameron!
There isn't a whole lot to see on that leg and it was very hazy, so not a lot of pictures from there. Cameron is a single runway uncontrolled field with no weather station. Which leads me to my next point: altimeter settings.
Jann and I saw a shining example of this in Hot Springs. Along the way, the altimeter setting continued to change. We updated accordingly. We fly by, we land, and everything is peachy. Suddenly, we hear this screaming engine. We turn, and there is a racer, doing a flyby at (I kid you not!) 20' AGL off the runway. Yikes. They were so low, you could see the plane get into ground effect from the ramp. They didn't crash, and I'm not sure where they are at now.
The altimeter monster was back at Cameron. We had been checking weather stations in the area, and the altimeter settings were very widely varied. We didn't like the spread, so we called the field and informed that we would not be doing the flyby, but to get our time "wheels on." We would take a hit on time, but who cares? There are obstructions around the airport, and I don't want to smack into them.
After we landed and got into the conga line for fuel, I talked with a few other racers. Each conversation went something like this:
M: What did you think about the spread of altimeter settings?
Racer: I know! That's crazy! I heard you do wheels-on timing! You know that's bad for your time, right?
M: . . . Yes. But safety comes first, right?
Racer: Well, I just want to get a good time! I flew off of one of my three GPS altitudes! They didn't agree with each other, but I wanted a good time!
Jann and I waited for fuel for 1.5 hours at Cameron. They didn't have a truck; only a self-serve fuel pump. Ouch. So I sat and judged how low everyone was on the flyby. That particular flyby was supposed to be 200' AGL. Some were at 50', some were at 300'. Interesting. After we got fuel, it was off to Carbondale!Carbondale is a towered airport, and I was expecting more insanity like we had in Tuscaloosa. I have to take my hat off to the controller at Carbondale. He was a pro. We were vectored in, did the flyby (perfectly, I might add), and turned right in for a crosswind to landing. Not once did I feel unsafe, rushed, or forgotten. I should also mention that this guy was also working ground. There were approximately 4 planes in the pattern with us, 5 waiting to depart, and about 3 or 4 waiting to taxi. He was AWESOME!
Jann and I checked the weather in the FBO. We saw a line of storms, but they were far out and moving at 30kts. Seemed easy enough to beat. We got our fuel, said our goodbyes to the awesome controller, and were off again!
There were more interesting things to see on the way to Elkhart. Wind turbines, power plants, rivers . . . much m
ore entertaining. My eyeballs were glued to the NEXRAD radar watching that storm that had looked so innocuous on the ground. It had picked up speed and strength and was cooking in toward Elkhart. Jann and I had originally planned to go around some MOAs, but I didn't want to waste the time, so I called up Chicago Center and made sure it was cold to cross through. Chicago Center was totally intrigued about us racing, and gave us the go-ahead to go on through.We were getting a really good tailwind from the storm, so we pressed on the Elkhart. The poor controller was overloaded, and got us confused with a plane 1 mile behind us. Very scary. We became one airplane to him, but I straightened him out. We landed and taxied to parking. There, we found an interesting situation.
The weather had really picked up steam and was throwing hail and tornadoes. It was about one hour to the west of us, and there wasn't enough hangar space for all of the planes that had landed. Jann and I stayed with the plane and made SURE that it was in a hangar before we left the airport. At the hotel, the tornado warnings started going off. We headed to the basement and camped out for awhile until we got the all clear. And here we are now!
We would like to press on to Parkersburg, WV and then on to Frederick, MD tomorrow, but I'm not sure if the weather will cooperate. I'm going to have to check in the morning. We're both so tired, we are even saving the route planning until tomorrow. Missing dinner to take care of the plane and wait out the tornado warning hasn't helped the brain fog either. A good night's sleep...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Fort Myers, FL - Waycross, GA - Tuscaloosa, AL - Hot Springs, AR
We departed Fort Myers today. Oh man, talk about craziness. All of the planes departed at once from the field with about 30 second spacing. Well, each aircraft was supposed to call ground and say their racer number, the ATIS, and ask permission to taxi. Each aircraft was supposed to call in order (i.e. five calls before six and so on). Well, apparently that was too difficult for some people to understand. Chaos ensued. Nothing like taxiing around at a towered field with no clearances or permission! We were denied flight following due to controller workload, so it was straight VFR. Jann and I knew the other racers were going to stay low (in Florida, ~500' MSL), so we went high to get out of the way. We picked 6500 for our altitude. We were able to see everyone jockeying for position waaaaay below us. There is a common air-to-air frequency for the racers (122.75), and we were listening in. Since Jann and I had kind of been bullied earlier, we decided to mess with peoples' heads.
