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.
# posted by Bob @ 6:47 PM 
