A mile of runway will take you anywhere.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

If you somehow didn't gather from my unfortunate drop-off in posting frequency, 2011 was a tad busy. Gina and I got married in November and that was obviously the highlight of the year. Due to all the time and planning that required I flew far less than in years past.

It would be dishonest of me to not also mention the simple fact that I seem to have gotten caught up in what seems to be a somewhat common situation for a relatively new pilot - quite simply, it's kind of hard to justify it at times. Yes, I will always love aviation and yes, nothing beats a Piper Cub with the door open... but there's no way around the fact that it's an expensive hobby. Couple that with the current uncertainty in the job market and I'm just not sure how much flying I will be doing this year.

All that said, I have no intention of giving it up. I would still like to learn some new stuff, too. So read along as I recap last year, just as I did in my first posts of 2010 and 2011.

Total Hours: 28.6 | Solo: 2.8 | XC: 12.8 | Dual: 4.3 | Landings: 57

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, Cub

New Airports: I69, FKL, BFD, B16, SDC, 38D, OSU

New States: Pennsylvania, New York

First Flights: 5 (Aaron, Toni, and Russ, Jon, and Jake)

People Flown: 12 (above, plus my friends Rob, Mike and Sarah, Ted and Donna, fellow blogger TJ, and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 6 (Sporty's and the Sky Galley in April, two in June on our way to and from Syracuse, Urbana in August, and Marty's BBQ in October)

Pilots N Paws Flights: 4 (February, May, June, and October)

Stearman Takeoffs & Landings: 1 each (that was fun)

What I'll Remember: Our amazing wedding and honeymoon, showing friends the sheer fun of cutting toilet paper streamers in the Cub, our trip to NY that tested my personal limits and gave me some very valuable experience with weather, seeing the final Space Shuttle launch in person, and my first trip to Oshkosh.

2011 Goals: ~~Fly the Stearman~~, log stick time in a glider, take some couples that we are good friends with on $100 burger runs in the 172, go on a yet-to-be-determined flying adventure with my groomsmen before the wedding, fly at least one Pilots N Paws rescue, continue expanding the variety of content on the blog, ~~make sure Gina doesn't run away from the altar in November~~.

^ Yikes, didn't do nearly as good crossing things off last year as I have done in the past!

2012 Goals: Log time in the Stearman - Gina gave me a $500 certificate as a wedding gift, log stick time in a glider, take some of our friends flying, keep the blog more active than I have over the past six months.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T02:14:00.001-05:00

I like to pause every year at this time wish all my readers the best holiday season and New Year. This has been a year of incredible highs and lows for Gina and myself. We're both looking forward to spending 2012 as our first full year together as husband and wife!

Hopefully you and your families have a wonderful holiday... and I promise I'll get back to posting aviation-related content on here just as soon as I can. Merry Christmas!

The Wedding

2011-12-06T11:56:00.000-05:00

Our wedding day truly turned out to be as perfect and problem-free as one could imagine. Even though we spent 18 months planning and scrutinizing nearly every last detail, I still expected some little thing to go wrong. Both Gina and I were delighted that, at the end of the very long day, we could look back on it and say it all went off without a hitch.

She was up early - all the girls left in the limo to be at the salon by 9:00 to get their hair done. It was much easier on my side as you might expect. My groomsmen and I got picked up by the limo around noon from the hotel. We were at the church around 12:30 and had about an hour to kill before we started to get dressed. I enjoyed having some down time and can honestly say I really was not feeling nervous in any way all morning.

We exchanged gifts (Gina got me 2.5 hours in the Stearman!) via our siblings and then it was time we all were waiting for. Myself, my best man - and best friend - Rob, and our pastor - who has been Gina's neighbor since she was born - Judy all walked back to our perch in a room behind the altar about 2:45.It wasn't long before the music started at 3:00 and our grandparents and parents were walking down the aisle. Then the chimes rang out and the three of us emerged from behind the altar as Canon in D started to play from the amazing 3,700 pipe organ and our wedding party came down the aisle.

Then came the moment every groom plays over in his head a thousand times before the big day - especially if you have never seen the dress. The doors opened and Gina, my bride, looking more beautiful than words could ever describe, began her walk down the aisle with her dad. I'm not ashamed to admit my eyes welled up a little bit when I first saw her. Besides, there is photo and video evidence!

I feel like our ceremony flowed perfectly. Gina and I spent many hours over the summer writing and editing nearly everything that was said in the church. The blessings, the readings, our vows. Everything was special to us and I'm confident in saying it was 100% our own. After the first kiss and first walk down the aisle as the new Mr. and Mrs. we exited in quite the grand fashion if I do say so myself.

We took some great photos in downtown Detroit and eventually made our way to Henry Ford Museum for the reception. Again, words fail to describe how awesome it looked in there. The floral arrangements were spectacular, the food came out amazing, and it was just an all-around perfect night with family and friends. We surprised everyone with our first dance to You and Me by Dave Matthews and continued to have a great time on the dance floor as the night went on.

Those of you who are married understand that it always goes by too fast. Our wedding day was no exception, though I think we did a fairly good job taking a breath here and there to try and take everything in. We have received so many comments from our guests about what a great time they had; it has been so nice to hear that and know everyone had as good a time as we did. You have probably noticed that airplanes tied everything together so I have including photos of all those details in this post. Thanks again to all of you who have sent your well-wishes and congratulations as well... we appreciate it! :)

Where two lives come together

2011-11-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the magic of scheduled posts, this came online just as the organ at Fort Street Presbyterian Church in Detroit began playing Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring to signal the start of our wedding ceremony. Soon, my beautiful bride will walk down the aisle and we will be newlyweds. As she would undoubtedly say, "finally!"

We have both been looking forward to and planning for this day for over a year, ever since I proposed last April. And here we are; the countdown clock on our wedding website now reads 00:00:00. This should be an incredible day shared with family and friends.

I would be remiss not to mention how much we are looking forward to our reception at Henry Ford Museum this evening. We will be dancing our first dance together as husband and wife on a dance floor directly underneath a DC-3. The pilot in me is exceedingly happy about that... and Gina thinks it is pretty neat, too.

Thanks to all of you, many of whom I have met over the years through this very blog, who have sent us your kind thoughts and well-wishes for our wedding. I will share photos and video on here in the coming weeks as I know many of you will be clamoring for details! Until then, we are going to go start our new life together with a wonderful, luxurious week in the sun. Lobster for Thanksgiving, anyone? Yes, please!

Flying solo one final time

2011-11-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Plane: Cessna 172
Route: 40I-I68-40I
Weather: Clear, 41 degrees, wind 200 degrees at 7 knots

Gina drove up to Michigan tonight for some last-minute wedding preparations and I was blessed with some beautiful fall CAVU weather. With the end of Daylight Savings Time there aren't many non-weekend opportunities to fly anymore so I jumped on this one. I left work a little early and drove down to Stewart to get in a little flying. Given all the things we have to do (and the aforementioned early darkness) next week this is going to end up being my final flight before our wedding next weekend.

It was almost three months ago that I took my boss and his kids flying in the 172 so I had to take the ol' Skyhawk up tonight just to maintain my 90-day currency in the airplane. Someone else was finishing up flying it when I arrived at the airport. Perfect for me since that would give me a warm, easy-to-start engine. A thorough preflight indicated that she still had a solid 18 gallons (two hours) of fuel, plenty for the hour I had left before sunset.

I figured some solid surface takeoff and landing practice would be a good way to spend my time, so I took off and flew the short seven miles to Lebanon-Warren County Airport. The pattern wasn't too busy - a helicopter based there landed and departed and one of the 150s from Stewart was also there practicing. I made three takeoffs and landings (one being touch-and-go, another a simulated engine-out) to help knock the rust off.

Well look at that - I can still fly circles around churches!

After that, I headed back to Stewart and stopped partway there to practice a couple turns around a point. The strong winds from the south made for great conditions for ground reference maneuvers. I flew them around a church I've used for similar practice in the past. They were ever-so-slightly egg-shaped but I'm pretty happy with them... especially considering it has been almost eight months since I last practiced TAPs.

So there you go - my days as a single aviator have come to a close. From here on out I might have to take a cue from Gary and start referring to Gina as my Bride! The best thing is she enjoys flying and has even taken a few lessons on her own over the past couple of years. I'm looking forward to many, many years of flying trips throughout our new life together... and even introducing our kids to airplanes one day!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 0.7 hours
Total Time: 209.5 hours

Rescuing a sweet Husky with Mike and Elizabeth

2011-10-22T23:02:00.000-04:00

Plane: Cessna 182
Route: MGY-EOP-SMD-MGY
Weather: Partly cloudy, 58 degrees, wind 230 degrees at 6-8 knots

I still haven't had much time to fly lately. It's hard to be on the ground and miss this the fall colors this year but I watching the budget and planning a wedding tends to keep one out of the sky. Thankfully I have pilot friends and today Mike and his girlfriend Elizabeth had me tag along on another Pilots N Paws flight.

Today we'd be transporting Laurel, a very sweet and almost completely deaf Husky girl, from Waverly, OH to Fort Wayne, IN. We left Wright Brothers around 1:15 for the short flight down to Pike County Airport (EOP) in Waverly. The weather this fall has been windy and wet around here so a lot of the leaves fell off the trees before they had a chance to show their peak colors. Still, we passed over some pretty terrain as we left the flat farmland for the rolling hills of SE Ohio.

