Test Prep Flights – 3/7/2012 & 3/10/2012

Haven't really posted anything in awhile as I've been a bit busy lately and only flew twice since the 1^st of the month.

Update on the Paulding tornado, the airport opened back up on March 9^th. Flew over the area and actually did some landings yesterday at KPUJ and the destruction was amazing. I was very surprised. The tornado signatures in the forestry areas around the airport is amazing. I recommend flying over it (at a safe altitude) just to get a feel of the destruction. I wish the people at KPUJ the best of luck in rebuilding. You are in my prayers.

The past two flights I've done have been test-prep flights with the instructor. March 7th's flight we worked on slow flight, stalls, steep turns, simulated engine out, turns around a point, and soft field takeoffs and landings. Soft field takeoff from KRYY was decent, but I need to stay in the ground effect longer. The problem is that 653KB (and 707PD) are both 180HP, so they want to get off the ground much faster (and they do.) I just need to stay in ground effect a little longer so the DPE knows that I know what I'm doing. We went to a cruising altitude of 4500 feet to work on slow flight. The major issue that came with slow flight was that during transitions I was gaining a lot of altitude (enough that would make me blow my exam.) Stalls went okay, there were times that the instructor said the didn't feel the break, but I thought I did. Nevertheless, we didn't spin, so it was a good day. Next came steep turns. I hate steep turns, and even told the instructor that, in which he replied in a stern voice, “Tough, you are going to do them anyways.” Wow! Okay! I was making a small joke, but okay. Actually, they turned out okay! Was kind of slow turning into the steep turn to the left, and kind of was slow turning out of the steep turn to the right. Otherwise, not bad. Next we did a simulated engine out, which went flawlessly. My instructor said he had absolutely nothing negative to say about it. Engine Failure! Glide 68... Best landing spot... Mental Checklist – Fuel on both, Mixture Full In, Throttle Full In, Fuel Pump On, Check Mags. … Physical Checklist... Declare Emergency. In my opinion, that procedure should be flawless as it's one of the most important. So, we did Engine Failure/68Kts all the way down to 1800feet where we started ground reference maneuvers. We did turns around a point. It went okay, but kept banking over 30 degrees, and steep banks when it should be shallow. I was also getting a bit motion sick too for some reason. The reason you don't want to go over 30 degrees of bank when you are so close to the ground, is because you are closer to your stalling speed, and being close to the ground will give you less time to recover if something goes wrong. Coming back in for a landing at KRYY was a nice little challenge, as we had a pretty good crosswind. I would say it was almost at the limits of the airplane. I was full right rudder when I was coming in but she wasn't responding. We landed, but wasn't the smoothest I've ever done. All-in-all, it was a good flying day.

March 10^th, was my second day of test-prep flight. It was a bit of a windy day below 4,000, so at times it was kind of hard to keep her under control. We stayed around 3500 while doing maneuvers (wish we were higher.) We reviewed slow flight which was better than the last time. We did a simulated engine out again to 1800, which went flawlessly again. Ground reference maneuvers were turns around a point, which were better than the 7th's flight (and no motion sickness,) s-turns which were okay, the first part of the “S” was kind of messed up, but the second part was good. We decided to go over to KPUJ as KVPC was crowded, and we also wanted to see the damage done by the tornado. I wish I had taken photos, but oh well. We did a short field landing and take off which was right on the dime. Had the plane stopped before the 1,000 mark on the runway. Short field takeoffs were on the mark also. Soft field landings need a bit of work (and so do the takeoffs.) We headed back to KRYY, and did a soft field landing there also, not too bad still needs work.

So, the next plan lesson is on Wednesday. We will review slow flight, s-turns, slips to land, go arounds, soft field, and any other maneuvers if time permits. If all goes well, a stage check will be schedule with Joe or Bob (hopefully Bob, as I like Bob, he was on my stage check before my solo.) Then we will schedule a time with Hutch to go over the oral portion of the test. I was really hoping to have my exam done by the end of this month, but since I'm going away for a bit in the coming week, and then I have a bit of a schedule change at work for two weeks, it does look like April will be when I go for the exam. I'm already nervous and excited.

I have ordered and received several videos from King Flight school, and so far, I am impressed by them. I will probably consider them for when I go for my IFR training.

Happy flying!

Paulding Airport (KPUJ) Closed

Per the AJC:


"12:44 a.m.: The Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport west of Dallas is closed until further notice. Airport manager Blake Swafford told the AJC that 80 percent of the 23 aircraft at the airport were destroyed. "Basically, everything is damaged," he said."


"3:16 a.m.: The Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport is closed indefinitely after Friday night's powerful storm flipped airplanes over and destroyed the hangar, damaging at least 20 aircraft.

"Basically, everything is damaged," Blake Swafford, the airport's director, told the AJC early Saturday.


