VFR to San Jose Reid-Hillview with Levi (Part 2)

wayneda40

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After dropping off my aircraft in Truckee CA for its annual inspection, we jump in Levi’s 182 for a short hop to San Jose’s Reid-Hillview Airport. The typical warm summer day provides us with 8,600’ density altitude at field elevation, but the Skylane climbs quite decently and we enjoy crossing Donner Pass and the northern Sierra Nevada. Things get busier as we near the South Bay plus we have some traffic to contend with on long final into this Class D field. All in all an enjoyable and interesting flight on this 3-leg outing.
Wayne, GeezerGeek Pilot
 
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After dropping off my aircraft in Truckee CA for its annual inspection, we jump in Levi’s 182 for a short hop to San Jose’s Reid-Hillview Airport. The typical warm summer day provides us with 8,600’ density altitude at field elevation, but the Skylane climbs quite decently and we enjoy crossing Donner Pass and the northern Sierra Nevada. Things get busier as we near the South Bay plus we have some traffic to contend with on long final into this Class D field. All in all an enjoyable and interesting flight on this 3-leg outing.
Wayne, GeezerGeek Pilot

always enjoy your videos. I got a kick out of the Center controllers response to your initial request for flight following. You could hear that slight hesitation in his voice responding to Skylane 9317. Four digit call signs are out of the ordinary and catch controllers off guard sometimes. Ones ending in letters aren’t to bad, but an all numbers one can be an adventure. Tip, throw November in there. Skylane November nine three one seven. This helps the controller know you mean it and he didn’t miss something.
Another thing. That traffic, one o’clock I think it was. You and Levi were looking for it. A lot. I didn’t once see you looking to your left. It’s the ones not showing up in the fish bowl that might get you someday
 
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always enjoy your videos. I got a kick out of the Center controllers response to your initial request for flight following. You could hear that slight hesitation in his voice responding to Skylane 9317. Four digit call signs are out of the ordinary and catch controllers off guard sometimes. Ones ending in letters aren’t to bad, but an all numbers one can be an adventure. Tip, throw November in there. Skylane November nine three one seven. This helps the controller know you mean it and he didn’t miss something.
You're totally correct... the 4 digit, no letter at end call sign is so different that it throws me, as a once-in-a-while copilot, off also. Adding "November" is a great idea... thanks!
Wayne
 
You're totally correct... the 4 digit, no letter at end call sign is so different that it throws me, as a once-in-a-while copilot, off also. Adding "November" is a great idea... thanks!
Wayne

I edited the post, pretty sure after you responded. There’s another critique in there about ‘target fixation’
 
I edited the post, pretty sure after you responded. There’s another critique in there about ‘target fixation’
Your caution is well-placed. In this event we had been tracking the Bonanza for 5 minutes or so (most edited out of the video) based on traffic alerts from Approach and later Tower as well as the GTN650 and ForeFlight... initially at our 3-o'clock and angling toward our course to KRHV. Your caution is nevertheless pertinent here because we were not at this point within the Mode C veil and theoretically there could have been another aircraft to our left without ADS-B Out... however even a NORDO would have almost certainly been picked up by NorCal radar and thus shown as ADS-B In traffic. Good point... fish finder targets don't replace getting traffic in sight... but wow do those ADS-B targets help :) .
Thanks for a very good perspective on this.
Wayne
 
Truckee is such an interesting place to have an annual done, especially on a Diamond.
 
Truckee is such an interesting place to have an annual done, especially on a Diamond.
Until a few years ago, I lived in Tahoe, had my DA40 based in Truckee, and used Sierra Aero for all my maintenance. They are simply super nice and super diligent... worth shuttling back up there for my annuals.
Wayne
 
Very high DA for a 180 HP, non turbo
The standard DA40 does "OK" at such high density altitudes and I have >2000 hours flying my N211WP throughout the West (given good patience during initial climb). About a year ago I had a supercharger installed that provides sea level climb rate through ~7,000' DA. Wayne
 
The standard DA40 does "OK" at such high density altitudes and I have >2000 hours flying my N211WP throughout the West (given good patience during initial climb). About a year ago I had a supercharger installed that provides sea level climb rate through ~7,000' DA. Wayne

Wow, they still sell bolt on blowers? How does that help your cruise, if any?
 
Very high DA for a 180 HP, non turbo
I know people who fly light sport in the Colorado Mountains. I've flown into Leadville in a 180 HP 172. Not mountainous, but I have also taken off in a light sport from a 7000 MSL altitude airport when it was 90F. A DA40 should have no problem in the hands of a pilot experienced (which also includes when not to) in high D-Alt operations.
 
Why the reboot?
Hi, Mark... not sure why, but in Levi's C182 I was only getting coms on the left audio channel, and didn't notice until after posting. So I did an edit to copy the left coms channel to both channels.
As always, you pay good attention :).
Thanks,
Wayne
 
Hi, Mark... not sure why, but in Levi's C182 I was only getting coms on the left audio channel, and didn't notice until after posting. So I did an edit to copy the left coms channel to both channels.
As always, you pay good attention :).
Thanks,
Wayne
It would be hard to miss the "remastered" in the title :D
 
Good idea using a fix to navigate more closely to populated areas. A lot of folks don't think of this and end up unnecessarily going over less hospitable terrain.

As for RHV - I've had issues where pilots who don't talk to NorCal decide they want to do a long straight in to RHV and not talk to tower till the last second.
 
Good idea using a fix to navigate more closely to populated areas. A lot of folks don't think of this and end up unnecessarily going over less hospitable terrain.

As for RHV - I've had issues where pilots who don't talk to NorCal decide they want to do a long straight in to RHV and not talk to tower till the last second.
Even when flying VFR I'm in the habit of entering waypoints in the FMS that avoid restricted areas and inhospitable terrain. One less thing to have to remember when enjoying the scenery... and looking for traffic in the South Bay :).
Thanks for watching!
Wayne
 
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