whereisrandall
Pre-takeoff checklist
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2016
- Messages
- 333
- Location
- Wiscasset, Maine
- Display Name
- Randall Williams
- Home Airfield
- KIWI
...and REALLY enjoyed it.
The increasing workload aspect of flying is enjoyable for me, so controlled airspace has always been fun. This was the first time I'd landed at a Bravo, and the workload didn't disappoint.
I was on my first Patient AirLift Services mission, taking a guy from Bangor down to treatment at a Boston hospital. The charity pays for the landing fees, so I escaped with just paying for seven gallons of gas.
The flight itself was straightforward and uneventful. I filed IFR for ease despite the severe-clear day, and got pretty direct routing (BGR-LWM-BOS.) Had it been actual IFR, I'm sure it would have been a zoo with my 105-knot final approach speed in the mix, as they were landing jets only on 33L (I landed 33R - 2,500 feet, with no instrument approach.) I really appreciated being vectored between the landing jets on the parallel runway, and the threshold of the short 33R being far beyond the TDZ of the turbines.
Foreflight's a nice help, both for the geo-referenced airport taxi diagram, and for the "expected routing" feature - I had my IFR departure clearance all set up in the 430 before I'd even called for release.
It was a nice point of arrival, to look back on four years since learning to fly, and a good reminder of what's to come, as I tried to hold ATP-checkride standards the whole way down and back.
Things that I learned:
I wasn't thinking ahead about final approach and initial departure frequencies. I've flown through plenty, but never landed at a Bravo. After approach, I had the tower frequency on standby, rather than the final approach frequency. Quickly solved, and I'll know next time.
Taxiing in conga lines with the big kids was lots of fun. I was told to monitor tower about halfway across the airport. So I stayed on ground, and pulled up tower to monitor it. Except that I should have switched - the next voice talking to me was tower, not ground. Also quickly solved.
Departing, I was in a hurry to get out of the way of the jets holding short in sequence behind me. After takeoff, I turned pretty quickly off the runway rather than waiting to the end to turn. I figured it would help the controller workload - not really, they still have to space me out for the heavies. Again, next time.
I took video and audio. I've been tempted to make a video with a geo-referenced airport diagram, to help other single engine piston folks know what to expect, but I'm not sure how much translates.
But I'll remember the trip for a good long time.
The increasing workload aspect of flying is enjoyable for me, so controlled airspace has always been fun. This was the first time I'd landed at a Bravo, and the workload didn't disappoint.
I was on my first Patient AirLift Services mission, taking a guy from Bangor down to treatment at a Boston hospital. The charity pays for the landing fees, so I escaped with just paying for seven gallons of gas.
The flight itself was straightforward and uneventful. I filed IFR for ease despite the severe-clear day, and got pretty direct routing (BGR-LWM-BOS.) Had it been actual IFR, I'm sure it would have been a zoo with my 105-knot final approach speed in the mix, as they were landing jets only on 33L (I landed 33R - 2,500 feet, with no instrument approach.) I really appreciated being vectored between the landing jets on the parallel runway, and the threshold of the short 33R being far beyond the TDZ of the turbines.
Foreflight's a nice help, both for the geo-referenced airport taxi diagram, and for the "expected routing" feature - I had my IFR departure clearance all set up in the 430 before I'd even called for release.
It was a nice point of arrival, to look back on four years since learning to fly, and a good reminder of what's to come, as I tried to hold ATP-checkride standards the whole way down and back.
Things that I learned:
I wasn't thinking ahead about final approach and initial departure frequencies. I've flown through plenty, but never landed at a Bravo. After approach, I had the tower frequency on standby, rather than the final approach frequency. Quickly solved, and I'll know next time.
Taxiing in conga lines with the big kids was lots of fun. I was told to monitor tower about halfway across the airport. So I stayed on ground, and pulled up tower to monitor it. Except that I should have switched - the next voice talking to me was tower, not ground. Also quickly solved.
Departing, I was in a hurry to get out of the way of the jets holding short in sequence behind me. After takeoff, I turned pretty quickly off the runway rather than waiting to the end to turn. I figured it would help the controller workload - not really, they still have to space me out for the heavies. Again, next time.
I took video and audio. I've been tempted to make a video with a geo-referenced airport diagram, to help other single engine piston folks know what to expect, but I'm not sure how much translates.
But I'll remember the trip for a good long time.