There was Lakeland's airspace along the direct route, so we decided to give them a "courtesy call" and let them know we were overflying their airspace. Since the other racers were on Lakeland's frequency to request transitions (and to listen in on other racer's altitudes), we called up. It went something like this:
21: Lakeland Tower, Classic Racer 21 will be overflying your airspace at 6,500 feet.
LT: . . . Say again your altitude?
21: 6,500 feet.
LT: Well, you are well above our airspace. Altimeter setting is 30.11.
21: Thank you!
We then listened in on the air-to-air frequency. Hilarity ensued. There was a brief pause in the constant chatter as everyone thought that we were on to something. Quite funny. I think a few of them actually started to climb up to see what we were up to(they were all basically scudrunning). Ha!
Everything was fine and dandy, until we got close to the first flyby. Since everyone was all clumped up, lots of aircraft were trying to attempt the flyby at once. And land after the flyby. At a single runway airport. We were on the flyby (at 300' AGL), and an aircraft called downwind. I was just waiting for them to turn into us as we zipped in for the flyby. They held off, and we continued on to Douglas for fuel. We stopped at a non-race stop for fuel because we didn't want to get caught in the madness on the ground at Waycross. Good choice. It was then on to Tuscaloosa.
Once again, enroute was pretty uneventful. However, MANY racers failed to notice in their planning that there was a big blob of restricted airspace right along the GPS direct route. How dumb do you have to be to punch in GPS direct and not even look at the route?!? So, they go punching right through it. It turned out to be an Army base that had C130 activity and parachuting going on as the race was passing through. The controller at the base was very kind, and got on the air-to-air and requested that people STAY OUT OF THE RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. Well, racers got right on the horn and started arguing. Again, how dumb do you have to be? Jann and I had briefed the route and chosen points that routed us around the airspace. It took more than two strokes on the GPS to get the route in, but guess what? No fear of being escorted out of the airspace! Listening on the air-to-air, people were genuinely confused about the airspace. Yikes.
Once we got within range of Tuscaloosa's tower, all hell broke loose again. The controller was completely overwhelmed, and aircraft were being vectored into each other, cleared for landings and takeoffs on the same runways, and/or not acknowledged. Jann and I set up for the flyby, and immediately had to enter into a steep turn for traffic avoidance. After that adventure, we lined back up. I'm watching ahead and the altimeter, and I see a flash out the corner of my eye. A Cirrus came screaming from above us, dove in front of us, and knife-turned out of there. She wasn't talking to anyone, and completely cut us off. In controlled airspace! We were immediately turned onto base for a separate runway, so I had to go from full-throttle low flyby mode to "oh, let's setup and land" mode. Well, I did a no-flaps screaming fast landing, but it was very soft. And we were out of the hell that was that airspace. We got fuel, and had to taxi on out.
Departure was also interesting. The controller steered us into two other aircraft, and I had to enter a fast slip to get down to the appropriate altitude for the flyby. Meanwhile, the GPS is screaming at me for terrain alerts and there are aircraft zooming past me in every direction. I thought my hair was going to fall out. Then it was off to Hot Springs!
Cruise was very uneventful. I had a lot of time to learn how to breathe again, just in time for another flyby! This time, we couldn't find the airport. It was very hazy, and the airport is stuck between three large hills. We didn't see it until about 4 miles out. We commence the flyby, and another aircraft enters into a dual flyby with us. Fortunately, she knew what she was doing, and gave us plenty of room to maneuver and land. We entered into a downwind (in front of aircraft on the flyby, but that is becoming mundane at this point) and landed. The ramp was crazy, but we got the plane taken care of and got to the hotel. And here we are now!
I just finished looking at the weather for tomorrow, and thunderstorms and wind look to be factors. That can all change, but we'll be watching it closely. We would like to do three legs tomorrow (Hot Springs - Cameron, MO - Carbondale, IL - Elkhart, IN), but we are going to have to be flexible.
Oh, almost forgot to share some of my favorite radio calls from the air-to-air today.
*******************
Racer1: I have the V-Tail in sight.
Racer2: Are we a V-Tail?
Racer1: Are we an airplane?
(Racer 2 was serious . . .)
*******************
Racer1: The Army base requests that you stay at or above 2,500 in the vicinity of the base.
