t0r0nad0
Pattern Altitude
Well, last night I did my long solo cross-country flight. My instructor didn't go for my requested SGR - 11R - CLL - CXO - DWH - IWS - SGR (can't figure out why), so I did SGR - ELA - CLL - SGR instead. I told him that I just wanted a bit of a challenge, to which he replied, "You can challenge yourself after you get your license and you're flying on your own ticket instead of mine." I guess I can understand where he's coming from.
Anyway, I took off from SGR, turned due west, called FSS to open my flight plan, and called Departure for flight following, all of which went off without a hitch. I climbed to 4500, where the air was cool (very welcome in a non-airconditioned 172 on a humid Texas summer day) and smooth. Right around Wallis I had to descend down to 4000 to remain clear of some clouds, but that was no problem. I descended towards Eagle Lake and center dumped me off to the advisory freq. I made my 10 mile call that I was going to fly over from East to West at 1700 to check the wind. Same thing for my 5 mile call. Then a Cherokee called 5nm south for an approach to 35. I finally saw him come in beneath me and he wound up just making downwind for 17. I did a 180 and flew back over the airport from West to East at 1700, then made a descending right turn to join the 45 entry for the left downwind to 17. The Cherokee had cleared the runway, so I made a touch & go. As I was climbing out, a Baron called that he was inbound to the VOR for the VOR approach to 17. I still had time to do another touch & go before he got there, so I continued my pattern, making all of my call-outs. As I rolled out on final for 17, making my call-out, I saw a crop-duster taxi out on to 35 without making a radio call. I was just getting ready to power up and go around when he saw me and pulled back off the runway. I did my touch and go and started climbing out again, then announce a northeast departure before turning north so as to avoid the Baron and the Cherokee, which had taken off again by the time I came around for my 2nd touch & go. As I was leaving, I saw the crop duster climbing out after taking off on 35, so I warned the Baron of his presence before I switched back to Houston Center to pick up flight following up to College Station.
So, after all of that fun I turned northbound, tracked direct to the CLL VOR, and climbed back to 4500. During my briefing, FSS told me about some aerobatic activity set to take place near Brenham below 4000', so I looked for the stunt planes as I flew over, but I didn't see any. I did have the throttle pulled back a bit and was cruising at about 95 kias so that I could fill in the 2.1 solo x-c hours that I needed, which is also why I did 2 touch & goes at ELA. As I passed over Brenham and then Bellville, I picked up the ATIS at CLL, which was reporting south winds at 5 and clear skies. I started descending, then when I reported the airport in sight I got handed off to tower. I was instructed to make a right downwind for 16, and to call 1nm southwest, as there was a T-38 Talon on the instrument approach for 10. I got to 2nm southwest and didn't see the Talon, so I called the tower and asked if he needed me to do a 360. He said that wasn't necessary, and to continue my downwind. Just after I passed over the threshold of 10, I looked out to the left and saw the Talon coming in... that was pretty cool. I continued to do 3 touch and goes there, then departed to the southeast for SGR.
I climbed up to 3500' and called Center for flight following. I looked at the Hobbs and figured that I could just keep up the speed on this leg. I was cruising along, and it's amazing how little there is to do when you have the plane perfectly trimmed out and holding the right amount of rudder pressure. So, I tuned in 610AM on the ADF and listened to it in the background for a little while, as there wasn't much traffic on the frequency. Once I got handed off to approach, that all changed, so I quickly turned off the ADF audio and kept on flying in to the Houston area. I was about 5nm north of Houston Executive airport when approach called to tell me that there was traffic maneuvering at my 1:00, 2 miles, type and altitude unknown. I told approach that I'd look and proceeded to search around, above and below me, including "S"-ing around and slipping a bit so I could see out the right side of the plane. I still didn't have the traffic, so I called, "Approach, Skyhawk eight-niner-seven, we still don't have that traffic, do you have an updated position?" He replied back that it was off my right wing, less than a mile, type and altitude unknown. I look out the right side and down and see a high-wing plane on short final for a little grass-strip fly-in community that was there, so I told approach that I had him and kept on going.
As I got closer to SGR, I noticed Approach talking to about 3 or 4 airplanes that were just taking turns being vectored in for the ILS 35 approach at SGR, including N64556, which is a plane that I'd flown several times at my old flight school before switching to this one. I picked up the ASOS, which reported calm winds and scattered clouds at 5000'. Approach asked if I wanted vectors for the ILS 35, which I politely declined, explaining that I was VFR-only. He descended me to 2000', and I called the airport in sight. He handed me off to the tower, who had me make a right base to 17. As I was on base, I saw one of the planes do their missed approach and climbing out, indicating that they wanted to depart and return to West Houston Airport. When asked, I told tower that I had the traffic, and he cleared me to land on 17, just as another plane was reporting HULLO on the ILS 35 approach. I landed and cleared the runway before that aircraft reported their missed approach. I taxied in, shut down, and hung out with my instructor and a couple of others as they were watching one of the other instructor's students do his first solo flight. I hung out long enough to congratulate the student before I left.
