Weather Scrubs Flight of Chicago Bloggers

This morning I picked up fellow aviation blogger, Midway Six (Cpt. Rod), for a $100 breakfast burrito adventure. Capt. Rod flies regularly out of Midway as part of the Civil Air Patrol and also for his personal aviation through Midway Aviators. Today we planned on flying Midway Aviator's Diamond Star DA-40 which Rod has flown many times before. The Diamond Star is the four place sister plane to the Diamond Eclipse DA-20 I have enjoyed flying a few times.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate again today. It was the third flight this month that was been cancelled due to weather. The flight was scrubbed due to low visibility and low ceilings. But, I did get to fly a few days ago so I was not too let down (more on that in a moment).

Although we did not get to our destination Morris Municipal Airport (C09), we did get to enjoy some time talking about aviation and checking out some planes on the tarmac while we hoped the weather would improve. We took a look at the Civil Air Patrol's Cessna 182 and Rod showed me around the Diamond Star which looks like a roomier version of the Eclipse.

It was fun being back on the general aviation tarmac at Midway and makes me wonder whether it would be a good place to be my home base for flying. Just a few days prior I took a brief flight out of the newly renamed Chicago Executive Airport, formerly Palwaukee. I flew with Alex of the Windy City Flyers flight club. We spent most of our time reviewing the ground paperwork necessary to be checked out to rent Windy City Flyer aircraft.

Once that was completed there was not enough time to do a full checkout flight so we took a Cessna 172 SP up and flew around the pattern a few times while practicing some landings including a short field landing simulation. Alex and I have a Cessna 172 SP scheduled for next weekend so I can perform a full checkout ride so I can rent planes from Windy City Flyers.

Here is hoping January's weather is more cooperative than December's.

KPWK 161952Z 20012KT 6SM HZ OVC014 = No VFR Flying Today

As I mentioned in my last post I was planning on flying today. All week it looked like the best weather would fall on Saturday. The temps were supposed to rise up into the 50s with no forecast for rain. But, when I woke up and looked out the window it was overcast. I pulled up the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to check the weather for Palwaukee Municipal Airport (KPWK) and saw the weather was not any better there and not forecasted to improve.

It is just after 2pm and I was due to fly at 3pm. The current METAR report (METeorological Aerodrome Report) stated "KPWK 161952Z 20012KT 6SM HZ OVC014". Which translates to "Conditions at Palwaukee Airport on December 16th at 1952 Zulu (1:52pm Central) - winds from 200 degrees at 12 knots with 6 miles of visibility, haze, and overcast at 1,400 feet. Since, I don't have an instrument license I fly under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and for the type of VFR manuevers and flying I was hoping to do today would require a ceiling higher than 1,400 feet. So, I have rescheduled my flight for next weekend. Always a bummer to have to cancel a flight but it is part of general aviation.

Maybe I will stop by the book store to check out one of Clyde Edgerton's other books. I asked him as pilot what other books of his I might enjoy. He suggested "For aviation people, The Floatplane Notebooks and In Memory of Junior are the two I'd recommend. They each have some significant flying in them."

Solo: My Adventures in the Air by Clyde Edgerton

I have been doing a fair amount of commercial traveling as of late and often find myself in the airport terminal bookstores. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a book with an airplane on it and the title "Solo: My Adventures in the Air" by Clyde Edgerton. On the back cover was a quote from Men's Journal "Either the best living novelist to fly planes or the best living pilot to write novels". Since I love aviation and enjoy reading about aviation related books I decided to hand over my $12.95 to find out if this was true.

I just finished reading Clyde Edgerton's Solo less than a week after picking it up. The book takes you through Edgerton's flying experiences starting at age four with a visit to a local airstrip, to flying in the United States Air Force and finally to his flights in a PA-12 Super Cruiser he named "Annabelle".

The book was an enjoyable read if you are a pilot or an aspiring pilot I recommend you check it out. I plan on looking at some of his other titles in the near future.

As for my own flight adventures...I plan to return to the wild blue yonder on Saturday.

