Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Dodging the Weather, Safely
It began to rain lightly, but the ceilings were high. The winds were still modest, but noticeable. We departed 13 and made the inbound call to Columbia Approach for sequencing into CAE. After a short vector to the north, we were sequenced for the RWY 11 approach.
Charts, refile flight plan, short preflight, taxi and soon we are wheels up again for Florida. We are quickly cleared direct to SAV, and climbing to 10000. The weather ahead is looking very gray. I make the mental note that if I can’t stay visusal with the weather, we will divert to a nearby facility, or return to Columbia. As we pass above 8K I can see blue sky in our direction flight with walls of white clouds reaching for outer space left and right. I proceed on cautiously. We soon find ourselves in the clear with a layer of puffy clouds topping out at about 9000 feet.
Of course, I am still leery about the dark gray areas with towers of cumulus up to FL300 to our east and southwest. I am also somewhat concerned about the weather below a I hear flights cleared for the ILS into SAV. I monitor the local ATIS for the nearby airports in case something changes. The weather has gotten much lower with reduced visibility in rain. We are riding above it at 10K at 135 knots true air speed. Our flight plan on the 530 is cross checked with the outside picture and it still looks good as we will soon be making a left turn, which will take us clear of the towering clouds to the southwest. So far so good.
The flight continues uneventfully, and we are soon seeing and being told about heavy metal descending above us for arrival into Orlando. We are flying down the east coast of Florida. Dark clouds with high tops are to our east and creeping closer to the coast. Our flight path is still clear, but I have some concern about having to fly further offshore to stay clear of the weather. At this point, the winds and natural landmass convection typical for Florida favor no additional easterly movement of the weather.
The weather is just off of our right side and ATC issues a vector 30 degrees to the west. Looking at it, it looks like this will take us straight into heavy weather, where we do not belong. Sorry ATC, unable.
The voice replies with some disdain and requests to know why. I explain. He needs us to go that way for five miles. Apparently, there must be some disconnect between the FAA advisory to pilots about keeping a 20nm cushion between the airplane and tall, lumpy clouds and what they tell controllers. Um, sorry, no. We’re happy to do anything but that. Ok, then it will have to be a left 360. He tells us it is okay to keep it tight.
No problem. Bring the power back a notch, disconnect the autopilot and initiate the turn. Works for me. We continue our south-southwest heading and rejoin the course line, which is the airway as well. This is not working.
The clouds are reaching out to touch us and there are layers of cirrus clouds that are obscuring the view. We request left deviations. Approved. I know that the weather south is better. We will get past this and we do. After about 15 minutes, we self vector back to the airway, and the new controller we are talking to is happy about that. We hear about the weather from other flights trying to get into Daytona. Soon, we are descending into MLB, and there are numerous towers of tall clouds all around, but nothing between us and the airport. The ocean is still clear too, but the midafternoon Florida summer weather is anxious to start the party. Dennis is helping. I am glad we will be landing soon.
We see the Kennedy Space Center and fly down the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. We are cleared for the visual to 9R, and start maneuvering for the landing. It is now just after 7pm. We have put just over 7 hours on the airplane.
Charts, refile flight plan, short preflight, taxi and soon we are wheels up again for Florida. We are quickly cleared direct to SAV, and climbing to 10000. The weather ahead is looking very gray. I make the mental note that if I can’t stay visusal with the weather, we will divert to a nearby facility, or return to Columbia. As we pass above 8K I can see blue sky in our direction flight with walls of white clouds reaching for outer space left and right. I proceed on cautiously. We soon find ourselves in the clear with a layer of puffy clouds topping out at about 9000 feet.
Of course, I am still leery about the dark gray areas with towers of cumulus up to FL300 to our east and southwest. I am also somewhat concerned about the weather below a I hear flights cleared for the ILS into SAV. I monitor the local ATIS for the nearby airports in case something changes. The weather has gotten much lower with reduced visibility in rain. We are riding above it at 10K at 135 knots true air speed. Our flight plan on the 530 is cross checked with the outside picture and it still looks good as we will soon be making a left turn, which will take us clear of the towering clouds to the southwest. So far so good.