Racer2: What? I can't go direct?
Racer3: It's restricted airspace.
Racer2: I'm following my GPS!
*******************
Army base (to military aircraft): They're coming in droves! Five or more Cessnas at a time!
*******************
There was Lakeland's airspace along the direct route, so we decided to give them a "courtesy call" and let them know we were overflying their airspace. Since the other racers were on Lakeland's frequency to request transitions (and to listen in on other racer's altitudes), we called up. It went something like this:
21: Lakeland Tower, Classic Racer 21 will be overflying your airspace at 6,500 feet.
LT: . . . Say again your altitude?
21: 6,500 feet.
LT: Well, you are well above our airspace. Altimeter setting is 30.11.
21: Thank you!
We then listened in on the air-to-air frequency. Hilarity ensued. There was a brief pause in the constant chatter as everyone thought that we were on to something. Quite funny. I think a few of them actually started to climb up to see what we were up to(they were all basically scudrunning). Ha!
Everything was fine and dandy, until we got close to the first flyby. Since everyone was all clumped up, lots of aircraft were trying to attempt the flyby at once. And land after the flyby. At a single runway airport. We were on the flyby (at 300' AGL), and an aircraft called downwind. I was just waiting for them to turn into us as we zipped in for the flyby. They held off, and we continued on to Douglas for fuel. We stopped at a non-race stop for fuel because we didn't want to get caught in the madness on the ground at Waycross. Good choice. It was then on to Tuscaloosa.
Once again, enroute was pretty uneventful. However, MANY racers failed to notice in their planning that there was a big blob of restricted airspace right along the GPS direct route. How dumb do you have to be to punch in GPS direct and not even look at the route?!? So, they go punching right through it. It turned out to be an Army base that had C130 activity and parachuting going on as the race was passing through. The controller at the base was very kind, and got on the air-to-air and requested that people STAY OUT OF THE RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. Well, racers got right on the horn and started arguing. Again, how dumb do you have to be? Jann and I had briefed the route and chosen points that routed us around the airspace. It took more than two strokes on the GPS to get the route in, but guess what? No fear of being escorted out of the airspace! Listening on the air-to-air, people were genuinely confused about the airspace. Yikes.
Once we got within range of Tuscaloosa's tower, all hell broke loose again. The controller was completely overwhelmed, and aircraft were being vectored into each other, cleared for landings and takeoffs on the same runways, and/or not acknowledged. Jann and I set up for the flyby, and immediately had to enter into a steep turn for traffic avoidance. After that adventure, we lined back up. I'm watching ahead and the altimeter, and I see a flash out the corner of my eye. A Cirrus came screaming from above us, dove in front of us, and knife-turned out of there. She wasn't talking to anyone, and completely cut us off. In controlled airspace! We were immediately turned onto base for a separate runway, so I had to go from full-throttle low flyby mode to "oh, let's setup and land" mode. Well, I did a no-flaps screaming fast landing, but it was very soft. And we were out of the hell that was that airspace. We got fuel, and had to taxi on out.
Departure was also interesting. The controller steered us into two other aircraft, and I had to enter a fast slip to get down to the appropriate altitude for the flyby. Meanwhile, the GPS is screaming at me for terrain alerts and there are aircraft zooming past me in every direction. I thought my hair was going to fall out. Then it was off to Hot Springs!
Cruise was very uneventful. I had a lot of time to learn how to breathe again, just in time for another flyby! This time, we couldn't find the airport. It was very hazy, and the airport is stuck between three large hills. We didn't see it until about 4 miles out. We commence the flyby, and another aircraft enters into a dual flyby with us. Fortunately, she knew what she was doing, and gave us plenty of room to maneuver and land. We entered into a downwind (in front of aircraft on the flyby, but that is becoming mundane at this point) and landed. The ramp was crazy, but we got the plane taken care of and got to the hotel. And here we are now!
I just finished looking at the weather for tomorrow, and thunderstorms and wind look to be factors. That can all change, but we'll be watching it closely. We would like to do three legs tomorrow (Hot Springs - Cameron, MO - Carbondale, IL - Elkhart, IN), but we are going to have to be flexible.
Oh, almost forgot to share some of my favorite radio calls from the air-to-air today.
*******************
Racer1: I have the V-Tail in sight.
Racer2: Are we a V-Tail?
Racer1: Are we an airplane?
(Racer 2 was serious . . .)
*******************
Racer1: The Army base requests that you stay at or above 2,500 in the vicinity of the base.
