flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
It's been a long time since I did a simple solo flight and wrote it up. So, here goes.
I was originally supposed to go to GRB to pick up a new trainee, but his father-in-law had a stroke Friday night so he's not going out on the road just yet. However, he didn't call me back to tell me this until I was already at the airport and the line guys were pulling the plane out of the hangar. It was a beautiful day, and... I just couldn't help myself I guess. I had to fly anyway, schedule pressures be damned.
The 182 just got out of annual. It's always had a problem starting, the first couple of times you crank it it wouldn't turn over. They replaced the starter adapter though, and rumor was that it started just like any other plane now.
I think maybe the plane just wanted to fly as bad as I did.
I hadn't flown the 182 since late October, so I was extra-careful and slow with the checklists. The old routine was still familiar, though... Master, beacon, mixture rich, tanks both, cowl flaps open, one shot of primer and pull the primer knob out, "Clear!" (the prop and the weather both), and crank the starter while pushing the primer knob in. The engine turned excitedly and roared to life.
Oil pressure, lean mixture, avionics master on, set DG to compass, listen to ATIS. "Madison airport information Zulu, one niner five three zulu, wind one niner zero at fourteen, visibility 10, sky condition clear, temperature 2, dewpoint minus 5, altimeter two niner niner six, landing and departing runways 18 and 21..."
I flipped over to Ground, intending only to do some pattern work. Hmmm, there's a new guy in the tower. The 172 next to me was already advising them he was going to do the same. A student in one of the rentals was stumbling through his calls to clearance, and another poor airliner was being told to proceed to the north holding bay to await clearance to ORD.
"Madison Ground, Skylane 271G is on the south ramp with Zulu, ready to taxi for pattern work." I was instructed to taxi to 21. I fed the thirsty beast in front of me just a little extra go-juice and began rolling. Test brakes, compass and DG swinging and on known headings, AI level, TC indicating turns, ball to the outside...
I'm on Delta when New Guy gets on the ground frequency again. "Skylane 271G, turn right on Bravo, cross runway 14, taxi to runway 21, contact tower at the end of the runway for takeoff clearance." Um, OK. There's no change there, dude. "Cross 14, taxi 21, 271G." It seemed like he was giving progressive instructions to everyone.
As I was crossing 14, a beautiful red Skywagon (hmm, never noticed how appropriate the color and the name were before...) landed on 21 and approached me. I'm pretty sure it's the one that is based at UES and belongs to a county supervisor there, but today it's got something new: Wheel penetration skis. Oooooh, I want a ride!
Approaching the runway... Throttle to 1700, mag check, carb heat check, pull the prop a couple of times, engine gauges green, vacuum good, throttle back. Flight controls free and correct, trim set, tanks both, lights on, transponder ALT, "Madison Tower, Skylane 271G holding short of 21 ready for takeoff."
"Skylane 271G, make left closed traffic, cleared for takeoff runway 21." Acknowledge the call, throttle up a bit, mixture rich, turn left, and add full power. Ah, what beautiful noise.
The old engine hasn't lost a bit of power. Nearly 400 over TBO now, it runs smooth and pulls like a horse. 230 horses, actually. The airplane smoothly accelerates down the runway. Airspeed alive, engine gauges green, rotate, and off we go.
Some people would scoff at the idea of flying in Wisconsin in December. They don't know what they're missing. One deep breath of the cool, crisp air during preflight gets me in the spirit, and the airplane lets me know that it agrees when we take off, as the flying surfaces and prop eagerly take their own deep breath, eagerly lifting me skyward at a rate as brisk as the outside air: 1700 feet per minute. I arrive at pattern altitude in less than a mile, before I even make it to the departure end of the runway.
I turn crosswind before I make it to the end of the runway and take a glance downward at the ramp before turning my eyes back to the clear blue sky to look for the 172 that's ahead of me in the pattern.
New Guy starts working the tower frequency now, and the airport seemingly decides to get busy at the same moment. While the airliners take off and land on 18, GA is pretty much monopolizing 21. A 172 on a practice approach goes missed as the 172 in the pattern turns base. I'm on downwind following him in when the Archer with its stumbling student calls in ready at 21. They're told to hold short for landing traffic. I reduce power, drop flaps, turn base, more flaps... I finish my turn to final as the 172 touches down.
