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Flying Into Writing: Last Photo Mission Of The Year
By Eric McCarthy
Persistant haze over the central valley. (Eric McCarthy)The last day of the year started as a mostly clear day, a little haze visible on the horizon, but a good 20-25 miles visibility. The marine layer, so prevalent along the southern California coast at this time of year, had receded. My son, Mike, and I departed Palomar (KCRQ) around 9:30am headed north to our refueling stop at Los Banos (KLSN). Depending on the winds aloft, the flight usually takes two and a half to three hours – naturally, we got the three hour flight.
Passing through LAX’s Class Bravo via the Coliseum Route at 8,500-feet, I usually continue on course to Van Nuys VOR (VNY) and then, for no particularly good reason, my northbound route of flight usually takes us to Fillmore VOR (FIM), then northwest along V107 to Avenal VOR (AVE) and beyond. This time, however, the massive Thomas Fire, which had been burning for almost a month at this point, eventually consuming more than 280,000 acres, and its equally massive TFR necessitated a change of plans: we’d fly north to Gorman VOR (GMN), then to Avenal. Not a big change, but a change nonetheless.
Crossing into the Central Valley at Grapevine, it became clear – that it wasn’t anymore; as far as the eye could see, the valley was filled with low-level haze. I think this may be known as Tule Fog, but it really wasn’t ground-bound fog – just a thick haze that filled the valley. You could see the ground if you looked straight down, but slant-range visibility was very limited. The haze topped out at about 2,500-feet, so we weren’t concerned cruising along at 8,500-feet. But that would change soon enough…
The Los Banos AWOS was reporting VFR conditions, but as we descended approaching the Panoche VOR (PXN), still in the clear, I could see that this wasn’t going to be an easy VFR approach. The haze hadn’t lessened; in fact it may have thickened! I was talking to NorCal at the time and requested a practice GPS 32 approach, just to make sure I would be pointed in the right direction. The approach calls for a turn to the north at 3,600-feet from Panoche, so we were still above the soup until we reached the initial fix at ILESE; from there we began our descent into the haze. Forward visibility dropped considerably, although, as before, we could look straight down and see the ground beneath. The airport made its appearance right where it was supposed to be, visible right at the three mile VFR limit, and we made an uneventful landing.
Flying Into Writing: Some Things Have Changed Over the Years…
By Eric McCarthy
Buzzard’s Bay (Courtesy Ben Nugent/Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce)Ahh…it seems like only yesterday! My long cross-country as a student pilot…
I was speaking with one of my CAP squadron-mates the other day and asked how close he was to finishing his Private Pilot license. He said he had just a couple of items left, including his solo long cross-country. Since he was training at a Part 141 flight school, his cross-country merely had to cover at least 100nm. As I look at the FARs today, it appears that the requirements may have been relaxed from when I did my long cross-country years ago. As I recall, my flight had to have three legs of at least 100nm each.
At the time I was training at Turners Falls (0B5), a remote, picturesque airport located at a sharp bend in the Connecticut River in north central Massachusetts. The airport has a 3,200-foot runway that sits on a plateau about 50 feet above the river, which to me as a young aviator provided an exhilarating view when approaching runway 16 over the river.
I had planned my flight under the supervision of my instructor and just needed the weather and aircraft availability to cooperate. That day arrived in July, 1980. I had graduated from UMass that May, and had been making the 100 mile trek from my home in eastern Massachusetts to complete my training at 0B5 since then, but that was getting tedious – especially since I lived under the traffic pattern of Norwood Memorial Airport (KOWD). This would end up being my last flight from Turners Falls.
My flight would take me from Turners Falls to Portland International (KPWM); from there to Martha’s Vineyard (KMVY); and then back to Turners Falls; total distance: about 360nm. It would take me almost five hours’ flight time to complete in the club’s Cessna 152, N49394.
Safe Landings: Controller Pilot Data Link Communications
Controller Pilot Data Link Communication Departure Clearance Services (CPDLC-DCL) is one segment of the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) that has been recently implemented in the contiguous 48 states at local Tower Data Link Service (TDLS) equipped facilities to deliver departure clearances and revised departure clearances prior to takeoff.
As any new system is implemented, some “bugs” may be expected, and CPDLC-DCL is no exception. ASRS is receiving reports suggesting that crews are experiencing problems while using CPDLC-DCL for its intended objective. The problems that are experienced point to sources from system architecture, to precise meanings of specific words and formats used in the CPDLC-DCL syntax, to basic interpretation and understanding of the CPDLC-DCL information protocols and operational procedures.