The flight continues uneventfully, and we are soon seeing and being told about heavy metal descending above us for arrival into Orlando. We are flying down the east coast of Florida. Dark clouds with high tops are to our east and creeping closer to the coast. Our flight path is still clear, but I have some concern about having to fly further offshore to stay clear of the weather. At this point, the winds and natural landmass convection typical for Florida favor no additional easterly movement of the weather.
The weather is just off of our right side and ATC issues a vector 30 degrees to the west. Looking at it, it looks like this will take us straight into heavy weather, where we do not belong. Sorry ATC, unable.
The voice replies with some disdain and requests to know why. I explain. He needs us to go that way for five miles. Apparently, there must be some disconnect between the FAA advisory to pilots about keeping a 20nm cushion between the airplane and tall, lumpy clouds and what they tell controllers. Um, sorry, no. We’re happy to do anything but that. Ok, then it will have to be a left 360. He tells us it is okay to keep it tight.
No problem. Bring the power back a notch, disconnect the autopilot and initiate the turn. Works for me. We continue our south-southwest heading and rejoin the course line, which is the airway as well. This is not working.
The clouds are reaching out to touch us and there are layers of cirrus clouds that are obscuring the view. We request left deviations. Approved. I know that the weather south is better. We will get past this and we do. After about 15 minutes, we self vector back to the airway, and the new controller we are talking to is happy about that. We hear about the weather from other flights trying to get into Daytona. Soon, we are descending into MLB, and there are numerous towers of tall clouds all around, but nothing between us and the airport. The ocean is still clear too, but the midafternoon Florida summer weather is anxious to start the party. Dennis is helping. I am glad we will be landing soon.
We see the Kennedy Space Center and fly down the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. We are cleared for the visual to 9R, and start maneuvering for the landing. It is now just after 7pm. We have put just over 7 hours on the airplane.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Dulles Columbia
Dulles quickly receded below us as we climbed out above the new control tower. Departure instructed us to proceed to FLUKY and a few minutes later we were level at 8000 direct to GVE. Soon after that we were cleared up to 10K. On this particular day, the haze layer was at about 9000 feet.
As we got closer to North Carolina, we could see the high clouds that were outflowing from Tropical Depression Dennis. As we got closer to Columbia, a thin overcast layer had clearly formed above us.
The descent into Columbia was bumpy and the power was adjusted to bring the airspeed closer to Va. It was a good thing. About 10 miles from the airport, we got a good jolt of moderate turbulence. Where it came from is a mystery, but the hills around Columbia combined with tropical weather in the region must have combined to create the clear air turbulence. With the airport in sight, we cancelled IFR and entered the traffic pattern for 13. The landing included a fairly significant 12 knot crosswind with some gusts, but it was mostly uneventful.
With a fuel order placed to the line personnel, we went inside to make arrangements for lunch. I also requested the charts I needed for the next segment of the flight to Florida. There was some confusion about my request, and I was asked to clarify if I just needed to borrow them. Huh? The long and short of it was that they didn’t have any charts for sale, just to borrow for training. Well, that was no good. I inquired if they knew if the FBO at CAE had charts, and they thought so. I asked to borrow the phone.
A quick call confirmed that there were charts in CAE. The plan changed again. Fly over to CAE, get charts and depart IFR to MLB. The plane was getting fueled at CUB, and the crew car was about to depart for the nearby McDonalds. We went and ate lunch, and then it was back to the airport for our next short flight.
As we got closer to North Carolina, we could see the high clouds that were outflowing from Tropical Depression Dennis. As we got closer to Columbia, a thin overcast layer had clearly formed above us.
