Tuesday, October 31, 2006

So, is it still an Airplane?

Old, dilapitated and neglected airplanes are not a rare thing. There are at least a few airplanes on the grounds of my local airport that I have never seen move at all, and are slowly being claimed by the grass that grows up around the bent struts, flat tires and rusty landing gear. While its sad to see a good airplane go to waste, it's just as well no one is dumb enough to fly them in the condition they are in. ...Or are they!?

I like to look up Cessna 150's and Tommy's that are up for sale on the internet. They are affordable, fun airplanes and I like to think I'll be able to afford one soon. This 150 really got my attention. $10,000!? Let's see whats wrong with this thing!

Aircraft For Sale: 1959-150 10,585.77TT 1,054SMOH The aircraft was sold to me as having a fresh annual when actually it was pencil wipped and after having it inspected I have decided to sell the aircraft and cut my losses. The former owner flew the plane and seemed to consider it safe as he flew it to Virginia for the annual and back as well as delivering it to a local airport for me. It has about 1.5 hours since the alleged annual. I flew it about 20 minutes to my mechanic and it has not been flown since December 05. Engine Total Time = 4851.62. Squawk list from my mechanic: N5778E GUARDIAN AVIATION SERVICES, LLC 12/11/05 Thomas Malechuk, inspector: Left and right brakes are inoperative and leaking at wheel cylinders. Brake hoses are dry rotted. Cyl #4 head appears to be separating from barrel, and has evidence of leakage between head and sleeve. Flap handle pivot bearing is worn. Flap cables are rusted and out of rig. Rudder hinge bearings are worn and rudder is rubbing lower hinge fitting. Vertical fin dorsal is cracked in many places. Elevator bell crank to elevators – screws rusted and fitting rusted. No FAA Form 337 for Auto Fuel in records. No FAA Form 337 for Bracket Air Filter in records. Old weight and balances are not superseded. No record of compliance of AD67-03-01, AD71-22-02R1, AD79-10-14R1, AD97-01-13, AD95-05-05R1 (compliance was due at cylinder removal) Throttle is extremely stiff to operate.Aft baggage canvas bulkhead is missing. Bracket Air Filter assembly is due replacement. Intake hoses are cracked and rotted. Carb fuel inlet hose is dry rotted and deteriorated. Alternator drive bushings are worn. No FAA Form 337 paperwork on alternator installation in records. Nose gear torque links have excessive play. Shimmy dampener attach points have excessive play and dampener needs servicing. Nose gear steering boots are torn. Battery vent is clogged. Unapproved automotive battery is installed. Fuselage bilge drains are clogged. Rudder cables are rusted. Rudder cable to rudder horn attach holes are worn and slotted. Left horizontal stabilizer has unapproved repair on lower skin at main spar. Elevator trim tab is rusty. Fuel quantity and grade is not placarded at fuel fillers. Fuel tank vent hoses are dry rotted. Left forward wing spar attach bolts are rusted. Numerous mud daubers nests in wings. Aileron cables are rusty. Flap tracks are worn. Flap roller shim washers are worn. Rudder pedal torque tube to rudder pedal attach holes are elongated. Left upper engine firewall mount fitting in fuselage is missing rivet. PLEASE NOTE: THE ABOVE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A COMPLETE INSPECTION OF THIS AIRCRAFT. THESE ARE ONLY ITEMS FOUND IN A GENERAL INSPECTION AND A COMPETE INSPECTION WAS NOT PERFORMED. I, ______________________acknowledge that this aircraft is unairworthy at this time.


This is just the general inspection! Someone flew this thing!!?

Darwin & I say "Better you than me......"

Thursday, October 26, 2006

(Back)Pressure.