This month, CALLBACK shares reported incidents of complications that arose from the crews’ use of CPDLC-DCL to obtain departure clearances and revised departure clearances. While CPDLC-DCL offers many improvements and advantages over voice and Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC), some issues remain as we transition to this new system. As these examples may hint, ideas will emanate from the cockpit and formal solutions will be devised.
Cautious Pilot Distrusts Link
Communications
This Air Carrier Crew clarified an initial question they had about a revised departure clearance. Curiosity over the revised SID and transition that had not been “properly” LOADED resulted in a route portion that was manually loaded but not included in the clearance.
• During preflight, we received a revised clearance via CPDLC. The change was from the TRALR6.DVC to the STAAV6.DVC. I verified [the] clearance and received a full-route clearance over the radio. When the LOAD feature was selected in CPDLC, the new revised route did not LOAD into the ROUTE page properly. It still showed [the] TRALR6.DVC, but now it had a discontinuity. At this point, I had to load the route manually. When I did load the STAAV SIX, however, I failed to select the DVC transition, [so the FMC] now had point STAAV direct to LAA in the LEGS page. When we did the route verification later, during the preflight, we both failed to detect the missing transition that included the points TRALR, NICLE, and DVC.
This went unnoticed until passing point STAAV on the departure. That is when ATC queried us if we were headed to point TRALR. We indicated to ATC that we were direct LAA. He re-cleared us to TRALR to resume the departure. There was nothing significant to report for the rest of the flight.
Editorial: Student Pilots… Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?
By Ed Downs
Yes, we start with a very open-ended question, so let’s narrow it down. “Student Pilots” come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the newbies who are just getting into flying to advance pro’s going for type ratings in large turbojet aircraft. In fact, every pilot is, or should be, a “student” any time they are exercising the privileges of being a pilot in command. This writer has been at it for 60 years and has yet to land from any flight without having learned something from the experience. For the purpose of this discussion, let’s stick to newbies who are just getting into the art of flying and even narrow it down a bit more by talking about the cost and quality of flight instruction.
Now, you may ask, who made Ed Downs the know-it-all of flight instruction quality? Plainly stated, this writer does not claim to be the top expert in the field of instructing, but circumstances have given this writer an interesting look into the national window of what is going on, at least in the sector of flying with small, independent schools and part-time CFIs. As a long time CFI, and regular instructor for Aviation Seminars, a company that specializes in weekend training programs for a variety of written examinations and Flight Instructor Revalidation Courses (FIRCs), this writer works with hundreds of students every year. Additionally, Aviation Seminars guarantees results, providing private tutoring to those who have a tough time with written exams. That “guarantee” is, you guessed it, this writer.
Editorial: Something Has Changed
By Ed Downs
Another birthday, another reason to reflect. This writer and his twin brother have made it through another year with an evening spent with family, giving “the twins” a chance to reflect on careers in aviation that span 60 years. Yes, twins often have much in common and our choice of careers certainly points that out. While considerably beyond a traditional retirement age, this writer and his brother, Earl, continue to fly as active CFIs, work in the aviation industry, and deal heavily in subjects relating to flight safety, training, the promotion of recreational flying, and the future of general aviation through a direct interface with the FAA and government. As the evening’s musings of past adventures turned to reflecting upon “the good old days,” we realized that both of us were concluding that, “something has changed.”
Recreational flying is certainly not what it was 50 or 60 years ago. Expense has gone up dramatically, and the technological sophistication of GA airplanes, even old planes that have been retrofitted with modern avionics, is absolutely amazing. Having started flight training in the mid 1950s, we concluded that much has improved since we first flew in an Aeronca Champ with a wind driven generator and a two channel, low frequency radio. Mind you, that was considered to be a well-equipped trainer, being flown from busy Van Nuys Airport in Southern California. The training was rigorous, with maneuvers like 720 steep turns, spins, accelerated (and aggravated) stalls, and steep spiral descents all included in the CAA approved curriculum. No training flight was conducted without a simulated engine failure, frequently followed with a landing to a full stop. Of course, almost all private training done in this timeframe used planes like Champs, Cubs, T-crafts and other tail draggers, so both full stall and wheel landings were the order of the day.
