Experience with W45?

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spiderweb

Final Approach
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Ben
Experience with W45 (Luray)?

Going there on Tuesday. Yes--I will be bringing wife and her aunt and uncle. am a bit nervous, as the relatives are first-time GA flyers. They are also from Taiwan, where the entire of GA flying is foreign.

Anway, I think I have all of my questions answered, but I want to verify that I will have to get my IFR clearance on the phone? I think I need to call Elkins? Or do those of you who often fly there just pick it up in the air?

Thanks a lot!
 
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Ben;


Not that familiar with W45 but I have flown out of remote airports numerous times. I guess I tend to be very conservative and pick up the clearence by phone ahead of time unless it is very sever clear. It gives you a plan and frquencies that can be set up before TO. Now with cell phones it is so much easier. You can call Elkins or what ever the controlling agency right after you done all of your prefight and loading all your passengers. Where I am based I call Dover AP on the cell to get my clearence and it works out really well.

Enjoy your trip and let us know how it goes


John
 
Thanks, John! Question, though, for people who have flown out of Luray: is my research correct that I must call Elkins?
 
I don't think you'll be able to contact ATC on the ground there. Expect to use the phone. The frequency is an in-the-air frequency.
 
I'm sorry I'm so stupid about this. Does this mean that I should use the cell phone to call Leesburg (which they list as 1-800-WXBRIEF), or Elkins, as I originally thought?
 
call 1-800-wxbrief from any phone. If you use your cell phone, you will probably get the FSS near your home base, but they can file for you just as well. If you use a phone at the airport, you'll get leesburg....
 
Wait, but that's not my question; I want to know if I can get my clearance there, or if it is from Elkins.

Sorry to be so daft!
 
would 126.9 work there? Fltplan.com seems to think so.
 
Ben;


Kelly's post is great. If you use the cell you will get the nearest FSS which is what you want. Your questions and concerns are not at all stupid, They are great and highly appreaciated and make us all "Think". I do remember feeling that way when I was a newly minted pilot so long ago. I still ask many questions for I am still learning.

Looking at the chart Luray is right or very close on the line between Leesburg and Elkins in terms of coverage. INteresting I was getting a clearence via cell phone in up state NY and I thought I would get Rochester, Well I got my clearence from BTV (Burlington VT)Rochester was swamped. It worked out great for they all share the same data. The weather at the time was 2 miles, scattered and lots of that great summer haze that we cannot see through.

Enjoy your flight and let us know how it works out.

John
 
Thanks! (I hope I can at least get a 10 min void time!)
 
Hi Ben,

I hope you have a good flight Tuesday. I have never departed there IFR, however, I doubt that you could contact Washington Center on the ground. I would depart and get the clearance in the air. The Departure procedure says to depart visually until crossing the airport at or above 2000'. The airport is in a valley with hills on both sides. Departing with a ceiling higher than the hills is the best. If you are in the clear until then, you should be able to raise Washington Center. Winds in them thar hills is also a fun ride. Makes for some interesting turbulence sometimes. I took my family out there shortly after my PP checkride. My daughter really hates airplanes. We hit a nasty little bump and she screamed her head off and grabbed the back of my wifes seat and nearly pulled my wife's hair out. Needless to say, she didn't have a really good time.
 
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Bryon:
Off-thread here, but I noted your Tiger N28665 signature. Today I sat in the new Tiger, direct from the factory, displayed in Hangar 5 of Naval Air Station Brunswick(Maine). Just gorgeous! Bill Crum(Vice President, Sales; Production Test Pilot) told me that it's the plane in which he did a recent photo shoot with Julia Boatman, whose report will be in a soon-to-be issue of AOPA Pilot. He also said that he'd take my Cessna in trade, to which I replied, Yup, and my car and my house, and my portfolio, and........... Hey, it's only 270k, right?

HR
 
Lawreston said:
Bryon:
Off-thread here, but I noted your Tiger N28665 signature. Today I sat in the new Tiger, direct from the factory, displayed in Hangar 5 of Naval Air Station Brunswick(Maine). Just gorgeous! Bill Crum(Vice President, Sales; Production Test Pilot) told me that it's the plane in which he did a recent photo shoot with Julia Boatman, whose report will be in a soon-to-be issue of AOPA Pilot. He also said that he'd take my Cessna in trade, to which I replied, Yup, and my car and my house, and my portfolio, and........... Hey, it's only 270k, right?

HR
Click to expand...

Man do I want one of those! I still have to go to the factory to tour it, but I have seen several of the new ones and I just love them. Too bad the insurance from the Aztec won't come close to getting one. One of the club members just "hangar rashed" the elevator on the Tiger:mad: If this keeps up, I won't have anything to fly.
 
Aztec Driver said:
Man do I want one of those! I still have to go to the factory to tour it, but I have seen several of the new ones and I just love them. Too bad the insurance from the Aztec won't come close to getting one. One of the club members just "hangar rashed" the elevator on the Tiger:mad: If this keeps up, I won't have anything to fly.
Click to expand...

Bill Crum gave me several of his cards, and requested that I give one to interested parties. I can't hand one to you, but his email address is bill.crum@tigeraircraft.com. Just tell him the guy who photographed him in Maine sent you; maybe he'll give you a discount. (Every little bit helps, eh?) :yes:

HR
 
It is supposed to be nice that day. That might mean I'll get it in the air, if i can't get it over the phone. The winds are supposed to be low to nil, so I hope my first-time flyers won't pull my hair out!