I've had two sessions towards my tail wheel rating with my instructor to date. Both have been a hell of a lot of fun, and I've learned alot in that short time. Our first session was last week. I had a 5kt crosswind at the home base, and there was a very thick haze coating the area. Captain Ron put me through some basics, but there were some suprises. For example, we did a couple of stalls, and for some reason I was suprised when the wing dropped over instead of just mushing downwards as the Tommy would. It also took some serious effort and back pressure on the stick to get the Citabria to stall at all! I instinctivly applied opposite rudder and corrected the attitude, and after a few more, Ron seemed happy with the stall recovery.

I think I shot a total of six pattern landings. The first take off and landing were dreadful. I cut S-shapes all the way down the grass strip until I yanked the airplane skyward. But then I quickly got a hold on things. It took some getting used to pulling that stick back into my lap to make 3 pointers, but Ron made sure I would'nt forget by repeating those words over and over into my headset until we were firmly on the ground.

"Back pressure, Back pressure, Back pressure, Back pressure, Back pressure......"

The last 2 landings, I didn't hear Ron say a word, and that's always a good thing. Later he would tell our friends I had made some great landings. Not a bad thing to hear after your first day flying tail draggers!

I flew again yesterday, and we had a much stiffer cross wind. I'd like to say it went as well as the first day, but I was pretty frustrated with my landings. Just sloppy. Everything would look good right up until the mains touched down, then I would just lack the appropriate inputs to keep the airplane traveling and pointing in the same direction. I knew the wind was coming from my right, so I should apply right and back pressure with the stick, and left rudder with the tail in the air. I knew what I should have been doing, but somehow it just was'nt coming together how I would have liked. Ahh, well. I guess that means I'm going to have to fly the Citabria some more.

...Darn. : )

Thursday, October 19, 2006

A career in Aviation?

I am currently a Quality Analyst for a small financial firm. The basic role of my job is to..to....zzzzzzzzzz....

...huh? what?

Yeah. A career in finance, well, is boring.

I notice that almost everytime I tell someone I'm a pilot, or they discover my love for all things aviation, they always ask me why I dont fly for a living.
I've had one job in the aviation field to date. I worked for a year for a small company who sold a wide range of aircraft/aviation products to companies and military outfits around the world, from emergency oxygen equipment to missile components to light bulbs for the nav lights of a small Piper or Cessna. I enjoyed it a lot. Simply being around aviation related equipment and people made going to work fun. It's like I told a friend at the time: "If I had the exact same job I have now, but with, say, automobile parts instead of airplanes, I wouldn't like it. "

I've been thinking alot about trying to jump back into the aviation work force, and contemplating the various avenues I could take. Here's some thoughts. I'd love to hear any feedback anyone reading this might have who has some experience in the aviation industry...

Pro Pilot

I think most people who love to fly would like to make money at it. It seems like it wouldn't even be work. Of course, reading the blogs of pro pilots and talking to the ones I know personally has allowed me to see that its not all a bed of roses, but hey, what is these days? Obviously I'd have to step up my hours, get my IFR and Commercial, and Multi Engine ratings, and move on up the chain. This is obviously considerable time and money. My other hang up is that I know pilots who: A) cant find work, or B) get paid around $25,000 a year flying for a regional outfit. As much as I find finance a snooze, it has paid me well over the years, and I'd pretty much have to sell everything I own to be able to justify that type of pay cut. I'd love to say my desire to be a pro pilot over rides any desire to make a good paycheck, but it simply wouldn't be true. I've grown accustomed to the money I make, (not alot, by any means, but enough, for now) and am not entirely sure I'd like to take a drastic pay cut. The truth hurts. And makes me feel like a whiney wimp, afraid to pay his dues. I'm sure that would go over well with salty old Captains...
Avionics or A&P
I've looked into this field on many occasions. Especially Avionics. The radios and GPS systems, etc have always fascinated me, and the idea of installing, trouble shooting, or selling them is appealing. Also, with the influx of glass cockpit technology beginning to flood the market, it seems work wont be far away. So whats stopped me? Ironically, flying. And geography.
You see, I have a good deal here as a PPL holder building hours. I have access to 3 airplanes (My Dad's and my rental), a great instructor who is a family friend and a person I trust, and I fly a hell of a lot cheaper than most people due to these advantages. I also love where I live. Every school I ever came across offering certificates in these fields has been somewhere far off, Oklahoma, San Diego, Florida. Recently, however, I have discovered a school in Philadelphia that is offering such courses. This is exciting, and all of a sudden seems like a very viable option for me.
Other
This is the category that includes my previous job. Sales, dispatch, marketing, whatever. Something in the industry. These are few and far between, and my only experience in the field tells me that it can be unstable. (I was laid off after 1 year due to financial distress within the company.)
The only other avenue I strongly considered was ATC. In fact, I was ready to embark on that career. I was wiling to go to Colorado where my training would take place, and ready to sign on the dotted line. However, I was (am) 28, found out that the school had a one year waiting list, and would take at least a year to complete, at which time I would have been too old to become a rookie controller. It was the first time in my life I'd been too old for anything, and it was gutting, as I had truly made my mind up that that's what I wanted to do.

