kimberlyanne546
Final Approach
Whoever told you that California is the perfect place to fly . . . is . . . wrong!!!
Anyways, this past weekend - both Saturday and Sunday - plus almost every weeknight for several weeks - my flying has been affected by IFR conditions.
My instructor and I met on Thursday of last week for some practice checkride stuff. Then he told me that I would fly on Saturday (solo) to the exact same airport where I would hopefully one day pick up a DPE.
Not only did he want me to practice flying (and parking) the route which I would take to meet this guy in the future, but also I had calculated my only remaining "requirements" were 1.2 hours of solo. I am not sure about the "checkride prep" 3 hours requirement since we've been preparing for the checkride for weeks now. So I'm not going to worry about that requirement.
So I wake up on Saturday to find IFR conditions forecasted through the afternoon. I call the flight school and luckily nobody has the plane after I do, since I had planned a morning flight which will now be impossible. Conservatively, I book the plane from 1pm - 4pm but tell them they can contact me if anyone wants to use it. I show up and there are still clouds in Petaluma, but they are getting better. I decide to preflight and get gas and then contact the AWOS / ATIS to be sure I'm legal at both airports.
This was not "full" IFR. This was a case of the entire universe having blue skies - the entire universe except one stubborn cloud looming over Petaluma Airport and another stubborn cloud looming over Santa Rosa Airport. Not even many in between or to the South. It is like they were out to get me, these clouds. They only wanted to go where I needed to go that day.
Because it was indeed a nice day I tried not to worry too much about it (big mistake) and even my instructor said "if things haven't cleared up at Santa Rosa yet, but Petaluma is still VFR, just stay here and shoot a couple of shorts and softs before heading over to Santa Rosa."
Good idea, I thought.
So I go to the gas pump and both are in use by pilots. I realize how long it takes to fill up a plane with gas and I am not sure how to form a "line" or who to line up behind or if I should turn off my engine since I am getting charged Hobbs time. I choose to line up behind the guy who seems to be already mid-pump. The other guy hasn't even grounded his aircraft yet. Besides, mid pump guy has some sort of expiremental airplane that seems small and can't hold that much gas.
(mistake number two)
After what seems like forever I realize he is just standing there with 5 other guys talking about his plane and not fueling anymore. Finally he realizes I'm there (how could he not?) and hand pushes his tiny airplane a few feet away so at least I can pump. (grumble)
I fill my 152 with gas, well almost full, because I know someone has the plane at 4pm and I want to be nice. I hate it when I come out to an empty plane.
The winds seem fine and the clouds are gone and only after my takeoff did I realize that I FORGOT to call the ATIS for Santa Rosa from my cell phone! Oh no, I thought. So I get up in the sky and point the plane towards Santa Rosa which is about 18nm away to the North.
As I head to the North I think of the rule about being at least 500 feet below the clouds. I also know that I want to remain at least 1000 feet above the terrain. Petaluma has an elevation of 92 and Santa Rosa has an elevation of 128 so I am trying to fly at 1500 feet. Those pesky clouds, however, seemed to really be in my way. I tune in the ATIS for STS only to hear there is a ceiling of 1700 broken. Even though I would still be "legal" to fly VFR there it seems kind of marginal to me . . . which is because as I look towards the direction of the airport I cannot see past a certain point.
Add to all this the fact that a banner tow plane keeps circling the entire area where I want to fly. It looks like he is at least several hundred feet below my current altitude, but even so, it felt strange to fly that close to another aircraft.
With all of this going on I decide it would be best if I head back to Petaluma, shoot a couple of landings, and then try to fly north again to Santa Rosa. So I fly back, do a NICE short field landing (for what feels like the first time), and an OK soft field landing. I get back in the air again, check the ATIS again, and look at the clouds again. No improvement.
Then I have a new idea: fly around just outside of the class D airspace (can't climb above it due to clouds so I'm stuck to the south side of the wall of clouds) - and WAIT until the next ATIS comes out over the frequency. It said :53 so I figured I could kill 20 minutes doing something. But NOPE - that darned banner tow plane is still there. He must think I'm stalking him at this point as I try to go above him and away and around.
