The Wind Gods

A nice tail wind southbound today from Leesburg International to Ft. Lauderdale Exec turned into a headwind on the trip home.

The last cool front of the season pushed through Florida yesterday, bringing in a strong northwest flow, clear skies and dry air.

Winter, we hardly knew ye this year!

The Wind Gods giveth:

191 kts GS

 

And the Wind Gods taketh away:

152 knots GS coming home

Oh well, it was a beautiful day to fly, even with the headwind. Flight visibility was unlimited and it was pretty much just me and a few airliners on the frequency.

Lear 60

I had an opportunity to hop a ride as a passenger on our corporate jet this past week from Boca Raton, FL to Nashville, instead of flying the Bonanza.

The aircraft we flew in is a beautiful late model Lear 60, complete with a fully stocked mini bar. We needed to position the airplane from Boca rather than Ft. Lauderdale Executive. Obama was in Florida (yet again) for another campaign event, shutting down South Florida airspace for 6 hours with a VIP TFR.

After departing on RWY 5, our flight from KBCT to KBNA was just under 2 hours, even with an 84 knot headwind. Enroute at FL410, I spent most of the flight talking shop with the crew about RSVM, high altitude ops, autopilot systems and yes, even ForeFlight on the iPad.

Upon shooting the ILS to RWY 32 at KBNA, we taxied to Atlantic Aviation. Since this WAS Nashville after all, I asked the lineman if he had seen any famous country singers that day. Turns out so many of them fly private in and out of Nashville, he loses track of them all.

I certainly enjoy flying in corporate jets, but at the end of the day, I decided I would rather be the captain of my own dingy than a passenger on some one else’s yacht. Only another pilot would understand.

Click for full views:

On the ILS 32 as shown by ForeFlight

FL 410 somewhere over Atlanta

Preflight at KBCT

Someone else handles the luggage for a change!

Won’t be confused for a Beech Bonanza panel!

Hold Short for Landing Traffic

At KPIE

 

N9481U

This was the little plane that started it all, meaning my love of aviation. N9481U was not just any Cessna 150, but a Cessna 150/150. She was a 1976 model ship, based at Orlando Country Airport, near Zellwood, FL.

This aircraft had the 150 horsepower engine under the cowl, usually reserved for the larger 4-seat Cessna 172 model.

This bird would easily cruise in the yellow arc, and on my first solo, climbed like a homesick angel.

N9481U is the aircraft that I spent 42 flight hours in to complete my private pilot rating. And many more hours obtaining my instrument rating.

I remember my first VFR cross-country solo to LaBelle, Florida (LBV), then to Pahokee (PHK) and back to Orlando Country Airport (X04). I vividly recall my instructor chiding me because I used VOR navigation as opposed to Pilotage. This was before GPS. I always felt more comfortable triangulating VORs than figuring out which water tower I was flying over.

I also recall more than a few hot summer days doing unusual attitudes while under the hood and wondering if my lunch was going to stay put.

Good times…..

Obama’s Orlando TFR

Sheesh. It must be silly season again because politicians are spending time in Florida to gin up votes. Another VIP TFR was activated to shut down or severely restrict Florida airspace because Obama needed to spend a couple of hours and give a speech at Disney World.

The Secret Service completely closed down Main Street USA to tourists, so Obama could make his speech using Cinderella’s Castle as his backdrop. How obtuse and out of touch can our leaders be?

Anyway, this latest TFR popped up a day before a planned business trip in the Bonanza to Sarasota, SRQ. My departure airport was Leesburg (KLEE), just inside the 30 NM ring. I needed to do some research to see if I would even be allowed to fly.

The TFR NOTAM reads like this:

For operations within the airspace between the 10 nm and 30 nm area(s) listed above, known as the outer ring(s): All aircraft operating within the outer ring(s) listed above are limited to aircraft arriving or departing local airfields, and workload permitting, ATC may authorize transit operations. Aircraft may not loiter. All aircraft must be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan with a discrete code assigned by an air traffic control (ATC) facility. Aircraft must be squawking the discrete code prior to departure and at all times while in the TFR and must remain in two-way radio communications with ATC.

Fortunately for me, being in the outside ring allowed me to depart as long as I was IFR and talking to ATC, so I was cleared to depart.

My friends based at Orlando Executive, KORL, were stuck inside the No Fly Zone 10 nm ring and completely grounded.