So, these are just some random thoughts on the situation. Again, I'd value any and all feedback. I smell a large life changing decision coming soon...

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Tail Dragger 101


Another hour of work and then I'm off to the airfield for my first official lesson in Tail Draggin'.
Emailed the old man to make sure he had no plans for the Citabria this afternoon. 20 minutes later, he replied with some last minute reminders....


75 on the approach, best glide is 80. Don't forget - dance on those pedals.
-Dad.
Alright, Neil. Focus on work for just another hour......

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

On the way to Cape May

*-Disclaimer: I took my camera this time. Guess what. The bloody thing is broken. Until I get a new camera and get back down to Cape May for pictures, this will have to do...


Squadron VB-86 Preparing To Depart NASW

Hangar No. 1 is a two-and-a-half story, two-bay, wood building constructed during World War II at the Naval Air Station Wildwood, New Jersey; now the Cape May County Airport and Industrial Park. Construction of Hangar No. 1 began in October 1942, as part of a project to support the initial group of 108 officers, 1,200 men and 72 airplanes. Hangar No. 1 is the only remaining intact structure from the original World War II construction campaign. Activity peaked in October of 1944, with 16,994 takeoffs and landings, at a time when the station accommodated as many as 200 airplanes. Air crews were trained in combat tactics in naval aircraft such as the "Dauntless," "Helldiver" and "Corsair." With the field lighting system at an affiliated outlying field in Delaware, dive-bomber squadrons stationed at Wildwood had the opportunity for night flying practice, particularly night field carrier landing practice which simulated their future duties in the Pacific.

Source



Sure, I should have been at work. But my entire weekend's worth of flying plans had been blown away by an ambush of 17-25kt winds across the area. I spent Saturday at the Delaware Air National Guard's open house and airshow, watching instead of flying. (Pictures and full report to come...)

Monday looked perfect on paper. Checking all of the available weather resources via AOPA, I determined it was too nice for work, and just right for flying. I made three phone calls. One to my Boss, another to my airport to schedule the Tomahawk, and one to Mr. WX Briefer.
Flight Service sent me on my way, saying "You picked a fine day to fly...."

Cape May (KWWD) had been a stop on my cross country flight while earning my PPL. It's kind of a blur now. I had already taken on fuel at Easton, my first leg, and simply made the landing, turned around and took off again, headed home. Having little to no information about the airport itself, I ran a quick Google search on "Cape May Airport", and found a link to the Naval Air Station Wildwood Museum. I had no idea there was a museum on the airport, much less one that listed an F-14 and an F-5 among it's exhibits. That was enough for me, I was going to see this for myself.