Contrails: A Hand Me Down Flying School
By Steve Weaver
When I think about the aircraft that populated our flying business in the late ‘60s, I realize what an eclectic mix of airplanes it was. We had two, four, and six place airplanes, very old airplanes, one almost new airplane, and even a twin in the person of an old Aztec. Each had a role in the business, and each one had a distinct personality that I still remember.
At birth, except for colors and optional equipment, airplanes are pretty much identical to the brethren that share the production line. In 1977, while working for Cessna, I parked my new 310 demonstrator on the ramp at Allegheny Airport in Pittsburgh while I went inside to meet with someone. I returned a half hour later just in time to see a gentleman thoroughly pre-flighting my 310. I watched from a distance while he did a textbook preflight inspection. He drained all the sumps and inspected the fuel sample for dirt or water, he checked the oil in both engines, then slowly circled the airplane, poking this and wiggling that.
Almost There
By Evan Isenstein-Brand
The engine starved and sputtered to a halt in my shaky hands. After several practice laps in the pattern, my instructor gave me a final handshake before neatly buckling his seatbelt across the seat and trotting over to join the crowd. I entered my focus mode, carefully examining my checklist before starting the engine again and receiving permission from the sympathetic tower operator to taxi out to the ramp.
Just like I had done dozens of times before, I made sure the plane was fit to fly and promptly received clearance to take off. The conditions were beautiful: little wind, few clouds in the sky, and only several other aircraft around the airport. It was the 4th of July. Of course the conditions were perfect.
Contrails: Getting Ready For War
By Steve Weaver
The design of the government built hangars was standardized. This hangar is identical to the one still standing at the abandoned Lewis Field in Buckhannon, West Virginia. (Courtesy of Steve Weaver)Most who are interested in WWII aviation history are aware that one of the reasons the United States won the war was her amazing record of aircraft production once we were in the fight. From producing scarcely more than 2,000 military aircraft in 1939 to over 96,000 in 1944, the record year, the U.S. produced a total of more than 303,000 military aircraft during the war years. But where did we get the pilots to fly them?
In 1939, the Army had a total of only 4,502 pilots, including 2,007 active-duty officers, 2,187 reserve officers, and 308 National Guard officers. The number of new Army-trained pilots grew rapidly each year as war seemed more likely, from 982 in 1939, to about 8,000 in 1940, to more than 27,000 in 1941–but many more were needed, and the Army by itself could not train the huge numbers of cadets desperately required. But we had a plan.
Contrails: Twisted Humor Stalks the Skies
By Steve Weaver
I’ll admit it, during the years that I was instructing, as much as I loved to fly and to teach flying, there were times when I needed a break. The years that I was running the little country flight school in the late sixties and teaching eight to ten hours a day for weeks without a break, I sometimes longed for a change of pace. It was hard, unrelenting work.
But the schedule of the flight school dictated the hours that we flew and in the summer, we tried to take advantage of the long days. We harvested every hour that we could to help us stand against the long, dark winter that was to follow, and summer days when I could just relax were few.
So sometimes I did dumb things that amused me, just to break up the routine a bit. It was nothing that I could go on the road with, but those incidents served to give me chuckles and most of the time, they gave them to the whole airport.
Contrails: Looking for Bubba
By Steve Weaver
He was, way country. I was a West Virginia country boy too, back there in the late ‘60s when I met Bubba, but this guy was light years ahead me. He exuded the aura of his mountaineer heritage, and you could hear his roots in his speech and see ancient times in his countenance.
In age, he was a few years beyond my own late 20s when I met him. He had been raised by his grandparents on a mountainside farm, where the folds of the Appalachians first rise up out of the foothills of Central West Virginia and begin their march to the Piedmonts.
He had enlisted in the service after high school, more to have a job than as a career choice. In those opportunity-starved years, the old West Virginia saw of ‘coal mines, moonshine or movin’ on down the line’ applied to almost every boy unable to go on to college after high school. And so Bubba moved on, into the blue uniform of the U.S. Air Force, and after basic training was stationed at a Strategic Missile site in North Dakota.
Zlin Meister
By David Brown
Proud Owner Jeff Koehler with Zlin N242DC in its present paint scheme. (David Brown)Twenty years ago former F-15 pilot and Air Force Academy graduate, Jeff Koehler, worked for Northrop Grumman on the B2 program, but still yearned to return to the skies. Initially he used a Cherokee 140 to commute to Los Angeles from his home in Camarillo, but eventually he realized that he wanted more from his flying. What he really hungered for was an aerobatic aircraft, so took his time looking at all the possible contenders, ranging from the Pitts Special to the CAP 10. One consideration was cockpit room, as Jeff is over six feet tall. This ruled out a number of contenders with cramped cockpits.
