Danbury Based Pilots and their Traffic Patterns

Since we opened Motion Simulations in June I've had the opportunity to fly with people who have flown or driven in from a distance, but the majority of the pilots are based /fly out of Danbury. You can spot it in a minute when landing at airports without obstructions. They all tend to do the same thing stay high until short final and then drop in, whereas someone else tends to fly a normal approach. Just an observation

You can always tell a DXR Pilot by how they fly in the traffic pattern. The first time I realized this was in 2003 when I went down to Beaufort SC to train at Doug Carmody's Executive Flight Training. My objective was to get my commercial and CFI ratings and do the training and check rides in a work week. 

We flew several times a day and both Doug and the examiner commented about how I was still at 900 feet on 3/4 mile final and how difficult it was making my accuracy landings. I had to explain to them about the terrain surrounding my home airport and how the "normal flatter" approach doesn't work out as well when you have hills surrounding three sides of the field.  They explained to me about excuses that I was making them.

The TSA's potential to revive General Aviation

was concerned when I started hearing the entire hullabaloo surrounding the new enhanced security screening measures being implemented throughout the US this Thanksgiving. I had witnessed these machines in action out in Phoenix three years ago when they were initially testing the technology.

If you’ve followed the news about this program you already understand the TSA’s believes that this technology will help them differentiate which among us is travelling on vacation/business or is a terrorist with nefarious intent.   

But let’s say you haven’t heard any of this? Seems that the backscatter radiation scanner gives the TSA the XRAY SPECS we used to see advertised in the backs of comic books growing up. Essentially it allows security personnel to see right through our clothes.  Undoubtedly the public’s reaction suggests that most folks have seen the images produced by this equipment. Supplied by the TSA the released pictures depict people who have concealed weaponry under their clothing. They’re detailed too; with nothing left to the imagination-all the splendor of the naked human form displayed to an anonymous security officer behind a screen somewhere.

Fortunately, we’ve been informed that people’s faces and ‘the details’ are blurred making them undistinguishable so it’s highly unlikely your airport nudes will sold on the internet along with Paris Hilton or Pamela Anderson’s movies.  

About the outcry, well it turns out most folks are rightly horrified about choosing between a virtual strip search or a rubdown of their intimates by security personnel and paying for the privilege. Air Travel now has all the panache of checking into jail through central booking. Stranger still is that the industry and the government never anticipated their customers/citizens lack of enthusiasm about the proposition. I mean everyone wants to feel safe when they travel, right?  

Well may I suggest how to avoid the whole mess; get you where you need to go, all the while keeping your dignity intact?  How about General Aviation?  I’ve been in many airports around the country and have yet to see a Signature Flight, Landmark Aviation or Jet Center that consistently had a metal detector in use nonetheless the new “advanced, make you naked, in front of former Argenbright temp’s”  scanning equipment.  Plus you’ll never been touched anywhere by anyone in a FBO except your wallet.

If you’re reading this you likely have a pilot’s license or are on the journey to acquire one.  That being the case, fly yourself if you can. Leave some leeway in your vacation plans to make the use of a light airplane a reasonable expectation. Set aside a few days on the front and back of the trip to allow for flyable weather. If you absolutely have to be there call one of the charter operations at your local airport. If you’ve got a few people going chances are the cost will be close to what several airline tickets,  and lost time saved is considered. Parking is usually free, you can bring as many bags as you can carry and the people in the FBO’s usually are pleasant and generally happy to have your business.   

The fashion industry rightly understands that past our 20’s a large majority of us look less than ideal without clothes on. If you’ve ever ventured on to a nude beach you quickly realize that it’s always a better idea on paper.   

If that none of this works for you then try flying out of smaller airports. I don’t know for sure but I doubt that White Plains has this equipment yet and once you’re in the system it’s unlikely you’ll have to clear security again.  

Safe travels and Happy Holidays

Sean 

NYC VFR Corridor

Taking visiting friends and relatives "On the tour" down the Hudson River

One of the more pleasant benefits of being a pilot in the metro NY area is taking out of town visitors on the VFR corridor 'tour' of NY City. I had the opportunity to do this last week when our friends Ed and Stacey from Ottawa came south on a shopping spree at Woodbury Commons. Judy and I have known them for about five years now having met while camping in the north 40 at Oshkosh. They're both in the Military in their day jobs and they pilot a 1965 C Model Mooney in their off time. Seems they drive to the Outlet Mall a couple times a year and realized it's less than an hour away from us. I got an email from Ed saying they had planned to make the trip this past weekend so I suggestedThat we do some flying while they were in town.