I made my initial climb to 2000 and turned SE towards KILG's Class D. It doesn't hurt to have Tower keep an eye on you while you breeze through his sometimes busy airspace made up of shiny corporate jets and National Guard C-130's. The ride across southern Jersey was smooth as silk, with much of my time spent with my hands in my lap, enjoying the view with the plane trimmed and behaving as if on autopilot. The only other aircraft I saw was a C5, way south of me and flying its big orbit of a pattern around DAFB.
With variable winds on the Cape May ATIS providing two viable runways to choose from for landing, I monitored the Unicom to see if I could pick up the active before I arrived. Having not heard a single pilot coming in or going out, I decided runway 10 was my best bet.

Cape May sits on a wide peninsula bordered by the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Its southern tip points down towards the Delaware beaches and Cape Henlopen, the bay separating the 2 states. Going direct to KWWD would mean about 10 minutes over the open bay, about 5 miles off the Jersey shore. Given my low altitude of 3500 agl, I opted to keep within a couple of miles of the coastline and track it as it turned south to avoid being over the water and out of reach of dry land, should I need it. I broke off from the shoreline and headed direct to the airport once safely over land, and set up for a 45 entry for the downwind. At pattern altitude I picked up quite a push in the form of a stronger than expected tail wind, that left me way too high when I turned final. Instead of dive bombing for the runway as im sure the old military fly-boys who used to train here did, I threw the power back in, and executed my go-around. 2nd time was a charm, and I made a landing that even I was impressed with, my own biggest critic when it comes to my landings.

I found a tie down among the few airplanes out on the ramp, and settled in next to a beautiful Bonanza. Before I could even get the engine stopped, I noticed a golf cart speeding across the ramp towards me, being driven by a teenager with bleach blonde hair and all of the official clothing that marks one as a local kid who grew up at the shore. He chocked the Tommy and offered me some fuel. I declined, but asked him where I could find the museum I'd heard of. He pointed to the other end of the ramp where a huge hangar stood, looking somewhat dilapidated from all the years sitting in the salty air, and obviously a remaining structure from the days when the ramp would be buzzing with young Navy pilots and SB2C's Helldiver's. I got a ride over to the hangar in the beach bum's golf cart. On the ride I asked him about the museum. He said it had some planes in it "from, like, World War II". He was no aviation historian today, but a nice guy for giving me a ride and taking care of my plane. I shook his hand and told him I'd stop by the FBO before leaving.

Entrance to the museum was $5, but no one was there to make you pay before wandering in. A clear plastic box held the $15 for the only other people in the building. I had a $20 bill and no one around to make change, so I figured I'd go on in, and pay on my way out.
The museum was even more than advertised. The collection of aircraft was completely unobstructed, allowing you to walk under, around and sometimes in the planes. Portable staircases and ladders led up to the cockpits of the planes too tall to see into, and a couple of kids were making the most of it, banging away at the controls of an old Army observation helicopter. As I made my way past the Tomcat towards an Avenger sitting with its wings folded, and oil dripping into a pan from its radial engine, I noticed an airplane sitting quietly in the corner, dwarfed by these big hulking war machines. Amongst all of these classic and historic aircraft sat a Piper Tomahawk. I had to laugh. It was the Museum's example of a "General Aviation" aircraft, and it just looked so out of place in there. None the less, I felt an odd sense of pride that it would be included amongst this fleet of legends.

I found a picture of it here, along with more good shots of the museum.


After taking in all of the airplanes, engines, ordinance and memorabilia that made up the main hanger, I sat in the "Ready Room". It wasn't clear if this had been the actual briefing room when the airport was a naval air base, but it did have those bulky 1940's high back chairs that are joined in rows that you see all the Navy flyers sitting in in the movies. I sat in the front row and watched the short introductory video to the airport and its history.
I was very impressed with the museum, and couldn't understand why I hadn't heard of it, given the fantastic collection on hand. Surely many other pilots in the area didn't know it was there either. Instead of looking for change to pay my entrance fee, I just dropped my $20 in the box. The first of what I know will be many donations to this tribute to the 41 men who died here during their training to become Navy Pilots, and a retirement home for old war birds.

