- Joined
- May 18, 2007
- Messages
- 7,154
- Display Name
- jsstevens
- Home Airfield
- KSFB
I got a chance to fly down to LSA Expo today. The weather doesn't get any better in central Florida than today - clear, cold (in the morning) and virtually no wind. We had 35+ miles visibility.
I had invited a friend and he brought two of his kids along.
We took off from Orlando Executive (KORL) at ~ 8:30 and headed out to the SW to clear the Class Bravo around OIA. I climbed up to 2500 feet (once past KISM) and headed for Avon Park (KAVO). This route keeps me out of the MOA north and east of Sebring (KSEF) where the expo is being held. The air was glassy smooth and the kids enjoyed seeing EPCOT and Downtown Disney from the air.
When I visited LSA Expo 2 or 3 years ago, they had a temporary tower and you called them from downtown Sebring. They cleared you into the pattern and you landed and parked. That was then, this is now. Now they have an arrival procedure like Sun-n-Fun or AirVenture. You fly down to Lake Jackson and orbit the lake counter clockwise at 1100' and 90 knots while monitoring Sebring approach. They call you out ("White Cessna") and send you from the southeast side of the lake to the airport on a 110 degree heading in single file 1/2 mile spacing. You waggle your wings to acknowledge and monitor tower as you go.
We arrived from the northwest and joined the group over the lake, and most folks were calling the approach rather than monitoring. A Comanche converged on us from the right and approach asked me to follow him. I pulled up to slow down, pulled in behind and waggled my wings. We headed for the airport and the Comanche proceeded to drop down to about 900'. I'm following but maintaining 1100 as per the notam. There is a steady stream of airplanes and we're just following the line. Then the Comanche slows way down and pulls back up to 1100. I drop a notch of flaps and pull up and to the the right while keeping him in sight. (We rode with the Comanche pilot in the shuttle and he was trying to stay spaced out behind an Arrow which slowed down to 70 kts and just hung there.) I've never done this kind of approach before but I soldier on adjusting as we go. finally we cross mid field and enter left traffic for 18.
I'm hearing a steady stream of "Low wing keep flying past the pink spot. high wing turn left at A2" etc. Most everybody is being asked to keep speed up and land past the pink spot - so I'm prepped. The Comanche is told to land past the pink spot and then the tower says "High wing, put it on the numbers for me.". Uh-oh - I'm at ~100 MPH and a little high. I am in the white arc so I pull all 40 degrees of flaps (this is 1963 C-172) add a little slip and set it down on the numbers. I was so busy I wasn't thinking about the landing and it was a good one - stall horn chirped and everything.
We shuttled over to the west side of the airport and saw the displays. There were less aircraft than when I went before but many more people. There are some pretty neat LSA and ELSA aircraft - a lot of innovation in this segment.
After lunch, we rode the shuttle back out to our airplane, preflighted and cranked up. I followed the departure instructions and listened to the ATIS, then called ground. They sent me to RW 14/32 and had me wait in line. As I was waiting I did a quick runup. There was a bit of confusion with when we were supposed to switch to tower and three of us called in as ready. The tower seemed to be ignoring us for a bit and then he called out my call sign and said cleared to take off on 18. I went! He cleared a WACO behind me.
The instructions said straight out for 3 miles then avoid Lake Jackson. After 3 miles of steady climb I turned west and my friend pointed out the WACO crossing under us having stayed lower and turned sooner. It was no factor but I made sure I kept him in sight. We flew west until we were clear of the lake and I then turned to the north continuing my climb. By this time we had a fresh breeze from the southeast and it was little bumpy. We hit a layer of light turbulence at 4000 feet and then the air smoothed out. I flew at 4500 flying slightly west of north and then came to a pretty thick cloud of brown smoke. I climbed to 5500 and turned slightly east of north and continued over the top of the smoke. It was glassy smooth at 5500 and we could see a _long_ way.
To soon I had to descend to avoid the class Bravo and as we passed through 4000 we hit the turbulence again. I continued down to 1500 to get under the bravo shelf and it was typical sunny day thermal stuff. When I approached Orlando there was a cloud of smoke over all of the downtown. With the sun coming over my shoulder I could barely pick out the high-rise buildings downtown. I was monitoring the tower and could tell there was a lot of traffic. The tower cleared me straight in to runway 7 and we had a pretty good crosswind with gusts to 16. I picked out my normal references and lo and behold the runway appeared out of the smoke right where it belonged.
I managed a nice clean crosswind landing to finish the flight out.