Rain continued to fall as Swafford described the extensive damage to the airport, located near Dallas, 30 miles northwest of Atlanta. The overturned planes caused hundreds of gallons of fuel to leak, and firefighters were expected to remain on the scene overnight to apply foam to the area, MaryAnn Phipps with the Paulding County Fire Department said.


Debris was strewn along the main airport road late Friday night, with some metal hanging from trees. The entrance into the airport was blocked due to the potential safety hazards.
In addition to the fuel spill, electrical wiring was left exposed after the storm, also posing a safety risk, Swafford said. The airport will be closed until further notice, but the runway is open in the event an emergency landing is needed, he said.


Out of the 23 airplanes parked at the airfield, Swafford said at least 20 were damaged.


"If we're able to save three or four airplanes, we'll be fortunate," Swafford said.


The airport, the first to open in Georgia in more than 30 years, opened in November 2008 and was still a work in progress. Massive rebuilding will likely be required, Swafford said.


The storm damage comes just nine days after a hangar under construction at the airport collapsed. Christopher Mathis, 30, of Valdosta, died Monday from injuries sustained in the hangar collapse, Paulding County deputy coroner Karen Robinson told the AJC earlier this week.


Officials planned to assess the damage at the airport Saturday morning in the daylight."



When I called the AWOS Hotline for Paulding early this morning, there was no answer from the automated weather station. DUAT is reporting KPUJ Aerodrome is closed. No reports of damage from KRYY. There was a possible tornado (per indications from Radar) about 1 mile north of me in Marietta. No damage here at my place, but I can tell you, that when the possible tornado was in my area, it got very quiet outside, kind of spooky.

Long Solo Cross Country – 3/1/2012

Well, after many delays due to weather, I was finally able to finish my solo cross country work. Thursday was a fun flying day. The weather started off kind of nasty, didn't think I was able to go up, but was able to.

If you've ever seen the movie “Airplane,” and know the line “I picked the wrong day to quit smoking.” Well, today would have been “I picked the wrong day not to take Dramamine.” I should note, that I don't take Dramamine before I fly. If you had a weak stomach Thursday, wasn't the day for you to go up.

Thursday I took 707PD up for a spin for my long solo cross country, which had to be at least 150 miles, with at least three stops, one had to be at an airport with a control tower. Took off from runway 28 at KRYY, had to extend my upwind for about 3 miles but was able to bank right and head on my course and go to my cruising altitude of 5,500. When I called the Flight Service, and when I opened my flight plan with the Macon Flight Service Station, I was warn of moderate turbulence below 8,500 feet. They weren't stretching the truth!

As I passed over Allatonna Lake, the plane was bouncing around lightly, nothing too major. As I got closer to my cruising altitude it got rougher and rougher. As I passed “Alert Area A-585” near Sugar Hill, I started to experience Moderate to at some points Severe Turbulence. At one I actually left off my seat a bit before the seatbelt locked, my feet came off the rudder pedals, and I felt my bum lift off the seat. It was rough. A good challenge though. It's weird that in a way, I enjoy turbulence, but I respect it. When I start IFR training I will have to see how much I like it then with my “Foggles” on. When I passed West of Blairsville Airport (KDZJ) the turbulence let up. Had a successful and quite smooth landing at KRHP (Western Carolina/Andrews, NC Airport.) Since taxiway Alpha 1 is still closed, I had to make the announcement on the radio that I was taking to the active runway, and will do a 180.

Took off from KRHP for a cruising altitude of 6.500 heading to Pickens County (KJZP.) Never been to KJZP before, so it was a nice change and something different too. Flying there wasn't as bumpy as going from KRYY to KRHP, but there were times that it go bumpy. Had a bit of a tricky landing on runway 34, as the crosswind was very close to the maximum demonstrated for my Cessna. I had lined up for the center line on the runway, but due to the strong crosswind, I was a little off by the time I landed. Nevertheless, all three wheels touched the ground safely, and taxied back to the start of runway 34 to head back to KRYY.

It was time for me to head back to KRYY, so took off from runway 34, and went to a cruising altitude of 4,500 feet. Again, not much turbulence, but there was some. When I took off from KRYY earlier in the day, the METAR for KRYY at 1646 Zulu was winds 280 @ 6knots. By the time I was flying back, winds were coming straight down the runway at 290 but at 12 knots with gust up to 23. Now, the good news of it all was that it was pretty much down the runway so I didn't have to deal with crosswinds, but the (potential) problem was the gust. At one point during the landing portion, I felt the plane losing altitude too fast, and was able to give it some power before a problem were to occur. Well, I used the winds to my advantage to kill some of my speed and aerodynamic breaking on the runway, so I was actually able to exit off Alpha 4 instead of the usual Alpha 3. Nevertheless, landed safely and that ended my trip for the day. 