General Aviation a Threat to Our Cities?

In addition to maintaining this blog I also contribute for Chicagoist.com. There I concentrate on covering sports but from time to time I will post an article about aviation as it relates to Chicago such as the Air and Water Show or in yesterday’s case about general aviation restrictions around major cites like Chicago.

In the aftermath of the tragic aviation accident involving Yankees Pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stranger there has been a ton of negative press for General Aviation. Many are asking whether General Aviation should be more closely restricted around our big cities. For Chicagoist I wrote my opinions on the matter. I was happily surprised to see that I received many positive comments in reply to my post many who realize this was an accident but not much more.

Having flown the Hudson River Corridor, safely, this past Spring I would hate to see unnecessary restrictions put in place that would prevent such flights in the future.

I invite you to check out the article on Chicagoist.com.

Wisconsin Cross-Country Flight

With fall setting in across northern Wisconsin, the trees were starting to turn which made for a beautiful view from the ground but even more spectacular from the air. Having not flown an official cross-country flight in over a year, I decided to fly one. A cross-country flight is any flight to an airport that is at least a straight-line distance of 50 nautical miles from the origin airport. Flying out of Cherryland Airport, I selected Wittman Regional in Oshkosh, WI as my destination.

I awoke early and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan while getting a weather briefing so I could complete my flight plan. I arrived at the airport around 8am and was airborne by 8:30am. Shortly after takeoff, I contacted the Green Bay Flight Service Station to open my flight plan for the trip down to Oshkosh which was scheduled to be a short 43 minute flight. After opening up a flight plan, I contacted Green Bay approach and advised them that I wished to transition through their airspace en route to Oshkosh, which they approved. At the same time, I asked if they could provide flight following.

When flying VFR a flight plan provides some protection in case of an emergency by allowing the FAA to know where you were going, when you expected to be there, where you might have diverted to and a few other vital pieces of information that could help them in case of an emergency. Another great service for a VFR pilot is flight following. If air traffic controllers have capacity, they can assist a VFR pilot by providing radar monitoring services. They will advise of any traffic along the route and keep an eye on your position during the flight.

As I approached the midway point of the flight, Green Bay, I took in a great view of Lambeau Field – Home of the Green Bay Packers. While overflying the town of Green Bay I could see Lake Winnebago and the cities of Appleton and Oshkosh off the front of the plane’s nose. A few minutes later, Wittman Regional Airport came into view. I informed Green Bay approach that I had Wittman in view and requested permission to change radio frequencies to contact the Wittman Tower.

During the Oshkosh Airshow, it becomes one of the busiest airports in the world. Today, it was quiet with only a few other planes in the area. I touched down close to my estimated time of arrival. During the flight down I had a headwind but the trip back proved to be quicker with a nice tailwind. I climbed up to 5,500 feet for the flight back to Sturgeon Bay and enjoyed taking in the beautiful fall colors and the great scenery of northern Wisconsin. It was just one of those perfect days to fly where the air was smooth and the view was wonderful.

Biennial Flight Review Passed

It has been two years and a month since I earned my private pilot’s license. As part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations, pilots are required to pass a Biennial Flight Review if they wish to serve as pilot in command of an aircraft.

I had scheduled my BFR a month earlier but during pre-flight, noticed the airworthiness certificate was missing from the plane. I thought it was the Certified Flight Instructor’s way of testing to see if I did a thorough pre-flight inspection. It turned out it was lost and the plane had to be grounded until it was found. It was not found until days later, unfortunately. Happily, this time out to the airport all the paperwork was in order.

For a few days leading up to the BFR I reviewed my Sporty’s Private Pilot DVDs and the Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM) book that contains all the regulations that pertain to flying as a private pilot.

