denverpilot
Tied Down
Went up this morning with my friend Doug and his son Stephen. Doug agreed to be Safety Pilot while I paddled around shooting some approaches.
Departed KAPA from Runway 10, and at that time, KAPA was pretty busy. Lots of folks out enjoying the nice morning.
Airplane climbed sluggishly in the over 9000' DA and we headed out southbound VFR to ring up DEN TRACON for the ILS 35R at KAPA.
Doug had the radios for something to do and also as a crew coordination thing, so I just had to fly. Had been since the Instrument checkride since any approaches so it was probably a little overdue. I fly better if I shoot approaches every other week.
Stay at 8500 under the Bravo and intercept the Localizer. Looking okay but I'm doing the left-right five degree thing. Stop that. Yeah. It's been a few weeks. No biggie. Altitude looks good and Doug is commenting about how busy single-pilot hand-flown IFR looks. Yup. Stuff comes up quick, got to have the plan moving.
KAPA asks us to go missed one mile past the power lines, and we ask for East to head over to KFTG after this one. I wanted to have to change approaches and plates and keep up, and since there's only one approach my /A aircraft can fly at home base, we had to go somewhere anyway.
Head East, KAPA still busy so Doug makes up some heading and altitude "controller" assignments to stay out of the way of a couple of folks, and we're talking to DEN TRACON again. We were already on a decent course for intercepting the extended localizer 35 at KFTG, so we ask for the ILS 35 and they agree that works for them.
Grab ATIS, it's severe clear and more wind (gee what's new, it's FTG!) out of the north as forecast. That'll work.
Truck on down that one, flew it a bit faster than usual just to get used to it, and the FTG tower says we have traffic at 12 o'clock and slightly lower southbound right near the edge of the Bravo... I stop tracking the glideslope long enough for Doug to spot him and then dive to recapture and get below the edge of the shelf.
Kinda screws up the approach, but anyway... It's still working. The joys of VFR doing IFR currency...
Next thing I hear is Doug saying to the Tower, "Just for your information we've got about five miles of flight visibility."
Huh? I think to myself. That's interesting. I think for a second and ask Doug, what's up? "Haze." He says... "Looks like forest fire smoke."
Ahhh! Okay, so about 100' from DA I say, "If it gets any worse, let me know and we'll file a pop-up to go back to Centennial."
Right near the bottom with all the distractions, the glideslope dropped a dot from a little thermal and I chased it. Note to self... 250' above ground is not a good time to pitch significantly. I managed to get a "nose up!" comment from Doug.
Unlike over at KAPA where we were head to head with departing traffic on 17L, here we can drop down to the DA and not break off early, so we do, and then the usual "missed VFR southeast" which I tell Doug to feel free to just pick a heading and altitude that keeps us out of the Bravo and we'll head back over to KAPA.
At DA I take a quick peek and sure enough, the world is all hazy. Yuck. Okay, enjoyed my peek at the runway, and I'm back under the hood. Doug gives a fake vector and climb and we're out of there.
And when I peeked at DA we were a bit more steeply nose down than I would have liked. Very good lesson there. No wild pitch changes that low. That's too low to be chasing. Just go missed if you get bounced by an updraft. Everything else was good.
Back up with DEN and we take up a heading and altitude once we're out from under the shelf to go intercept the 35R localizer for one more ILS to a full stop. Didn't want Doug's son to be bounced around too much in the back and end up not enjoying his flight, so three is enough. We chat and he's doing good.
Traffic call, 10 o'clock, crossing 2 miles ahead, east to west, not talking to the DEN folks. Yes, the standard "Aurora Reservoir cut the corner traffic into KAPA trying to avoid the Bravo. Doug is no joy in it and second call, 1 mile. I announce I'm coming visual to help search and turn a little East to pass behind. We both spot him dead ahead, light twin hauling the mail, one mile, same altitude. Haze is still pretty thick but lightening as we head southwest.