The descent into Columbia was bumpy and the power was adjusted to bring the airspeed closer to Va. It was a good thing. About 10 miles from the airport, we got a good jolt of moderate turbulence. Where it came from is a mystery, but the hills around Columbia combined with tropical weather in the region must have combined to create the clear air turbulence. With the airport in sight, we cancelled IFR and entered the traffic pattern for 13. The landing included a fairly significant 12 knot crosswind with some gusts, but it was mostly uneventful.
With a fuel order placed to the line personnel, we went inside to make arrangements for lunch. I also requested the charts I needed for the next segment of the flight to Florida. There was some confusion about my request, and I was asked to clarify if I just needed to borrow them. Huh? The long and short of it was that they didn’t have any charts for sale, just to borrow for training. Well, that was no good. I inquired if they knew if the FBO at CAE had charts, and they thought so. I asked to borrow the phone.
A quick call confirmed that there were charts in CAE. The plan changed again. Fly over to CAE, get charts and depart IFR to MLB. The plane was getting fueled at CUB, and the crew car was about to depart for the nearby McDonalds. We went and ate lunch, and then it was back to the airport for our next short flight.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Dulles Arrival(s)
On Saturday morning, I drove out to the airport, filing my flight plans over the phone during the drive. One was VFR from JYO to IAD, and the other was IFR to Columbia Downtown (CUB). I had gone online the night before to NACO and used the online database of chart dealers to see what airport FBO’s would have charts. I like Phil Boyer’s advice to bring business to the smaller airports, so CUB was selected over CAE. The weather was fine, though mostly of the classic triple-H kind (hazy, hot and humid).
The pre-flight was normal and I called Potomac for a squawk and a frequency for the brief trip to IAD. Runway 35 was in use, so I planned a left downwind departure to set up for the arrival into IAD. I could not establish contact with the IAD ATIS on the ground, so I planned to pick that up as I exited the pattern.
The short field takeoff was typical, the ATIS came right up once I was stabilized on the downwind and selected COM2 on the panel, and I prepared to call the Potomac Departure/Approach controller. Dulles is landing south. “Potomac Departure, N377DS, just of Leesburg VFR at 1400, landing Dulles with KILO.”
“N377DS, Potomac Approach, remain outside of BRAVO airspace.”
Ok, now what. I pull the power back to slow down so that I’m not somewhere south of Manassas to land on the 19s. I make a delaying turn to the west, and decide that I really ought to fly northeast to set up for landing 19R. Continuing south would just put me abeam the numbers, and west is away from the airport. So, turning northeast, I pass just south of the threshold for 35 at JYO. Approximately one mile east of the field, Potomac calls back.
“N377DS, do you have the field in sight.”
“Field in sight for N377DS.”
“N377DS, cleared into class Bravo for straight in approach to runway 19R.”
“Cleared into the Bravo for 19R, N377DS.”
“N377DS, contact the tower on 128.42”
“Tower 128.42, N377DS, good day.”
With the power reset to best forward speed, though no request was made for it, the approach to 19R went quickly. About ½ mile from the numbers, I brought the power back smoothly and completed the before landing checklist as the airplane slowed down. As the wheels came to rest on the asphalt, it was quickly apparent that I was in a field of sloppy, gooey aircraft tire rubber. Applying the brakes, the airplane angled left as the right tire was in a thick slick of the discarded material. Easily corrected, I turned clear of the active and tower gave me taxi instructions to Piedmont Hawthorne.
Once at Dulles, I called the family and they made their way over to meet me to get everyone and everything loaded up and underway. While getting the airplane ready for the first real leg of the vacation journey, two fire trucks raced by for the threshold to 19R. Curious, the handheld was quickly retrieved and I tuned up the tower frequency as a United aircraft made a 2 mile right base for the field.
As the 757 aircraft touched down for a normal landing, the speed race began as the fire equipment moved out on the runway to follow the airplane.
“United 8029 heavy, the equipment is following you now, make any left high speed exit. Ground is standing by for your intentions.”
