Redbird FMX Cessna 182 Garmin G1000 Panel

 

Plastic overlays with the knobs fit over the screen so the pilot can actually turn the knob, press the button and change the display so the avionics work exactly like they would with a real G1000.

Redbird FMX Cirrus SR22 Anidyne Panel- Comes with sidestick

Oshkosh-Finally There!

We left BKL in great weather, clear skies but the visibility was restricted to 4 miles in fog and mist. We filed to Rockford ILL and made a STMP reservation from RFD to OSH leaving at 1300 Local.

My strategy for filing to RFD rather than OSH was I didn’t want to get the tour of southwestern Illinois that Chicago Center gives to IFR AirVenture inbounds. We had done this once a few years back where we filed to Gary Indiana which put us at the bottom of Lake Michigan so they couldn’t dick us around too much with a routing because GYY is inside the Chicago Bravo.

Well as typical we get cleared as filed only to have Fort Wayne approach give us the '58V we have new full route clearance advise when ready to copy' routine.

Sure enough we get the approved routing south to Peotone Kankakee around the bottom of the airspace and 50 miles west of Chicago before we could head on up into RFD.

We had been looking at the weather up by OSH and saw that there was a 300 mile long area of heavy rain that was moving southeastward and looked like it was going to cross the field. I called Flight Watch and they confirmed what we were seeing and also told us that there was a convective sigmet associated with the system we were looking at.

I had Judy program direct Oshkosh into the Garmin 396 to determine how long it would take to get there and whether, from our present position, would we have enough fuel to make it there with legal IFR reserves. Our thoughts were that if we stopped in RFD we would probably be spending the night there as the storm we were watching was expected to linger on for the balance of the day.

My strategy at that point was to see first if we had the fuel, then if we did, see if we could cajole ATC into changing our destination to OSH. We appeared to have the fuel and reserves if we were cleared direct but the preferred IFR routing during the show has you go to Janesville WI, Madison then V9 into Wittman Regional.

That would probably be too much out of the way to have legal reserves and with the XM showing light green returns already encroaching on the edge of the OSH delta airspace my thinking was see if we could keep the IFR but if the clearance was onerous cancel and go VFR where there were numerous other airports on the way in there we could duck into if the weather turned bad.

We were told to contact Rockford Approach and on the initial call up the controller told us to descend to 4000 and expect the visual for RWY 29 at RFD. I started down and a few minutes later called him back. ‘Rockford approach Mooney 58 Victor question?’ is how I started the dialog. On my next transmission I told him that we were bound to OSH and believed that if we landed at RFD we would be stuck there for the balance of the day. I said we’d like to continue IFR but if we couldn’t-we were prepared to go VFR. But since we had come all the way from Connecticut, and were unfamiliar, we’d appreciate staying IFR.

The controller comes back and asks if we had a STMP slot and I tell him we did but it was out of RFD rather than BKL and,  oh by the way, it was for an hour later than the present time. He asks for the number and then tells me to stand by.

Meanwhile I have Judy pull the notam out and program the Garmin 396 to direct  RIPON FISKE for the VFR arrival. Judy starts briefing me on the VFR arrival when Rockford calls us back with a Cleared Direct Oshkosh maintain 4000.

Unbelieving our good fortune we set direct OSH into the KLN89B and start watching the time remaining on the FS450 Fuel Flow computer and comparing it with the GPS ETE information. Sure enough we had 30 minutes left to the airport and an hour and 40 minutes of fuel left. All we had to worry about was beating the storm to the airport.

Minny center tells us to expect the GPS Rwy 36 approach and we spot the field from 10 out and are cleared to land on the ‘Orange dot’

We taxi around the airport and go to the north 40 where we are sent to row 502 which is the second row in the campground. The sky opened up as we set up camp but in our relief of getting there we hardly notice. Oshkosh year 9 starts right now.

Cleveland Redux

We never made it out of Cleveland. The weather did lift but the TFR kept us on the ground. We killed time at the Hotel, Great Lakes Science Center, Women in Aviation Museum and hanging by the FBO. We saw Obama's press plane land and the busses come and get the people off it. We met some Secret Service guys and chatted with them a bit and all the flight crews that were hanging out waiting for the TFR to go away. At 5PM we checked the radar and there was all sorts of red and yellow returns across out route of flight so we're here for the night. This time the FBO got us a great rate at the doubletree downtown for $79 a night. we'll try again tomorrow which is supposed to be better weather

Cleveland

We stopped here yesterday on our way to Oshkosh and the weather this morning is pretty low. After we left the airport we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where Bruce Springsteen was the featurehaving the top two floors of the museum. It was $22 a man to get in so it was steep for the two hours we killed. We stayed at the Raddison downtown and went out to dinner at Mortons where they had a summer of 69 dinner which was a app entree, side and deset for two for $69. Judy had Salmon and I had Filet. We have to leave here by 11:55 or get stuck here until 5PM for a presidential TFR. Too low to go now as BKL hasn't lifted to circiling minimums yet.