Didn't think to have Doug call out a Hold somewhere and enter it. Going to have to remember to do that for currency. Not used to the IFR currency routine yet. Oh well.
Couple of vectors from DEN and we slightly blow past the localizer, not bad. Straighten it out and this approach now feels locked in solidly compared to the first two which were PTS standards, for sure, but this one feels better. Back in the mental groove. Good. That's why we're up here with this Dog Collar on my head.
Altitude is wandering 20-30 feet right at first in bumps, but power set and slowing and trim and we lock in.
Before we know it we're over CASSE and off comes 5" MP and we start down. Checklist compete, GUMPS complete. DA being higher than when we took off means that 5" of MP was a bit too much and we're slowing but tracking glideslope well. Add an inch and wait, a smidgen more... There we go.
Doug is listening intently and mentions that they've switched runways and there's a jet headed for us from the left on a left base to 35R. Okay, let me know if we need to break off.
Tower gets a touch confused and thinks we want a fake missed instead of a full stop so he runs us right up near the jet and then just says "East approved, enter right downwind for 35R". Doug clarifies, since we're currently headed for 35R with the jet turning in front of us, Tower says, "East now, then re-enter the pattern from the East, midfield right downwind Runway 35R." Ahh, I get it now. I turn east on our "missed" climb to 7500 and lift the hood.
Our little weird left 270 back into the downwind and a right base to Runway 35R and we're done. Taxi to the fuel pumps, and put 35 gallons on board. Leaving the tanks at 51 gallons since its been just bloody hot and we were seeing about 400 FPM during most climbs, and even left the RPM up for them, for max performance. It's a slog with three dudes and a hot day. We talk about leaving early when it's cool on OSH departure day with three dudes and max gross. It's going to be a looooong climb to cooler air eastbound.
Have Stephen jump in the front seat and run through his first checklist. Fire up and show him how to taxi. His first time taxiing anything and his feet aren't yet connected to his brain. I laugh as we s-turn all the way back to the Hangar with occasional rudder pedal jabs from me to help out. Show him how the brakes work and how they can help steering if needed. He's very ginger on them (good!) maybe just timid. Gives me memories of how "hard" it was to steer with my feet at first. I show him how to track and hold the centerline. Then let him try, and he's back and forth but better. Explain the bungee cord and steering setup. Talk about where to hold the flight controls for taxi downwind...
And we're back at the hangar. 1.5 aloft, and now the smoke is just starting to roll in at KAPA. It's from a Wyoming fire. Tower later changes the ATIS to 3 miles of vis with a remark that there is 4 miles of ground vis. It drops lower by a bit (can't see past IKEA across I-25 abeam the runway 35 complex midpoint or so) and they have mercy on the VFR folks and leave the vis at 3 miles. It's kinda 3 miles. Sure. In three directions. West is a little thicker.
Drive over, grab a giant iced coffee at Starbucks and then back to the hangar to catch up my logbook from the airplane logbook. Doug and Stephen just happen to roll up there also, I offer to buy his coffee, and the clerk says the Tall coffee is on the house on July 4th.
Back at the hangar I remember to log the VOT test and shoot a photo and post it. Clean up a little bit in the hangar and think about taking the last oil filter home to check it, and decide I'll do it later. Don't feel like making that mess right now and the filter cutter is at home. Watch the smoke get thicker and thinner, up and down. ATIS stays at 3 miles.
Nice day. Only bad part was it took longer than expected and I didn't make it back to FTG to see PoA folks. Karen changed the afternoon plans so I had a couple errands to run.
Good stuff! Logbook updated a see that I've got over 220 hours in 182s now and almost 100 night hours. Night currency is about to go out (14 days) so that's next flight. And the Instrument currency Smart Group has days on it for the first time. Hey nifty. Also added the Instrument to the Certificates section, update BFR date, etc. Looking clean. Nice.