Another small plane flies overhead and I realize the importance of keeping my eyes outside the cockpit. My low altitude, the other planes close to me, and the solid wall of clouds are all making me somewhat nervous.
However, I have a mission objective here and gosh darn it I'm going to see if I can do it, safely and legally of course. I need to have the plane back by 4pm so when the new ATIS comes out at :53 and says "1700 scattered" instead of "1700 broken" I'm less than thrilled but I decide to go ahead. So I switch to tower frequency and realize they are somewhat busy. I let them know when I'm 8 miles out and I get there just fine. I think I may have gone too slow though since right before my landing I heard him tell another plane to go around.
I switch to ground and tell them I need to park at the Sonoma Jet Center. It is of course one of less than 5 times now I've ever gone to park the plane somewhere new. I feel kind of cool seeing all the actual JETS all around me. This line guy makes large hand gestures which I'm sure means I tried to get on the wrong ramp lines like three times but eventually I get where he is trying to park me and I am OK and shut off the plane. He comes over to chock my wheels and I tell him not to which confuses him as I try to explain why I'm faking a trip to the Jet Center. I start up again, go through the motions again (get the ATIS, dial in ground, dial in tower on standby etc). I depart and make it home with less than 30 seconds to spare but I am not late and the 4pm renter is happy I brought the 152 back on time.
I guess it was an "uneventful" flight but to me it was my first real weather experience. Nothing scary happened but it was just a reminder of the delays and other inconveniences I will have in the future as a VFR pilot. I am not complaining here about that, just learning. And since that may or may not be my last solo it was a bummer it wasn't more special and I feel that a lot of time was wasted in the air waiting for the clouds to lift. I do wish I could have been more productive and done some manuevers but that would not have been safe.
Oh well, live and learn. I am almost a pilot! Sunday and Monday and Tuesday were all supposed to be possible flight days (we were going to do a full length, pass / fail style mock checkride) but Sunday turned into a 2 hour mock oral since the IFR stuck around all day and we couldn't fly. Monday and Tuesday we forgot the plane was in the shop for mx (100 hour inspection). Now I am supposed to do that flight on Saturday morning. It should be a good test of where I am at (literally).
Anyways, this past weekend - both Saturday and Sunday - plus almost every weeknight for several weeks - my flying has been affected by IFR conditions.
My instructor and I met on Thursday of last week for some practice checkride stuff. Then he told me that I would fly on Saturday (solo) to the exact same airport where I would hopefully one day pick up a DPE.
Not only did he want me to practice flying (and parking) the route which I would take to meet this guy in the future, but also I had calculated my only remaining "requirements" were 1.2 hours of solo. I am not sure about the "checkride prep" 3 hours requirement since we've been preparing for the checkride for weeks now. So I'm not going to worry about that requirement.
So I wake up on Saturday to find IFR conditions forecasted through the afternoon. I call the flight school and luckily nobody has the plane after I do, since I had planned a morning flight which will now be impossible. Conservatively, I book the plane from 1pm - 4pm but tell them they can contact me if anyone wants to use it. I show up and there are still clouds in Petaluma, but they are getting better. I decide to preflight and get gas and then contact the AWOS / ATIS to be sure I'm legal at both airports.
This was not "full" IFR. This was a case of the entire universe having blue skies - the entire universe except one stubborn cloud looming over Petaluma Airport and another stubborn cloud looming over Santa Rosa Airport. Not even many in between or to the South. It is like they were out to get me, these clouds. They only wanted to go where I needed to go that day.
Because it was indeed a nice day I tried not to worry too much about it (big mistake) and even my instructor said "if things haven't cleared up at Santa Rosa yet, but Petaluma is still VFR, just stay here and shoot a couple of shorts and softs before heading over to Santa Rosa."
Good idea, I thought.
So I go to the gas pump and both are in use by pilots. I realize how long it takes to fill up a plane with gas and I am not sure how to form a "line" or who to line up behind or if I should turn off my engine since I am getting charged Hobbs time. I choose to line up behind the guy who seems to be already mid-pump. The other guy hasn't even grounded his aircraft yet. Besides, mid pump guy has some sort of expiremental airplane that seems small and can't hold that much gas.