So I add 2.4 hours and a new experience to my logbook today. It was fun and definitely stretched me a bit. And the friend and his kids had a great time.
John
I had invited a friend and he brought two of his kids along.
We took off from Orlando Executive (KORL) at ~ 8:30 and headed out to the SW to clear the Class Bravo around OIA. I climbed up to 2500 feet (once past KISM) and headed for Avon Park (KAVO). This route keeps me out of the MOA north and east of Sebring (KSEF) where the expo is being held. The air was glassy smooth and the kids enjoyed seeing EPCOT and Downtown Disney from the air.
When I visited LSA Expo 2 or 3 years ago, they had a temporary tower and you called them from downtown Sebring. They cleared you into the pattern and you landed and parked. That was then, this is now. Now they have an arrival procedure like Sun-n-Fun or AirVenture. You fly down to Lake Jackson and orbit the lake counter clockwise at 1100' and 90 knots while monitoring Sebring approach. They call you out ("White Cessna") and send you from the southeast side of the lake to the airport on a 110 degree heading in single file 1/2 mile spacing. You waggle your wings to acknowledge and monitor tower as you go.
We arrived from the northwest and joined the group over the lake, and most folks were calling the approach rather than monitoring. A Comanche converged on us from the right and approach asked me to follow him. I pulled up to slow down, pulled in behind and waggled my wings. We headed for the airport and the Comanche proceeded to drop down to about 900'. I'm following but maintaining 1100 as per the notam. There is a steady stream of airplanes and we're just following the line. Then the Comanche slows way down and pulls back up to 1100. I drop a notch of flaps and pull up and to the the right while keeping him in sight. (We rode with the Comanche pilot in the shuttle and he was trying to stay spaced out behind an Arrow which slowed down to 70 kts and just hung there.) I've never done this kind of approach before but I soldier on adjusting as we go. finally we cross mid field and enter left traffic for 18.
I'm hearing a steady stream of "Low wing keep flying past the pink spot. high wing turn left at A2" etc. Most everybody is being asked to keep speed up and land past the pink spot - so I'm prepped. The Comanche is told to land past the pink spot and then the tower says "High wing, put it on the numbers for me.". Uh-oh - I'm at ~100 MPH and a little high. I am in the white arc so I pull all 40 degrees of flaps (this is 1963 C-172) add a little slip and set it down on the numbers. I was so busy I wasn't thinking about the landing and it was a good one - stall horn chirped and everything.
We shuttled over to the west side of the airport and saw the displays. There were less aircraft than when I went before but many more people. There are some pretty neat LSA and ELSA aircraft - a lot of innovation in this segment.
After lunch, we rode the shuttle back out to our airplane, preflighted and cranked up. I followed the departure instructions and listened to the ATIS, then called ground. They sent me to RW 14/32 and had me wait in line. As I was waiting I did a quick runup. There was a bit of confusion with when we were supposed to switch to tower and three of us called in as ready. The tower seemed to be ignoring us for a bit and then he called out my call sign and said cleared to take off on 18. I went! He cleared a WACO behind me.
The instructions said straight out for 3 miles then avoid Lake Jackson. After 3 miles of steady climb I turned west and my friend pointed out the WACO crossing under us having stayed lower and turned sooner. It was no factor but I made sure I kept him in sight. We flew west until we were clear of the lake and I then turned to the north continuing my climb. By this time we had a fresh breeze from the southeast and it was little bumpy. We hit a layer of light turbulence at 4000 feet and then the air smoothed out. I flew at 4500 flying slightly west of north and then came to a pretty thick cloud of brown smoke. I climbed to 5500 and turned slightly east of north and continued over the top of the smoke. It was glassy smooth at 5500 and we could see a _long_ way.
To soon I had to descend to avoid the class Bravo and as we passed through 4000 we hit the turbulence again. I continued down to 1500 to get under the bravo shelf and it was typical sunny day thermal stuff. When I approached Orlando there was a cloud of smoke over all of the downtown. With the sun coming over my shoulder I could barely pick out the high-rise buildings downtown. I was monitoring the tower and could tell there was a lot of traffic. The tower cleared me straight in to runway 7 and we had a pretty good crosswind with gusts to 16. I picked out my normal references and lo and behold the runway appeared out of the smoke right where it belonged.
I managed a nice clean crosswind landing to finish the flight out.
So I add 2.4 hours and a new experience to my logbook today. It was fun and definitely stretched me a bit. And the friend and his kids had a great time.
John