When I arrived at the airport, I was almost expecting a visible show of force by Secret Service or TSA dudes in black SUVs, vetting all departing pilots. Fortunately that was not the case.

The best part of the day was on my way back to Orlando after my meeting in Sarasota. Just north of Lakeland, Orlando Approach called out traffic at 12 O’Clock and two miles, 500 feet below. It was a Mooney traveling in the same direction. I smoked him!

When I landed at Leesburg, that same Mooney called the tower for landing, still 6 miles out.

Here what the TFRs looked like on the Avidyne EX500 with XM weather on the outbound leg to Sarasota:

Small Airplanes and the Mainstream Media

The bumper sticker below pokes fun at the fear purposely stoked by the media, anti-general aviation groups and the U. S. government. If you don’t understand irony, or happen to be one of those that believes everything the government tells you, don’t bother reading any further.

Recall that the mayor of Chicago illegally dug up Meigs Field with backhoes in the middle of the night, breaking numerous laws in the process. He used fear as justification for destroying a valuable jewel on the city’s lakeshore. Today, what used to be Meigs Field, a busy general aviation airport, is an overgrown eyesore.

Read articles written by the mainstream media about any small plane accident or incident. Reporters routinely use loaded words and phrases designed to evoke negative emotions and fear. Stories are replete with uninformed speculation as to the probable cause, something it normally takes the NTSB a year to determine.

Even sucessful off-airport landings where the pilot walks away unscathed are classified as  “plane crashes”. Inadvertent gear up landings are the ”leads” on the local-yokel 6 PM TV news, complete with “live action” reporters and their news vans.

Also in their stories are the obligatory references as to how the plane nearly averted a building full of elementary school children.

Other stories are routinely run about residents who built new homes near an airport, then complain about the noise. Never mind the airport was there first, having been built in 1945, and was surrounded only by corn fields at the time.

Rarely do reporters ever get an aviation story accurate. Articles are poorly written by ill-trained J-school majors, without any regard to the facts or even correct aviation terms. Private pilots are portrayed as spoiled rich kids, recklessly spewing toxic pollutants in their wake, as they fly over an unsuspecting populace.

The TSA views small planes as flying bombs, and pilots as security threats. At my small GA airport, they recently spent many thousands of taxpayer dollars to install an automatic door for access to the ramp, to be unlocked only by the CSR behind the counter.

When I was a kid, people looked towards the sky at airplanes in wonderment and awe. They viewed planes as a vehicle of freedom and a legitimate tool of small business. As children, we watched TV series like Sky King and The Whirlybirds. We sat in amazement as we watched man land on the moon on live TV. We were taught science in school which helped us understand aerodynamics and weather.

Now many people look up and cower in fear because of what they hear and read in the media. Ignorant reporters and TSA leaders have an agenda perpetuating that fear. Is that really any way to live life? 

Annoy the media. Go out and fly your plane today!

But in order to be completely fair to my readers and provide a sense of editorial balance, here is my universal perception of the ever vigilant TSA:

Big Airports, Little Airplanes

I love flying out of grass strips, with their camaraderie and Friday night barbeques. I also enjoy the demands of flying into and out of large commercial airports, surrounded by Class Bravo airspace. I like the challenge of fitting into the flow of busy jet traffic, and being as professional as I can when dealing with approach and tower controllers.

In return, I have found that the controllers who work the big airports are the most professional and proficient in dealing with all kinds of different traffic.

Then there are the perks. I like parking my little 6 seat Bonanza between multi-million dollar private jets, just as other folks enjoy seeing their Chevy Malibu parked between the Bentley and the Lamborghini in valet parking outside the hottest club in town.

When you arrive on the ramp, who wouldn’t enjoy stepping onto a red carpet, being handed chilled bottled of Evian by the lineman, and stepping into the waiting rental car with the air-conditioning already running? Kinda sooths the pain of paying $7.50 for a gallon of avgas to be a part of that world for a few minutes.

Admittedly, I also feel a little smug when taxiing past busloads of people crammed into their B-737, having just endured the indignities of the TSA, grumpy Trolley-Dollies and airline food. I sometimes wonder what the people must be thinking as they peer down on my little propeller plane from seat 37F.  Most likely it is “what the hell is he doing here?”

In the past I have flown into Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and various other International Airports for Angel Flight and business. My biggest complaint is the GA landing fee at MIA.