During the Biennial Flight Review the Certified Flight Instructor does a one hour long verbal flight review that covers regulations and concepts related to flying (e.g., Weights and balances, weather, etc.). My CFI and I spent about an hour and fifteen minutes and for the most part I was able to answer all but a few obscure questions. After the verbal part we went out for the one hour flight review. We departed Sturgeon Bay’s Cherryland Airport for one of my favorite airports, Ephraim Airport. I showed my experience with pilotage, flying from one point to another using maps and ground references, to get us to Ephraim. Once there we took advantage of the beautiful turf strip there. I performed short field and soft field take-offs and landings on the turf. I truly love the nostalgic barnstorming feeling of landing on turf runways. After performing some nice crosswind landings we departed and headed back to Sturgeon Bay where we performed a wide variety of maneuvers demonstrated in most Private Pilot Check Rides or insurance check-outs: Turns around a point, stalls, 45&Deg; bank turns, etc.

When we got back to Sturgeon Bay I new there would be one more part of the test, a landing with a failed engine. Sure enough as I entered the pattern to land at Cherryland Airport my CFI announced my engine had failed and pulled the power out to simulate an engine failure. I cut the pattern short to ensure we would make the runway and brought the airplane down gently. Upon completing the landing I was informed I had passed my Biennial Flight Review.

Flying Along For the Ride

I have had some great aviation experiences over the past few weeks. I recently had the opportunity to fly with the AeroShell Aerobatic Team as they prepared for the 2006 Chicago Air & Water Show. The four plane team performs in their T-6 Texans, a plane used by the military to train pilots for World War II. The T-6 is a powerful single prop plane capable of inverted flight.

We took off in formation and flew out over Lake Michigan where we flew loops and barrelrolls. It was quite an experience flying inverted and flying a loop and I loved every minute of it. This was my second opportunity to fly with a performance team. Last year I flew in the backseat of of T-34, a plane used by the Lima Lima Flight Team. I uploaded some photos and video from the flight and from my time at the Press Day for the Airshow.

Just days after my experience with Aeroshell I was in beautiful Sedona, Arizona for vacation. While there, my wife and I visited one of the most picturesque airports in america, Sedona Airport (KSEZ). While there we could not pass up an opportunity to take in a flight in a Waco bi-plane and seeing the beauty of the Red Rocks of Sedona from above. This was the first time my wife or I had flown in a bi-plane. Like my flight experience with Aeroshell it was excellent. I have always enjoyed flying my Cessna with the windows open but flying in an open cockpit plane is a wonderful thrill.

With some of my aviation rides out of the way it is time for me to get back into the cockpit. This weekend I am scheduled for my first biennial flight review. During the biennial flight review I will undergo an hour of ground instruction followed by an hour of flight time in which I need to prove to a certified flight instructor that I still have the knowledge and skills to serve as pilot in command. It is an FAA Requirement that must be fulfilled every two years in order to continue to act as pilot in command of an aircraft.

EAA Airventure 2006 in Oshkosh, WI

This weekend my wife and I drove up to Oshkosh, WI for the EAA Airventure 2006. Every year since 1970, Wittman Regional Airport serves as the location of one of the aviation world's premier events. It has been estimated that three quarters of a million people attend the show and over 10,000 aircraft fly in for this week-long event. During the week the control tower prides itself as being the busiest in the world.

We set-up a tent in Camp Scholler which is on the EAA grounds and open to EAA members. It was a very hot weekend and when we arrived at 10pm to set-up camp the temperatures were still easily in the 80s.

We got up early and headed over to the EAA Museum to hear Dick Rutan talk about being the first person to fly around the world non-stop. As my readers know, I am amazed by people who have pushed the envelope of flying; like Jerrie Mock's circumnavigation of the world in 1964 or Steve Fossett's trip around the globe this past year which was the first in a jet.

It was nearly twenty years ago that Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew around the world without stopping or refueling in their Voyager Aircraft. Dick talked about the five years it took to take the idea and develop an aircraft that could accomplish this amazing flight. The aircraft was designed by his brother Burt Rutan; who recently designed SpaceShipOne the first civilian spacecraft to travel to space and return safely. It took them five years of hard work, dedication and some luck to build and test an aircraft that would be able to make such a flight. Dick spoke of the many close calls they had during the 9 day, 3 minute, and 44 second flight.