There was a little color left in the trees near Bainbridge, OH

This tree farm stood out against the rest of the trees

Passing over Waverly, OH

Entering the pattern - you can see the airport in the top-right of the photo

Turning final at Pike County Airport

As we taxied in, it was clear that quite a crowd had assembled to see Laurel leave in an airplane. One of the volunteers from the Pike County Dog Pound told us they were pretty new to transporting dogs through Pilots N Paws. I believe they said Laurel was the second dog to fly out of Waverly.

We talked both to the adults and kids for a few minutes. The kids seemed really excited to look in the airplane and everyone there was incredibly nice and friendly. Mike eventually loaded Laurel into the airplane with the help of one of the volunteers. It was clear she'd be a great passenger as she quickly got settled in the back seat.

Elizabeth talking with one of the volunteers

Laurel wasn't too shy and seemed happy before getting on board

A bunch of volunteers came out to see Laurel off!

Mike and one of the volunteers helping Laurel into the plane

Securing her harness to the airplane seatbelt

One last goodbye before we took off

Poking her head between the seats to say hi to me and Mike up front

Cuddling comfortably with Elizabeth while we taxied

Looking around the airplane before takeoff

The flight up to Fort Wayne was just under an hour. There were occasional light bumps but otherwise it was a perfect day to fly with great visibility. Laurel didn't move around too much and we all enjoyed the view out the windows. Surprisingly, we only saw one or two other airplanes - ATC called them out both times as we were on flight following.

Smith Field Airport was a bit interesting to approach. They have two crossing runways and the taxiways are closed for construction. So you have to back-taxi down an active, crossing runway. We didn't have any real issues but Mike and I thought the place might be a bit fun when he pattern gets busy.

A lot more green in the hills down near Waverly

One of the few times she stood up or moved around during the flight

The new Timber Road Wind Farm near the OH/IN border

The trees were a bit more colorful up in Fort Wayne

We were met by Kurt in Fort Wayne. He flew down with his dad in his Cherokee. They were taking Laurel the rest of the way to Grand Haven, MI to be with her new family. All of us talked for a couple minutes, then the loaded her into the airplane and were on their way. We grabbed a snack from the vending machine in the FBO (home of EAA Chapter #2!) before loading back up to fly home to Dayton.

Loading Laurel in the Cherokee for the second leg of her journey

On the way to her new family in Michigan

It was a beautiful day to fly over downtown Dayton

It's nice to fly in an airplane that cruises at 145-155 knots. With the decent tailwind we were enjoying, the flight home went by real fast. Mike flew the GPS Runway 2 approach to MGY, which took us right past downtown Dayton. We were back on the ground around 5:00. Not a bad way to spend a weekend afternoon!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File

A guide to creating flying videos

2011-10-19T12:50:00.000-04:00

I first want to thank readers Jeff and Brent, who emailed asking about my video setup earlier this summer. Their requests really sparked my desire to write this post. Inquiries about my camera and videos come in semi-frequently and writing about my process in detail is a nice piece of content to add to the blog. Sorry it has taken so long (you all know about the wedding, now only a month away!) but I'm glad to finally be posting this.

It would be misleading for me to begin without first mentioning that there are some caveats and weak links in my current setup. So for those of you starting from scratch, please note the equipment I recommend at the end of this post. Some of what I currently have works very well but there are other areas where I plan to upgrade or change my approach but simply have not yet had an opportunity.

My Equipment

Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (new model is the Kodak PlayTouch)
Kodak Fisheye Lens
Sigtronics SPO-42 Portable Intercom
Arcsoft MediaImpression video editing software (included with camera)
3.5 mm stereo audio cable
RAM Long-Arm Suction Mount
RAM Tripod Mount
RAM Yoke Mount (mine came with my Lowrance 600C GPS)

Introduction

The best thing I can probably do is talk a little bit about my equipment, why I bought it, and what purpose it serves. So here goes...

We're talking about creating videos here, so the video camera is obviously a key element in the process. I purchased a Kodak Zi8 a little over two years ago for two primary reasons. First, I work for Kodak and the employee discount was nice. Second, and more importantly, it has an external mic input that allows me to hook it into the intercom to capture audio. It records in 720p or 1080p HD (I always use 720p / 30 fps) and the quality is more than sufficient for my sharing vehicle of choice, YouTube. Nearly all my flying is during the day so any performance issues in low-light video don't concern me. I'm not sure that any device in the pocket video camera segment has great low-light performance, so keep that in mind if you want to record at night.

Kodak Zi8 with RAM attachment in the tripod mount

I purchased a portable intercom through the AOPA Classifieds a few years ago. It was mainly because the 172 at Stewart only has a two-place intercom in the panel and I wanted to be able to talk to everyone when flying with more than one passenger. However, it also has an audio out jack that has become quite handy for piping intercom and radio chatter into the Zi8.

Sigtronics SPO-42 Portable Intercom with cable in "Audio Out" jack

Video editing software is an area where I'm currently just making do with what I have. I don't want to buy anything because I need a new computer and have not decided whether to get an iMac or a Windows machine. The MediaImpression software that comes with the Kodak cameras has been perfectly adequate - after all, every video of mine from the past two years has been edited in it - but some things that should be simple tend to be a time-consuming hassle. If you want to save yourself headaches or aren't familiar with video editing (which I am, and that's partially why I've continued to work around MediaImpression's limitations) I'd definitely recommend better software from the get-go.

Setup & Mounting

There are two setups I generally use, depending on the type of airplane. In the Cessnas, I attach the RAM Suction Mount to the side of the windshield to the left of the pilot. In the Cub, I often attach a RAM Yoke Mount to the tubing inside at the top of the cockpit. The camera hangs upside-down when I use that approach in the Cub, but it's simple to rotate the video 180 degrees in the editing software.

Fully-mounted camera in the 150

View of the camera mount from the outside of the airplane

My main reason for doing things differently in the Cub is that I usually fly it with the door open. Mounting the camera further back with the suction mount places it in the blast of wind flowing through the open door. No matter how secure the mount is, that results in way too much vibration and buffering to produce a clean video.

RAM Yoke Mount and camera simulating the Cub mounting position

In either case, a RAM Long Arm attaches to the mount and I attach a RAM Tripod Mount to the other end of the arm. This allows full freedom of movement so I can position and rotate the camera to properly frame the desired field of view. I can't heap anything but praise on the RAM Mounts. They are incredibly sturdy and dissipate vibration quite well.

For the past year or so I've been using a Fisheye Lens adapter on the camera. It really expands the field of view, giving a sense of the peripheral sight picture that's so important when we're up there flying airplanes. A small magnetic ring is permanently adhered around the Zi8's lens and I just attach the lens to it every time I set things up in the airplane.

One final setup check, and this is important with the Zi8, is to ensure the Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) feature on the camera is OFF. I can't give you the exact technical reason, but something with mounting the camera in a fixed position facing the rotating propeller causes what I'll call a "porpoise effect" that is extremely visible and annoying on the recorded video. With the EIS turned off, everything looks great. So watch out for that!

You can see the Fisheye Lens protruding from front of the camera

If I want to capture audio, my current equipment dictates I have to use the portable intercom. Since we rarely wear headsets in the Cub, I don't ever capture intercom audio. Instead I simply allow the camera's built-in mic to record ambient cockpit noise. In the Cessnas, I'll plug the intercom into either the pilot or co-pilot's position. The 3.5 mm stereo audio cable then runs from the intercom up to the camera. Depending on how I hook things up, it may run up the panel and across the glareshield or just up the left side of the airplane. Regardless, the most important thing is that you always ensure the audio cable is free of all controls and will remain securely in place in flight.

Portable intercom and audio cable in a 150

Running the audio cable across the glareshield

Video Editing

I'm not going to go into great detail about what I do in the editing process, mainly because everyone has their own way of doing things. What footage you cut, keep, and change around is really your own call when it comes to making a video. Same goes with adding captions and music. Experiment on your own and have some fun!

Still, I do tend to follow a few general considerations and methods:

Trim out repetitive footage - cornfields all look the same after a while!
Speed up the footage to shorten the playback (I've been doing this a lot lately)
Adjust the length of clips to match music tracks
Label airports where I'm taking off and landing at with captions
Be mindful of overall video length, especially as it relates to YouTube's limits
Mute the recorded cockpit/intercom audio when it's distracting or choppy
Use crossfade transitions between all clips

The main Make Movie screen in MediaImpression - timeline is at the bottom

Video editing window - you can adjust the start and end with the sliders

Example of inserting a caption into a video clip

Selecting the Cross Fade transition (double-click on it to add it to the movie)

As far as music goes, for the longest time I used instrumental jazz playing softly in the background. The reason for this is quite simple - when I have intercom audio in the video, any music with lyrics tends to become distracting very quickly. Nearly all those songs came from All About Jazz, an awesome site I highly recommend because it has a ton of free downloads. However, I've been recording a lot less intercom audio lately (mainly because I'm not happy with the quality coming out of my current setup) and have used more traditional songs in conjunction with sped-up video footage.

I have only added a voice-over to a video one time, when I commented on flying kids at a Young Eagles rally last fall. It's a great tool if you want to explain something that won't fit in a short caption. Definitely something for you to keep in mind if it fits your own videos.

When the video is complete, I save it out of MediaImpression in .mp4 format using the highest bit rate available. That option is under the Save to PC button in the software. There is an ability to send your video straight to YouTube but I prefer to save it locally first so I have a copy archived for backup purposes. Once it's saved to your computer, just upload it to YouTube and it's out there for the world to see!