Hours later after an uneventful but very pleasant flight home, I recounted my day to my Instructor, Captain Ron, and our friend Roger who was busy cleaning the wing ribs of a Piper Vagabond he is building. Neither knew there was a museum at Cape May, and these guys have been airport hopping around here for years. Ron seemed pleased that his former student pilot had executed a go around instead of trying to "make it stick". We discussed a plan for getting together to start my tail wheel rating, and finished off a perfect day with a couple of beers in an old hangar, beneath the wings of Rogers Piper Cub.
I'll get back to Cape May soon, as I know some people that will really get a kick out of the museum. I promise to have a new Camera next time. I my own picture of that Tommy sitting amongst all it's distant, well armed cousins....

Solo: 2.6

Time towards goal: 8

Friday, October 13, 2006

Cleared for the weekend.....

Weather for my neck of the woods looks promising for the weekend. Clear skies, lots of sun and light winds are forecast for both days. I have a 4 hour block in the Tommy scheduled for Saturday, and if the schedule allows I'll lock up another block for Sunday. I Havent quite decided what to do with my time yet. I may go West to Lancaster (KLNS) to visit the pilot shop and load up on goodies, and grab a sandwich at the restaurant. Or, Maybe I'll head East to Ocean City, grab a sandwich and have a walk on the beach. Maybe stop at Millville on the way back and check out the museum. Oh, choices.....

Either way I pledge to take a camera with me this time. I have already stowed it in my flight bag because I keep forgetting to take it with me. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to share come Monday.

Blue Skies to those of you also looking forward to a weekend in the cockpit!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Tail Draggin'

My instructor left me a voicemail yesterday with good news. He will be returning from his trip this weekend, and weather permitting, He and I will start working towards my tail wheel rating in the Citabria next week.

I admit to being just a little nervous about flying a tail wheel plane, what with all the stories of ground loop's and nose over's I've heard in my time as a pilot, but having flown in the Ciatbaria with the Old Man on many occasions, I feel comfortable with the airplane, and even more so with my instructor. Any nerves I may feel pale in comparison to the excitement that is building. I simply cant wait!

"Write about what you know."

I don't have much to add concerning yesterdays crash of an SR-20 in Manhattan. It's a tragic event anytime a life is cut short in an accident of any description, regardless of the occupation of the pilot. My hope is that when the NTSB concludes it's investigation, us pilots will have something to learn from it.

The media at large managed to completely disappoint me in their coverage of the event, as usual. One day I'll learn not to let it bother me so much, but having seen so much erroneous reporting, speculation, and outright damnation of GA aircraft and the accident in the last 24 hours, it's hard to keep one's stomach from churning in disgust. The AOPA appears to be working every hard to educate the general public about GA, and about this incident itself, but obviously that audience is a lot slimmer than the CNN's and FOX's of the world. Whenever there is an aviation incident running in the daily news, I always think of those two Newsmen who appear in the movie OneSixRight, and how I hope that these 2 guys get to cover such things from now on. At least they are pilots, and may be able to offer some constructive reporting instead of wild speculation. No such luck, I imagine.

As for the incident itself, it's obviously way too early to discuss with any level of detail, and we may never know what happened up there. Either way, it's a sad and tragic event.

John of Aviation Mentor has a good post about it, and summarizes things better than I could. Pay him a visit.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Eye on the Sky.

Sunday's plans for taking the Citabria over to check out a few camping-ready airports didn't quite materialize. The Old Man and I had conflicting schedules, and I had to meet some friends at a local watering hole by 1p.m for Sunday festivities of Football, food, and drink. My New York Giants beat the Washington 'Skins in a snoozer, and then I just had to stick around to watch all the local Eagles fans yell at Terrell Owens through the plasma screens for 4 hours. How could one resist? Eagles fans are known for being such lovely people, after all.....