I don't trust New Guy yet, and he doesn't earn it on this flight. As the 172 is on the go, he clears the Archer for takeoff. Hello?!? I'm on final here, and there's only two planes in the pattern for the moment: The 172 on the roll in front of me, and me on 1/2 mile final. Why cram an Archer between us? I'm probably already going to have to extend a leg to keep from running up the 172's tailpipe the next time around the pattern. I prepare to go around.
I think he realizes his mistake, telling the Archer to take off immediately. That call is acknowledged by CFI Tina, and she gets the plane rolling and off the ground as quickly as I'd expect anyone to be able to. I make a landing that's a bit more thump than grease, but not too bad for not flying the bird for a couple of months. Carb heat in, flaps up, power in, and we're on the roll.
I take a look at the situation New Guy has created for himself - Three airplanes on the upwind leg! - and climb out at a brisk rate once again, keeping a close eye on both planes in front of me. I delay turning crosswind until he tells me to, and I fly a wide pattern. While we're all on downwind, a Seneca appears, also shooting practice approaches to 21. We all have to extend downwind, me more so than the others. In fact, I'm so far out that I stay at pattern altitude all the way onto final and then some. I was still so far out that I couldn't see the PAPI when I turned final. Sheesh.
Another OK landing, and another brisk climb. The three planes in the pattern are a little more spaced out now. New Guy still has a lot of learning to do, as he now has an airliner inbound to 21 but puts the student in the Archer in front of them.
There are several exchanges between New Guy, the airline crew, and the Archer about this. Eventually, the Archer manages to do a touch and go and sidestep a bit off the runway for the airliner. That's a wee bit too close. 
I get to watch the whole thing as I'm on final behind the airliner. (At least he remembered "Caution, wake turbulence...")
I decide I've had enough of the pattern games. I don't really have anywhere to go, and I've got to get back to my ground-pounding job anyway. I ask New Guy for a full stop which is granted. I land, turn off at Bravo two, and call Ground. While on Delta, the sun, now low in the sky, cast a shadow of the plane that looked kind of cartoonish and fun. I'm sure that perception was helped just a bit by my state of mind.
I was originally supposed to go to GRB to pick up a new trainee, but his father-in-law had a stroke Friday night so he's not going out on the road just yet. However, he didn't call me back to tell me this until I was already at the airport and the line guys were pulling the plane out of the hangar. It was a beautiful day, and... I just couldn't help myself I guess. I had to fly anyway, schedule pressures be damned.
The 182 just got out of annual. It's always had a problem starting, the first couple of times you crank it it wouldn't turn over. They replaced the starter adapter though, and rumor was that it started just like any other plane now.
I think maybe the plane just wanted to fly as bad as I did.
I hadn't flown the 182 since late October, so I was extra-careful and slow with the checklists. The old routine was still familiar, though... Master, beacon, mixture rich, tanks both, cowl flaps open, one shot of primer and pull the primer knob out, "Clear!" (the prop and the weather both), and crank the starter while pushing the primer knob in. The engine turned excitedly and roared to life.
Oil pressure, lean mixture, avionics master on, set DG to compass, listen to ATIS. "Madison airport information Zulu, one niner five three zulu, wind one niner zero at fourteen, visibility 10, sky condition clear, temperature 2, dewpoint minus 5, altimeter two niner niner six, landing and departing runways 18 and 21..."
I flipped over to Ground, intending only to do some pattern work. Hmmm, there's a new guy in the tower. The 172 next to me was already advising them he was going to do the same. A student in one of the rentals was stumbling through his calls to clearance, and another poor airliner was being told to proceed to the north holding bay to await clearance to ORD.
"Madison Ground, Skylane 271G is on the south ramp with Zulu, ready to taxi for pattern work." I was instructed to taxi to 21. I fed the thirsty beast in front of me just a little extra go-juice and began rolling. Test brakes, compass and DG swinging and on known headings, AI level, TC indicating turns, ball to the outside...
I'm on Delta when New Guy gets on the ground frequency again. "Skylane 271G, turn right on Bravo, cross runway 14, taxi to runway 21, contact tower at the end of the runway for takeoff clearance." Um, OK. There's no change there, dude. "Cross 14, taxi 21, 271G." It seemed like he was giving progressive instructions to everyone.