Recommended Equipment

Full-featured video editing software, such as:

Improved audio input from intercom to camera, such as:

Aircraft Intercom Recording Cable
Telephone pickup coil (see some discussion here about using such a device)

Final Thoughts

Take a look at the list above, which basically shows what I would prefer to use in lieu of my MediaImpression software and portable intercom. If you're starting fresh and want the best quality videos you would be wise to consider these upgrades. That said, you've seen me produce pretty decent videos for over two years using my current setup so those products certainly aren't necessities.

There's no way around the fact that it takes some time to do all this - especially in the editing process, and especially if you're picky about the final result and want everything fit together just perfect. Once I start I tend not to stop until I feel it's finished - and that can mean many hours in front of the computer, sometimes late into the night. I think the end result is worth the time but you can probably now see why I post about plenty of flights sans video... if I know I won't have the time to edit, I don't even hook the equipment up.

Thanks again to you readers for inspiring this post. It's probably a lot longer and more detailed than you asked for but I wanted to cover all the bases. I really hope this gives you a good idea of how I capture video and audio, piece it all together, and form a somewhat coherent movie when all's said and done!

A brief, barbecuey break from wedding planning

2011-10-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

Plane: Cessna 150
Route: 40I-AXV-40I
Weather: Clear, 75 degrees, wind calm

Well hello there! You say this is a flying blog? Nah, can't be... nothing new or aviation-related has appeared on here in over a month!

I know, I know. Sorry about that. As I mentioned a couple posts ago, wedding planning (45 days to go - eek!) is consuming nearly all of my time right now. Still, a full month is a long time to go without flying. Also, the weather is finally traditionally fall-like - a.k.a. the best flying weather of the year around here, just absolutely gorgeous.

That means I had to find some excuse to hop in the left seat. So Gina and I took a 150 up to Wapakoneta for one of Marty's famous Wednesday barbecues this evening. Had to get at least one in before we completely run out of weekday daylight again until spring!

A little bit of footage (at 5x actual speed) from tonight's flying

Takeoff was about 4:30 pm and it we were on the ground at Neil Armstrong Airport roughly 50 minutes later. The flight was uneventful - I had to deviate slightly east of DAY per Columbus Approach's request to avoid their departure corridor but otherwise it was quite peaceful up there. The trees are starting to turn and we spotted some bright patches of color here and there.

Dayton International Airport

As is always the case with Marty's shindigs, the food was delicious and company friendly. We had about an hour and a half on the ground and enjoyed the meal while saying hello to some pilot friends we haven't seen in a year or more. I did a quick preflight while Gina finished eating and we were back in the air at about 6:45 pm. That was about 15 minutes later than planned but we'd still make it back before dark... barely.

Fall colors near the Benchwood Road exit off I-75

Approaching downtown Dayton around sunset

The sun dipped below the horizon about when we passed by downtown Dayton. It's only another 10 minutes or so to Stewart from that point. I slipped off my sunglasses and enjoyed the nice colors reflecting from the sky to the ground as I descended from 3,500 feet down to pattern altitude.

Since the light was fading and I hadn't practiced one in a while, I did a simulated engine-out landing. If you watch the video above, you'll see how nice the 150's full 40 degrees of flaps are when you're high on final! We landed about halfway down the runway to facilitate a short taxi back to the parking spot.

The sun drops below the horizon on this perfect fall evening

I might as well include the "it might be a while before I post again" disclaimer here. While I do hope to get in at least a couple flights this month to enjoy the fall colors, I can't make any guarantees with how busy my life has become. That post about how I capture and edit my videos is still in the works so I hope to at least use that as filler if I'm not able to take to the sky!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.8 hours
Total Time: 208.8 hours

Old-school and new-school first flights with TJ

2011-09-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

Plane: Cub, 85 hp (+Cirrus!)
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Clear, 93 degrees, wind 260 degrees at 6 knots

This all started when I received an email from fellow pilot and blogger TJ, of TJ's Flying Adventures, on Wednesday afternoon. He was flying back home to Florida from Michigan on Thursday and would be stopping to stay overnight at Wright Brothers Airport. We made plans to meet for dinner and he, Gina, and I went out for a tasty Italian meal last night. It was great to finally meet up and have a nice conversation over some food and wine. He asked what my schedule looked like in the morning since it would be nice to take me for a ride in his Cirrus. I lucked out - my calendar was completely free of meetings!

I woke up this morning and logged into my email remotely, working from home for about an hour. Then I drove over to the Hampton Inn to meet up with TJ and give him a ride to MGY. After a quick preflight, I climbed into the right seat and he started to explain all the nifty, shiny gizmos in the cockpit. For someone like TJ that does a ton of XC and IFR flying, all that automation and technology is a major asset. Needless to say, it's also by far the most advanced cockpit I've ever set foot in!

TJ's gorgeous airplane on the ground at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport

It's a very comfortable ride, to say the least

Avidyne's R9 system in TJ's cockpit just after takeoff from MGY

We took off on Runway 20 and TJ had Stewart set as a waypoint. He activated the autopilot and the airplane flew us over towards my home 'drome at 2,500 feet. That turbo up front sure performs well - it seemed like we leveled off 30 seconds after takeoff! TJ showed me a couple of the countless functions available in the amazing R9 system. Then he kindly handed me the controls and I flew us around for a few minutes while he enjoyed the scenery below. I was amazed at how responsive the airplane was; TJ said he enjoyed being able to look out the window for a change!

Flying over Stewart in the Cirrus

Lebanon Correctional Institution

I flew us over King's Island and then made a 360 per TJ's request while he loaded an instrument approach into the system. Then he clicked the magic button and the autopilot engaged, flying us to the initial approach fix for the GPS RWY 2 approach into MGY. The airplane guided us right down the extended centerline, correcting perfectly for a rather strong crosswind. TJ set us down softly on the runway and taxied back to the ramp.

Believe it or not, this was actually my first-ever flight in a low-wing GA plane! I certainly lucked out that I was able to mark that milestone in an airplane as slick as a SR22 G3 Turbo. The short flight was a lot of fun - it was amazing to see all that techno-wizardry at work in person. I'm certainly thankful that TJ offered to take me up this morning... and that I was able to accept the kind offer!

Short final for Runway 02 at Wright Brothers

After that fun, there was still some time before TJ needed to hop back in the plane to fly home. The weather was perfect for a Cub flight with the door open... so what do you think we did next? All of you regular readers know where this is going. We hopped back in my car and drove to Stewart and TJ got to experience his first tailwheel - and first Cub - flight!

He was shocked at the simplicity of the instrument panel and got to figure out his own rendition of the "Cub dance" as he squeezed himself into the front seat. I think he got a kick out of our hand-propped start and enjoyed feeling the breeze through the open door once the engine started turning. I explained the incredibly brief CIGAR checklist as I ran through my checks. We rolled onto the runway and were off the ground quickly thanks to a headwind coming almost straight at us.

I'm about to show TJ some quintessential fun in the Cub...

I flew low for a little while, letting TJ take some photos of the foliage and scenery. Staring out the door of a Cub is roughly the polar opposite of the fancy avionics in his Cirrus and he enjoyed the heck out of it. After crossing most of Caesar Creek Lake, I pushed in the power and climbed up to around 3,500 feet. Then it was time for one of my favorite fun pastimes - streamer cutting! Usual buzz-kill disclaimer here.

Once he was ready, out went the roll of toilet paper. I managed to cut it almost at the roll with the right wing. That's good, except for the fact that without the roll attached the remaining paper just kind of flutters in the wind instead of streaming down. No major loss, it just meant that one cut was the only pass I could make at it. TJ still thought it was a ton of fun and I made two steep turns while we were still up high.

He took the controls for a few minutes after I explained the need for proper rudder usage via my "roll hard with no rudder" trick. You certainly see what adverse yaw is all about in a hurry in a Cub. TJ did a nice job flying and handed the controls back, saying "let's see how you land this thing!" The wind was still blowing down the runway and I remained high on purpose. That way I was able to use a large forward slip on short final before touching down relatively softly on the very dry, hard grass. (We need some rain here!)

Here's the video TJ shot with his camera in the Cub

I really should start requiring my new Cub passengers to sign waivers that they won't sue me for causing a new flying addiction. TJ said he had an absolute blast and, well, I can't blame him. Cubs in the summer are everything that's perfect about aviation. I'm glad he had a great time and I'm equally glad we finally met and shared some flight time together!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 0.6 hours
Total Time: 207.0 hours

Less than ninety days until the big day

2011-08-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

Things have been extremely hectic and busy lately, to say the least. Our wedding is less than three months away and working on all the final details - in addition to work, the usual household chores, and traveling out of state what seems like every weekend - is consuming just about every last free moment I have. For those of you who are newer to the blog, you may have never read the story of our engagement last spring. So while I continue to figure out when I'm going to have a chance to fly again, why don't you take a trip back in time 14 months to read all about my surprise engagement trip and proposal?

As I usually ask and post about on here when I'm not doing much flying, please comment or send me an email if there's anything specific you'd like to see on the site. I have a couple things planned but just haven't had an opportunity to write them yet. One reader requested details on my video equipment setup. I am also dreadfully behind on finishing reviews of two checkride prep books. Hopefully I finish both before the wedding, but no guarantees. So again, let me know if there's anything you'd like to see... and safe flying!

Buzzing around with the boss and family

2011-08-18T17:28:00.006-04:00

Plane: Cessna 172
Route: 40I-MGY-40I
Weather: Clear, 78 degrees, wind 160 degrees at 3 knots

One flight that I've been trying to schedule for a couple years now is a sightseeing jaunt with Russ, my boss, and his kids. After checking the forecast yesterday and realizing tonight's weather would be near-perfect, I asked Russ if they were available. They were, so we finally were going to get to go flying. Jake even gets to count it as a Young Eagles flight, too!

