Perfect Flight?

This morning we took another flight to Bowling Green. The weather was perfect with a slight headwind on the way there.

After the pre-flight check of the Diamond DA20 (N223NH) we requested flight flowing for the trip. This allowed us to fly through the airspace for Nashville International Airport rather than going around it like I have done it the past.


In addition, I flew at 5,500 feet, which it the highest I have been so far.


I was very pleased with this flight. My landings were smooth, I stayed on course and altitude with very litter margin of deviation, entered the traffic pattern correctly and I spotted all of my check points. I’m sure there could have been improvement, but this flight was as close to perfection as I have ever come.

On the way back to Smyrna, I stayed under the IFR goggles, so I could get in another .5 hours in.


Next flight will be my first solo cross country. I’m ready!

I also got an added bonus on this trip to the airport…  Due to Hurricane Irene, the Goodyear Blimp was temporarily moved to the Smyrna Airport for safety.  I got to even see it take off.  In addition, the U.S. military transported a few Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt wing aircrafts to Smyrna.  Similar Aircrafts were recently featured in the new Transformers movie.  I didn’t get to see them fly, but they are an awesome piece of aviation machinery.  I can only imagine the fear these cause as they approach one of our enemies.  Go USA!

V-22 Osprey

Flight time: 1.60 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $150.40, Instructor Fee - $80.00

Making Progress

I thought this would be a good time to give an update, as it has been about a month since I last posted one. I have 28.6 flight hours, 112 take offs and landings, 1.2 hours of IFR training, 6.2 of cross country flight and 1.6 hours of solo flight all in 21 flights. I’m at about 75% of the minimum 40 hours required.



In the remaining time, I need to have an additional 8.4 hours of solo flight (5 of those hours need to be solo cross country), 1.8 hours of IFR training, and 3 hours of flying at night.

The national average to earn a private pilot’s license is 70 hours, my goal is to complete it in about 55 hours. Based upon my progress, I foresee being able to easily make that goal.

Weather permitting, I should have my wings in October.

John C. Tune Airport

Today was the first flight back with Adam. We spent about 10 minutes discussing how to enter the traffic pattern for John C. Tune Airport (JWN) and then we flew the DA20 (N223NH) there for some practice. John C. Tune Airport is one of the most popular, thus busiest, general aviation airports in Nashville. I assume it is because it is so close to the city.



We haven’t flowed there in the past because getting there from Smyrna can be a bit of a challenge.



In the above sectional, I have pointed out the location of JWN with a solid arrow and the Smyrna Airport in the outlined red arrow at the bottom. As the sectional shows with the dark magenta circle (actual color used on the chart), Nashville International Airport’s (BNA) airspace is directly between the two airports.



In theory, we could fly under/over the airspace. The green boxes highlight the altitude of the airspace. The bottom number (two zeros at the end) is the floor of the airspace in that area, and the top number is the ceiling of the airspace. “SFC” mean surface of the ground. For example, the airspace near JWN, goes from 2,400 feet to 4,600 feet. No pilot may enter this airspace without the permission of ATC. It is possible to request access, but then you I would be just one more plane, in an already crowded airspace, which ATC would have to keep track of. Flying over 4,600 feet is not particle, as it is such a short flight. Also flying under is not a good option, as I may encounter obstacles on the ground, especially in an urban area, that would make it difficult to fly that low.

The best solution is to just fly around the airspace. In this case, south of the airspace. The chart also shows possible obstacles on the ground (possible communications towers and such) that the pilot should be aware of. These I have circled them on the sectional in orange. Some of these towers in this area can reach altitude of 1,300 feet. The traffic pattern for JWN is 1,500 so it does require the pilot to pay attention to their surroundings.

Also, for this airport the traffic pattern is left (meaning all left turns) for runway 2 and right for runway 20. The wind was coming in at a heading of 360, which mean runway 2 was the best option. I entered the traffic pattern on a 45. As I approached this airport, I noticed there was 3 or 4 nearby aircrafts on the radio at any one given time. This was is the busiest I have ever flown at, which means I had to be extra vigilant in watching for other aircraft.

At one point I did notice a biplane traveling in the traffic pattern behind us that hadn’t seen us until I called out to them. I would estimate we were about 200 feet apart as we turning base. We had started our descend, so we were below them. With proper communication, it ended up not being a problem, but it hammered home the importance of keeping an eye for other aircrafts.