That was my day. I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July as much as I did! Sorry folks out at FTG! Will catch up with y'all soon!
Departed KAPA from Runway 10, and at that time, KAPA was pretty busy. Lots of folks out enjoying the nice morning.
Airplane climbed sluggishly in the over 9000' DA and we headed out southbound VFR to ring up DEN TRACON for the ILS 35R at KAPA.
Doug had the radios for something to do and also as a crew coordination thing, so I just had to fly. Had been since the Instrument checkride since any approaches so it was probably a little overdue. I fly better if I shoot approaches every other week.
Stay at 8500 under the Bravo and intercept the Localizer. Looking okay but I'm doing the left-right five degree thing. Stop that. Yeah. It's been a few weeks. No biggie. Altitude looks good and Doug is commenting about how busy single-pilot hand-flown IFR looks. Yup. Stuff comes up quick, got to have the plan moving.
KAPA asks us to go missed one mile past the power lines, and we ask for East to head over to KFTG after this one. I wanted to have to change approaches and plates and keep up, and since there's only one approach my /A aircraft can fly at home base, we had to go somewhere anyway.
Head East, KAPA still busy so Doug makes up some heading and altitude "controller" assignments to stay out of the way of a couple of folks, and we're talking to DEN TRACON again. We were already on a decent course for intercepting the extended localizer 35 at KFTG, so we ask for the ILS 35 and they agree that works for them.
Grab ATIS, it's severe clear and more wind (gee what's new, it's FTG!) out of the north as forecast. That'll work.
Truck on down that one, flew it a bit faster than usual just to get used to it, and the FTG tower says we have traffic at 12 o'clock and slightly lower southbound right near the edge of the Bravo... I stop tracking the glideslope long enough for Doug to spot him and then dive to recapture and get below the edge of the shelf.
Kinda screws up the approach, but anyway... It's still working. The joys of VFR doing IFR currency...
Next thing I hear is Doug saying to the Tower, "Just for your information we've got about five miles of flight visibility."
Huh? I think to myself. That's interesting. I think for a second and ask Doug, what's up? "Haze." He says... "Looks like forest fire smoke."
Ahhh! Okay, so about 100' from DA I say, "If it gets any worse, let me know and we'll file a pop-up to go back to Centennial."
Right near the bottom with all the distractions, the glideslope dropped a dot from a little thermal and I chased it. Note to self... 250' above ground is not a good time to pitch significantly. I managed to get a "nose up!" comment from Doug.
Unlike over at KAPA where we were head to head with departing traffic on 17L, here we can drop down to the DA and not break off early, so we do, and then the usual "missed VFR southeast" which I tell Doug to feel free to just pick a heading and altitude that keeps us out of the Bravo and we'll head back over to KAPA.
At DA I take a quick peek and sure enough, the world is all hazy. Yuck. Okay, enjoyed my peek at the runway, and I'm back under the hood. Doug gives a fake vector and climb and we're out of there.
And when I peeked at DA we were a bit more steeply nose down than I would have liked. Very good lesson there. No wild pitch changes that low. That's too low to be chasing. Just go missed if you get bounced by an updraft. Everything else was good.
Back up with DEN and we take up a heading and altitude once we're out from under the shelf to go intercept the 35R localizer for one more ILS to a full stop. Didn't want Doug's son to be bounced around too much in the back and end up not enjoying his flight, so three is enough. We chat and he's doing good.
Traffic call, 10 o'clock, crossing 2 miles ahead, east to west, not talking to the DEN folks. Yes, the standard "Aurora Reservoir cut the corner traffic into KAPA trying to avoid the Bravo. Doug is no joy in it and second call, 1 mile. I announce I'm coming visual to help search and turn a little East to pass behind. We both spot him dead ahead, light twin hauling the mail, one mile, same altitude. Haze is still pretty thick but lightening as we head southwest.