Airventure 2009 Trip

We left at 10AM into 1300 over and 6 miles filed for Clevelands Burke Lakefront. We were given 8000 and a victor airway routing. When we were handed off to Wilke Barre approach the controller called and advised us of a new clearance and asked if I was ready to copy. I grabbed a pen and some fresh paper and called ready to copy. It was simple, direct Talli, Direct Burke Lakefront. Hardly need a pen since we were going to Talli anyway. Outside Youngstown Ohio we saw that the weather was decaying ahead of us and briefly thougt about diverting to Youngstown. We continued on and were told to expect the visual at BKL. We diverted aound some heavy rain only catching the edge of it when the controller came on and advised we'd be getting the ILS approach. We landed around 2PM ate lunch looked at the radar and called it a day.

First Flight Trip

I felt bad for Judy when my Sun and Fun trip cancelled.

 

She had taken the week off so we could make it to Lakeland after being absent since 06. When I told her that I had a student who wanted to make the trip she cancelled the time off saying it would be better for me to make money on the trip than spend the $800 to $1000 a light aiplane trip to florida and back would cost. 

 

Because she submits her vacation schedule in January by April it is set in stone so chances are she'll lose the time. 

 

Anyway the weather was pristine and I had a pile of NOS Charts that were going to expire on May 5th so she bagged out of work at 1PM last Friday and we flew to the outer banks. Dare County Regional in Manteo NC.

We stayed at the Days Inn Orville and Wilbur on the beach and 1 block east of Wright Brothers National Park

It was a  whirl wind of a trip departed DXR @ 330EDT  IFR -JFK V1 ORF and got cleared direct about 3/4 of the way down the Delmarva Peninsula

That put  us about 10 miles off shore past Norfolk and Oceana Naval Air Station where the demeanor of the military controllers reminds you that there is a couple of wars going on (that and the complete absence of any navy vessels in Norfolk harbor)

Landed at 6, rental car, check in, dinner, sleep, sunrise beach walk, breakfast, wright brothers, lunch...back to the airport at 2pm and IFR filed to Oxford, home drinking vino by 5.

Vacation concentrate

2.5 hours down 2.3 back.

That's what its about, It don't get any better than that. 

Sun and Fun 2009; Not to be,

Two years running Ive tried to get to the Sun and Fun. Last year it was mechanical, this year weather.

Sun and Fun 09-Scheduling the Trip

21^st is a Tuesday and the show runs to the next Sunday. We should plan a sliding window that starts a few days before and plan on leaving before the final weekend.

Ideally we don’t want to fly on the weekend unless weather dictates otherwise. Mechanics\parts\overnight delivery  are generally unavailable on the weekend.

So if it were me and Judy going and she was asking for time off from work I’d tell her to take off Friday the 17^th to the 26^th.  Looking at the weather starting on the 15^th we’d make our departure time based on when the best weather window  and plan it so we’d have two good flying days in a row or starting on one day and flying until we encroach on bad weather then set down and depart after the weather clears.

As this is a southwesterly trip, it’s unlikely that we’ll have to split it into multiple days, you can fly a light airplane from DXR to LAL in a day and I’ve done it multiple times. Bruce Lansburg has an article in this or last month’s AOPA Pilot where he goes into this weather window concept.  I read it and realized that what he was talking about was something that I have been doing for years.

We were at the Sun and Fun one year and Ann R flew down with a student. She was the newly minted Chief Flight Instructor at Danbury Flight School and had arrived in 2149F. She was heading back and I looked at the weather with her. The weather was miserable all the way up the coast and the aircraft was incapable of IFR flight. She was pressing to get out of there and I remember telling her to wait two more days when the weather was forecast to be clear for the entire route.

I said Jeez Ann, your camping spot is paid for here at the show, we’re all having fun, and it look like with the weather and a VFR only airplane it was likely to take you three days to get home. Why don’t you stay another two days and fly it in one?   I remember her anxiously telling me that I didn’t ‘get it’, she was the chief flight instructor and had to get back because the plane was rented on Saturday , she had a roster full of students and after all she was the Chief Flight Instructor.  

I said well then we’ll see you in DXR and they blasted off. They made it to Virginia in a day and had to spend the night in a hotel. Then they blasted off from there and made it to MD or South Jersey and spent the day and a night there.

They made it in for mid afternoon on Saturday. On the other hand we blasted out of LAL on Saturday AM and made it in a few hours after she did, only because at the time I would only fly 2.5 hour legs so we stopped twice on the way home. Today I make that trip with one stop (fuel flow computer and GPS).

So unless the weather is absolutely horrible -if you allow for the entire week and plan on two days at the show (it ain’t Oshkosh you can see it in a day) you should be good.