“Dulles Tower, UAL8029, roger, the smoke cleared out the cockpit as we turned final. We’ll just taxi to the gate.”
“United 8029, roger, hold short of Yankee and contact ground on 132.45.”
The family arrived at the airport shortly after 9:30, and we loaded up the airplane. With everyone almost ready to go, Stripes was suddenly missing. (Stripes is Robbie’s bean-bag kitty.) After several trips back and forth to the FBO (Marybeth went back first, then I had to go back to sweep the Men’s room for the misplaced companion), Stripes was suspected of hiding away amongst the luggage and was eventually found once we unloaded and unembarked everyone and everything. With clearance obtained and all set and ready to go once more, we taxied out for runway 19R at 10:30am, number one for departure.
The pre-flight was normal and I called Potomac for a squawk and a frequency for the brief trip to IAD. Runway 35 was in use, so I planned a left downwind departure to set up for the arrival into IAD. I could not establish contact with the IAD ATIS on the ground, so I planned to pick that up as I exited the pattern.
The short field takeoff was typical, the ATIS came right up once I was stabilized on the downwind and selected COM2 on the panel, and I prepared to call the Potomac Departure/Approach controller. Dulles is landing south. “Potomac Departure, N377DS, just of Leesburg VFR at 1400, landing Dulles with KILO.”
“N377DS, Potomac Approach, remain outside of BRAVO airspace.”
Ok, now what. I pull the power back to slow down so that I’m not somewhere south of Manassas to land on the 19s. I make a delaying turn to the west, and decide that I really ought to fly northeast to set up for landing 19R. Continuing south would just put me abeam the numbers, and west is away from the airport. So, turning northeast, I pass just south of the threshold for 35 at JYO. Approximately one mile east of the field, Potomac calls back.
“N377DS, do you have the field in sight.”
“Field in sight for N377DS.”
“N377DS, cleared into class Bravo for straight in approach to runway 19R.”
“Cleared into the Bravo for 19R, N377DS.”
“N377DS, contact the tower on 128.42”
“Tower 128.42, N377DS, good day.”
With the power reset to best forward speed, though no request was made for it, the approach to 19R went quickly. About ½ mile from the numbers, I brought the power back smoothly and completed the before landing checklist as the airplane slowed down. As the wheels came to rest on the asphalt, it was quickly apparent that I was in a field of sloppy, gooey aircraft tire rubber. Applying the brakes, the airplane angled left as the right tire was in a thick slick of the discarded material. Easily corrected, I turned clear of the active and tower gave me taxi instructions to Piedmont Hawthorne.
Once at Dulles, I called the family and they made their way over to meet me to get everyone and everything loaded up and underway. While getting the airplane ready for the first real leg of the vacation journey, two fire trucks raced by for the threshold to 19R. Curious, the handheld was quickly retrieved and I tuned up the tower frequency as a United aircraft made a 2 mile right base for the field.
As the 757 aircraft touched down for a normal landing, the speed race began as the fire equipment moved out on the runway to follow the airplane.
“United 8029 heavy, the equipment is following you now, make any left high speed exit. Ground is standing by for your intentions.”
“Dulles Tower, UAL8029, roger, the smoke cleared out the cockpit as we turned final. We’ll just taxi to the gate.”
“United 8029, roger, hold short of Yankee and contact ground on 132.45.”
The family arrived at the airport shortly after 9:30, and we loaded up the airplane. With everyone almost ready to go, Stripes was suddenly missing. (Stripes is Robbie’s bean-bag kitty.) After several trips back and forth to the FBO (Marybeth went back first, then I had to go back to sweep the Men’s room for the misplaced companion), Stripes was suspected of hiding away amongst the luggage and was eventually found once we unloaded and unembarked everyone and everything. With clearance obtained and all set and ready to go once more, we taxied out for runway 19R at 10:30am, number one for departure.