Racer2: What? I can't go direct?
Racer3: It's restricted airspace.
Racer2: I'm following my GPS!
*******************
Army base (to military aircraft): They're coming in droves! Five or more Cessnas at a time!
*******************
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sanibel Island and Flight Planning
Our kayaking trip was canceled due to thunderstorms in and around the kayaking area. Since we were already at the Ding Darling (or as I kept calling it, Ding-a-Ling) Nature Preserve, we decided to drive around the car trail. Jann likes to bird watch, so we poked around for an hour or so looking for different birds. We saw some interesting critters and the weather was interesting to watch, so the evening was not a loss. I had the brilliant idea of going back a short walking trail. Why not, right? Well, I'll give you three guesses what comes out of the Florida bog around dusk. Mosquitoes. Millions of them. We decided to depart the trail "no delay" and get back to the car. I can't speak for Jann, but I am covered in mo
squito bites. I suppose they will entertain me on some of the cross country legs.After the nature preserve, we decided to drive to the end of Sanibel Island. We were looking for a beach to stick our feet in the water, and the first public beach we found was at the end of the island! We stuck our feet in, and headed back to the hotel to wrap up some flight planning and pack.
We just wrapped up our flight planning for the first three legs of the race. The legs run from Fort Myers, FL - Waycross, GA - Tuscaloosa, AL - Hot Springs, AR. There are some interesting airspace issues with controlled airspace, MOAs, and restricted areas. We've worked out a route that should keep us out of the most confusing areas, so we feel good about that.
To avoid some of the potential chaos at Waycross, we are going to stop for fuel at a different airport, Douglas (DQH). We think it will be much less stress if we don't have to wait in a conga line of 50 airplanes for fuel, and then all try to depart the same uncontrolled field at the same time to do low approaches full throttle at 300' AGL abeam the runway. Just seems like something we should avoid.
We will be departing Fort Myers tomorrow at 8:00AM. We'll be getting up at 5:30AM (ouch) to get breakfast, brief, and get to the plane. All aircraft will be departing all at once tomorrow, so that should be interesting. I know many of the locals will be turning out to watch the spectacle. I hope it doesn't turn into another zoo!
With that, I need to finish packing and get to bed. The next update may come when we've landed in Hot Springs. If you're following along on FlightAware, we will be picking up VFR flight following, so you may be able to track our tail number. I need to get in the mindset of using our air race callsign, "Classic Racer 21." I'm sure I'll bungle it at least once tomorrow!
Briefings and Serious People
We are in-between briefings at the moment. This morning we covered fly-by procedures, aeronautical decision making, and received an outlook briefing. We still need to attend the first-time racers briefing this afternoon. After watching the zoo unfold this morning, Jann's eyes are twitching and I have ulcers. We're not questioning our skills, but the skills and mentality of the people around us.
People's nasty sides are starting to show as it gets closer to crunch time. When the discussion turned to flight plans in the briefing, Jann asked if we could file an IFR flight plan but fly it visually (i.e. stay out of IMC to follow the race rules). Our thinking is that the airspace down here is very congested and unfamiliar to us and there are going to be 51 planes departing within 30 seconds of each other. So, we would like to be cleared through all airspace and getting traffic alerts all the way to Waycross. We were just about shouted out of the room. Nobody wanted to hear that we were non-competition class and wanting to file for safety. So much for making new people feel welcome! I reviewed the rules in our rulebook, and nowhere does it say that you are unable to file an IFR flight plan. I presented it to the judge, and she told me to "do it but don't tell anyone." Yikes.
After another team asked us if we were non-competition, they told us to just stay out of their way. What friendly folks. Now, not everyone is like that. In fact, most people are very friendly and interesting to talk to. It's just the few crazies that are making us shake our heads.
A plus to being non-competition is that since we have *nothing* to worry about, Jann and I are going kayaking this evening in Sanibel Island. We're going to head out in the evening to where the birds nest and see what we can see. It sounds like a good time. Hopefully we'll be able to get some decent pictures.
People's nasty sides are starting to show as it gets closer to crunch time. When the discussion turned to flight plans in the briefing, Jann asked if we could file an IFR flight plan but fly it visually (i.e. stay out of IMC to follow the race rules). Our thinking is that the airspace down here is very congested and unfamiliar to us and there are going to be 51 planes departing within 30 seconds of each other. So, we would like to be cleared through all airspace and getting traffic alerts all the way to Waycross. We were just about shouted out of the room. Nobody wanted to hear that we were non-competition class and wanting to file for safety. So much for making new people feel welcome! I reviewed the rules in our rulebook, and nowhere does it say that you are unable to file an IFR flight plan. I presented it to the judge, and she told me to "do it but don't tell anyone." Yikes.