I was pleased with my landings and traffic pattern work. This was a challenging airport and I feel like I’m a better pilot for flying to it.

Flight time: 1.60 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $150.00, Instructor Fee - $72.00



Fly With College Students

Once again, Adam was out of town, so I had a substitute instructor for the flight. It was a perfect day to in the DA20 (N322DC). We took off towards the east and reviewed the stalls, slow flight, steep turn, and ground maneuvers. I was very pleased with my performance. Other than yesterday, it had been a while since I spent much time practicing these maneuvers. Not sure if it the instruction, or just that I have become a better pilot in the last few weeks, but I felt confident and relaxed during these drills.


Next we flew to Murfreesboro Municipal Airport (KMBT) to practice some landings in the pattern. Murfreesboro Municipal Airport is one of the busier uncontrolled airports in middle Tennessee since the local college, MTSU, has a large aviation program in which they teach out of that airport.

One item I noticed was that this CFI was more conservative on when they felt they needed to intervene on. I suppose I was safer, but I could imagine my learning curve would have been slower. Overall the flight went well and I was glad to experience a different instructor.

Flight time: 1.10 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $132.00, Instructor Fee - $44.00

Education Consists Mainly of What We Have Unlearned

I believe it was Mark Twain that said: “Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” Today’s flight was a good example. Adam, my CFI, was out of town this weekend and I scheduled a couple of flights with Nora Cole of Wings of Eagles.


It would be wring of me to say I had to unlearn everything I know about flying, but this flight really challenged me to look at what I was doing and why I was doing it.

We took off in the DA20 (N223NH) to the practice area about 10 miles east of the airport and practiced slow flight, power on/off stalls, and steep turns. With all of the focus lately put on navigation, communications, pattern work, it has been weeks (May 31st) since I practiced with an instructor some of these basics.

It was good to review. Also with a different instructor, I was able to see me results from a different set of eyes. In addition, received tips that I may not of from Adam. I especially liked the way she sets up for a power on stall. She brings the plane to a stall at about 60 MPH and then adds power until we were at about 2,300 RPM. This was a lot less stressful of a stall and I didn’t feel nearly as vertical.

Next we flew to Lebanon airport to practice a few landings. We spent some time in the traffic pattern, and once again, I received some feedback. I had always targeted touching down as quickly on the runway as possible, which usually meant landing on the numbers. The PAPI are usually designed for the pilot to land on the 1,000 foot mark. There is technically nothing wrong with landing the on the numbers, but then I’m not really utilizing the all of the resources available (PAPI) to assist with the landing. One may argue that landing shorter allows the pilot more runway to stop the aircraft, yet with these long runways, there is plenty of room

It was not a normal feeling to come in higher, so I had the feeling on “relearning” how to land. What I was actually doing was learning another technique to land. I absolutely believe this experience made me a better pilot.

Next, we came back to Smyrna and landed a few more times, with a higher approach.

Flight time: 1.10 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $103.00, Instructor Fee - $44.00

Not for Sale

Last weekend, Kate and I were going through some boxes looking for old items we can sell in a garage sale, and I came across my logbook from my very first flight in 2003.


It was a discovery flight lasting .7 hours on August 9, 2003. I flew a 1978 Cessna 172N with PilotMakers, Inc. We departed out of DuPage Airport (DPA) and returned back there. Tail number was 739FK. Unsure the name of the instructor.

We went over normal take offs and landings (1 landing), turns, climbs and descents.

A quick on-line search reveals that the aircraft now belongs to a private owner in Klamath Falls, OR. I was unable to find PilotMakers, Inc listed as an active training facility at DuPage Airport.

This was as nice little blast from the past, and will not be sold in the garage sale. I have fond memories from that day. Who knows, if I’m .7 hours short for my license, I can always use this book to push me over the top.



PS: Without any special intentions, I’m actually wearing this same shirt as I type this blog entry 8 years later… oh and I wore those shoes (and sunglasses) yesterday.  Jeans are long gone.

Traffic Patterns

I don’t think most people think about it, and I hadn’t either before I started my training, but pilots have to have a system landing without running into each other. I think I just assumed the pilot would just land on the runway nearest to them.