Summer Vacation Odyssey 2005
The Preflight
On June 25th, we are scheduled to fly down to Melbourne, Florida to visit with family, the beginning of an 11-day odyssey by General Aviation airplane along the East Coast of the United States. The trip included plans to visit Melbourne for several days to celebrate birthdays and other family milestones, then travel back to Syracuse, New York, for the 4th of July and the 40th wedding anniversary of the maternal grandparents, and then return home.
As the sun came up on Saturday morning, the plan had been to relocate Diamond Star 7DS to Washington Dulles (KIAD) for the first leg of the journey on Friday night. One reason for this was that the runway at Leesburg, Virginia (KJYO) was currently being improved and re-surfaced. The available runway for takeoff is about 2500’. While it is more than sufficient, with the whole family on board and hot temperatures making all the distances for taking off and landing just a bit longer, it was my decision to consider more safe and convenient facilities. Dulles is 5 miles from home, so it is a bit closer for loading up the family and getting into the air, too. Parking at the Piedmont-Hawthorne FBO was also (mostly) free.
The original plan was to move the plane Friday night. Unfortunately, it was scheduled for flight training until 8pm and I had not factored in the runway construction restrictions on the airport facility. The facility is only open for day VFR operations, meaning that it is closed at night and no instrument approaches are allowed. Given that this is the week of the summer solstice, night is very late. This should not be a problem.
As I left for the airport at 7:45pm, I called the Flight Service Station to inquire about how the NOTAM for the airport restrictions was worded. The notice is written that the airport is closed at 1230AM ZULU, daily. This means that I now have 45 minutes to drive to the airport (20 minutes in ideal conditions), preflight the airplane (about 20 minutes), coordinate with ATC (this is the infamous DC ADIZ airspace), and depart the airport. If anything unforeseen happens, I’ll be starting up the airplane just to taxi back and put it away – a waste of time. At this point, I am already pretty sure that plan A is not happening, but we go to the airport anyway because we need some charts for the trip south. When flying GA, plans B and C always have to be framed up and ready for execution.
Arriving at the airport just about 8:10pm, the question remains whether or not we can execute quickly and get the airplane out of there. In the back of my mind I am nagged by the internal adversity of being cited for reckless behavior by departing an airport after it has been closed by the FAA. It is very slim that we are now leaving. Robbie is also with me and I have told him that we probably are not going afterall to prepare him for what seems like the inevitable. I go into the airport to get charts. I need 4 items; they don’t have ANY of them. Huh? Well, with the runway construction, they have reduced the number of charts ordered since the amount of operations is reduced. Okay, can I get the charts at the Hawthorne FBO at Dulles? Negative, they don’t carry them at all. Really? Wow.
Interpretation: the two flight schools on the field are busy flying more than ever, but the bigger personal/business jets are not flying here and buying jet fuel and charts. Such is the economics of airport business. On the other hand, I am all but grounded by regulation without the charts appropriate to the flights I plan to conduct. Where is the balance? Plan C is evolving to Plan D and E. Lesson learned – go online and order the charts two weeks in advance.
(Note to those concerned about flight safety issues: is it any clearer just from this short description how tough it still is today to prepare all of the information relevant to the flights to be conducted? Even the best plans have basic assumptions, and when those assumptions blow up, so do the plans. Subsequently I proffer, half-ass workarounds start being considered, and when they don’t work out so well, we see results where pilots accidentally fly around the White House or into the side of hills.)
As fate would have it, a stop in the flight school results in a chance encounter with my flight instructor who was flying until 8. The week before, he had flown down to Columbia, SC on personal business, which just so happens to be the destination for our first leg from Dulles. I explained my frustrating circumstances that evening, and he responds with an offer to use the charts he has. They expire on 7 July and he doesn’t need them. I now have everything I need to get the trip started and get down to Columbia, SC. (Thanks Mike!) I will work out the plan to get the charts to FL along the route of flight. So, the new plan was that to go to Leesburg early Saturday morning to fly the airplane to Dulles.