Dick explained the importance of events like AirVenture to inspire people to push the limits of our world. He mentioned that before Chuck Yeager flew "Bell X-1" through the sound barrier, it was questioned whether man could build a flying machine that could travel as fast as the speed of sound. It took a man with courage and a pioneer attitude to prove it could be done.

Dick and his brother were inspired by aviation at a young age and worked with a single focus to prove that an plane could be designed and built that could allow someone to fly around the world non-stop. Since then his brother Dick helped design SpaceShipOne, the first civilian spacecraft to travel to space and return safely. Dick hopes he can inspire the youth of America to become the pioneers of the future and that they may develop the ability to travel faster than the speed of light.

At Airventure there were over 5,000 forums and discussions throughout the week. This was the only one that my wife and I attended but it had to have been one of the best of the show. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet Dick after his very entertaining and enlightening talk.

After leaving the museum we headed to the farthest end of the show where the ultra-light airstrip is located. There we enjoyed watching six or seven ultra-lights flying in the pattern. Some looked like Go-Carts with a propeller dangling from a hang-glider. But they flew so gracefully that I decided at some point I will have to give this type of flying a try.

From there we walked along the flight line looking at many of the nearly 10,000 aircraft that flew in for the event. It is just an amazing sight to see the thousands of planes lined up in rows off the main runway. We enjoyed seeing a ton of neat experimental aircraft along with traditional aircraft like the Cessna 172. At the far end of the main runway was an area where all the warbirds were parked. We spent nearly an hour walking through the amazing collection of planes from World War I era to present. I noticed one of the t-34 trainers of the Lima Lima Flight Team with whom I enjoyed a flight with last summer.

After seeing almost all of the planes on display we checked out the exhibit areas. I checked in with the FAA and AOPA and provided them some updated contact information which saved me a few phone calls. I also had the opportunity to check out Microsoft's new Flight Simulator X which comes out this fall. While walking through the exhibit area we saw Chuck Yeager standing next to his P-51 Mustang, Glamorous Glen III.

At 3:30 the airshow kicked off with a ton of great acts. I especially enjoyed watching all the warbirds flying. The World War II bombers never look like they will be able to lift off the runway. It is always a treat to see those historic planes take to the sky. I especially enjoyed Mike Goulian's acrobatic performance in the Castrol Extra.

If you are an aviation enthusiast and have never been to AirVenture you are missing out. Check it out next year July 23 - July 29, 2007. Until then you can check out some of my photos on Flickr.

Flying with Dad

I celebrated the Fourth of July holiday in Door County, Wisconsin. Whenever I am in Door County I try to take in a flight as it is an absolutely beautiful place to fly. The local Fixed Based Operator that I rent from is Orion Flight Service. A friendly operation based at the Cherryland Airport in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Since it had been more than six months since I flew with them last I needed to take a brief written exam and then fly a check-ride with a CFI. Adam, the CFI, and I met and reviewed the written test then headed out to the airplane. Cherryland has two nice runways. The one running parallel to Sturgeon Bay is the one I have used in the past. The winds were situated such that no matter what runway I chose I was going to have a little bit of a crosswind.

I chose to take off from the runway that runs perpendicular to the bay since I had not flown that pattern before. It is the smaller of the two runways, although is still plenty long and wide at 3,200 feet x 75 feet. This runway lacks a taxiway so I back taxied to the end of the runway.

The flight review went smoothly. I enjoyed talking with Adam about his flight experiences during the flight. He has experience in tail draggers and in float planes which was fun to hear about. He also would love to go to Alaska to be a bush pilot, I can’t blame him for that.

After the check-out ride I had a special opportunity – My father was waiting on the tarmac for his first flight with me. Not sure how nearly two years have passed without me getting a chance to take him flying but it was a fun experience, although short. The check ride had run long so we only had time for about a 30 minute flight. We flew up and down the lake side of the Door County Peninsula and I let him fly for a bit. He seemed to do fine with that. Then we headed back. Unfortunately, I made one of the my worst landing in my two years of flying.