The weather is about perfect for flying today, too, but by the time I get out from under this pile of paperwork beside me, the Sun will be long gone, and I'll be left to hope for more weather like this before the week is over.

Weather.com suggests I shouldn't hold my breath...

Friday, October 06, 2006

Better late than never.

In my last post, I talked about trying to find an airfield that would allow me to camp on site. Now, I may be flogging a product everyone already knows and loves, but I just discovered this today. An AOPA memeber pointed me towards http://www.aopa.org/members/airports/. From here, all I had to do was select a state, check the box marked "camping", and AOPA delivers me a list of no less than 39 options in Pennsylvania alone!

Problem solved. Looking outside, however, I may have to get the cold weather camping gear ready. Is it Spring yet??

Thanks Bob!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Fly-in Camping....


One of the things that I've desperately wanted to do since becoming a pilot is to sleep under my wings. Or near them. Whatever. The idea of flying in, tying down, and setting up camp is simply appealing to me. I love hiking and camping, and make a few trips every year to the Blue Ridge Mountains to get my fix, so the idea of combining flying with camping was a no brainier. The question is, where??

After failing to find any such locations via Google, I made an inquiry on the AOPA message boards to see if anybody knew of an airport in Pennsylvania that either doubled as a campground, was accessible to camping areas by foot, or simply allowed camping. I’m sure most small airports wouldn’t mind a bit if some pilot wanted to pitch his tent next to his plane for a night, but if there was an airport designed for such a need, that would be even better.

A fellow AOPA member was nice enough to suggest I check out Grimes Airport (8N1), and a look at the sectional revealed that this grass strip is just north of Lancaster, about 15 miles. An easy flight from the home base. As an added bonus, there is also a museum on the field, named the "Golden Age Air Museum". Looks like an interesting fleet!

I called the old man to see if he had visited this field. He hadn’t, but was equally enthusiastic about checking it out. (Just give the man an excuse to fly...). So, he and I will set out this Sunday for a little recon. The 2720 ft grass strip should be more than accommodating for our Citabria, and I can get a good look and decide if it’s somewhere I’d like to take the Tommy, and of course, ask if they will let me sleep under my wings. I hope they do....

Pictures to come after the trip!

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Airport Hoppin'

I snuck out of work early today. I had some some things to handle at the school I will be attending in the Spring, and then I was heading to the airport.

Winds: Clam
Vis: Greater than 10 miles
Sky condition: Clear

Yup, I was going flying.

Today was a ton of fun. I found the Tommy being tied down near the shop by the airport mechanic. "Is everything ok with it?" I asked. He looked over his shoulder and saw me standing there with my flight bag and my headset, nodded, and began to untie the ropes he had just tied. He had topped up the air in the tires, checked the fluids, cleaned the windshield, and fixed a broken hand grip on the co-pilot side. All I needed to do was add fuel.

After preflight and a top up of the tanks, I went down to the run-up area and turned on my new toy. This would be my first time flying solo and using a GPS. Of course, I've tuned the GPS hundreds of times flying with my Dad, and on the Simulator at home. I knew how to use it, and could make it do everything I wanted it to do. All my previous navigation experience had been all out the window and in the map. Pilotage, dead reckoning, etc. I insisted on waiting until I was comfortable navigating in this way before I ever got a GPS, but I knew it would come in handy on days like today. I flew North to Pottstown, and descended into the valley there to make an uneventful landing. No $2.00 soda today, I launched back off into the sky heading for Chester County. 40N has a 5400ft runway, and an ILS, and is home to a couple of charter operations using private jets. I love these airplanes and wanted stop by and take a look from the long taxiway. Also, this is where I used to come and practice landings when I first got my PPL. I had'nt been back in a while.