(mistake number two)
After what seems like forever I realize he is just standing there with 5 other guys talking about his plane and not fueling anymore. Finally he realizes I'm there (how could he not?) and hand pushes his tiny airplane a few feet away so at least I can pump. (grumble)
I fill my 152 with gas, well almost full, because I know someone has the plane at 4pm and I want to be nice. I hate it when I come out to an empty plane.
The winds seem fine and the clouds are gone and only after my takeoff did I realize that I FORGOT to call the ATIS for Santa Rosa from my cell phone! Oh no, I thought. So I get up in the sky and point the plane towards Santa Rosa which is about 18nm away to the North.
As I head to the North I think of the rule about being at least 500 feet below the clouds. I also know that I want to remain at least 1000 feet above the terrain. Petaluma has an elevation of 92 and Santa Rosa has an elevation of 128 so I am trying to fly at 1500 feet. Those pesky clouds, however, seemed to really be in my way. I tune in the ATIS for STS only to hear there is a ceiling of 1700 broken. Even though I would still be "legal" to fly VFR there it seems kind of marginal to me . . . which is because as I look towards the direction of the airport I cannot see past a certain point.
Add to all this the fact that a banner tow plane keeps circling the entire area where I want to fly. It looks like he is at least several hundred feet below my current altitude, but even so, it felt strange to fly that close to another aircraft.
With all of this going on I decide it would be best if I head back to Petaluma, shoot a couple of landings, and then try to fly north again to Santa Rosa. So I fly back, do a NICE short field landing (for what feels like the first time), and an OK soft field landing. I get back in the air again, check the ATIS again, and look at the clouds again. No improvement.
Then I have a new idea: fly around just outside of the class D airspace (can't climb above it due to clouds so I'm stuck to the south side of the wall of clouds) - and WAIT until the next ATIS comes out over the frequency. It said :53 so I figured I could kill 20 minutes doing something. But NOPE - that darned banner tow plane is still there. He must think I'm stalking him at this point as I try to go above him and away and around.
Another small plane flies overhead and I realize the importance of keeping my eyes outside the cockpit. My low altitude, the other planes close to me, and the solid wall of clouds are all making me somewhat nervous.
However, I have a mission objective here and gosh darn it I'm going to see if I can do it, safely and legally of course. I need to have the plane back by 4pm so when the new ATIS comes out at :53 and says "1700 scattered" instead of "1700 broken" I'm less than thrilled but I decide to go ahead. So I switch to tower frequency and realize they are somewhat busy. I let them know when I'm 8 miles out and I get there just fine. I think I may have gone too slow though since right before my landing I heard him tell another plane to go around.
I switch to ground and tell them I need to park at the Sonoma Jet Center. It is of course one of less than 5 times now I've ever gone to park the plane somewhere new. I feel kind of cool seeing all the actual JETS all around me. This line guy makes large hand gestures which I'm sure means I tried to get on the wrong ramp lines like three times but eventually I get where he is trying to park me and I am OK and shut off the plane. He comes over to chock my wheels and I tell him not to which confuses him as I try to explain why I'm faking a trip to the Jet Center. I start up again, go through the motions again (get the ATIS, dial in ground, dial in tower on standby etc). I depart and make it home with less than 30 seconds to spare but I am not late and the 4pm renter is happy I brought the 152 back on time.
I guess it was an "uneventful" flight but to me it was my first real weather experience. Nothing scary happened but it was just a reminder of the delays and other inconveniences I will have in the future as a VFR pilot. I am not complaining here about that, just learning. And since that may or may not be my last solo it was a bummer it wasn't more special and I feel that a lot of time was wasted in the air waiting for the clouds to lift. I do wish I could have been more productive and done some manuevers but that would not have been safe.
Oh well, live and learn. I am almost a pilot! Sunday and Monday and Tuesday were all supposed to be possible flight days (we were going to do a full length, pass / fail style mock checkride) but Sunday turned into a 2 hour mock oral since the IFR stuck around all day and we couldn't fly. Monday and Tuesday we forgot the plane was in the shop for mx (100 hour inspection). Now I am supposed to do that flight on Saturday morning. It should be a good test of where I am at (literally).