It’s true that small planes are more likely to use the 5,000 small airports across the country rather than the 30+ large airports that dwell within Class B airspace. That’s because these airports are more likely to be closer to their final destination.

But many general aviation pilots avoid big airports such as ORD, LAX, ATL, MIA, and TPA like the plague. Why will some pilots fly a hundred miles out of their way to avoid talking to approach or tower controllers? The truth is that many are intimidated by the “heavy iron” sharing the same airspace. Or, they are afraid of being criticized by ATC, talking on the radio, violating a clearance, or even a runway incursion.

I pondered this as I prepared for a short flight in my single-engine Bonanza into Tampa International Airport for some business meetings this week.

My trip to Tampa required that I fly into TPA. The lunch meeting at the Brio Tuscan Grill in the International Plaza was less than a half-block from the Tampa International Jet Center FBO at Tampa International. I could have flown into Tampa Exec (KVDF) or Peter O’Knight (KTPF) Airport. Both serve Tampa GA exclusively, but the cab rides would have been at least 30 minutes in each direction, negating the advantage of flying in the first place.

So who is allowed to land at a big airport? The only requirements that you must meet to land at these airports is to hold a private pilot certificate, or have logged time with an instructor, and received an endorsement in your logbook.

Beyond that, there are a few suggestions I have that can make the process easier:

1. When flying VFR, you MUST have a Class Bravo clearance from approach control before entering. Listen for the magic words: “Cleared into the Class Bravo. Do not assume that a heading you receive from ATC that takes you into the Bravo implies a clearance.

2. Know what you want, and how to ask for it, before you contact approach. Give the controller basic information on initial call-up, telling him who you are, what you are, where you are, what you want and that you have the latest ATIS arrival information. Keep it concise and simple.

That conversation might go something like this:

You: “Tampa Approach, November 1234, a Cessna 172, is 30 north-east at 2,000 feet, landing Tampa, with Information Zulu.”

ATC: “Cessna 1234, squawk 0330.” Then, “Cessna 1234, radar contact, cleared to enter Class B, fly heading 220 for traffic, descend and maintain 1,600.”

3. Make you are comfortable holding heading and altitude as you are in positive control airspace.

4. Stay above the glideslope when following a “heavy” to avoid wake turbulence. What’s a “heavy”? Anything bigger than you.

5. Don’t you hate following people on I-95 doing 50 mph in the far left lane? It’s the same situation at busy airports. Learn to fly your approach at 110 knots or better.  Don’t dawdle down a 5 mile final at 60 knots when you have a 757 behind you doing 140. Shoot, following a Cherokee at 60 knots on final when I am doing 110 annoys the dickens out of me. It will probably give the 757 captain or the controller a “thrombo”.

6. Plan ahead as to where you are going to be parking on the field so you generally know which way you will be turning off the runway, towards the GA ramp. Ask for a “progressive taxi” from GC if you don’t know where the FBO is located.

7. Invest in Foreflight or WingX Pro 7 and an iPad. Then watch yourself move along the taxi diagram, eliminating the possibility of a runway incursion. Big airport taxiways can be daunting, especially at night when all you see is a sea of blue taxiway lights.

In the end, the size of your little airplane’s “blip” on the controller’s radar scope is exactly the same size as that of a B-747. Even as a 100 hour private pilot in a Citrabria has the right to fly into big airports when it fits your schedule and destination. But remember that your performance reflects on all GA pilots, either in a positive or negative manner.

Here are some photos from my trip:

Taxiing onto RWY 19L for departure at Tampa International, an 8,300. ft by 150 ft. runway, using the Foreflight moving taxiway map on my iPad:

Taxiing past the “big” planes parked at the terminal:

Requesting and getting a shortcut from my planned IFR route from Tampa departure. If you don’t ask, you don’t get:

300 and 6

This past week I needed to make a business trip to South Florida and return in the same day. The choice was to either get up really early and drive 4.5 hours each way on the Florida Turnpike, or make the 1:15 minute flight in the Bonanza. Making the trip in the plane assumed the weather was going to be adequate for an IFR flight in a single engine piston aircraft.

The only problem was that I was on a fairly tight schedule, and that for the last few days the weather over central Florida had been less than ideal. There were no thunderstorms predicted, however, for the last three mornings the weather had been foggy, and ceilings were low. As you might guess, temperatures and dew points were within a degree or two of each other. Low ceilings persisted even later in the day, due to an easterly fetch off the Atlantic Ocean.