As I called on the unicom that I was approaching the crosswind for 29, A Learjet 60 called departing 29, and would look for me. I answered that I had him in sight, and that he had plenty of room, as I was making left traffic, and he had called a left turnout. I watched in awe as this baeutiful machine launched off the ground after using maybe half of the runway, and rocketed past my altitude and thousands of feet beyond in what seemed like no time at all. By the time I was crossing the end of 29 and ready to turn downwind, he was ahead of me and now facing the opposite direction, after a fast, climbing 180. Awesome! I wondered where they were going, and then I remembered that Flightaware would tell me. They made it to JFK in 33 minutes!

After a fun landing with a mild crosswind, I let the aircraft roll all the way to the end of the runway. I began to taxi back to the active at a crawl, admiring all those prestine jets sitting on bleach bright clean hanger floors in gleaming, well lit hangers. I like the feeling of an old worn small airport hanger with a lawn chair and a fridge in it, but you cant help but be impressed with the effort these guys make in presentation.

Before heading home, I wanted to stop in and talk to Wilmington Tower. KILG is Class D airspace, and I had'nt spoken with a controller in too long. I admit to feeling those jitters I used to get when I was a student talking to a controller, but it only made me feel good about taking the time to do it anyway. All jitters were unwarranted however, as it was all smooth sailing. I was cleared for the option on runway 27 with a right base entry, and it seemed like the the usual busy airspace of private jets, National guard helo's and C-130's, was all left to me, and a fella in a Cessna, somwhere at my 5' O'clock. One uneventful landing and some mild chatter with the friendly tower controller, and I was on my way back north, to the home base, to call it a day.
I enjoyed the flying today, and it was fun to go from a 2000 ft strip to a 5000+ and then a 7000+ at KILG, and feel so at home all along.

Solo 1.7
Time towards goal 5.4

A little "Catch up"....

I had got a couple of flights in towards my 100 hours before I started this log. So, to recap....

9.8.2006
BFR With Captain Ron/ Touch n' go's

By the time I got back in the cockpit, I was in need of my Biannual Flight Review. Captain Ron, my instructor who had taken me from nervous kid with a stupid grin to full blown Private Pilot was fueling his Cub at the pumps when I arrived at the field. After taking a qucik lap around the patch to test out some work he had been doing on his throttle tension, He and I headed out into the practice are to put me through the motions. It felt good to have Ron back in the right seat. He had'nt been there since I got my PPL, and he always has a great tip or a peice of advice to take with you at the end of the day.
Ron put me through a battery of climbs, turns, steep turns, unusual attitudes under the foggles, engine outs, etc, etc. After about an hour, he had my dial up Modena VOR and fly to it. then we flew the radial off to our home field, and took care of the paper work. Legal, ready, and willing, with a fresh BFR sign off in my log book, I spent the next hour alone doing touch n' go's and getting back my feel for the Tommy. I was very happy with my performance in both the landings and the BFR, but knew I could still improve on landings. I found myself flaring a little high. Making some adjustments to my approach, they got better with every attempt.

Solo time 1.0
Hours towards goal: 1.0

9.12.2006
Local

Not much to say about this one. It was pretty routing, I was losing the light, and did a half hour of T 'n G's. Escaping the patch, eh? All in good time...

Solo .5
Hours towards goal: 1.5


9.18.2006
N57-N47

A recent landing at Pottstown (N47) during an introduction flight aboard a Cirrus SR-22 had me wanting to go back. It was the 1st airport I put on my list as places to fly over this 100 hour adventure. It has that great small airport feel, with a friendly old man sitting behind the counter, an airport pet or two, and a cup that says "Donations" next to the stocked fridge, instead of a cash register. It's funny how paying a dollar for a can of soda in a store annoys me to death, but stuffing $2.00 in the donation jar makes you feel good about it! We only stayed long enough on our trip to fuel up, as N47 is only 20 or so miles from my home field. so, Ion my first trip out of th pattern since getting back in the cockpit, I made a short, uneventful trip over to Pottstown, made a few landings, and got myself a $2.00 soda. I flew the same VOR approach back into my home field to wrap up a good day.

