Landed at 9 new airports in SW FL on my day off

Salty

Salty

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dec 21, 2016
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Salty
Stats:

10 airports total, but only 9 were new to me
Took 5 hours
499 NM traveled
1 birdstrike (see other thread)
1 short field (Some here would say it wasn't short ;) )
1 overflight of TPA flying above the Bravo in a light sport - that was interesting
1 enjoyable flight

Airport list:
KCLW - Clearwater Air Park
KPGD - Punta Gorda
KAPF - Naples
KMKY - Marco Island
X01 - Everglades City
KIMM - Immokalee
X14 - LaBelle
X06 - Arcadia
KCHN - Wuachula
X05 - Pilot Country

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Sunshine Skyway Bridge
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Bird Strike
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My Whopping 62 knots GS at 10,500 in a light sport
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TPA from 10,500
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Here's the video of all the landings except 1. Somehow I lost the footage of #8 X06 - Arcadia, where I stopped to refuel at the ridiculously low price of $3.56. Also got to meet a bunch of the locals that were hanging out there.

 
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Nice pictures. Personal favorite is Whitted in that area.
 
Cluemeister said:
Nice pictures. Personal favorite is Whitted in that area.
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Yeah, I passed a lot of airports like that one that I'd been to already to hit the ones I'd never seen. I've flown over Clearwater airpark a hundred times, and landed there once as a student, but never landed there as PIC, so it was first on the list.
 
Got to love the Sunshine Skyway. You're making me super keen to get back to Sarasota again.
 
Katamarino said:
Got to love the Sunshine Skyway. You're making me super keen to get back to Sarasota again.
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I still sweat the entire time over water being that low. I don't know how you do those long flights over nothing.
 
I’d like to fly from the Indy area to Marco Island someday soon to visit my parents. For some reason (stupid) flying to Florida and then along the coast seems daunting. Looking forward to watching the video after work settles down tonight.
 
asicer said:
Did it have more than 1 turnoff? :D
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Yes, but I made the turnoff less than halfway down the runway, so either way it was a short field landing in my book. ;) Proof is in the video.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
You joke, but after I moved off the front range of CO, I have been VERY spatially disoriented without a line of mountains pointing which way North/South is.
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I am glad to hear someone mention this.

I was going to take a job in Kansas once, and I understand what you mean. I didn't want to tell people the real reason why I didn't take that job because most folks just wouldn't understand.
 
Zeldman said:
I am glad to hear someone mention this.

I was going to take a job in Kansas once, and I understand what you mean. I didn't want to tell people the real reason why I didn't take that job because most folks just wouldn't understand.
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At least in FL you have the coast.
 
Funny this came up, especially since not long ago the thread about Telluride was talking about mountain flying. The terrain around Telluride seems like any other normal day of flying to me. But I grew up in, and learned to fly in a province where a large amount of it is covered in mountains, as we have several large mountain ranges. When I fly east, and get into the prairie provinces, it seems odd due to the lack of mountains. Because of where I learned to fly, only after I was licensed and started traveling further away than just a few hundred miles, was when I actually realized that from week one of my flight training, I was actually learning mountain flying at the same time. When 18, I didn't consciously think about that, it just was. 7,000 foot peaks are nothing, those are just big hills.
 
MKY... You're making me wish vacation in a few weeks would hurry up and get here. Unfortunately I'll be very boringly taking a Delta 737-800 both ways.
 
Salty said:
Stats:

10 airports total, but only 9 were new to me
Took 5 hours
499 NM traveled
1 birdstrike (see other thread)
1 short field (Some here would say it wasn't short ;) )
1 overflight of TPA flying above the Bravo in a light sport - that was interesting
1 enjoyable flight

Airport list:
KCLW - Clearwater Air Park
KPGD - Punta Gorda
KAPF - Naples
KMKY - Marco Island
X01 - Everglades City
KIMM - Immokalee
X14 - LaBelle
X06 - Arcadia
KCHN - Wuachula
X05 - Pilot Country
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Ever make it to X39?
 
Shuswap BC said:
Funny this came up, especially since not long ago the thread about Telluride was talking about mountain flying. The terrain around Telluride seems like any other normal day of flying to me. But I grew up in, and learned to fly in a province where a large amount of it is covered in mountains, as we have several large mountain ranges.
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Same here ... also, flew to Telluride this past weekend. Wind forecasts weren't accurate ... not a ride for passengers (went solo). Had a great tailwind returning to El Paso with 187 knot average. Hangar is $57 for an RV and the $3 landing fee if anyone is wondering about current pricing ...

Super easy approach from the Cones (ETL) VOR ... you fly over a gorge, but not any real heavy duty mountain flying if you've done it before. Winds at the ridges south of Cones were 35G40 out of the NE converting to a tailwind out of the west below 11500 on the Cones (ETL) VOR approach. Landing winds were 220 14G19
 
Salty said:
Many times. It’s less than 10 miles from x05
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I’ve got some family that lives 5min from there. One of these days I might rent a 172 or something while I’m down there and do some flying.
 
danhagan said:
Same here ... also, flew to Telluride this past weekend. Wind forecasts weren't accurate ... not a ride for passengers (went solo). Had a great tailwind returning to El Paso with 187 knot average. Hangar is $57 for an RV and the $3 landing fee if anyone is wondering about current pricing ...

