poadeleted3
Pattern Altitude
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
- Messages
- 2,055
Just got back today from a most enjoyable trip to Charleston, WV, our longest cross country to date. 3 hours there, 3.4 back. As I posted elsewhere, I seem to have decided to see how little fuel I could burn this trip, instead of seeing how fast a Tiger can cruise. Sigh. If only that were the only mistake I made this trip.
I'll get the mistakes out of the way first, then move on to more fun stuff. I haven't made any real doozies since getting my license, and seem to have decided to make a couple to keep myself humble this trip. The worst was on departure Saturday morning. Somehow, I'd hit the passenger's squelch button on the Garmin 430 just as we were pulling onto the runway for departure. Instead of trying to figure out what was wrong, I decided to fix the problem in the air. I didn't want to hold up people behind me. That turned out to be an issue, because what I thought was a simple squelch problem instead turned into a major distraction. You see, I didn't know that there WAS a passenger side squelch on the Garmin 430. After lifting off, I turned my squelch down, with no effect of course. I could barely hear the tower. I'd planned to ask for clearance into the Class B to climb out, but without being able to really hear communications I decided that was a bad idea. Instead, I changed my mind and decided to duck under the Class B. Problem was, I couldn't remember whether I was under the 1500 ft level or the 3,000 ft shelf, and our charts were on the back seat. I've always preferred to keep them there during departure instead of out where I thought they could be a distraction. It was windy, bumpy, and I was very busy flying the plane and trying to avoid Willow Grove's Class D airspace. I cruised across Wings Field just a couple hundred feet above the traffic pattern, then finally got to a point where I knew I could start climbing out of the low level turbulence, fix the darn squelch, get the charts, and get my act together. Not at all a good way to start a flight. It was a poorly planned, poorly executed, and poorly flown departure. There were lessons learned, but these sort of things aren't supposed to happen. Then, upon return to PNE today, I told a very busy controller I was east of the airport instead of west. I corrected myself, but then wasn't sure if he was talking to me in 950TE or another Tiger flying in the area. When I questioned which plane he was talking to, the rushed controller was NOT happy with me. ARRRRRGGGGHHH!!! At least the problems on return will be solved with a bit of practice at a controlled field, and I'll always double check to make sure I'm not responding to someone else's instructions.
Oh well, there was a lot more flying than just that to be had this weekend, and the rest of it was just fantastic. We got the first sign that our weekend was going to be good when we got to the airport, and the airplane we had scheduled, and that I'd flown just the day before, was getting it's alternator replaced. Now normally this wouldn't be a good thing, but after we waited around a bit waiting for our plane to get fixed, they asked us if we wanted a nice shiny new one with Tiger's beautiful stars and stripes paint job. Wow... went from a nice plane, to a really nice plane. Good way to start the weekend
It was a little windy on departure, and pretty bumpy down low, but we climbed out of it quickly into one of the most beautiful flying weekends I've seen in a loooong time. I can tell by the posts that a number of us have been enjoying this phenomenal weather. Visibility unlimited, sky clear and a gorgeous blue, a forecast for it to remain that way all weekend, and a westbound tail wind all the way from Philly to Charleston, WV. Nirvana, man! We threaded our way between the ADIZ and Camp David to Martinsburg, saluted the factory where our plane was born, and headed over the West Virginia mountains for Charleston. As we started over the mountains we ran into the only bad weather of the trip when a cloud appeared, but we were able to work our way around it and complete the trip. Cathy was snapping pics and drooling over the plane, Sean was in the back asking "how many more hours," as he was anxious to get to CRW and play with his cousin, and I was having a ball getting the feel for the Tiger and trying to get used to the sight picture and quit climbing. All in all, a good time, and very satisfying to be making a trip in a plane with my very own pilot's license that we would not have had time to make by car. As we approached Charleston, I could see the airport from 25 miles out, and was cleared to land straight in on 23 from 20 miles away. Wheee!!! I made a pretty decent landing to complete our trip, then ran to the bathroom. LOL
Sunday, I got to do something most special when my Mom accepted my invitation to go flying with me as a present for her birthday, which is tomorrow. She walked around the plane with me, admired it appropriately, took some fun pictures, and we buckled in. She made my day when she told me after engine start that she never thought she would get to go flying with her son for her 56th birthday. She wanted to see the Garmins in action, so I set Beckley (BKW) on the GPS, but on departure I used the advanced navigational technique of following the river upstream to the New River Gorge Bridge, her requested destination. Sunday afternoon was just as pretty as Saturday was, but we weren't able to go flying until after 3 pm, so the thermals were out in full force. After circling the bridge and heading back to Charleston, I decided to stay high as long as I could before descending for both our comfort. I explained to Mom what slip was, she said it sounded fun, and I told her if she didn't like speak up and we'd stop and circle down. Circling down would have defeated the purpose of staying high, but I figured it was worth a try. Again, I was cleared for a straight in (this time to 33) and cleared to land from 20 miles out. As we approached the airport the tower controller asked me if I was going to be able to get down from where I was, and I assured him I could. We slipped from 5500 ft right down to the runway almost, flaring right over the number pretty as you please. I was all puffed up and happy, and Mom giggled over the controller's lack of faith. Best of all, Mom had a big grin, that she didn't get rid of for quite a while. In the picture I took of us together, she was busy trying not to giggle at me running for her after setting the camera's timer LOL.