So, since all my cross-country solo work is done, and I've finished the 10 hours of solo flying needed; it's now time for me to get ready for my check-ride with the FAA Examiner and the Oral portion of the test. On Tuesday (weather permitting) I'm going to do some solo work, and on Wednesday my instructor and I are going to go up and will be doing the maneuvers that I will have to do for the Examiner.

Below is the route that I took for my Long Solo Cross Country (KRYY-KRHP-KJZP-KRYY.) Map provided by Skyvector (Click on link for bigger picture, and to take a look at the site!)

Here are two Pilot reports (translated for Non-Pilots) that were reported by other pilots in the area I was flying in on Thursday:

PIREP – 3/1/12 – Flight Level 7,500, Type BE36 (Beechcraft Bonanza 36,) Turbulence Moderate to Severe

PIREP – 3/1/12 – Flight Level 7,000. Type C25B (Cessna 525B Jet... interesting note, I actually saw this guy when I was flying to KJZP,) Turbulence Continuous Moderate to Severe Chop

Interesting note about today's (Friday 3/2/2012) weather. The Storm Prediction Center has placed us under a Tornado Watch until 12AM Saturday. Yesterday (Thursday 3/1/2012) I turned on my AC for the first time this year, and today it's still on. As of this writing (6PM on 3/2/2012) it's 76 with a heat index of 78. Today's high was 76, and yesterday it was 77.

The two maps below are from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City for the severe weather tonight (Firday 3/2/2012)

The map below is from the National Weather Service Website. Yellow is current Tornado Watches, and Red is current Tornado Warnings.

Below are the prediction maps from the Storm Prediction Center

Keep ya seat belts on, it will be a bumpy right tonight in the sky and on the ground!

London to Brighton in Three-and-a-Half Minutes

I love this video, if I ever got the "NFlightcam Plus" camera, I want to make my own version (but with a Cessna of course) with some of my favorite flights.

Why I Didn't Fly Today...

Here is why I didn't fly today, these are the METARs from KRYY (Cobb County, base airport) KRHP (solo cross-country airport,) and KAHN (secondary solo cross country airport):

KRYY

11AM - Winds 220 @ 11 Gusting up to 18
12PM - Winds 220 @ 12 Gusting up to 20 ... Winds vary between 170 and 250
1PM - Winds 200 @ 14 Gusting up to 22
2PM - Winds 220 @ 14 Gusting up to 24... Winds vary between 170 and 250
3PM - Winds 210 @ 14 Gusting up to 26... Winds vary between 170 and 250
4PM - Winds 210 @ 13 Gusting up to 25... Winds vary between 180 and 270

KRHP

11AM - Winds 240 @ 10 Gusting up to 15
12PM - Winds 220 @ 13 Gusitng up to 17
1PM - Winds 240 @ 15 Gusting up to 20
2PM - Winds 220 @ 10 Gusting up to 25
3PM - Winds 230 @ 17 Gusting up to 24
4PM - Winds 220 @ 12 Gusting up to 23

KAHN

11AM - Winds 240 @ 11 Gusting up to 21
12PM - Winds 240 @ 11 Gusting up to 17
1PM - Winds 230 @ 10 Gusting up to 24
2PM - Winds 220 @ 12 Gusting up to 26
3PM - Winds 210 @ 12 Gusting up to 26.

PIREP

PIREP 22:19Z 02/23/12
RYY UUA /OV KRYY/TM 2219/FL004/TP BE40/RM LLWS +20KT 400 AGL FAP RWY 27

So, never the less, it would've been a very bouncy day up there today. Tomorrow and Saturday looks like a no-go also due to winds and weather. Will keep ya posted. Hold on to your hats out there!

Possible Grounding?

Well, with this being a 3-day weekend (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,) I was really hoping to get some flying in. I was hoping to finish up my long solo cross-country, and start preparing for my check-ride.

Right now, looking at the weather forecast for KRYY the next several days, looks like I’m ground on all three due to winds (and some weather):

Thursday – Fog before 7AM, cloudy otherwise then gradually becoming mostly sunny. Winds Southwest at 5-15 with gusts up to 20.

Friday – Chance of showers and storms before 1PM, then mostly cloudy. Winds West around 10 with gust 20.

Saturday – Sunny. Winds Northwest between 15-25 with gust as high as 35.

The thing that seems to be grounding me is the winds. Have student solo restrictions on me of Winds up to 10, and crosswinds of 7.

Also, for today (Thursday) when I would be doing my cross country solo work the winds at the levels I would be flying would be: 6,000 feet – 260 @ 38knots 9,000 feet – 260 @ 51knots

I’m still planning on going to the flight school at 10AM today and just seeing at that time what it looks like, but more than likely, no-go for this weekend at all.