Didn't think to have Doug call out a Hold somewhere and enter it. Going to have to remember to do that for currency. Not used to the IFR currency routine yet. Oh well.
Couple of vectors from DEN and we slightly blow past the localizer, not bad. Straighten it out and this approach now feels locked in solidly compared to the first two which were PTS standards, for sure, but this one feels better. Back in the mental groove. Good. That's why we're up here with this Dog Collar on my head.
Altitude is wandering 20-30 feet right at first in bumps, but power set and slowing and trim and we lock in.
Before we know it we're over CASSE and off comes 5" MP and we start down. Checklist compete, GUMPS complete. DA being higher than when we took off means that 5" of MP was a bit too much and we're slowing but tracking glideslope well. Add an inch and wait, a smidgen more... There we go.
Doug is listening intently and mentions that they've switched runways and there's a jet headed for us from the left on a left base to 35R. Okay, let me know if we need to break off.
Tower gets a touch confused and thinks we want a fake missed instead of a full stop so he runs us right up near the jet and then just says "East approved, enter right downwind for 35R". Doug clarifies, since we're currently headed for 35R with the jet turning in front of us, Tower says, "East now, then re-enter the pattern from the East, midfield right downwind Runway 35R." Ahh, I get it now. I turn east on our "missed" climb to 7500 and lift the hood.
Our little weird left 270 back into the downwind and a right base to Runway 35R and we're done. Taxi to the fuel pumps, and put 35 gallons on board. Leaving the tanks at 51 gallons since its been just bloody hot and we were seeing about 400 FPM during most climbs, and even left the RPM up for them, for max performance. It's a slog with three dudes and a hot day. We talk about leaving early when it's cool on OSH departure day with three dudes and max gross. It's going to be a looooong climb to cooler air eastbound.
Have Stephen jump in the front seat and run through his first checklist. Fire up and show him how to taxi. His first time taxiing anything and his feet aren't yet connected to his brain. I laugh as we s-turn all the way back to the Hangar with occasional rudder pedal jabs from me to help out. Show him how the brakes work and how they can help steering if needed. He's very ginger on them (good!) maybe just timid. Gives me memories of how "hard" it was to steer with my feet at first. I show him how to track and hold the centerline. Then let him try, and he's back and forth but better. Explain the bungee cord and steering setup. Talk about where to hold the flight controls for taxi downwind...
And we're back at the hangar. 1.5 aloft, and now the smoke is just starting to roll in at KAPA. It's from a Wyoming fire. Tower later changes the ATIS to 3 miles of vis with a remark that there is 4 miles of ground vis. It drops lower by a bit (can't see past IKEA across I-25 abeam the runway 35 complex midpoint or so) and they have mercy on the VFR folks and leave the vis at 3 miles. It's kinda 3 miles. Sure. In three directions. West is a little thicker.
Drive over, grab a giant iced coffee at Starbucks and then back to the hangar to catch up my logbook from the airplane logbook. Doug and Stephen just happen to roll up there also, I offer to buy his coffee, and the clerk says the Tall coffee is on the house on July 4th.
Back at the hangar I remember to log the VOT test and shoot a photo and post it. Clean up a little bit in the hangar and think about taking the last oil filter home to check it, and decide I'll do it later. Don't feel like making that mess right now and the filter cutter is at home. Watch the smoke get thicker and thinner, up and down. ATIS stays at 3 miles.
Nice day. Only bad part was it took longer than expected and I didn't make it back to FTG to see PoA folks. Karen changed the afternoon plans so I had a couple errands to run.
Good stuff! Logbook updated a see that I've got over 220 hours in 182s now and almost 100 night hours. Night currency is about to go out (14 days) so that's next flight. And the Instrument currency Smart Group has days on it for the first time. Hey nifty. Also added the Instrument to the Certificates section, update BFR date, etc. Looking clean. Nice.
That was my day. I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July as much as I did! Sorry folks out at FTG! Will catch up with y'all soon!