Although perfectly legal for Part 91 operators, a 0/0 IFR departure for me is a non-starter. So the calculated gamble was whether to get up at 0’dark thirty and drive to my meetings, or fly and risk arriving late because of widespread fog and low ceilings.

I decided to take my chances and slept in ‘till 6:45 AM.

When I awoke the morning of my trip, it was foggy as expected, but it was predicted to clear later in the morning. My destination, North Perry/Hollywood Airport (KHWO) was reporting good VFR with 4,300 scattered and 6,000 broken. The winds were 12 kts gusting to 16, out of the east.

I drove to the airport in fog, but could see some very small breaks in the ceiling, indicating that there was some blue sky above. Here is where it gets a little tricky. There is no ILS for a return to Leesburg in case the flight needed to be aborted. The lowest MDAs (non-WAAS) GPS approaches require at least 500 feet or better, so returning to Leesburg will not be an option. Orlando Executive and other nearby airports were reporting marginal VFR conditions. Those airports would be my “out” in case I needed to land for any reason, so I decided to launch.

After getting my instrument clearance from GC, I taxied out for departure onto RWY 13. The latest ASOS indicated that the ceiling and visibility had improved to 300 feet overcast and 6 miles visibility. I pushed the throttle forward and lifted off about 1000 feet down the runway. As soon as I rotated, I transitioned to the gauges, as all I saw were clouds.

Climbing thorough 1000 feet, I topped the first cloud deck and was cleared by Orlando Departure to my cruise altitude of 6,000. It was layered all the way up, but climbing through 5,500 feet it was clear on top. As predicted, the weather improved as I flew south.

So did I do the right thing by departing under a 300 foot ceiling in a single engine? Under similar circumstances, what would you have done?

Let me know your thoughts.

On top at 6,000

When Your Aircraft Speaks, Be Sure to Listen Closely

On my trip back from Naples, I sensed there was a just a touch of vibration during cruise flight. It was almost imperceptible. Was it just my imagination? I tried different mixture settings and power settings, and then different RPM’s. Still, things did not seem quite right.

All the engine parameters on the Conti IO-550B were completely normal. Oil pressure was within limits, as was the oil temp. Did the engine cowling latch come partially undone? Was I about to throw and alternator or AC belt? Were the cowl flaps resting on the exhaust pipes?

Anyway, I put it out of my mind until I landed at dusk at KLEE, and taxied the bird to the ramp. Then I saw it… a small stream of liquid dribbling along the hangar floor from under the engine as I pushed the Bonanza back into her hangar.

I swiped my index finger through the liquid, smelled avgas and immediately opened the engine cowling on the pilot’s side. With a flashlight I started searching the engine compartment for the source of the fuel leak.

Within a minute or two, I found the problem. There were blue fuel stains on the TCM fuel manifold and on the top of the engine case. The fuel manifold, or spider, is part of the fuel injection system on many aircraft engines. This spider valve takes fuel from the engine driven pump and force feeds it through individual stainless steel lines, attached to injectors in each cylinder head.

Apparently one of the seals failed within the manifold, creating the leak and causing an unbalanced fuel flow into the 6 cylinders. The imbalanced fuel flow caused the slight vibration. Yes, it was nearly imperceptible, but it was there.

Within a day or so the shop installed an overhauled unit and returned the Bonanza back to service. A short post-maintenance flight confirmed the diagnosis, and the vibrations were completely gone.

One of the advantages of flying your own plane is that you learn every sound, feel, smell and nuance of that particular aircraft. If something is not quite right, you have an instinctive feel for it.

Aircraft renters typically fly many different models from the FBO’s rental fleet, and never really get to know each aircraft so intimately. As a result, they might miss signals that all is not quite right under the hood.

Just like spouses, horses and Golden Retrievers, your plane will speak to you….but you must listen closely.

Ramp Checked!

Last week I flew to Naples, FL (KAPF) from my home base. Because it’s the beginning of snowbird season, the airspace and ramp were quite busy with a mix of corporate jets and 172’s. Not a big deal, but everyone needs to bring their “A” game when operating there.

Flight conditions were excellent VFR, and my Bonanza was number two for the runway. I had been cleared for a visual approach and landing on RWY 14, following a single-engine Cessna 172.