As we all know with weather, it can change in a heartbeat.

A Flight To The Mountains – 2/17/2012

Well, a couple of things have happened since my last post. On 2/16/2012 (Thursday) I went into the flight school to take a pre-test for the Written, and passed it. While talking to the dispatcher about it, and my high test anxiety, I decided to go ahead and take the test that day. At 12:05PM, the test begun. Now mind you, that I have one of the worst test anxieties out there. I've actually lost sleep over this test, I'm more of a projects person, hands on. Give me a project, or something that I can use my hands, and I'll pass it with flying colors. Well, as I mentioned, I did take the test, and PASSED! I didn't get the high score that I wanted, but the main thing is that I passed. I didn't pass on the low end of the scale, so that made it a tad bit better. I just wonder how the examiner will take it during the Oral part of the test. The main thing is, I PASSED! We'll cross the Oral part of the test when we get there, taking a small break this weekend from studying, but will continue to study, now for the oral, starting on Monday.

Thursday was a bad day to fly anyways, it was raining, and pretty heavy at times. So, it was a good day to take the test. On Friday, it was a different story...

Friday, was beautiful. Sunny and warm. It was the perfect definition of flying weather. Winds were out of the north at around 5 or so. And I had scheduled to go up at around 10AM to do a cross-country. Well, an unexpected appointment came up at 11:15AM, so I couldn't do my cross-country at 10AM, so I moved it to 12:30PM. As the Pilot-In-Charge, that was a great decision, the location I was going to, was socked in with fog. They were reporting Fog, with overcast clouds at 100 feet, and ground visibility at ¼ Statute miles. But as the morning went on, the fog started to burn off, and by the time I was getting ready for my flight, they were reporting winds at 230 @ 5, and clear skies! Off to the Mountains of North Carolina, Off to Western Carolina Regional (KRHP)!

Took good ol' 653KB up to about 5,500 feet. Flew over Allatonna Lake, which was very blue. Flew just east of Canton, and right over Nelson, GA, heading for the mountains. As I started to get close and over the mountains, the turbulence started to pick up. I would say it was Light Chop with moments of moderate turbulence. This mainly happened over “Alert Area A-685,” which is a 25 mile military zone. The highest mountain in that area is 3,767 feet, so I still had plenty of room. Passed three miles west of Blairsville, and off my nose at 12 o'clock was KRHP. KRHP is in a valley between 3 mountains ranging in 5,000 feet range. The airport is located at 1,697 feet. So as you are going through the valley, there are 5,000 feet mountain ranges around you. The real butt clincher is when you are turning from base to final onto runway 26, all you see through your windscreen is mountain. You are very close to a mountain. Landed safely at KRHP, and decided to take a break... my bladder was full. So, while I was out, took a couple snapshots, which are below.

Headed back into KB, and taxied to the runway. Unfortunately, a majority of their taxiways are closed, so I had to announce, and made sure any incoming aircraft knew, that I was going to take to the runway, and taxi to the end of it, do a 180, and take off from there. I wasn't planning on doing a short-field take off, especially with those mountains around, I wasn't going to take a chance.

Took off from KRHP with no issue, and was heading for an altitude of 6,500 feet. While cursing at 6,000 still climbing, I had my left hand on the yoke, my paperwork and maps on my lap, and my right hand on the throttle, about to power down... when all of the sudden, I felt something on my left arm. Knowing that I'm at around 6,000 feet, and knew there shouldn't be anything on my arm, I looked down, and there was a big wasp on my arm. Not knowing if I'm allergic to bee/wasp stings, I decided to do what any pilot would do... fly the plane. In the mean time, I leveled off, took the map, and swatted him like a baseball! Luckily he didn't sting me, because if he did, I would of more than likely had to land at Blairsville (KDZJ) or fly an additional 25 miles before I got to Pickens (KJZR) for safety. I can just hear me talking to Atlanta Center, with all the professional airline pilots on the same frequency, and telling them my intentions due to a wasp sting... embarrassing! Main thing is, it didn't sting me.

Landed safely back at KRYY, and that ended my flying adventure for Friday!

On Tuesday, I'm planning to go up, and do some practice with Steep Turns and more landing practices. Steep turns make me nauseous, so I need to get my body use to it. You try and do a 360, at around 2500 feet while at a 45 degree bank and see what happens to you. On Thursday, I'm planning on doing my “Long Cross-country,” which will take me from KRYY to KRHP (Western Regional) to KJZR (Pickens) back to KRYY.

Enjoy the photos below... See ya in the skies!

 653KB chillin' out at KRHP

TSA Security at KRHP... KITTY KITTY KITTY!

The FBO at KRHP 

Looking towards the South/Southwest. Have to fly over those mountains to get back to KRYY

Looking towards the South/Southesast.