I'd hoped to fly us all down to Cincy Lunken for dinner at the Sky Galley but the 172 wasn't available until 7:00 pm. No worries, we'd just do the usual sightseeing tour instead. Russ and Jake are avid golfers, so they requested that I fly over some nearby courses. After that, I figured I'd just point the nose at whatever they wanted to see. One of those little joys about flying airplanes.

Since it was still kind of warm out, I elected to fly over to Wright Brothers and meet them. Better to have 5,000 feet of concrete in front of me than 2,900 feet of grass... at least that's how my mind works, regardless of what the book says. Plus, they live right around the corner from MGY (as do I) so it was just a short drive from their house to meet me there.

It was just about 7:15 pm when I landed and taxied to the ramp and they walked out of the building just after I hopped out of the airplane. Talk about great timing. Everyone climbed aboard, I explained the seatbelts and door operation, and started her back up. Jon was quite interested in all the flying stuff so I explained the dual ignition system as I went through the runup. Nobody was in the pattern and I departed on Runway 20 via short field technique.

Jake sure was ready to go flying

Explaining the magneto check to Jon during the runup

Our shadow just after takeoff from Wright Brothers

China Cottage in Springboro, just south of MGY

After takeoff, we flew south and passed over Springboro High school. Lots of hot air balloons were flying and they enjoyed seeing those from the air as I slowly turned west and then north. We crossed over Moraine Airpark (I73) and then turned east, circling around NCR Country Club a couple times so Russ could take a bunch of photos.

That's near where Dayton's airspace starts and not too far from WPAFB so I held altitude at 2,200 to 2,300 feet to remain in the clear. I flew us further east, pointing out the USAF Museum and WPAFB before we passed over Kettering and the Research Park where our office is located. That was about two minutes from NCR by air - sure beats the 15 minutes it takes by car!

NCR Country Club

Research Park - our office is in the foreground

Kodak office - this be where I work!

The Greene - one of my common sightseeing points of interest

Looking west along Dorothy Lane in Kettering

Hot air balloon just south of Greene County Airport

Once we were east of town and clear of all the airspace, I climbed up to 2,500 feet and let Jon take the controls. He had a blast flying the plane and did a really good job coordinating rudder with ailerons once I explained why we do that and what all the controls do. He flew us over Centerville High School where the marching band was practicing and then over towards their house. I took the controls back and flew a couple semi-steep turn around their house.

Jon took to the controls like a natural

Centerville High School - the marching band was busy practicing

I think everyone enjoys seeing their house from the air!

You sure couldn't beat the scenery tonight

Jon took the controls back and I had him fly a couple headings to get us over Caesar Creek Lake. He was asking some questions about learning to fly and (after I explained it's the hardest part for most students) landing. After explaining how the controls get mushier at slower speeds I figured what the heck and put us into flow flight to show him what I meant. I slowed down, added flaps, and eventually had to add quite a bit of power to maintain 60 mph and stay level. Nothing like a quick illustration of the backside of the power curve.

Describing slow flight, if I recall correctly

Looking for traffic like a good pilot should :-)

Close to entering the pattern as the sun started to set

The sun was close to the horizon at this point, so it was time to head back and land. They all said they like roller coasters so I put us into a steep spiral to lose 1,000 feet and get down to pattern altitude. That elicited three grins (four if you count mine) and a bunch of good comments. Phew, my not-having-to-clean-up-the-airplane streak is still intact.

Winds were basically calm and the traffic in the pattern was using Runway 8. I hate landing into the sun (it basically points straight down the runway at Stewart) so that was much appreciated. I set the plane down pretty softly but we hit a couple good divots just as we touched. As I said to them, "that's the difference between concrete and grass!"

Turning from downwind to base at Stewart

Turning final for Runway 8 at Stewart

Short final - I really like this shot (thanks for the photos, Russ!)

Even shorter final, this time focused inside the cockpit

Attaching the tiedown ropes while explaining something

Jake seemed to enjoy the left seat

Glad to see both brothers enjoyed the flight

Another photo to add to my wall of folks I've flown

We were treated to a beautiful sunset

I hate to repeat myself and I know I just said this a month ago, but sharing general aviation with new people is one of the best things about being a pilot. They all had a great time and we couldn't have ordered up better weather. Jon sure seems to want to learn to fly and hopefully I can take him up in the Cub soon so he can see that side of things. Of course, then he'll probably be completely hooked. I should start getting a commission... ;-)

(Thanks to Russ for taking all the photos that I've included in this post!)

Today's Flight: 1.3 hours
Total Time: 206.4 hours

Hood work, yadda, yadda, yadda... Stearman!!!

2011-08-12T23:35:00.024-04:00

Plane: Cessna 150 / Stearman / Cub, 85 hp
Instructor: Dave
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Clear, 76 degrees, wind 110 degrees at 3 knots

Today was all sorts of fun - but we'll get to that. When we were at the airport last Saturday I booked time with Dave for this evening. I last completed a phase of WINGS in September 2009, so I either had to complete another or complete a full-on BFR by the end of next month. Since I already completed two out of of three of my required flight activities back in March, it made the most sense to go up with him and finish off this phase to extend my BFR currency by two more years.

Flight Tracks - Cessna 150 (red) / Stearman (green) / Cub (blue)

I had reserved the Cub but realized this afternoon that part of what I needed to do included hood work. Luckily the 150 was open, so I swapped rides and we hopped into the tiny Cessna. Hard to believe, but I haven't flown a 150 in nearly a year - that's what I used to always fly, nearly half my hours (98+) are in 150s! Anyway, after reacquainting myself with that tiny cockpit we took off and flew up to 2,500 feet over the lake.

Dave had me put the airplane into slow flight with 30 degrees of flaps, level at about 2,700 feet and hanging on the prop at 35 to 40 knots. I held the ailerons level and used the rudder pedals to turn us in a few circles. Then I pushed in the power and raised the nose until we had a nice break into a power-on stall. That went pretty well, so power to idle and two power-off stalls followed. The last one was one of the best I've ever done - a couple taps of the rudder and the nose dropped and the remained wings perfectly level at the break.

After all that, it was time to strap on the hood and do a little instrument work. The last time I went under my hood was my checkride in 2008, so needless to say I was overdue for some practice whether or not it was part of my WINGS activity. I won't say I did great, considering the lack of training and practice, but I did manage some decent turns and climbs. Obviously I've got a loooong way to go towards my IR. Dave then had me lower my head, tossed the airplane around, then had me recover for unusual attitude practice - always fun. I think he had me in a nose-low attitude once and an extremely nose-high attitude twice.

He asked for a landing just past a specific point on the runway, so I set up for a short field approach. Extended downwind, then all 40 degrees of flaps and 50 knots on final. Manage airspeed with pitch and descent with throttle. I was hanging on the prop as we crossed over the edge of the runway but we hit a tiny bit of lift and I touched probably 50-100 feet past my intended point. Still good, but I enjoy the challenge of a spot landing and would've liked to really nail that one!

Stearman + Grass = Perfection

Back in the office, Dave said he had to put the Stearman away. For those not familiar with the fine folks at Red Stewart Airfield, putting the Stearman away equates to a trip around the pattern and a free ride if you happen to be there at the right time. After over three years flying there, I was finally at the airport at the right time!

He explained how to climb in and I have to say it was easier than I expected - the cockpit was more spacious than you might think, too. The radial engine coughed to life and the smell was oh-so-vintage-airplane-good. Dave handed me the controls and had me taxi down to the other end of the runway. Needless to say, compared to a Cub, you really need to do S-Turns to see out of this thing on the ground!

I think I looked the part...

I did all the preflight checks and run-up, then taxied onto the runway. Dave was also on the controls but I managed to get us off the ground and climbed slowly at about 85 mph as we made our way around the pattern. Abeam the numbers, throttle back to about 1500 RPM and a descent at around 85 mph again. Dave said to give her a little forward slip on short final to really see where we're going, so left stick and right rudder and we lost some altitude and airspeed and I could see the grass strip out in front. With some more help on the controls, I brought the stick back all the way and we touched down somewhat softly. They really don't lie when they say it flies just like a big Cub.

So yeah, that was fun and awesome. The view was incredible - nothing like the air whipping past the wires and being able to see in every direction. No way I could come close to flying it without a CFI onboard anytime soon, but I did get to fly a Stearman this evening. 'Nuff said.

Gotta love the view from downwind - the runway's under the bottom wing

After all that fun, I still had the J-3 booked because that's what I originally was going to fly in with Dave. It really was too beautiful an evening not to fly some more. I figured I might as well take it around the patch three times for currency purposes.

A hot air balloon was launching on the field right when I took off, so I immediately side-stepped to the right of the runway to give them some room. If you watch the video below, you'll see me wave the wings to say hello a few different times as I fly past the balloon. Every landing was a monster slip power-off approach, partially because I thought they'd look cool with the fisheye lens and partially because they're just so much fun. The final landing was intentionally long to save some taxi time.

A little video fun - only at Stewart can you fit in 3 takeoffs and landings in 0.3 hours!

Between the finally-nice, fall-like flying weather and getting to fly three different airplanes there's not much else I need to say about today. Just one of those glad-to-be-a-pilot evenings. And, to be a little more specific, glad-to-be-a-taildragger-pilot. Sorry, but you'll never convince me you can have fun any cheaper or better than a Cub with the door open. Well, maybe in a Stearman - but then I'm not so sure that cheaper part applies.