After another team asked us if we were non-competition, they told us to just stay out of their way. What friendly folks. Now, not everyone is like that. In fact, most people are very friendly and interesting to talk to. It's just the few crazies that are making us shake our heads.
A plus to being non-competition is that since we have *nothing* to worry about, Jann and I are going kayaking this evening in Sanibel Island. We're going to head out in the evening to where the birds nest and see what we can see. It sounds like a good time. Hopefully we'll be able to get some decent pictures.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Tornado Warning!
Today has been . . . interesting. The morning started off with a mandatory briefing. The briefing covered general aspects of the race with more in-depth details of fly-bys and rules to follow tomorrow. Some team's race numbers did not comply with the rules, and they were called out in the meeting. The fur was flying because they couldn't get back to their planes to fix the numbers due to impounding rules and they were going to be assessed a timing penalty. They were not happy campers. Jann and I were in the clear, so we just watched it all go down.
After the morning meeting, we were free until 6:00PM. Jann and I decided to drive down to a state park and hike around a bit. In the middle of the afternoon. In Florida. It was very, very hot. We made it back to the car, and decide
d to go see something that was maybe indoors. I booted up the GPS and looked for local destinations. We decided that we would like to visit the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. Enroute, we stopped at an aquarium store to check out the fish. Nothing too exciting there. We continued on to the Shell Factory and ran into an afternoon Florida storm. We thought it was just a weak, pop-up deal . . . until it started to hail. And lightning. And rain. Hard. We had to pull over because we couldn't see, and parked under this little car port. It turned out that we were in the parking lot for the Shell Factory, so we waited for it to stop raining so hard and went inside.The Shell Factory was pretty underwhelming, and we were just about to leave when the manager came over the PA system and asked everyone to move into the hallway because there was a tornado moving inl
and. I looked around and decided that I didn't want to be in a store full of heavy rocks, pointy shells, and glass in a torndao and called up Justin to pull down the weather for me. The conversation went something like this:J: Well, your winds are at 250 . . .
M: No, no, I need more like . . . tornado information.
J: . . . Okay. It's storming.
He was a good sport and gave me the echo tops and some other information. Jann and I decided to leave and head back to South Fort Myers. The weather was better there, so no problems.
We are going over some flight planning items tonight. We need to attend a few briefings tomorrow, including the one dealing with fly-bys. We will receive a waiver from the FAA to let us fly fast and low. I am excited; the FAA is giving me permission to do something stupid!
We're not sure yet if we're going to file IFR, go VFR direct, or go VFR up the coast outbound to Waycross. Everyone (~54 planes) will all be departing Fort Myers within a few minutes of each other, and we're not sure if we want to be caught up in that. We may go VFR up the coast to avoid the traffic and for some sightseeing.
Look for pictures; I'll do that tonight sometime. Still haven't figured out an easy way to put captions.
*EDIT* As you can (hopefully) see, I have a new and improved slideshow for you! With captions! Enjoy!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Landed in Fort Myers
We've landed in Fort Myers. Holy smokes, what a leg! We filed IFR from Waycross, Georgia direct to Fort Myers. We couldn't get direct, so we got a little bit of a crazy routing down there. On the way, our clearances changed at least three times. The weather wasn't too bad; it was hazy departing GA, and cleared up as we got into FL. We dodged all of the thunderstorms, so no problems there.
ATC was not in a good mood in Florida. It really got interesting as we were handed off to Fort Myers tower. There were four, maybe five planes trying to land. We were number four, and the controller had the planes inside of each other, making tight turns a necessity. We actually got told that we had to slow down on landing! There was a Sundowner in front of us taking his sweet time to get on the ground.
On the ground, parking, check-in, registration, and all of the paperwork went very smoothly. The airport is hopping! Line service had our car ready for us, and met us on the ramp. They unloaded our bags, had the air conditioning running in the car, and tossed us the keys. We felt like high-rollers!
I'll be posting pictures of the ramp and activity later, so look for that. We have to go back to the airport to complete our aircraft inspection.
*EDIT* Pictures have been updated in the slideshow. I'm trying to figure out how to put captions so you know what you are looking at.
The picture in this post is half of the ramp at sunset this evening. There are (I think?) more than 54 planes entered, and about 113 pilots. Busy busy!
