A really, really long x-c with tower visit

[RotaryWingBob]

This was a real whopper! 19 nm! 11 minutes in an R44!

The Wilmington (KILG) tower distributed leaflets earlier in the week inviting pilots for burgers and fixings served at the base of the tower. What redblooded American pilot could resist free food from the tower? Not me.

I called my good friend John Taylor, who is the CFII who turned me loose on the world as a helicopter pilot. John used to fly Hueys for the Delaware National Guard at KILG, and so he was up for the flight.

I like to give John stick time when I can, so he flew the leg down to Wilmington, and I flew the leg back up to Brandywine. What was neat is that we ran into several pilots we both knew, plus some National Guard and Air Guard pilots that John knew. After eats, the controllers invited us up for a tower tour. It was a fun day! Here's some pix. One from the tower shows my R44 on taxiway C with a mutual friend's newly painted and interiored (if that's a real word) PA28-161 immediately behind us.

 

[GMascelli]

I'm glad you had a good time!

I was headed over that way around 11:30 then decided to just bag the remainder of the day so I could finish packing for our flight to Newport News tomorrow. I know most of the Airport op's were headed over.

Dang...missed free food!

 

[Teller1900]

Darn, I wish they'd to that kind of thing at the airports around me. I did notice that one of my company's Saabs is on the TRACON scope in the sixth picture there . Did they shine the light gun for you (or at you)?

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Darn, I wish they'd to that kind of thing at the airports around me. I did notice that one of my company's Saabs is on the TRACON scope in the sixth picture there . Did they shine the light gun for you (or at you)?

Maybe they do that at other airports, I dunno. I think it's a great idea though, it's good for controllers to learn that pilots are human, and good for pilots to learn that controllers are human...

No light show (come to think of it, I've never seen a light gun demoed).

 

[tonycondon]

i think its a great PR idea. very little brings people together like food.

light gun - on a tour of Des Moines tower once I was amused to see that the controllers have the little cheat sheet glued to the light gun. I took comfort in knowing that they didnt know the signals any better than I did.

 

[Teller1900]

Maybe they do that at other airports, I dunno. I think it's a great idea though, it's good for controllers to learn that pilots are human, and good for pilots to learn that controllers are human...

No light show (come to think of it, I've never seen a light gun demoed).

Absolutly! I've gotten a few tour tours, but the best was at KIWA in Mesa. They had a few of the controllers who had just gotten off station stand around, then they had us pilots close our eyes and, based on voice alone, guess who was in the cab and who was in the TRACON. It's funny that they could have been behind me at the grocery store and I wouldn't have known it unless they spoke (and I had my eyes closed).

Light gun - that's funny, Tony, the last time I was up there the light gun didn't even have batteries because the mx folks had borrowed the batt-pack (it runs on the same batteries as a drill from Home Depot). As far as seeing the demo...see below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjYDs-ffQsc

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkejG8Wl9Tw

 

[VtPilot]

Nice pictures Bob, thanks for sharing. My uncle got me a ride in a huey one time at Pompano Beach Florida. A ride I won't forget. My dad was in the 187th AHC during Vietnam.

 

[gprellwitz]

Sounds like a good trip, Bob!

I went up to the tower at KDPA tonight. My second tower visit, plus one TRACON. Always enlightening. They say that they actually do use the light gun frequently, like on a weekly basis, if not more frequently. We didn't get a demo, though. Wish I'd have thought to ask!