Flight Tracks: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 0.7 hours / (not logged) / 0.3 hours
Total Time: 205.1 hours

Grimes with the girls

2011-08-06T14:29:00.013-04:00

Plane: Cessna 172
Route: 40I-I74-40I
Weather: Extremely hazy, 84 degrees, wind 220 degrees at 8 knots

Sarah, one of our great friends from college, came down to visit this weekend. I actually took her and another college friend flying a couple years ago in the 150. This time, considering I was seriously overdue for a $100 pancake run, we headed up to Urbana in the Skyhawk.

Here's video from the flight home - Urbana to Stewart

I had been thinking about Columbus, IN or Mt. Victory, OH as possible breakfast destinations but the less-than-desirable weather nixed those options. Instead, we'd head to the always-good Airport Cafe at Grimes Field. I've made that flight plenty of times and know the terrain and landmarks like the back of my hand... so I don't mind making the short 41-mile hop in MVFR conditions. The clouds were plenty high this morning but it was extremely hazy and forward visibility was definitely in the 3-5 mile range on the flight up.

One of the neighborhoods near Stewart, shortly after takeoff

Sarah riding comfortably in the 172's back seat

Gina sitting up front... I think I was adjusting the intercom squelch?

I departed straight out, then turned on course towards Urbana. We eventually leveled off at 3,700 feet so I was clear of WPAFB and Springfield's airspace. Along the way we passed by Adventure Acres, which I have learned while writing this is the largest corn maze in Ohio. The haze was very thick but I could see all the familiar landmarks and we were abeam downtown Springfield when I first spotted Urbana and the airport. Lots of planes were headed there (as is usually the case on a weekend morning) and I entered on a 45 for Runway 20 behind a Cherokee.

Adventure Acres near Bellbrook, OH

I always love seeing corn mazes from the air

Breakfast was thoroughly delicious as usual. I had a couple eggs over easy with home fries, bacon, and toast. Gina has sausage biscuits and gravy and Sarah had two of the largest pancakes I've ever seen - they were at least 1/2" thick each. The only bad thing is they were out of peach pie so we couldn't bring any home with us. Gina's got bad luck with that... next time I want pie from the Airport Cafe, she's gonna have to stay home and let me fly up there solo!

Visibility improved as we flew home and was a solid 10 miles by the time we were close to Xenia. We were level at 2,500 feet and the ride was very smooth punctuated by only the occasional light bump when we passed under a forming cloud. Entering the pattern I first didn't see the Champ, so my midfield crosswind entry turned into more of a midfield S-Turn entry that let me follow him onto downwind. I ended up with an extended final but it was helpful since the winds had really kicked up. I slipped down final and touched the left main softly with the stick all the way back into my chest - easily one of my best crosswind landings in a long time.

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.4 hours
Total Time: 204.1 hours

Thunder Over Michigan 2011

2011-08-04T11:19:00.020-04:00

Thunder is one of those airshows I've wanted to attend for years and yet my schedule always seemed to get in the way. This summer, the stars finally aligned. We were already up in Michigan for a surprise party for Gina's mom on Saturday, so I made plans to head down to Ypsi on Sunday to see the airshow with my best friend Rob.

Video of the Blue Angels' performance at the airshow

We got in as soon as the gates opened and spent a while walking through all the static displays. The usual assortment of aircraft were there along with an increased Navy presence, as is the case at most shows this year due to 2011 being the Centennial of Naval Aviation. Rob and I wandered around taking photos, talking with some crews of the aircraft on display, and enjoying that "airshow atmosphere" that both of us love.

1911 Ely-Curtiss Pusher replica

Grumman C-2A Greyhound

Grumman C-1 Trader

Boeing E-6 Mercury

Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon

Goodyear FG-1D Corsair

The Corsair's wings were still wet with morning dew

Lockheed P-3C Orion

Sonobuoy launch tubes on the belly of the P-3C

North American SNJ-5C Texan

The pilot was busy preflighting his Texan prior to the airshow

Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero

Douglas A-4B Skyhawk

Fat Albert and the Blue Angels' F/A-18s

Precisely parked on the ramp, just as you'd expect from the Blues

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless - note the dive flaps

The paint job on this Dauntless is absolutely beautiful!

Dive flaps on the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

One neat thing that they do at Thunder that isn't so common at other airshows are full-on battle reenactments. First is a WWII European Theater battle, complete with ground troops and P-51s. Later on in the afternoon is a WWII Pacific Theater reenactment, which had Corsairs, Zeros, and ground troops. While we couldn't see much of the ground action from where we were standing the flying was awesome - one of the Zero pilots was definitely giving his Mitsubishi all it could handle.

Due to the aforementioned centennial, they had a very cool sequence in the middle of the show called the Legacy Parade. It lasted quite a while as a ton of Navy aircraft made passes along the crowd line - Corsairs, Texas, a Bearcat, Dauntless, Helldiver, Avenger, Catalina, and more. We were also treated to a mock dogfight between an A-4 and MiG-17.

Man O War - one of the Commemorative Air Force's P-51s

Gentleman Jim - a P-51 owned by Jack Roush

Another P-51 (blurred in the background) dives in for a simulated bomb run

Cutting it low and fast in front of the crowd

Low pass during the WWII European Theater battle reenactment

There's no better sound than a screaming Merlin engine

After the Mustangs flew, this Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey departed

Transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight

This is the only airworthy Helldiver in the world!

Grumman FM-2 Wildcat

Corsairs fly past the crowd in close formation

Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat in the Blue Angels paint scheme

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless

Grumman C-1 Trader

The modern side of the show had three acts - a couple passes from a B-1, a full F-16 demo from Viper East, and the US Navy Blue Angels. I'm always a fan of the noisy B-1 so it was nice to see and the Viper pilot did a great job tearing up the humid sky. The Blues never disappoint and today was no exception - they put on a great show and turned plenty of jet fuel into beautiful noise.

Viper East put on a great F-16 demo

Zooming past during the high speed pass

Flying along the crowd line at close to 600 mph

Knife edge with some great vapor on the F-16's delta wing

The humid air really helped the show out in terms of vapor

I'm definitely glad to have finally made it to Thunder Over Michigan. There was a little too much downtime during the show, but otherwise I really enjoyed the variety of aircraft and the flying. Rob and I always take in at least one airshow together every year so I'm glad we were able to keep that streak alive.

A day at Airventure

2011-08-02T09:32:00.032-04:00

Although we landed at OSH on our trip around Lake Michigan last summer, attending Airventure was still on my to-do list. I hope to go every year but limited vacation time and other priorities (wedding planning right now, for example) always seem to conspire to prevent such a trip. I lucked out about a month ago when I realized I could book a dirt-cheap airfare to Milwaukee and drive up for the day. So, even if only for one afternoon and evening, I was finally going to join the throngs of aviation fanatics who make the pilgrimage to Oshkosh every summer!

I left the house at 4:30 am Friday morning for my flight out of Dayton that departed at 5:45. While I'm definitely not a morning person, I can make the occasional aviation exception. The flight from Dayton to Detroit was interesting - we deviated around some pretty heavy thunderstorms and I saw more lighting from my window seat on the CRJ than I've ever seen from the air before. We only hit one really good bump and arrived in Detroit on time. I grabbed breakfast and then boarded my flight to Milwaukee. The sky cleared somewhere between Detroit and Lansing and I had a great view of the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline as we passed south of Holland.

Lightning on the flight from DAY to DTW

Thanks to carrying nothing more than a backpack, I went straight from the gate to the parking garage and picked up my rental car. I lucked out here and snagged a brand-new Impala. While I don't love Impalas, a loaded one with four (yes, four) miles on the odometer is hard to pass up. There was a little traffic getting out of Milwaukee but then things cleared until I was about 15 miles away from Oshkosh. Due to construction and Airventure I knew it would back up, so I exited early and zoomed up a side road to beat the traffic. I was parked and walking towards the airport just a few minutes before noon.

From that point on I took a bunch of photos, which I have posted below in chronological order. I'll let you skim through these and read their descriptions. Then I'll share some thoughts down at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!

Parked on the grounds, staring at EAA HQ, and ready for Airventure!

Pioneer Airport, also home to Kidventure this week

EAA's Bell 47 was giving helicopter rides

The old...

...and the new

While glass panels in a Cub are so very wrong, I'd still be happy to own one! :-)

The F-16 that overran the runway earlier in the week

EAA's Ford Trimotor was also busy giving rides all day

Bob Hoover himself - need I say more?!

Listening to Bob Hoover tall war stories = indescribably awesome

The famous brown arch

A cooler stroller does not exist in this world of ours

A very cool-looking F-18 painted in a special scheme

I was lucky - this is the only day the Dreamliner was at Oshkosh!

People waited in line for hours to climb aboard the 787

The 787 uses all-LED anti-collision lights

Love that there's duct tape on the landing gear strut!

My best friend Rob wanted lots of photos of this Hornet - I happily obliged...

US Navy Heritage Flight

Ariel Tweto from Flying Wild Alaska!

Staring back at the Dreamliner's nose

Side angle of the Hornet with the great tri-tone paint job

People were hiding under whatever wings they could find all day for shade

At one point during the airshow, I counted 39 airplanes flying in loose formation!