Departing for Fort Myers
It is 6:00AM local time, and we are getting ready to grab some breakfast at the hotel. The TAFs for the area seem to be pretty much the same as last night, so we are going to scoot out early to hopefully beat the worst of the storms.
If you are a racer, there are some special arrival procedures into Fort Myers, but we are going to file IFR, so that should take care of most of those problems. We need to be at Fort Myers by noon for check-in, registration, and inspections. Unless something crazy happens, it looks to not be an issue at this point.
If you are a racer, there are some special arrival procedures into Fort Myers, but we are going to file IFR, so that should take care of most of those problems. We need to be at Fort Myers by noon for check-in, registration, and inspections. Unless something crazy happens, it looks to not be an issue at this point.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Landed in Waycross
We departed Bolton around 1:30PM local time and wiggled under the TFR to be on our way to Waycross. The flight had smooth sailing until the southern Tennessee/northern Georgia border. There had been some cloud build-up along the route, which turned into storms on the border. Air traffic control was very helpful, and gave vectors to avoid the worst of it. After a few lumps, bumps, and some rain, it was back to smooth sailing.
We landed at Waycross slightly before 5:30PM. Line service was very friendly, and the plane was topped off with fuel. We got the pleasant surprise that we had done better on our time and fuel than DUATS had predicted. Other races had been in before us, and some were scheduled to land after us. Unfortunately for them, we snagged the courtesy car! I'm going to call it "Jann's Sweet Ride." I've attached a picture here for your enjoyment. There is no air, no gear indicators, no automatic anything, and it makes scary noises. However, it DOES have a fire extinguisher!
We ate dinner at a local seafood joint, and I think I have legally overdosed on hush puppies and sweet tea.
We will depart early tomorrow for Fort Myers to arrive in time for racer check-in. The weather right now is calling for thunderstorms at Fort Myers at 11:00AM, so we are going to have to watch out for that and maybe get wheels up even earlier than we originally thought.
I'll be adding pictures into blog posts and into the slideshow on the side of the page, so watch out for those.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Departure Plans
As of now, it looks like the TFR will be in effect from 11:30AM - 1:30PM (local time). Bolton (our departure airport) is outside of the no-fly inner ring, so we are planning on filing IFR and meeting at the airport at 12:30PM. The plan is to fly down to Waycross, GA and overnight there. The next day, we will work our way down Florida to Fort Myers.
Jann is probably way ahead of me, but I am in the middle of packing and checking our electronic gear. Everything is on the charger and I have spare batteries, so we should be good to go!
Jann is probably way ahead of me, but I am in the middle of packing and checking our electronic gear. Everything is on the charger and I have spare batteries, so we should be good to go!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Squeaky Clean
Jann, Meredith, and Justin (a friend) just finished washing and applying Poly-Glide to the 182. The weather was very pleasant, and the washing festivities wrapped up just before sundown. We'll have to make Justin a platinum-level member of Bowne Air Group for his hard work!
The plan is to depart for Waycross, Georgia on Friday the 16th, but a presidential TFR (temporary flight restriction) is scheduled for Friday at Port Columbus. We'll need to double-check to make sure that we're in the clear for departing on Friday.
The Pilots
Pilot: Jann
Private Pilot's License: April 2004
Instrument Rating: October 2006
Hours: 800+
Jann started flying seven years ago. Many of her hours have been earned flying cross-country on vacations, weekend trips, and to spend time with her grandchildren who live near St. Louis.
Co-Pilot: Meredith
Private Pilot's License: April 2009
Instrument Rating: September 2009
Hours: 150+
Meredith started flying recently as part of her undergraduate aviation degree program. Her cross-country destinations almost always involve food and flying with friends to far-flung airport restaurants in search of cheeseburgers, pie, or barbecue. She is working on earning hours toward a commercial pilot's certificate.
The Airplane
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Announcement
We are sad to announce that family and career circumstances are forcing Christine to drop out as our teammate. She will be missed and we know how much she was looking forward to this adventure, but we also know that sometimes life gets in the way of doing the things we want. We want to thank her for her help in our planning phase and for her sponsorship of our endeavor. And, of course, for being our friend !
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
First Post and Setup
Hello! This blog will track the progress of the Bowne Air Group through the 2010 Air Race Classic! I will update this blog with race preparations, photos, interesting stories, and our progress throughout the race course. Stay tuned as I get my sea-legs with these blogging controls!
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