Aztec Driver said:
Hi Ben,

I hope you have a good flight Tuesday. I have never departed there IFR, however, I doubt that you could contact Washington Center on the ground. I would depart and get the clearance in the air. The Departure procedure says to depart visually until crossing the airport at or above 2000'. The airport is in a valley with hills on both sides. Departing with a ceiling higher than the hills is the best. If you are in the clear until then, you should be able to raise Washington Center. Winds in them thar hills is also a fun ride. Makes for some interesting turbulence sometimes. I took my family out there shortly after my PP checkride. My daughter really hates airplanes. We hit a nasty little bump and she screamed her head off and grabbed the back of my wifes seat and nearly pulled my wife's hair out. Needless to say, she didn't have a really good time.
Click to expand...
 
Ah, Ben, I now understand your question.

If you call FSS, it won't matter which one you contact.

Either one will call ATC to get your clearance. FSS acts as a relay between you and ATC. You call FSS, they call ATC, ATC gives FSS the clearance, FSS relays it to you. Either Leesburg or Elkins can do that for you.... and any other FSS ought to be able to do it, too.

You can cut FSS out of the process if you have a direct number for the responsible ATC facility, which should be Washington Center in this case (I don't recall whether the consolidation of Potomac Approach included the area around W45).
 
Ben: I "think " I know what you are asking. When I fly out of KLOM ( no tower) I can NEVER get my clearance or release on the Freq. while on the ground. no one ever hears me. Here is what I do.

1) File my flight plane on the FBO phone with Williamsport FSS
2)After about 10 min I call Philly Departure on the same landline telephone and ask for my "Hold for Release Clearance" They then give it to me and I read it back just as if I got it from Clnc Del over the radio.
3) After runup and While on the taxiway [ in the pulloff area so as not to block others] I call Philly Departure on my cell tell them "N5322L Instruments to KPVC Number 1 for Departure on 24 @KLOM looking for our release" Then they give me the release w/ the clearance void time.

Its really that simple.

Hope this answers your questions and hope it helps
 
It is a pretty plane. I got to be the safety pilot on that photo shoot, and I'm looking forward to seeing the photos. They had a traffic avoidance system and were calling out traffic to the lead plane, as opposed to us doing that for them. :)
 
wsuffa said:
You can cut FSS out of the process if you have a direct number for the responsible ATC facility, which should be Washington Center in this case (I don't recall whether the consolidation of Potomac Approach included the area around W45).
Click to expand...

IIRC the AFD has phone numbers for ATC facilities. Alternatively, I've gotten them from FSS before. In many cases talking to the facility directly has advantages over going through FSS. For one thing you can usually negotiate the void time.
 
Thanks, Bill! All that operating out of BWI spoiled me, I guess!

wsuffa said:
Ah, Ben, I now understand your question.

If you call FSS, it won't matter which one you contact.

Either one will call ATC to get your clearance. FSS acts as a relay between you and ATC. You call FSS, they call ATC, ATC gives FSS the clearance, FSS relays it to you. Either Leesburg or Elkins can do that for you.... and any other FSS ought to be able to do it, too.

You can cut FSS out of the process if you have a direct number for the responsible ATC facility, which should be Washington Center in this case (I don't recall whether the consolidation of Potomac Approach included the area around W45).
Click to expand...
 
thanks, Adam.

That's it basically, except for the part where you call departure just before takeoff. At Luray, there is no frequency except CTAF.

AdamZ said:
Ben: I "think " I know what you are asking. When I fly out of KLOM ( no tower) I can NEVER get my clearance or release on the Freq. while on the ground. no one ever hears me. Here is what I do.

1) File my flight plane on the FBO phone with Williamsport FSS
2)After about 10 min I call Philly Departure on the same landline telephone and ask for my "Hold for Release Clearance" They then give it to me and I read it back just as if I got it from Clnc Del over the radio.
3) After runup and While on the taxiway [ in the pulloff area so as not to block others] I call Philly Departure on my cell tell them "N5322L Instruments to KPVC Number 1 for Departure on 24 @KLOM looking for our release" Then they give me the release w/ the clearance void time.

Its really that simple.

Hope this answers your questions and hope it helps
Click to expand...
 
lancefisher said:
IIRC the AFD has phone numbers for ATC facilities. Alternatively, I've gotten them from FSS before. In many cases talking to the facility directly has advantages over going through FSS. For one thing you can usually negotiate the void time.
Click to expand...

The only one I could find that specifically mentioned clr. del. was Elkins. I think I'll give them a try.
 
555Juliet said:
It is a pretty plane. I got to be the safety pilot on that photo shoot, and I'm looking forward to seeing the photos. They had a traffic avoidance system and were calling out traffic to the lead plane, as opposed to us doing that for them. :)
Click to expand...

I'm so glad you responded here, JT. When Bill Crum was telling me about the photo shoot with Julia Boatman I told him that I know another lady at AOPA.
But do you suppose I could come up with any name except 555Juliet? Not a chance, via brain cramp, that I could even summon JT to my cerebellum. I'll have to clarify the matter when I email him the photo I took of him and the plane. Sorry 'bout that. I'll post the photo here, too
That surely is a nice panel in the Tiger.

HR
 
wangmyers said:
thanks, Adam.

That's it basically, except for the part where you call departure just before takeoff. At Luray, there is no frequency except CTAF.
Click to expand...

Sorry I wan't clear Ben. I call departure from the plane on my CELL phone not from the radio. I can't reach them on the ground from KLOM by radio
 
OK, thanks, guys! I'm off tomorrow morning! I'll let my wife do the translating to Chinese while I focus on flying. I'm sure she'll say good things. . . .
 
Well, heck, it's been a year or two since we talked on the phone last, and I still haven't gotten up to Maine! So no wonder you could only recall the Babe handle!
 
(see post today--First-Time Flyers and Your Advice )
 
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