The Trojan Horsemen make their signature break to end their show

FIFI, the world's only flying B-29 Superfortress, makes a pass along the crowd line

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner begins its takeoff roll

Rotating off the runway after a day in Oshkosh for the 787's public debut

Springing off Runway 36, the Dreamliner says goodbye to the crowd

FIFI getting towed back in after flying in the airshow

The crowd quickly gathered again as soon as she pulled back into the plaza

Hard to believe she's the only B-29 left flying... but what a beautiful example she is!

Just a shot of the grounds - lots and lots of airplanes out there

Best. Prop Card. Ever. (click to see the larger size)

I love Cessna 195s

Talk about an impeccably beautiful Stearman!

Towing a Navy E-2C back to the plaza

Burt Rutan's famous Boomerang

This Hornet flew in the Heritage Flight

One final shot of this F-18's awesome paint job

Sully and Jeff!

The world's busiest control tower (for this week, at least)

Leaving the grounds as the sun was setting

Hanging out at the Fly-In Theater, waiting to watch Apollo 13

For only having a single day what is probably the greatest aviation gathering on the planet, I had a great time. I listened to Bob Hoover tell war stories for an hour! That sentence explains itself but I should note that it was the second bucket list item to get crossed off this month, after seeing the Space Shuttle launch in early July. I finally got to meet up with Victoria (we missed her and her boyfriend Bob during the Shuttle launch) and chat with some other folks I know. We stood in line chatting for a little while and then got to meet the cast from Flying Wild Alaska!

While I didn't get to climb on board, I saw Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner up-close for the first time. The airshow was pretty good, too. After dinner from one of the concession stands, I wandered around and took some more photos. I saw Sully and Jeff of the Miracle on the Hudson ditching fame. Then I finally left the main grounds and headed over to the Fly-In Theater, where George Lucas himself premiered the trailer for his new movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails. Finally, I hung around the theater and enjoyed the free popcorn while watching Apollo 13.

It's awesome how many famous (at least to us aviators) people you meet, run into, or see walking around the grounds at Oshkosh. Having now spent a day there I really can affirm how special a place Airventure is for anyone who is interested in aviation. If you haven't had a chance to attend I hope you get an opportunity in the future. As for myself, I now am definitely planning on spending many more days there in upcoming years.

Enroute to Oshkosh!

2011-07-28T18:21:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I came across an airfare I simply couldn't pass up - roundtrip from Dayton to Milwaukee for about $25 (yes, you read that correctly - $25) after applying a $100 Delta certificate I had on file. The certificate was set to expire on 7/31 and I had no other use for it, so I quickly booked a ticket and figured I might as well enjoy Airventure for a day! I'm heading to the airport super early tomorrow and should be in Oshkosh by noon.

As luck would have it, tomorrow happens to be the only day that Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to be at the show and I'm really looking forward to seeing the new airliner in person. It should be a fun day full of aviation. Let me know if you're at OSH and I'll try to swing by and say hello!

The final Space Shuttle launch - Daily Show style

2011-07-27T12:01:00.000-04:00

If you know me, you probably know I'm a die-hard Daily Show fan. Heck, it probably borders on obsessive. But I really appreciate great satire and they deliver it in droves. Anyway, I've waited long and hard for a clip that I felt was right to share on the blog - and they certainly have delivered. Without further adieu, here's John Oliver's brilliant take on the final Shuttle launch.

The Daily Show - Final Countdown

Touring Kennedy Space Center - Part II

2011-07-24T13:46:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we spent a day thoroughly enjoying all the sights Kennedy Space Center has to offer. One of the best parts was the panoramic view from the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. From there, you could see multiple launch sites and buildings. Even though we couldn't make it there to see Atlantis on the Mobile Launcher Platform prior to launch, it was still very cool to be so close to Pad 39-A. The massive tracks that the Crawler-Transporter rides on were also a very impressive sight. Hope you enjoy this set of photos!

Arriving at the LC 39 Observation Gantry

Space Shuttle Main Engine

Pad 39-A, where Atlantis lifted off for the final time on July 8, 2011

Pad 39-B, a former Shuttle launch site being converted for future vehicles

Close-up view of the support structure on Pad 39-A

Constructi0n underway on Pad 39-B

Vertical Integration Facility

Launch Complex 41, used for Atlas V launches

Gina on the Observation Gantry with Pad 39-A in the background

Proof that I was there too!

Launch Complex 40, used by SpaceX for Falcon 9 launches

Launch Complex 37, used for Delta IV launches

Solid Motor Assembly Building

Vehicle Assembly Building and the Launch Control Center

Crawler-Transporter parked outside the LC39 Observation Gantry

The 30-year Space Shuttle program has come to an end

2011-07-21T13:39:00.006-04:00

I woke up early this morning to watch Atlantis land at Kennedy Space Center. Hard to imagine that the same vehicle that we saw launch off Pad 39-A just 13 days ago has since circled the planet 200 times and returned to the ground in Florida. It's a sad day for space fans and I certainly hope this country continues to explore space and our solar system as we move forward.

This is an awesome video that captures every Shuttle mission - all 135 of them - and a little bit of why this program has been such an important part of American scientific history.

Taking Gina's aunt up in the Cub

2011-07-19T22:51:00.012-04:00

Plane: Cub, 85 hp
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Partly cloudy, 92 degrees, wind 010 degrees at 7 knots

Gina's aunt and uncle came down for a few days this week to visit and see some local attractions - the USAF Museum, Columbus Zoo, etc. We of course offered up an airplane ride if they were interested and her aunt Toni said she was up for it. Given the intense heat (the heat index hit at least 110 today) there was no way I was flying anything other than the Cub. I consider the open door a requirement when it's this hot out!

We all drove together to Stewart and I did my preflight and hooked up the portable intercom. This is actually the first time I've used an intercom and headsets in the Cub; I figured it was the only way to actually say anything to each other and I wanted Toni to be able to ask questions. I couldn't squelch out the wind noise (my intercom and headsets aren't really designed for open-cockpit use) but it definitely allowed us to talk up there.

Dave helped me push the Cub up onto the grass

After we were situated in the J-3, we were propped by Emerson and that got the much-needed wind blowing. Gina and her uncle Dave watched us as I ran through my pre-takeoff checks, then made a 360 and took off on Runway 26. There were some storm clouds popping up in the thick, humid air so I flew south towards I-71 to stay in a clear area while pointing out some of my usual sightseeing points of interest.

I flew much of my usual scenic route and also flew over our house

Toni was surprised at how much farmland and forest there was in the area. It really is one of those things you probably would never see or realize if you're always stuck on the ground. We may live in a relatively flat part of the country but it is rather pretty to look down on when everything's green.

I could see rain coming out of the clouds over Caesar Creek Lake so I didn't fly that direction. Instead, I turned north and headed back towards the airport since it looked like there were some darker clouds headed towards Stewart from the north. Once we entered the pattern I could see well off past the one dark cloud and things were quite clear, so I decided to keep flying and climbed up to 3,000 feet where the air was MUCH cooler and more comfortable.

Buckled in and ready for come Cubbin'

We flew over towards Wright Brothers and I was able to point out the MetLife Blimp that's been on the ground there for a couple days. It took a minute of explaining reference points, but I was even able to point out our house and neighborhood! Then I flew us a few miles away from the airport and let Toni take the controls for a couple minutes, making some gentle turns and even climbing and descending slightly. She commented that the stick was more touchy than she expected... but she did a great job flying!

I asked if she wanted to try a couple slightly more "fun" maneuvers and she said yes. We made one steep turn to the left and Toni said she didn't think it was that intense. I also made one very gentle push forward on the stick to show her how you can get that somewhat weightless feeling. Finally, I made a semi-steep spiral to drop down to pattern altitude - it's a quick way to lose 1,000 feet. During all of this I told her to let me know if anything bothered her and I'd stop instantly... but she said it was fun and felt fine.

Checking the intercom after starting the engine

I crossed mid-field and entered the pattern but wasn't planning on landing just yet. We flew around - downwind, base, final - but I kept the power in and made a pass probably about 150 feet above the ground and waved the wings at Dave and Gina, who were watching from one of the benches next to the runway. Then I explained to Toni what a forward slip was (since it's a bit unusual for someone new to small airplane flying) and made an approach at idle power. After a full forward slip from base to final we touched down quite softly and taxied back to the hangar area.

Toni told me she had a great time and I'm glad it went well - you certainly want to make sure someone's first "little airplane" ride is a good experience. She thanked me again later in the evening, so I figure it might have been fun for her. Sharing general aviation with new people is one of the best things about being a pilot - I'm glad to have been able to do so again this evening!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 0.8 hours
Total Time: 202.7 hours

Cubbin' with Mike

2011-07-17T19:11:00.004-04:00

Plane: Cub, 85 hp
Route: 40I, Local
Weather: Partly cloudy, 90 degrees, wind variable at 4 knots

After riding in his right seat for multiple Pilots N Paws flights (in February, May, and June) I finally had a chance to take my friend Mike up in the Cub. It had already been close to two months since the last time I flew the J-3 and I was very thankful for the wide-open door on such a hot summer afternoon. It honestly feels the exact same here as it did down in Florida last week - the air is so thick you can practically swim through it!

Enjoying the scenery from the pilot's seat

Approaching Caesar Creek Lake

We hopped in and got the engine turning as quickly as possible. Mike knows how to hand-prop so that helped speed things up. The winds were kind of shifty but slightly favoring Runway 8, so I taxied down to the west end of the field. Those extra 20 hp were nice to have as we climbed straight out towards Caesar Creek Lake. I leveled off around 4,500 feet and we had a little fun with a roll of toilet paper (hit it once - not my best effort) before descending down to about 2,000 feet for a low and slow scenic flight.