On June 25th, we are scheduled to fly down to Melbourne, Florida to visit with family, the beginning of an 11-day odyssey by General Aviation airplane along the East Coast of the United States. The trip included plans to visit Melbourne for several days to celebrate birthdays and other family milestones, then travel back to Syracuse, New York, for the 4th of July and the 40th wedding anniversary of the maternal grandparents, and then return home.
As the sun came up on Saturday morning, the plan had been to relocate Diamond Star 7DS to Washington Dulles (KIAD) for the first leg of the journey on Friday night. One reason for this was that the runway at Leesburg, Virginia (KJYO) was currently being improved and re-surfaced. The available runway for takeoff is about 2500’. While it is more than sufficient, with the whole family on board and hot temperatures making all the distances for taking off and landing just a bit longer, it was my decision to consider more safe and convenient facilities. Dulles is 5 miles from home, so it is a bit closer for loading up the family and getting into the air, too. Parking at the Piedmont-Hawthorne FBO was also (mostly) free.
The original plan was to move the plane Friday night. Unfortunately, it was scheduled for flight training until 8pm and I had not factored in the runway construction restrictions on the airport facility. The facility is only open for day VFR operations, meaning that it is closed at night and no instrument approaches are allowed. Given that this is the week of the summer solstice, night is very late. This should not be a problem.
As I left for the airport at 7:45pm, I called the Flight Service Station to inquire about how the NOTAM for the airport restrictions was worded. The notice is written that the airport is closed at 1230AM ZULU, daily. This means that I now have 45 minutes to drive to the airport (20 minutes in ideal conditions), preflight the airplane (about 20 minutes), coordinate with ATC (this is the infamous DC ADIZ airspace), and depart the airport. If anything unforeseen happens, I’ll be starting up the airplane just to taxi back and put it away – a waste of time. At this point, I am already pretty sure that plan A is not happening, but we go to the airport anyway because we need some charts for the trip south. When flying GA, plans B and C always have to be framed up and ready for execution.
Arriving at the airport just about 8:10pm, the question remains whether or not we can execute quickly and get the airplane out of there. In the back of my mind I am nagged by the internal adversity of being cited for reckless behavior by departing an airport after it has been closed by the FAA. It is very slim that we are now leaving. Robbie is also with me and I have told him that we probably are not going afterall to prepare him for what seems like the inevitable. I go into the airport to get charts. I need 4 items; they don’t have ANY of them. Huh? Well, with the runway construction, they have reduced the number of charts ordered since the amount of operations is reduced. Okay, can I get the charts at the Hawthorne FBO at Dulles? Negative, they don’t carry them at all. Really? Wow.
Interpretation: the two flight schools on the field are busy flying more than ever, but the bigger personal/business jets are not flying here and buying jet fuel and charts. Such is the economics of airport business. On the other hand, I am all but grounded by regulation without the charts appropriate to the flights I plan to conduct. Where is the balance? Plan C is evolving to Plan D and E. Lesson learned – go online and order the charts two weeks in advance.
(Note to those concerned about flight safety issues: is it any clearer just from this short description how tough it still is today to prepare all of the information relevant to the flights to be conducted? Even the best plans have basic assumptions, and when those assumptions blow up, so do the plans. Subsequently I proffer, half-ass workarounds start being considered, and when they don’t work out so well, we see results where pilots accidentally fly around the White House or into the side of hills.)
As fate would have it, a stop in the flight school results in a chance encounter with my flight instructor who was flying until 8. The week before, he had flown down to Columbia, SC on personal business, which just so happens to be the destination for our first leg from Dulles. I explained my frustrating circumstances that evening, and he responds with an offer to use the charts he has. They expire on 7 July and he doesn’t need them. I now have everything I need to get the trip started and get down to Columbia, SC. (Thanks Mike!) I will work out the plan to get the charts to FL along the route of flight. So, the new plan was that to go to Leesburg early Saturday morning to fly the airplane to Dulles.