Our flight back today was every bit as pleasurable, except for the fact that we had a headwind for a good bit of it. Instead of going direct, I chose to come back via Morgantown, because I didn't like the lack of landing areas away from the interstates on our trip down Saturday. Different scenery, just as pretty a day. It was a longer flight, though, and we were able to prove to ourselves that a three and a half hour leg is both comfortably doable, and as long as we want to be in the plane without stretching our legs. For the first time ever, I decided to make use of the autopilot because my hand got tired. That was nice in a way, and I can see the use on a long trip or when I'm busy, but I think it's boring. I'll not use it much. Had another first when I got back to Philly, when I descended through the Class B. I've never been in Class B before. I think I have a few new hairs on my chest now.
As for our happiness with the Tiger vs Skyhawk on long cross countries, we both like the Tiger better. Cathy would like to see the speed I promised, and is giving me dirty looks for cruising at about 55% power this weekend, but aside from that we thought the Tiger was superior in every way. We both thing the Tiger is more comfortable, easier to get into, easier to get Sean in the back, we can see out of it better, and I think it is way more fun to fly. It can work out of most GA airports just fine, with the exception of some truly short, obstructed, or unusual ones. And nobody EVER comes over to check out the Skyhawks on the ramp, not even the new ones
I'll get the mistakes out of the way first, then move on to more fun stuff. I haven't made any real doozies since getting my license, and seem to have decided to make a couple to keep myself humble this trip. The worst was on departure Saturday morning. Somehow, I'd hit the passenger's squelch button on the Garmin 430 just as we were pulling onto the runway for departure. Instead of trying to figure out what was wrong, I decided to fix the problem in the air. I didn't want to hold up people behind me. That turned out to be an issue, because what I thought was a simple squelch problem instead turned into a major distraction. You see, I didn't know that there WAS a passenger side squelch on the Garmin 430. After lifting off, I turned my squelch down, with no effect of course. I could barely hear the tower. I'd planned to ask for clearance into the Class B to climb out, but without being able to really hear communications I decided that was a bad idea. Instead, I changed my mind and decided to duck under the Class B. Problem was, I couldn't remember whether I was under the 1500 ft level or the 3,000 ft shelf, and our charts were on the back seat. I've always preferred to keep them there during departure instead of out where I thought they could be a distraction. It was windy, bumpy, and I was very busy flying the plane and trying to avoid Willow Grove's Class D airspace. I cruised across Wings Field just a couple hundred feet above the traffic pattern, then finally got to a point where I knew I could start climbing out of the low level turbulence, fix the darn squelch, get the charts, and get my act together. Not at all a good way to start a flight. It was a poorly planned, poorly executed, and poorly flown departure. There were lessons learned, but these sort of things aren't supposed to happen. Then, upon return to PNE today, I told a very busy controller I was east of the airport instead of west. I corrected myself, but then wasn't sure if he was talking to me in 950TE or another Tiger flying in the area. When I questioned which plane he was talking to, the rushed controller was NOT happy with me. ARRRRRGGGGHHH!!! At least the problems on return will be solved with a bit of practice at a controlled field, and I'll always double check to make sure I'm not responding to someone else's instructions.