The requisite photo of our path through the hot, sticky air

Our shadow on the water

Approaching the main beach at Caesar Creek State Park

Boat ramp - it was quite busy

I followed the valley down over top of I-71 and over towards Kings Island. Mike shot some photos as we flew along and I think he got some good ones of the roller coasters. I'll post some on here when he sends them my way. Edit - photos now added on 7/22!

Someone was up in the Citbria practicing acro as we approached the field. The winds were pretty variable and I was going to land on Runway 8 again when I saw the Citabria start to approach to land the other direction. So I quickly turned right onto a downwind and followed them to a pretty smooth landing on Runway 26.

King's Island was also pretty packed

Construction work on the new Jeremiah Morrow Bridge on I-71

You probably know by now that I always try and get in at least three landings when tooling around at Stewart so I can extend my passenger-carrying currency by 90 days. We made two more laps around the pattern, each time with a simulated engine-out landing. The first was a bit bouncy and the second was better, though I wouldn't write home about either of them.

While rolling out on the final landing, the tailwheel caught a divot in the runway and came unlocked so I quickly managed brakes, power, and rudder to re-lock it and avoid a ground loop. We had to roll off to the north side of the runway (usually we go south - the airplane didn't feel like it) as I got things under control but it was otherwise uneventful. I haven't had that happen since I was flying the Champ a couple years ago... always a good reminder that you've never stopped flying a tailwheel airplane until it's tied down!

Mike had a good time and it was nice to get up high where the air was a bit cooler. I can't even imagine flying in the 172 on a day like today - at least not below 5,000 feet. Hopefully I get to fly the Cub some more soon so I can feel a bit more proficient again.

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 1.2 hours
Total Time: 201.9 hours

Touring Kennedy Space Center - Part I

2011-07-15T01:40:00.012-04:00

As if viewing a Space Shuttle launch in person wasn't awesome enough, launch tickets also include a second day's admission into Kennedy Space Center. Gina and I relaxed on Saturday and Sunday, visiting her great aunt and uncle, a winery, and getting some much-needed rest to recover from the all-nighter that preceded the launch. I figured the crowds would have calmed down plenty after a couple days, so we headed back out to Cape Canaveral on Monday to visit KSC.

NASA's massive Vehicle Assembly Building

Each stripe on the flag is as wide as a standard freeway lane

When built, this was the largest building in the world by volume

If you appreciate the history of our space program, it's hard not to be fascinated by most everything KSC has to offer. We arrived around lunchtime and hopped on a tour bus (a free tour is part of admission) to the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. I'm actually going to include those photos next time; I took so many that I think it's best to break this into two posts. We then hopped back on the bus and spent a couple hours in the Apollo / Saturn V Center. They have an actual Saturn V mounted horizontally inside - honestly, I shouldn't have to say anything more than that. It's awesome.

I will elaborate slightly to remind you that - 44 years after it first flew - the Saturn V is still the tallest, heaviest, most powerful rocket ever launched by mankind. I've seen plenty of missiles and rockets in person before (many in the Missile & Space Gallery at the USAF Museum) but nothing compares to a Saturn V. It's just an incredible piece of engineering and machinery. I was also excited to see the other Apollo-era vehicles including a real Lunar Module and a Command/Service Module. The whole race to the moon is just fascinating to me and I never tire of seeing the remnants and reading up on the history.

Entering the Apollo / Saturn V Center

The actual launch control room from the Apollo era

The Saturn V is, quite simply, a massive thing of beauty

Patches from all the Apollo missions hang next to the Saturn V

First Stage

Second Stage

Third Stage

Command Module and Launch Escape System

Apollo Command/Service Module

Apollo Lunar Module

Lunar Module simulator

The infamous Astrovan

Vehicle Assembly Building as seen from the Apollo / Saturn V Center

Launch Pad 39-A as seen from the Apollo / Saturn V Center

We spent a couple more hours back on the main grounds of KSC after returning from the bus tour. Gina and I went on the Shuttle Launch Experience, a ride that simulates a Shuttle launch. To be perfectly honest, it was kind of underwhelming. Basically, you're strapped in, the thing rotates so you're sitting vertically, and then it vibrates like crazy for about two minutes. It was neat and all, but let's just say I'm glad it was included in the price of admission. They also have a full-size mockup of a Shuttle that we walked through; the payload bay was bigger than I would have expected.

The Constellation Sphere, 9 tons of granite suspended by water

Part of the new Orion vehicle that's still in development

The building that houses the Shuttle Launch Experience

Inside the Shuttle Launch Experience briefing room

Explorer, a full-size Shuttle mockup

Payload bay of the Explorer mockup

It was a good place to hide from the rain!

Space Mirror Memorial

Thousands of signatures and messages wishing Atlantis' crew good luck

Inside the Astronaut Hall of Fame

Memorial for the Challenger and Columbia crews at the Astronaut HoF

After a fun day at the Space Center, we finished up with about an hour at the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Had I known just how much was inside, I would have absolutely scheduled more time there. They had so many neat items that have flown in space or were part of the space program and everything in there was extremely interesting to read about. Come to find out they even have a centrifuge that you can get a ride in! Not that I probably would've jumped at that opportunity, but still... you don't find those available to the general public very often - if ever!

Crossing "view a Space Shuttle launch" off my bucket list

2011-07-08T23:44:00.009-04:00

I can now say I have seen, with my own two eyes and from very close proximity, a Space Shuttle rocket into space. This morning, Gina and I witnessed the final launch of the 30-year Space Shuttle program. Yes, it was awesome. And yes, it was worth every penny along with the serious sleep deprivation.

Not my best video, but you'll get the idea - the good stuff starts about 3:55 in

Backing up for a second, our journey to Florida to view the launch was nearly derailed before we ever left Ohio. Checking my phone as we drove to the airport, I saw that our flight to Atlanta was seriously delayed. Long story short, almost every flight to Florida was overbooked (no doubt due at least in part to the Shuttle launch) but we made the last flight into Daytona Beach and drove to Orlando in time to board our tour bus. Phew... major crisis averted.

The forecast put the chance of acceptable weather for a Friday launch very low, about 30% at best, for most of the week. Miraculously, the rain stayed at bay and the clouds lifted so the folks in charge at NASA were able to make the "go" call during the T-minus 9 minute hold. I feel incredibly fortunate that STS-135 / Atlantis launched on time this morning, on the first attempt, and we were able to view the launch with essentially zero hiccups. Space flight is obviously a complex beast and that's not the most common occurrence - to have things work out so well on the final Shuttle mission was more than anyone could have asked for.

Our tickets were through a tour company, so we were bused from Orlando to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and then to the NASA Causeway, and then brought back to Orlando post-launch. We spent about 2.5 hours in the KSC Visitor Complex (KSCVC) before getting in line to head out to the NASA Causeway. During our time at the KSCVC we walked through the Rocket Gallery, watched the IMAX film Hubble 3D (beautiful imagery), and I took some photos. We arrived at the Causeway about three hours prior to scheduled launch time.

This was a beautiful sight, even at 2:30 in the morning!

KSC's Rocket Garden

There was only one slight hiccup during the launch - the computer couldn't confirm that the External Oxygen Vent Arm had properly retracted. NASA confirmed retraction via cameras on the launch pad and the count resumed only a couple minutes after the initial hold. You could sense the emotion in the massive crowd - people were cheering as we got closer and closer to launch. Yet there was also a distinctly bittersweet undercurrent since this launch marked the end of an era.

We soon reached the moment you've probably heard on TV many times, but it's very different in person with the Shuttle in plain view across the water... T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, main engine start, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... and liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis for the very last time! It's just incredible how quickly the vehicle accelerates - roughly 1:30 after launch it's already 15 miles in the air. Less than 30 seconds later, it's going 2,600 mph and is 21 miles high. Heck, by the time our bus left KSC property Atlantis had already flown completely around the planet - twice! The only disappointment was that the sound and shock wave were very muffled, possibly due to the strong wind blowing at our backs. That said, it was still a sight to behold and I hope you enjoy some of the photos below...

On the pad about 30 minutes prior to the scheduled launch

NASA's famous Vehicle Assembly Building

External Oxygen Vent Arm retraction

NASA helicopter monitoring the crowd shortly before the launch

Main Engine Start

Just prior to SRB ignition - final chance to abort

Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis!

The vehicle has cleared the tower

Watching the smoke trail drift away

Needless to say, this experience is one I imagine I'll remember for the rest of my life and tell my kids about some day. Though I'm far too young to have experienced the Space Race or Apollo program first-hand, I've always been fascinated by the technology and history. Today I can finally say I've seen a group of human beings break the surly bonds with my own two eyes... and what a sight it was to behold.

On our way to see Atlantis

2011-07-07T11:55:00.005-04:00

Gina and I are hopping a flight to Florida shortly to see the final Space Shuttle launch. We've got Causeway tickets so the view and sound should be incredible. Atlantis is scheduled to lift off at 11:26 am tomorrow morning, which means we've got a very early bus pickup tonight. Here's to hoping for cooperative weather over the next few days.

Let me know if you're going to be in Florida for the launch - we'd love to say hello!