Now, all I have left is .7 hrs of hood time, .6 hrs of solo local flying, a checkride prep flight with my CFI, a checkride prep ground school, and my written test, then I'll be ready to take my checkride. I'm thinking I should have the license by mid-August.
Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to put a trip report out there.
Anyway, I took off from SGR, turned due west, called FSS to open my flight plan, and called Departure for flight following, all of which went off without a hitch. I climbed to 4500, where the air was cool (very welcome in a non-airconditioned 172 on a humid Texas summer day) and smooth. Right around Wallis I had to descend down to 4000 to remain clear of some clouds, but that was no problem. I descended towards Eagle Lake and center dumped me off to the advisory freq. I made my 10 mile call that I was going to fly over from East to West at 1700 to check the wind. Same thing for my 5 mile call. Then a Cherokee called 5nm south for an approach to 35. I finally saw him come in beneath me and he wound up just making downwind for 17. I did a 180 and flew back over the airport from West to East at 1700, then made a descending right turn to join the 45 entry for the left downwind to 17. The Cherokee had cleared the runway, so I made a touch & go. As I was climbing out, a Baron called that he was inbound to the VOR for the VOR approach to 17. I still had time to do another touch & go before he got there, so I continued my pattern, making all of my call-outs. As I rolled out on final for 17, making my call-out, I saw a crop-duster taxi out on to 35 without making a radio call. I was just getting ready to power up and go around when he saw me and pulled back off the runway. I did my touch and go and started climbing out again, then announce a northeast departure before turning north so as to avoid the Baron and the Cherokee, which had taken off again by the time I came around for my 2nd touch & go. As I was leaving, I saw the crop duster climbing out after taking off on 35, so I warned the Baron of his presence before I switched back to Houston Center to pick up flight following up to College Station.
So, after all of that fun I turned northbound, tracked direct to the CLL VOR, and climbed back to 4500. During my briefing, FSS told me about some aerobatic activity set to take place near Brenham below 4000', so I looked for the stunt planes as I flew over, but I didn't see any. I did have the throttle pulled back a bit and was cruising at about 95 kias so that I could fill in the 2.1 solo x-c hours that I needed, which is also why I did 2 touch & goes at ELA. As I passed over Brenham and then Bellville, I picked up the ATIS at CLL, which was reporting south winds at 5 and clear skies. I started descending, then when I reported the airport in sight I got handed off to tower. I was instructed to make a right downwind for 16, and to call 1nm southwest, as there was a T-38 Talon on the instrument approach for 10. I got to 2nm southwest and didn't see the Talon, so I called the tower and asked if he needed me to do a 360. He said that wasn't necessary, and to continue my downwind. Just after I passed over the threshold of 10, I looked out to the left and saw the Talon coming in... that was pretty cool. I continued to do 3 touch and goes there, then departed to the southeast for SGR.
I climbed up to 3500' and called Center for flight following. I looked at the Hobbs and figured that I could just keep up the speed on this leg. I was cruising along, and it's amazing how little there is to do when you have the plane perfectly trimmed out and holding the right amount of rudder pressure. So, I tuned in 610AM on the ADF and listened to it in the background for a little while, as there wasn't much traffic on the frequency. Once I got handed off to approach, that all changed, so I quickly turned off the ADF audio and kept on flying in to the Houston area. I was about 5nm north of Houston Executive airport when approach called to tell me that there was traffic maneuvering at my 1:00, 2 miles, type and altitude unknown. I told approach that I'd look and proceeded to search around, above and below me, including "S"-ing around and slipping a bit so I could see out the right side of the plane. I still didn't have the traffic, so I called, "Approach, Skyhawk eight-niner-seven, we still don't have that traffic, do you have an updated position?" He replied back that it was off my right wing, less than a mile, type and altitude unknown. I look out the right side and down and see a high-wing plane on short final for a little grass-strip fly-in community that was there, so I told approach that I had him and kept on going.
As I got closer to SGR, I noticed Approach talking to about 3 or 4 airplanes that were just taking turns being vectored in for the ILS 35 approach at SGR, including N64556, which is a plane that I'd flown several times at my old flight school before switching to this one. I picked up the ASOS, which reported calm winds and scattered clouds at 5000'. Approach asked if I wanted vectors for the ILS 35, which I politely declined, explaining that I was VFR-only. He descended me to 2000', and I called the airport in sight. He handed me off to the tower, who had me make a right base to 17. As I was on base, I saw one of the planes do their missed approach and climbing out, indicating that they wanted to depart and return to West Houston Airport. When asked, I told tower that I had the traffic, and he cleared me to land on 17, just as another plane was reporting HULLO on the ILS 35 approach. I landed and cleared the runway before that aircraft reported their missed approach. I taxied in, shut down, and hung out with my instructor and a couple of others as they were watching one of the other instructor's students do his first solo flight. I hung out long enough to congratulate the student before I left.
Now, all I have left is .7 hrs of hood time, .6 hrs of solo local flying, a checkride prep flight with my CFI, a checkride prep ground school, and my written test, then I'll be ready to take my checkride. I'm thinking I should have the license by mid-August.
Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to put a trip report out there.
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