Due to the crosswind I flew the approach a little faster than normal which caused us to balloon a little on the landing flair but since we had plenty of runway left I flew it in ground effect for a couple of seconds to bleed of some speed then let it set itself back on the ground wind side wheel first. But, my foot must have been a little high on the rudder and pressing the break cause when the wheel came down the plane wanted to pivot on that wheel and had I not corrected it I think the plane would have wanted to swerve off to the side of the runway. Not the landing I had envisioned for my first flight with my Dad but I am sure there will be more to impress him with my landing abilities.

Until then maybe I will log some hours working on crosswind landings.

Scenic New York City Flight

A couple of months ago I read a great feature article in Pilot Getaways Magazine about a general aviation corridor that allowed general aviation aircraft to fly along the Hudson River to see the skyscrapers of New York City from Window-height. After reading the article I knew I needed to give this flight experience a try. While visiting some family in New Jersey my wife and I had the opportunity to fly along side New York City in a Cessna 172 SP.

In looking for places to start this flight from I came across Lincoln Park Wings based at Lincoln Park Airport, a single strip runway in Northern New Jersey. Lincoln Park Wings offers a pre-planned scenic flight of the Hudson River in a Cessna 172 complete with a Glass Cockpit. I mentioned I was a private pilot and they ensured me I could fly the route with the Certified Flight Instructor.

This flight would include many firsts for me. It would be my first flight in New Jersey or New York and be my first experience in a glass cockpit. According to Wikipedia a glass cockpit is "...an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays. Where a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mechanical gauges to display information, a glass cockpit utilizes a few computer-controlled displays that can be adjusted to display flight information as needed."

After spending all of my flight time flying with traditional gauges I expected to be overwhelmed by the glass cockpit displays. But, I found them easy to read and relatively intuitive. I can see how it would take 10-20 hours to master the use of the system but after a little over an hour I was starting to understand where I needed to look to find the relevant information. If you have access to a plane with a glass cockpit I would highly recommend checking it out. You can read more about flying a glass cockpit at CockpitMentor.

Flying in a crowded airspace such as surrounds New York the features of the Garmin 1000 came in handy. It gave a clear visual image of where the different airspaces were located and helped us to ensure we did not violate any of them. The system also tracks other aircraft and would announce if traffic were near which happened occasionally as there is a variety of helicopter traffic in New York. By looking at the device you could easily determine where the traffic was and then look outside the cockpit to find it and ensure you stayed out of each others path.

Many pilots have said that in their early flights in a glass cockpit that they have troubles maintaining their normal practice of conducting visual scans of the horizon for aircraft and get caught up looking at the digital screens. Luckily, having the beautiful scenery of the New York City Skyline ensured I would keep my eyes out of the cockpit.

Our flight took us over some beautiful neighborhoods of Jersey and then over the Hudson River just North of the George Washington Bridge. We flew about 800 feet over the river which put us even with many of the buildings in New York. I am familiar with New York but it is seeing New York from this vantage point that really helped me understand what an amazingly huge city it is. Central Park for instance is much larger than I had ever imagined. We had a great view of the Concorde and SR-71 that are on display with the USS Intrepid Aircraft Carrier Museum. After passing by the city for the first time we came up to a beautiful view the Statue of Liberty before making a 180° turn to go back up the Hudson.

During the flight I had an enjoyable conversation with the CFI, Michael, who is teaching in NJ over the summer between years at Embry Riddle. I always enjoy the conversations I have when I have an opportunity to fly with other pilots. After completing our scenic tour of New York I flew us back to Lincoln Park, playing with the glass cockpit on the way. As, I mentioned before Lincoln Park is a small airport with a runway that is less than 3,000 feet long and only 40 feet wide which leaves little room for error on landings. But, despite making my first landing in over a month we made a smooth landing to conclude a wonderful flight.

I highly recommend any pilot that has the opportunity to fly the Hudson River Corridor to do it, check out Lincoln Park Wings while you are at it. I put up a gallery of my photos from the flight on Flickr.