As I stared my training, I learned about the traffic pattern. Traffic patterns are customary at most general aviation airports and a few busy ones as well. The traffic pattern is a way for the pilots “line up” and communicate their location while still having view of the runway. The FAA does not mandate the traffic pattern, but it is the safest way for all pilots to anticipate what others will be doing.

The traffic pattern can be all shapes, but in general, one can expect:

• The shape to be in a rectangle
• It would consist of all left turns
• The pattern would be at an altitude of about 1,000 feet above the ground
• It would consist of five segments: Departure, Crosswind, Downwind, Base & Final. This allows the pilot to announce their position in a manner that other will understand. For example, I could state: “Shelbyville traffic Diamond 233NH turning left base of runway 36”.

These are guidelines for assumptions, the pilot should verify the details of the traffic pattern for the destination airport during the flight planning process.

  

In addition, flying into a controlled airport can have it challenges, but one task I don’t have to do, is select a runway. In controlled airports, ATC assign the runway to use. In uncontrolled airports, the pilots has to select which runway (there is always at least two to pick from) take off and land from.



Shelbyville Municipal Airport



  

The most desirable way to land or take off is with a headwind, meaning the wind is coming in the exact opposite direction of the path of flight. There are few reasons why, but one would be if the pilot was trying to stop the plane on the runway, they wouldn’t want the wind to continue to push them forward. Of course, very rarely will the pilot be lucky enough for the wind to be traveling in the opposite direction of the runway, so they select the runway that provide at least some headwind. The numbers of the runway correspond to the direction on the compass one would be traveling while on it. The last digit is removed for simplicity. For example, runway 36 would be pointing the in the compass heading 360 (north). On the other side of the runway, will be 18 which is pointing compass heading 180 (south).It maybe the same piece of land, but it is two spate runways and the pilot can pick the right one based upon wind conditions. If I state” Shelbyville traffic Diamond 233NH taking off of runway 36”, all pilots will know which direction I going.

The decision on which runway to use can usually be made several miles out. The pilot can listen to weather briefings for the airport and determine which would be most appropriate. If a weather briefing is not available, the pilot can wait until they are close enough to the airport to view the windsock.

Prior to today’s flight, my CFI reviewed traffic patterns and then discussed how to enter the traffic pattern. Like I said about my last two flights I struggled with traffic pattern entry. Technically, there is no wrong way to enter the traffic pattern, but pilots want to have the maximum chance to be seen by other pilots to avoid possible collisions.

The two standard approaches is “entering on a 45” and “teardrop”. The safest place to enter the traffic pattern is mid-field (halfway) on the downwind segment, or leg, of the pattern.

Entering on a 45, means the pilot is approaching the traffic pattern on a 45 degree angle to the entry point. Even if the pilot would be on center for the traffic pattern, they should to adjust to enter on a angle. The target should be mid-field, or halfway down the runway.



Entry on a 45 at Shelbyville Municipal Airport



The other option is called a teardrop entry, where the pilot flies over the runway and enters the traffic pattern with a loop.



Teardrop Entry at Shelbyville Municipal Airport



This process seems simple, but it require a lot of pre-planning several minutes prior to reaching the airport. In addition, it takes visualizing it in the “mind’s eye”. Also, the decision becomes more complex with each additional runway added at the airport.

After the lesson, we flew to Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI) and practiced what I learned. This was a huge help. The wind was in the direction of 200 (about southwest) and based upon the direction I was coming from, I decided to enter on a 45 for runway 36.

Not sure if I’m past my learning plateau, but I feel comfortable with approaching the airport.

 Flight time: 1.00 hours

 Cost: Plane rental - $94.00, Instructor Fee - $60.0

Learning Plateau

Today we flew (N223NH) back to Bowling Green/Warren County Regional Airport (BWG) for another cross country flight. The plan to fly there successfullytoday,  and then tomorrow fly back by myself for my first solo cross country flight.

The pre-flight planning went quickly, as I just adjusted the weather information from my prior flight there. Then I call logged the flight plan.

Today's flight went well, but we didn’t fly any higher than 3,500 feet because of the clouds. Actually, for the first 7-8 minutes of the flight we had to fly at about 2,000 feet, because we were so close to Nashville International Airport’s airspace. The first part of our path has us flying through a section of their airspace from 2,100 to 4,600 feet MLS. I can fly in that area, without permission, as long as I am below 2,100 feet or above 4,600 feet. The last time we few route, we decided to just fly a couple of miles east to avoid it.