Oh well, there was a lot more flying than just that to be had this weekend, and the rest of it was just fantastic. We got the first sign that our weekend was going to be good when we got to the airport, and the airplane we had scheduled, and that I'd flown just the day before, was getting it's alternator replaced. Now normally this wouldn't be a good thing, but after we waited around a bit waiting for our plane to get fixed, they asked us if we wanted a nice shiny new one with Tiger's beautiful stars and stripes paint job. Wow... went from a nice plane, to a really nice plane. Good way to start the weekend
It was a little windy on departure, and pretty bumpy down low, but we climbed out of it quickly into one of the most beautiful flying weekends I've seen in a loooong time. I can tell by the posts that a number of us have been enjoying this phenomenal weather. Visibility unlimited, sky clear and a gorgeous blue, a forecast for it to remain that way all weekend, and a westbound tail wind all the way from Philly to Charleston, WV. Nirvana, man! We threaded our way between the ADIZ and Camp David to Martinsburg, saluted the factory where our plane was born, and headed over the West Virginia mountains for Charleston. As we started over the mountains we ran into the only bad weather of the trip when a cloud appeared, but we were able to work our way around it and complete the trip. Cathy was snapping pics and drooling over the plane, Sean was in the back asking "how many more hours," as he was anxious to get to CRW and play with his cousin, and I was having a ball getting the feel for the Tiger and trying to get used to the sight picture and quit climbing. All in all, a good time, and very satisfying to be making a trip in a plane with my very own pilot's license that we would not have had time to make by car. As we approached Charleston, I could see the airport from 25 miles out, and was cleared to land straight in on 23 from 20 miles away. Wheee!!! I made a pretty decent landing to complete our trip, then ran to the bathroom. LOL
Sunday, I got to do something most special when my Mom accepted my invitation to go flying with me as a present for her birthday, which is tomorrow. She walked around the plane with me, admired it appropriately, took some fun pictures, and we buckled in. She made my day when she told me after engine start that she never thought she would get to go flying with her son for her 56th birthday. She wanted to see the Garmins in action, so I set Beckley (BKW) on the GPS, but on departure I used the advanced navigational technique of following the river upstream to the New River Gorge Bridge, her requested destination. Sunday afternoon was just as pretty as Saturday was, but we weren't able to go flying until after 3 pm, so the thermals were out in full force. After circling the bridge and heading back to Charleston, I decided to stay high as long as I could before descending for both our comfort. I explained to Mom what slip was, she said it sounded fun, and I told her if she didn't like speak up and we'd stop and circle down. Circling down would have defeated the purpose of staying high, but I figured it was worth a try. Again, I was cleared for a straight in (this time to 33) and cleared to land from 20 miles out. As we approached the airport the tower controller asked me if I was going to be able to get down from where I was, and I assured him I could. We slipped from 5500 ft right down to the runway almost, flaring right over the number pretty as you please. I was all puffed up and happy, and Mom giggled over the controller's lack of faith. Best of all, Mom had a big grin, that she didn't get rid of for quite a while. In the picture I took of us together, she was busy trying not to giggle at me running for her after setting the camera's timer LOL.
Our flight back today was every bit as pleasurable, except for the fact that we had a headwind for a good bit of it. Instead of going direct, I chose to come back via Morgantown, because I didn't like the lack of landing areas away from the interstates on our trip down Saturday. Different scenery, just as pretty a day. It was a longer flight, though, and we were able to prove to ourselves that a three and a half hour leg is both comfortably doable, and as long as we want to be in the plane without stretching our legs. For the first time ever, I decided to make use of the autopilot because my hand got tired. That was nice in a way, and I can see the use on a long trip or when I'm busy, but I think it's boring. I'll not use it much. Had another first when I got back to Philly, when I descended through the Class B. I've never been in Class B before. I think I have a few new hairs on my chest now.
As for our happiness with the Tiger vs Skyhawk on long cross countries, we both like the Tiger better. Cathy would like to see the speed I promised, and is giving me dirty looks for cruising at about 55% power this weekend, but aside from that we thought the Tiger was superior in every way. We both thing the Tiger is more comfortable, easier to get into, easier to get Sean in the back, we can see out of it better, and I think it is way more fun to fly. It can work out of most GA airports just fine, with the exception of some truly short, obstructed, or unusual ones. And nobody EVER comes over to check out the Skyhawks on the ramp, not even the new ones