As I was crossing 14, a beautiful red Skywagon (hmm, never noticed how appropriate the color and the name were before...) landed on 21 and approached me. I'm pretty sure it's the one that is based at UES and belongs to a county supervisor there, but today it's got something new: Wheel penetration skis. Oooooh, I want a ride!
Approaching the runway... Throttle to 1700, mag check, carb heat check, pull the prop a couple of times, engine gauges green, vacuum good, throttle back. Flight controls free and correct, trim set, tanks both, lights on, transponder ALT, "Madison Tower, Skylane 271G holding short of 21 ready for takeoff."
"Skylane 271G, make left closed traffic, cleared for takeoff runway 21." Acknowledge the call, throttle up a bit, mixture rich, turn left, and add full power. Ah, what beautiful noise.
The old engine hasn't lost a bit of power. Nearly 400 over TBO now, it runs smooth and pulls like a horse. 230 horses, actually. The airplane smoothly accelerates down the runway. Airspeed alive, engine gauges green, rotate, and off we go.
Some people would scoff at the idea of flying in Wisconsin in December. They don't know what they're missing. One deep breath of the cool, crisp air during preflight gets me in the spirit, and the airplane lets me know that it agrees when we take off, as the flying surfaces and prop eagerly take their own deep breath, eagerly lifting me skyward at a rate as brisk as the outside air: 1700 feet per minute. I arrive at pattern altitude in less than a mile, before I even make it to the departure end of the runway.
I turn crosswind before I make it to the end of the runway and take a glance downward at the ramp before turning my eyes back to the clear blue sky to look for the 172 that's ahead of me in the pattern.
New Guy starts working the tower frequency now, and the airport seemingly decides to get busy at the same moment. While the airliners take off and land on 18, GA is pretty much monopolizing 21. A 172 on a practice approach goes missed as the 172 in the pattern turns base. I'm on downwind following him in when the Archer with its stumbling student calls in ready at 21. They're told to hold short for landing traffic. I reduce power, drop flaps, turn base, more flaps... I finish my turn to final as the 172 touches down.
I don't trust New Guy yet, and he doesn't earn it on this flight. As the 172 is on the go, he clears the Archer for takeoff. Hello?!? I'm on final here, and there's only two planes in the pattern for the moment: The 172 on the roll in front of me, and me on 1/2 mile final. Why cram an Archer between us? I'm probably already going to have to extend a leg to keep from running up the 172's tailpipe the next time around the pattern. I prepare to go around.
I think he realizes his mistake, telling the Archer to take off immediately. That call is acknowledged by CFI Tina, and she gets the plane rolling and off the ground as quickly as I'd expect anyone to be able to. I make a landing that's a bit more thump than grease, but not too bad for not flying the bird for a couple of months. Carb heat in, flaps up, power in, and we're on the roll.
I take a look at the situation New Guy has created for himself - Three airplanes on the upwind leg! - and climb out at a brisk rate once again, keeping a close eye on both planes in front of me. I delay turning crosswind until he tells me to, and I fly a wide pattern. While we're all on downwind, a Seneca appears, also shooting practice approaches to 21. We all have to extend downwind, me more so than the others. In fact, I'm so far out that I stay at pattern altitude all the way onto final and then some. I was still so far out that I couldn't see the PAPI when I turned final. Sheesh.
Another OK landing, and another brisk climb. The three planes in the pattern are a little more spaced out now. New Guy still has a lot of learning to do, as he now has an airliner inbound to 21 but puts the student in the Archer in front of them.
There are several exchanges between New Guy, the airline crew, and the Archer about this. Eventually, the Archer manages to do a touch and go and sidestep a bit off the runway for the airliner. That's a wee bit too close. I get to watch the whole thing as I'm on final behind the airliner. (At least he remembered "Caution, wake turbulence...")I decide I've had enough of the pattern games. I don't really have anywhere to go, and I've got to get back to my ground-pounding job anyway. I ask New Guy for a full stop which is granted. I land, turn off at Bravo two, and call Ground. While on Delta, the sun, now low in the sky, cast a shadow of the plane that looked kind of cartoonish and fun. I'm sure that perception was helped just a bit by my state of mind.