NY Trip, Day 3 - A significantly less stressful trip home

2011-06-27T21:39:00.028-04:00

Plane: Cessna 172
Route: B16-SDC-38D-OSU-40I
Weather - SDC: Partly cloudy, 74 degrees, wind 160 degrees at 6 knots
Weather - 38D: Few clouds, 80 degrees, wind 170 degrees at 10 knots
Weather - OSU: Overcast, 76 degrees, wind 200 degrees at 5 knots
Weather - 40I: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 200 degrees at 4 knots

Gina and I both had a great time at the graduation party last night. It's always nice to see the family, especially since we don't make it to Upstate NY very often due to the 10-11 hour drive. Of course, it's much shorter by airplane - when the weather cooperates...

After a nice breakfast with her parents, aunt, uncle, and cousins, we gathered our things and headed to the airport. The local skydiving operation took off in their 182 filled with jumpers a few minutes before we departed. We said our goodbyes and I back-taxied down Runway 10 at Whitfords and took off shortly past 11:30 am.

The weather was great for the vast majority of today's flying

Compared to Saturday and Sunday the weather was downright spectacular. I leveled off at 2,500 feet for the very short flight south of Lake Ontario's shoreline to Williamson-Sodus Airport. We were heading there to meet pilot blogger friend Chris since he lives in the Rochester area. Originally I intended to land there on our flight up Saturday but the weather threw a wrench into those plans.

There was another airplane inbound to land from the opposite direction and I spotted him a few miles away. I made a 270 to the left to help with spacing, then followed him around the pattern and landed on Runway 10. Chris was waiting in the nice terminal building and we surprised him with two six-packs of Oberon, which any former Kalamazoo resident would most certainly appreciate. He was quite happy about the delivery and kindly bought us lunch at Bad to the Bone, a tasty little BBQ joint just down the road. I've actually visited both SDC and Bad to the Bone before while on business trips to Rochester but it was nice to finally fly myself in for a visit.

Looking north shortly after takeoff from Whitfords

Harvesting the crops down below

Sodus Bay and Lake Ontario

Parked at Williamson-Sodus to visit Chris

We all had a great time chatting before, during, and after lunch. In the end, we spent nearly two hours on the ground. Chris had to head back to work and we needed to continue the trek home since there were some storms moving from Indiana into Ohio. We were certain to make it to our fuel stop midway in Salem, OH and I figured we'd re-evaluate the weather situation there. I topped off both fuel tanks at SDC and we were back in the air just before 2:00 pm.

The view under the scattered clouds was great. You could see downtown Rochester, the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario... just about anything that was within 50 miles. I initially attempted to climb over the clouds for a smoother ride then realized they got higher as we went further inland. So I descended back down to 4,500 feet and remained there for this entire leg of the trip home.

Looking west along Lake Ontario towards Rochester

The views of the Finger Lakes region were great today

Conesus Lake - quite a few boaters were out

Genesee River near Mount Morris Dam

Letchworth State Park - the "Grand Canyon of the East"

It wouldn't be Upstate NY without a bunch of wind turbines

Holiday Valley Ski Resort

The town of Ellicottville, NY

As we neared the NY/PA border the clouds disappeared and we were treated to our first clear sky of the entire journey. The haze started to increase once the scattered layer disappeared but visibility was still very good. It was much nicer to be crossing the hilly terrain from this altitude with unlimited visibility than lower under an overcast as we had done the two days prior. I spotted Venango Regional Airport (where we stopped for food/fuel on Saturday) off the left wing about 10 miles as flew towards Ohio.

Salamanca, NY and the Allegany Casino along I-86

You can see Venango Regional Airport (FKL) off in the distance

Crossing over downtown Youngstown I was able to see the town of Boardman out my window. My grandparents lived there the first 20 years of my entire life and I spotted their old neighborhood and some local shopping centers. I took plenty of photos that I'll have to send to my grandma - I'm sure she'll enjoy the view as much as I did. Much of my love for aviation comes from my grandpa and it was neat to finally fly over the area where I always visited them growing up.

Boardman - the Southern Park Mall and US-224

Another shot of Boardman and Mill Creek Park's golf course

It helped to have overflown Salem Airpark on our outbound leg to NY on Saturday. I spotted the airport a ways out, cut off flight following with Youngstown Approach, and continued in while descending since we were already aimed for a perfect 45-degree entry into the pattern. There was an almost-direct crosswind at about 10 knots and the treeline there made the winds a little swirly just prior to touchdown. My landing was still pretty good and we taxied down to the fuel pumps at the east end of the runway.

Salem is well-known for their restaurant... but the restaurant's only open until 2:00 pm on weekdays. I forgot to check that and our stop at SDC eliminated any chance of arriving at Salem in time to grab a bite. We landed just past 4:15 pm and were taxiing for takeoff around 4:40 pm after I had completely filled both tanks again. I checked the weather while we were on the ground and the storms I had seen on radar earlier had almost completely dissipated. While I had a feeling we still wouldn't make it all the way home in one shot, I realized we'd be getting much closer than Salem. With that knowledge in mind, we took back off and leveled off at 2,500 feet flying direct to Stewart.

Departing from Salem Airpark

A landfill that's only a few miles from Salem

Something interesting happened about 15 minutes into the flight while on flight following with Akron-Canton Approach. I was monitoring 121.5 on Com 2 and heard the distinct sound of an ELT going off. I immediately reported it to the controller who asked a few questions about the signal strength and where I started/stopped receiving it. We were just about directly over top of Beach City Airport (2D7) so I assume it was coming from an airplane hangared there, and mentioned that to him. Hopefully it was a false alarm (as ELTs usually seem to be) but calling in the report was definitely a first-time experience for me.

We continued on towards Dayton and the haze suddenly grew real thick near Millersburg, OH. Visibility probably dropped below 10 miles at that point but it was still definitely VFR. I was thinking maybe that the cold front moving in from the west somehow was stirring up the air ahead, reducing the visibility. If you're a meteorologist and that makes no sense, please let me know! :)

I called into Columbus Approach (we weren't handed off and weren't receiving VFR advisories at this point) to inquire about the darkening skies up ahead. They told me there was a line of moderate precip about 30 miles out. I knew that meant we'd be landing somewhere and I was hoping to make it to the Columbus area. At that point, even if we were stranded overnight, we'd be near family and friends and could easily get picked up and drive back to Dayton if necessary. The sky grew darker but visibility actually improved and I flew just north of CMH's Class C airspace while deciding what to do.

Within a couple minutes rain started to fall and was hitting the windshield at a decent rate. Our current position meant Ohio State University Airport was our best option and I had already checked their ATIS in preparation. I quickly called OSU Tower with information Tango and they cleared us to land on Runway 14. We were just over 5 miles out and I could still see the airport clearly through the rain so the conditions remained VFR. The winds were shifting due to the incoming storm and Tower quickly amended our landing clearance to Runway 23. That worked out perfectly and put us on a straight-in final from our current position. I touched down rather softly around 6:00 pm and we taxied to the ramp to wait out the storm.

We sat down inside the terminal and I pulled up the weather. The sky opened up a few minutes after we got inside and I was glad to be on the ground - it was pouring, which would've seriously reduced visibility in the air even though the clouds were plenty high. I had them top the plane off (it was that or pay a $10 ramp fee for less than an hour on the ground - ugh) while I continued to formulate a plan. There was another rather nasty (lots of dark red on the radar) storm cell that was moving in from Dayton and tracking almost directly east over top of I-70. After a little while it was clear we could get out, fly south for a while, then turn west and head direct to Stewart. That would let us squeeze between the storms and keep us in the clear.

OSU Tower cleared us for takeoff on 27L just past 7:00 pm. I turned on course and contacted Columbus Approach for flight following and told them we'd be tracking south towards Washington Court House before turning towards Stewart in order to avoid the weather. You could see that nasty cell moving closer from the west and I was glad my plan worked. We easily kept a wide berth (10+ miles away) around the storm and remained in the clear. I flew almost directly over top of I-71 for a little while before turning due west towards Waynesville.

The storm we were avoiding - still off to the northwest

Passing south of the storm while paralleling I-71

The outlet mall in Jeffersonville

Around 15 miles out I spotted Caesar Creek Lake and was excited to see the familiar landmark - we were almost home! There was a lower cloud deck out there between Columbus and Cincinnati and we skirted along underneath while approaching the lake. It was almost as if the weather gods finally decided to smile upon us because the clouds suddenly lifted and the sun came out just as I was entering the pattern at Stewart.

I crossed midfield from the north and entered a left downwind for Runway 26. We landed around 7:45 pm and taxied over to the tiedown in the grass. Gina drove the car over to the airplane and helped unload everything while I disconnected all the electronic gadgetry and sealed the plane up. After a long three days of flying, we were home!

Tied down back on Stewart's soft grass

Obviously we got stuck on the way out and had to spend a night in PA before flying the rest of the way to NY the next morning. That right there eliminated any time savings of flying vs. driving. Yet we still proved the efficiency and time savings of GA today. Consider that we took off from Weedsport, NY around 11:30 this morning and were back at our house about 9:00 this evening - including a half hour chatting in the office at Stewart before heading home. Had we driven, including the almost two-hour visit with Chris near Rochester, it would've taken at least 12-14 hours with the necessary food and gas stops.

In the end, the whole journey was a great learning experience and it even still somehow managed to save us a bit of time. Yeah it cost an extra few hours (without the weather diversions, it would've been closer to 8.0 hours on the Hobbs instead of the 11.0 that I logged) but $300 is certainly a small price to pay for being alive and safe. Oh, and thanks to those delays and diversions I managed to hit another big milestone - I crossed 200 hours total time on that final leg from OSU back to Stewart!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File
Today's Flight: 5.2 hours
Total Time: 200.7 hours