Solo 1.2
Hours towards goal 2.7

9.26.2006
Sunset Cruise!

Getting to the field after work was no problem a month ago. The sun would be shining until 8:00 p.m or so! As little as a month later, it's getting dark earlier. I had an hour of flight time, and used the first half to shoot landings, because we had an uncommon crosswind at the home field, and I needed the practice. As the sun began to set, the Western sky turned an amazing mix of blues, pinks, oranges and reds. It was so beautiful I just wanted to watch it for a while. So, I did. I tracked along PA Route 1 at about 1500, and just sat back and took it in. I had a smile plastered across my face for the rest of the night. Truly a memorable flying experience!
When I got back to the home field, the runway lights were on, but there was still some lingering light. A UH-60 Blackhawk from our local National Guard operation showed up and began doing the Helo version of Touch n' Go's. After a landing, I was holding short of the runway for one last circuit before calling it a day. I had a great view of the Blackhawk, callsign "Guard Copter" making his final approach to runway 24. As he got directly infront of me and flared the chopper to put the tail wheel on the ground, I looked up and noticed the occupant of the right seat. In full military flight suit, with the big black visor and helmet that obscures almost the entire face, the man in the right seat was smiling big and waving at me. I laughed and waved back. The freshly cut grass alongside the runway was being whipped up by the rotor blades as the Blackhawk touched down, and left a nice coat of fresh cut grass on the Tommy.
After watching guard Copter lift back off into the darkening sky, I made my call for closed pattern departure on 24, adding..."We dont see that here often..Thanks Guard Copter."

Solo 1.0
Hours towards goal 3.7




Escaping the Patch

Hi, and thanks for stopping in. My name is Neil. I earned my PPL in 2003, and now that the flying is picking up, I needed more space to keep a journal than my Jepp logbook provides. So, here we are....

I fly out of south-east Pennsylvania, and live right across the state line in Delaware. I'm 28 years old. I fly a Piper Tomahwak, and within the next 6 months will be receiving instruction towards a tail wheel sign off in a Citabria. This blog will also follow my progress as I make the transition from my modest Piper Tommy, to a cutting edge Cirrus SR-22!!



Why the name "Escaping the Patch"? Easy. That's the mission!
After I got my PPL, I didn't fly much. Time, money, circumstances all conspired to keep me away from flying, and when I did fly, it was in hour blocks of rental time. This usually led to me flying the pattern for an hour. After that, I wouldn't fly for a month or so. Then, I would return to the field and, you guessed, it, fly the pattern to get the rust off of my landings. This year began in difficult standing. My girlfriend of 3 years and I parted ways, and I found myself without a job as a result of cut backs. (I was working in Aviation.) I stopped flying for the longest 8 months of my short flying life. Once employed again and having shaken off the cobwebs, I recently went back to the airport to pick up where I left off, and then some. I insisted to myself that I had earned my PPL, and now I intended to use it. No more puttering around the pattern. No more "hour here, hour there" approach to flying. I was going to "Escape the Patch." I see alot of pilots that do the same thing. Earn the PPL, and then never stray far from ther local airport, as if all they wanted to do was take off, land, and taxi back. Maybe they do. I, on the other hand, have a long list of airports to visit, sights to see, and things to learn, and I cant wait to get started.... again!
My goal is a modest one, but everyone needs a goal. I set out to fly a minimum of 100 hours in the next 6 months. Conservative by some standards, but for me, renting an aircraft, and with the harsh North East Winter approaching, I felt it an attainable goal, but one which would require time and dedication. I have lots of fun learning and flying ahead, from more adventures in the Tommy, to getting my Tail Dragger signoff, to getting checked out in my family's new Cirrus SR-22. It should make for some fun tales, and I plan to log time here. I hope you will visit and check on my progress.
Thanks for reading...