The clouds above made thermals that made it challenging to maintain altitude and airspeed.

We arrived at Bowling Green/Warren County Regional Airport (BWG) pretty easily. Having I65 as a landmark also makes it very convenient to find. Once again, I had a difficult time determining which runway to use and how to enter the traffic pattern. With the help of my CFI, we determined that runway 30 was our best option.

BWG


It was slightly winding, but that was no excuse for I had my roughest landing in several weeks. I had a good glide slope, and I just reduced the power to idle, which made the plane more impacted by the wind. This require multiple corrects and created a hard landing. Had I just come in with more power, the aircraft would have resisted the effects of the wind better. Needless to say that was discouraging.

Once again, the flight home we using the GPS and was uneventful. I am pleased to say that my final landing of the day was much better than my first.

I told my CFI I wasn’t ready to fly a solo cross country and I needed a better understanding of runway selection and pattern entry. He agreed and we discussed that I may be hitting a learning plateau. This is very common, (I have been reading about, but was sure it wasn’t going to happen to me…) and with persistence, can be overcome. I hear this is the point where a lot of students drop out. I’m not giving up.

Flight time: 1.80 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $169.00, Instructor Fee - $96.00

Tompkinsville-Monroe County Airport

Today was a beautiful day for flying (N322DC). We planed flight to Tompkinsville-Monroe County (KTZV) Airport, which is located about 4 miles from the Kentucky/Tennessee border. KTZV is about 65 nautical miles from my home airport in Smyrna, TN, yet Google maps says that, by car it would be 98.6 miles and take 2 hours and 10 minutes to get there.


I did most of the trip planning, with minimal assistance, but it took longer than I had expected. I think I’ll need to schedule at least an hour before going to an unfamiliar airport next time.

Once again, we navigated using Dead Reckoning and Pilotage. When you fly over mostly rural areas like this, it is difficult to pick out landmarks to reference on the map. On this flight we request “VFR flight following” which is usually reserved for instrument rated flights, but they will provide service if their workload permits.

Radar traffic information service — commonly known as VFR flight following — is a service provided by air traffic control (ATC) and available to all VFR pilots which can enhance your flying safety. While receiving flight following, the pilot will be in radio contact with a radar controller at a Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) or Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC).

The purpose of the service is for controllers to issue traffic information to pilots, based on radar-displayed targets, concerning other aircraft in their proximity or that will intersect their flight path. Once a pilot is alerted to the location of other air traffic, they are in a better position to take appropriate action if the need arises. By talking to air traffic control, you will get a better mental picture of the overall air traffic situation you are flying through.

Also, controllers provide "safety alerts" if they judge that an aircraft is at an altitude that places it in unsafe proximity to terrain, obstructions, or other aircraft. They will use the phraseology "traffic alert" or "low altitude alert" followed by a description of the hazard and a suggestion for avoiding it.

The pilot may also request radar vectors for navigational assistance, or for separation from other air traffic.

While using flight following, chances are the pilot will be able to fly a more direct course to your destination because you won't have to deviate around some types of airspace. You can fly through class B or C airspace once you receive proper clearance or authorization from ATC, and controllers can clear you through restricted areas in real-time if they know they are not being used.

The most reassuring benefit of flight following is the knowledge that you'll receive immediate assistance if you experience an emergency situation. Since you're already on-frequency with an ATC facility, you can request vectors to the nearest airport or you can alert ATC to your position if it's necessary for you to make an off-airport emergency landing. In either case, ATC can get emergency response services in motion immediately.

Contrast this with what happens if you simply file a VFR flight plan. No help will be on the way until a search is initiated 30 minutes after the estimated time of arrival at your destination airport, and even then it may take many hours or even days before search-and-rescue finds you.

We got to the airport at about the time we expected and entered the traffic pattern to land.

As my flying experience grows so does my level of responsibility on the cockpit. I always took it for granted that someone (my CFI or ATC) would tell me what runway to use and how to enter the traffic pattern. KTZV is uncontrolled, which means there is no ATC, and it is really remote so there was no one else to see what direction they were going. KTZV has only one 4000 foot runway, but I need to determine if I should land on 04 or 22.

Without the assistance of my CFI, I may have made the wrong decision. This still confuses me.

The flight back we used the GPS and it was uneventful.

Flight time: 1.70 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $204.00, Instructor Fee - $88.00