Working in Melbourne, Fla. by this time, Jeff had an opportunity to fly the Moravan Zlin 242, which was a Lycoming-powered variant of the Czech Zlin 241 of famed aerobatic lineage (Zlin 526 and Zlin 50) and was at that time relatively cheap for a new aircraft ($125,000). Also, the cockpit was of ample size.
Editorial: Stick and Rudder
By Ed Downs
Does that title sound familiar? For many, the book, Stick and Rudder, written by Wolfgang Langewiesche, appears on nearly every bookshelf of aviators around the world. First published in 1944, this book became the quintessential word on the “art of flying,” stressing the need to develop well-understood skills to be used in controlling the aircraft. Those of us who teach Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRC’s) are hearing the term “stick and rudder” again, but not in reference to this classic book. This time it comes from the FAA, having added mandated content to approve FIRC curriculums that addresses the subject of “stick and rudder” skills, or more accurately, the lack of such skills. But let me take a step back and explain the issue at hand.
Every CFI must undergo classroom (or today, web-based) training once every 24 calendar months. The course undertaken is approved by the FAA and must contain a specific amount of FAA mandated content. Companies that conduct such courses maintain an FAA approved status, as do their instructors, like this writer. The program (class or web) MUST contain a minimum of 16 hours of actual training, and significant paperwork is involved. Failure to attend a FIRC every two years and pass two written exams means the CFI loses the privilege to instruct. Once a FIRC is missed, the CFI must attend a FIRC and take an FAA check ride to reinstate CFI privileges. Stop and think about it, how many other licensed professions (medical, legal?) have such requirements?
What’s Next for Me and My Pilot Certificate? Take it to the Next Level!
By Jerod Flohr
The Great Lakes with the San Francisco skyline in the background. (Max G Aviation)Do you ever find yourself bored with your pilot certificate? Take it to the “next level,” that’s what I always say. But what do I mean?
It has been a couple of years since I’ve written an article for In Flight USA but some of you may remember my articles about chasing and achieving my dreams of being an airshow pilot. If you do not remember the articles, the journey was long and difficult, but with the help of many mentors and friends, paired with a relentless pursuit, I was able to obtain my 500-foot waiver from Wayne Handley and fly airshows – even my hometown show!
I am now one of the founders of Max G Aviation, a new and exciting flight club that focuses only on what I call, “the fun stuff.” I say this because the fun stuff can be a solution to finding the “next level.” This is obviously a generic saying but I find myself saying it most to private pilots who have had a few too many “$100 hamburgers” and are wondering what’s next. The most common response someone gives to these people has to do with pursuing another rating, mainly an instrument rating. I am never one to suggest against someone getting an instrument rating – I highly recommend it even for the pilot who claims they never intend to fly in IMC (for obvious reasons that could be covered in its own article). But the fact of the matter is, people want to know what they can do with the certificate they already hold – and there are all kinds of options! Let’s discuss.
How High is High?
By Bob Turner
MCFI San Diego
I remember when GPS just got going good. A buddy had the magic Garmin 295 and showed me how wonderful it was – it even had accurate altitude. He could now be assured of being at the correct altitude no matter what.
Learning to Fly in the 1940s
By Charlie Briggs
Charles BriggsAviation buffs read a lot of flying stories from pros who write articles on a regular basis. While often entertaining and informative, hearing from professional pilots sometimes lacks the real world experiences of the hundreds of thousands of aircraft owners and flyers who were never professional pilots, but simply lived with an airplane as a permanent family member. Such is the case with Charlie Briggs, a pilot for more than 65 years, having a career that included ranching, agricultural services and consulting, computer technologies and business concept development. In Flight USA invites readers to join Charlie as he reminisces about flying and life. You will experience a side of aviation that is informative, entertaining and personal. Enjoy.
My father was always interested in flying. He started flying Culver Cadets just as WWII occurred. Of course this stopped all private aviation. At the end of the “curfew,” after the defeat of Japan, Dad resumed his flying, mostly for business purposes. Being in the cattle “order” buying business, having your own plane was a real creative help, especially before the super superhighways and extensive commercial airline network matured.
Contrails: Dragging Nylon
By Steve Weaver
Whether you’re a pilot or not, you’ve seen the ubiquitous tow plane, clattering along over the beach or circling the stadium, pulling the banner exhorting you to Get the Crab Special at Phil’s, or some such message. As pilots, many of us have observed the banners being picked up at an airport, but the general public and even many pilots have no idea how the process works.