Super easy approach from the Cones (ETL) VOR ... you fly over a gorge, but not any real heavy duty mountain flying if you've done it before. Winds at the ridges south of Cones were 35G40 out of the NE converting to a tailwind out of the west below 11500 on the Cones (ETL) VOR approach. Landing winds were 220 14G19
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Yes, flown in and out of there in several different planes over the years, it never crossed my mind that some would consider it a difficult airport to use. I thought it was one of the easier ones I've gone to. Makes me glad I grew up in the mountains and flew in them since day one, it is just my normal day of flying when around high mountains.
 
Those of us that learned to fly in Florida struggle to remember that pattern altitude is not always 1000 feet MSL when we first venture north and west.
 
Salty said:
Those of us that learned to fly in Florida struggle to remember that pattern altitude is not always 1000 feet MSL when we first venture north and west.
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I went from student pilot to multi commercial in Florida. I did my CFI and II in Oklahoma. Then I went to West Virginia and thought that was mountain flying. Then to Alaska where I learned that it was possible to be at 10,000 MSL and 1000AGL and have to watch for snow avalanche from above... :lol::lol:
 
I fly out of SRQ Sarasota, did free hot dog day at fort Myers today and touch and go Tuesday at Arcadia for dollar tacos. Like your list of airports.
 
Shuswap BC said:
Yes, flown in and out of there in several different planes over the years, it never crossed my mind that some would consider it a difficult airport to use. I thought it was one of the easier ones I've gone to. Makes me glad I grew up in the mountains and flew in them since day one, it is just my normal day of flying when around high mountains.
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Friends out of town laugh ... they come to town worried about mountains ... I go out to the flat areas and worry about IFR/IMC:confused::eek:;)
 
I can't wait to do something like this.
I am still in greenhorn school at X04 to get my sport license, So my view has been swamps, a lake and hwy 441 and zellwood truck stop, LOL.
I can't wait until my takeoffs and landings look as good as yours.
 
PtownDreamer said:
I can't wait to do something like this.
I am still in greenhorn school at X04 to get my sport license, So my view has been swamps, a lake and hwy 441 and zellwood truck stop, LOL.
I can't wait until my takeoffs and landings look as good as yours.
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It takes a lot of practice to land an LSA well, just keep at it. It’s far more difficult to land well than my Mooney is, IMO. Apopka is a tricky strip too, you’ll be able to go most anywhere after learning there.
 
I have been to KLEE twice so far.
I like landing there, They have an actual runway, not a sidewalk, LOL
And yes, the runway at Apopka is not the best, rwy33 evidently is not level at the beginning, so they always tell me to come in high and get well past the numbers before touching down.
And most of the time I am landing with TO flaps due to the winds so I am touching down at 60-65 kts, and I have yet to see a plane with a working stall warning horn that works.
Even though at the speeds I am landing ain't no chance of stalling.
 
PtownDreamer said:
I can't wait to do something like this.
I am still in greenhorn school at X04 to get my sport license, So my view has been swamps, a lake and hwy 441 and zellwood truck stop, LOL.
I can't wait until my takeoffs and landings look as good as yours.
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I trained at X04. In fact, I have a rental reserved this afternoon. Who’s your CFI?
 
PtownDreamer said:
I have been to KLEE twice so far.
I like landing there, They have an actual runway, not a sidewalk, LOL
And yes, the runway at Apopka is not the best, rwy33 evidently is not level at the beginning, so they always tell me to come in high and get well past the numbers before touching down.
And most of the time I am landing with TO flaps due to the winds so I am touching down at 60-65 kts, and I have yet to see a plane with a working stall warning horn that works.
Even though at the speeds I am landing ain't no chance of stalling.
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Have you landed at Orlando North yet? X04 will seem huge afterward.
 
Half Fast said:
I trained at X04. In fact, I have a rental reserved this afternoon. Who’s your CFI?
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I have a greenhorn instructor, just got his CFI.
His name is Karson.
I am flying with Cody this week as Karson is off for thanksgiving, so it will be good to get a different opinion and a different teaching style.

Half Fast said:
Have you landed at Orlando North yet? X04 will seem huge afterward.
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No, I have not landed there yet, but it does look a little small, LOL
 
What's all that construction at the entrance to TPA? When I was living there, the only thing along the road was the post office. And the Dolly Parton FBO near the intersection of 36R and 9.
 
Man, they are building that area up a lot. All kinds of stuff.
 
Is Skycatcher really that slow ( 85 knots ) or were you throttled back ?

Asking because Light Sport planes I have experience with, perform similarity to C172 or so , which generally means 110-115 or so TAS at around 75%.
 
PtownDreamer said:
I have a greenhorn instructor, just got his CFI.
His name is Karson.
I am flying with Cody this week as Karson is off for thanksgiving, so it will be good to get a different opinion and a different teaching style.


No, I have not landed there yet, but it does look a little small, LOL
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Joey and Cody have been there the longest. They turn over a lot of instructors. I had Joey for SP and Braden for PP.
 
Warmi said:
Is Skycatcher really that slow ( 85 knots ) or were you throttled back ?

Asking because Light Sport planes I have experience with, perform similarity to C172 or so , which generally means 110-115 or so TAS at around 75%.
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At 10,500 feet, yes. At normal LSA altitudes, no.

That was at 2500 rpm, I don’t like to run it for a long time any higher than that.
 
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