As I passed over the approach end of RWY 14, there were two departures waiting to get out, and other aircraft in the pattern waiting to land. After touchdown, the Local Controller (tower) told me to “keep it rolling” down the runway to Taxiway Alpha, for my turn-off. In the same breath, he cleared another aircraft to depart 14.

When I exited the runway, I pulled just beyond the Taxiway Alpha hold line, as required by ATC, and came to a complete stop. After clearing, I contacted Naples Ground, and her first snippy words back to me were “Bonanza, you just cut off that Cessna 172 to your left!” I glanced over and sure enough, there was a 172 less than fifty feet away, entering the same intersection from taxiway Bravo. This was the very 172 that I had followed in on the approach, but he had made an earlier turn-off, and was now southbound on Bravo.

Here is the issue: When you are clearing an active runway, unless the controller gives you specific instructions otherwise, you must fully exit the runway environment, and taxi beyond the yellow dashed hold short lines. This includes the tail of the aircraft. When Ground busted my chops for cutting off the taxiing Cessna 172, I replied that I was required to clear the runway.

Well, as you can see from the Google Earth photo below, there is no way to completely clear the runway at the taxiway Alpha hold line without intruding into taxiway Bravo. The bigger the aircraft involved, the bigger the problem.

Apparently, Local did not communicate my presence with Ground, because there should have been some coordination as to which aircraft had the right of way at this very congested intersection.

After sorting things out with Ground, the 172 followed me to the GA ramp and shut down next to me. To my surprise, two FAA examiners then exited the 172.

Oh c#$p!

One of the examiners walked over, flashed his FAA badge and then requested my license and medical. This was my first ramp check in 18 years of flying, but it turned out to be no big deal. The process was not unpleasant and took no more than a minute or two. And oddly, there was no mention of the intersection incident.

Later, I walked up to the FAA guys inside the FBO and apologized that I had not seen them, and was simply trying to get clear of the runway. Fortunately they had spotted me and stopped their aircraft in time to avoid bending any metal. They were very nice about it and considered it a non-issue.

You have to visualize a bit from the pictures below, but I entered Taxiway Alpha from the south west, at the bottom of the picture. The 172 was southbound from the 5/23 markings on Taxiway Bravo. Due to poor airport design, fully clearing runway 14 and entering Taxiway A causes you intrude into Taxiway Bravo.

This whole incident itself was rather minor, but it could have had a different outcome depending on the attitude of the people in the tower, and the FAA examiners in the Cessna. Because of that, I did a little research on what is expected at controlled airports when landing and clearing a runway.

Here are the rules according to the Airman’s Information Manual:

4−3−20. Exiting the Runway After Landing

The following procedures must be followed after landing and reaching taxi speed.

a. Exit the runway without delay at the first available taxiway or on a taxiway as instructed by ATC. Pilots shall not exit the landing runway onto another runway unless authorized by ATC. At airports with an operating control tower, pilots should not stop or reverse course on the runway without first obtaining ATC approval.

b. Taxi clear of the runway unless otherwise directed by ATC. An aircraft is considered clear of the runway when all parts of the aircraft are past the runway edge and there are no restrictions to its continued movement beyond the runway holding
position markings. In the absence of ATC instructions, the pilot is expected to taxi clear of the landing runway by taxiing beyond the runway holding position markings associated with the landing runway, even if that requires the aircraft to protrude into or cross another taxiway or ramp area. Once all parts of the aircraft have crossed the runway holding position markings, the pilot must hold unless further instructions have been issued by ATC.

c. Immediately change to ground control frequency when advised by the tower and obtain a taxi clearance.

NOTE−
1. The tower will issue instructions required to resolve any potential conflictions with other ground traffic prior to advising the pilot to contact ground control.

I complied with all of the items above referenced in 4-3-20. The Local Controller did not comply with NOTE 1, since I was not advised of any potential conflicts as I exited the runway. Ground should have held the parallel traffic, allowing us to clear.

Was I ramp checked as a result of confusion in the tower? Or was I just “lucky”? With a GA ramp full of aircraft, I was the only pilot that got checked. I’ll let you be the judge. In the meantime, I have filed an ASRS NASA form letting the FAA know that some better coordination with ATC at this airport would be welcome.

Finally as PIC, know the rules and regulations so you can defend yourself, and don’t let ATC bully you because of their mistakes.