I joined the stream of hard working tow pilots who for one reason or another flew the banner aircraft back in the seventies. Unlike many of these sign draggers, I didn’t need to build time, I was just trying to avoid starvation. During this era I would have taken on any flying chore that wasn’t overtly illegal or positively lethal. To keep myself fed I was already doing instructing, charter, survey flying and sightseeing rides, so it was not a big step to add one more hopeful income stream and order a banner kit from Mr. Gasser down in Tennessee and then teach myself how to use it.
Contrails: Bending Metal
By Steve Weaver
The one occasion where the retail worth of the plane in which Weaver was flying was rapidly and substantially reduced. The Ercoupe was later repaired and flown by Joe-Joe for another 20 years. (Courtesy of Steve Weaver)In recent years, even I have had to acknowledge that I have entered, albeit reluctantly, the category of the mature airman. As such, I have joined the ranks of those with a successful (read survived) flying history spanning fifty years or so and it is natural for the August members who inhabit this strata to be occasionally asked by our younger brethren about things that they consider worrisome in their own flying career. Crashing would be one.
How many times, they will ask, have I been involved in occasions where the retail worth of the airplane I was flying was rapidly and substantially reduced?
It’s a complicated question to answer, especially if you take the Clinton-esque approach to it and say it depends on what your definition of crashing is. I choose to do that, since it reduces my record of shame by 50 percent if I don’t count flying the Super Cruiser through the top of a large oak tree as a crash. My point there being that the airplane did not come to a complete stop, which I maintain is a basic requirement for a certifiable airplane crash.
"Lessons from the Cockpit"
An Exerpt from Selfish Altruism by Moe Glenner
In Flight USA is sharing Moe Glenner’s five behaviors that pilots should avoid as an excerpt from his book, Selfish Altruism. These five lessons from the cockpit will run as a five-part series. Read on for the first installment, Behavior #1, Anti-Authority.
As an instrument rated pilot, I draw many parallels between aviation related themes and the chains of change. Most successful pilots are highly goal and mission oriented. While this seems to be a requirement, it also has pitfalls. Some of these pitfalls have been at the root of serious aviation accidents and incidents. There are five notable behaviors that pilots are especially susceptible to, that left unchecked can have serious consequences. These behaviors are not exclusive to pilots and are actually present amongst all of us, regardless of occupation.
Editorial: Sharing Airspace with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s)
By Ed Downs
First, the title of this editorial is technically wrong. While many (if not all) readers will recognize the acronym UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), with the immediate image of the lethal “Predator” coming to mind, such an image and use of the term “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” simply demonstrates the same level of misunderstanding that was held by this writer – more on the acronym later. Fortunately, receipt of a NASA news release and a conversation with the pros at NASA came to my rescue.
But let’s go back to the beginning of this subject and take a look at why it attracted this writer’s attention. As a part time instructor for the well-known aviation school, Aviation Seminars (an immersion training organization that conducts weekend programs around the country), I am privileged to teach Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRCs). A Certified Flight Instructor must attend a FIRC every 24 months, often not a terribly fun experience, as the same material is often covered time and time again. The last FIRC I taught was different, having been updated to include a good deal of new material and visual aids. One of the key topics covered has to do with “pilot deviations,” or what most pilots refer to as mid-air collision and runway incursion avoidance. A new subject in this presentation deals with the increased use of “UAVs” in the National Airspace System. Basically, this two-slide subject suggests “heads up and watch out!” The presentation includes an actual video taken from a UAV operating in Afghanistan as it whizzes past an A-300 Airbus with less than 50 feet to spare. But that is the end of the presentation. No further discussion is included about what is really going on with UAV’s here in the States.
Contrails
Living Without Wheels
By Steve Weaver
Instructor Russ Weaver (no relation, Billie Sue Nester, student, Steve Weaver and friend David Austin. (Courtesy of Steve Weaver)Stopped at a traffic light this week, I noticed the car in front of me sported a license plate holder that proclaimed that the owner’s other car was an airplane. I thought back to a time when I could have used a license holder that said “My other airplane is an airplane,” but then I wouldn’t have had a car to attach it to.
There have probably been other aviation zealots, who have owned two airplanes without owning a car, but I’ve never met another one and it was a strange set of circumstances that caused me to be in such a position.