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
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
posted by Neil at
5:04 PM
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