First Impressions - Aspen PFD equipped Archer 3

Scott spung for a Aspen PFD. Lanmar Avionics in Groton (GON) installed it in his Cherokee and we flew out in the Mooney yesterday to take delivery of his airplane after the modifications. He also had them dial in his Autopilot and add  the WAAS options on his Garmin 430's so it was a great deal of work. This is on top of the Mode S transponder and traffic and terrain he had installed last time.

 

First impression - its bigger than I thought. It sticks out from the panel about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. There is also a big honking EFIS Master switch that fills the hole where his ST-180 controls were. I don't know if this is a mandated switch type or if it is a Lanmar thing. The switch is huge. I'm wondering where it would go on my Mooney.

 

The plan was to fly around the the patch a few times at 2000 so if anyting was remiss we could decend to pattern altitude and make a normal approach and landing.

 

It seemed to have a nose high pitch with about a 3 to 5 degree up indication. We took off with that and compensated for the new picture. After a couple of tracks around the pattern we loaded the GPS 5 approach into the Garmin and let the autopilot fly the approach.

 

The approach overlay was immediately depicted on the Aspen. The display was a little small for me but the horizon and hsi were big enough to be confident controlling the aircraft in clouds from the right seat. I'm sure if I was sitting directly in front of it the size would be appropriate. I'm actually wondering if that feature is pilot definable. 

 

We selected Mondi as the Initial Approach Fix and the Stec 55X flew the plane there. We were coming from the opposite side and the garmin depicted a teardrop entry to the procedure turn/hold. We intervened and disconnected the AP when it tooks us to far east of course and reengaged it when we were established again on our way inbound.

 

The GPS 5 in GON is a LPV approach so the glideslope came alive outside of the intercept point and was centered when we encountered the FAF @ Pinet. We engaged the ALT and VS modes of the Stec and the autopilot flew us down the glideslope better than we could have done it ourselves.

 

Scott circled  at 1000 and we landed on 23. They adjusted the nose up poition a bit as his instrument panel was not completely square to the datum.

 

I'll write more about this as we have an opportunity to fly it more. Scott wants to take it to Sun and Fun but Judy wants me to fly 58V down and camp so...

 

Christy at Microsoft asked me to take some pictures of the flight. All I had was the camera in my blackberry. I posted these to a photo gallery  

Aspen PFD or Garmin 430W or ATP Rating

I was sitting around wondering what I would do if I found myslef with an extra 15K to spend on aviation. I often wonder about such things, it seems every two years though I do something about it.

I really would like an HSI in 58V. A KCS 55A HSI used is around 8K and figure another 4 or so to put it in. When Aspen released their PFD that capability comes in a Glass Primary Flgiht Display along with a glass attitude gyro for 12K.

But 58V doesnt have WAAS and its all the rage. The LPV approach while not so prevalent in the New England Region has surpassed the wauntity of ILS approaces in the US already so here it comes.

A new Garmin 430W solves that but they run around 13K installed. I could probably get some money off for trading in one of my KX155's and KI209 Indicator as well as my KLN 89B and its KI209A indicator.

Which one makes the airplane worth more? Neither to anyone other than me I suspect.

The ratings are a different story. They don't sell with the airplane and 15K will pay for a lot of avgas and instructor time. Schools like AllATPS will do the ME MEII dor about 7 grand the ATP for a few more.

Good thing I dont have that kind of money or I'd be real confused

Our First Airplane - Tigra

Building time came slowly with my first solo on 4/1/1986. I passed my Private Pilot Practical exam on 9/9/1987 two days after my 27^th birthday.

We  rented planes and I was working on my Instrument rating,  flying at Oxford Airport doing a trade off with the flight school writing them a point of sale application for their computer systems in exchange for money on account to rent their airplanes and pay instructors with.  The owner of the flight school reneged on our deal once the system was delivered and it was time to start doing the flying.  It was at that point I vowed to Judy I would never kiss anyone’s ass again to fly. I started looking at trade-a-plane and decided on a Grumman Tiger. We purchased a 1977 Grumman Tiger AA5B in April 1989 2 months after my deal fell through.

I flew commercial to Orlando with my instructor Dan to pick up the plane which I purchased from a broker in Ocala. A friend from High School picked us up @MCO  and drove us to Ocala so we could pick up the Tiger and fly it back to Danbury.

We flew the tiger home over two days since it had some issues with pitch trim that we had to stop in Keystone Heights Florida for better than a half day having them fix it.

28331 was in reasonably good shape but had poor radios and an engine that needed a top overhaul  and all new hoses at our first annual. It had a new paint job but required a new oil cooler, windshield, brake cylinders, prior to that and we were crushed by the maintenance and tie down as well as the loan payment. Nonetheless we flew ‘Tigra’ 125 times in the 21 months she was ‘ours’ including a trip to Detroit Metro in 1989 and Sun and Fun in 1990

The Tiger was sold in January of 1991 to a guy based out of Stowe Mass who still owns it today. She now lives in Florida.