I wanted Ed to experience the Redbird simulator as well as take them on the NYC corridor flight so I asked them to meet me in the office where we could decide on whether we'd Sim first then fly

They showed up at Motion Sim at 1pm and we briefed the flight. We'd depart DXR to the west and contact New York Approach when we cleared the Danbury Class Delta. Once in contact with New York we would ask for 'the tour' down the Hudson at 2000. I've been doing the corridor this way since 2005 long before the special procedures took effect. I've always felt it was better to 'enter the bravo' and be in radar contact rather than transmitting my intentions on a common traffic advisory frequency. It's a pretty busy place and if the arrivals into LGA are using the River Visual 13 spotting traffic can be as much fun as looking at the skyline. That approach has traffic opposite direction at 2500 as you transition down the river at 2000.

We took off Runway 8 on the half hour into a phalanx of arriving and departing traffic. As I turned crosswind we observed a previously unannounced v35 Bonanza entering the low downwind so I delayed my turn westbound and kept the climb aggressive to 2500. Ed commented to me how 'back home' Mr. Bonanza would be getting the 'call the tower' radio exchange and I agreed.

We called New York on 120.8 told him our intentions and got a squawk code.

Once in Radar contact we were cleared into the bravo at 2000 and told to fly direct to the western side of the Tappan Z Bridge. Clearing the bridge they stepped us down to 1500 until we hit the GW Bridge where they climbed us back to 2000 and were handed off to LaGuardia tower. LGA tower handed us to Newark Tower who had us descend pilot's discretion to 'circle the lady' at 1500.

Newark asked us our intentions after we were done and I replied  heading back to Danbury. I asked him for " East River,  Roosevelt Island,  Tower Cab,  South Stanchion Throg's Neck,  Direct". This is a cool route and I always ask for it because you get to see the entire island. He told me to make the request with the next controller and handed me back to LGA tower.

I knew we weren't going to get the east river because we were already northbound on the Hudson so I asked for 'Central Park, Tower Cab, South Stanchion Throgs Neck and out'  I don't know whether it was because of the weekend or what but the controller told me that they haven't been routing fixed wings 'over the top' anymore. I said since when he and said a year, Now I know I've done this several times in the past year so I'm figuring that because it was a weekend and a pristine VFR day they likely were telling me that.

Ed and Stacy didn't mind getting half the show so we headed up the Hudson until the Tappan Z and then climbed into the bravo to 3500 and were cleared direct to Danbury. We landed with 1.3 hours total time and our friends got a great circle line tour of New York City. Stacey was the photographer and she emailed me the full size pictures and I've posted them here on my blog.

If you haven't taken the tour in a while I suggest you go out and do it again soon. It is one of the freedom's we take for granted in this country and it isn't that far out of my imagination that we could lose that privilege in a New York minute. I got to land at Meigs field the year before Mayor Daley bulldozed it and I have wonderful pictures and great memories of flying Mooney 58V into Washington National and having lunch on the Mall and Dinner back in Danbury.

If you're uncomfortable flying in busy  airspace give us a call. We'd be happy to take you down there and bring you up to speed.

ATP Rating and Remembering Old Things

I started training for the ATP license at Action Multi Ratings in Groton last week. Action has been around for a long time and a lot of folks have gone through their program to get their Multi Rating, MEI or ATP.  My classes started on Monday 10/25 at eight in the morning. I drove to Groton rather than flying the Mooney as I was concerned that frost might keep me on the ground in Danbury until after my start time which my instructor at Action was emphatic that I keep else I forfeit my slot and the deposit money that I had sent in a couple weeks earlier.

Action runs a tight program with two 1970’s vintage Piper Seneca 200’s. I received a package from them in overnight mail a week prior to attending. The Package contained a Seneca POH and about thirty pages of dual sided material that included policies, driving and flying directions, hotels and the course requirements. A long paragraph outlined the commitment required to participate in the class which included reviewing all of the material, being instrument proficient, and memorizing the procedures to execute the flight maneuvers.  The course requirements included a four page written test to be completed prior to arrival.

The instructor called me at home on Sunday afternoon and asked me to push my start time back to 9:30 which I was more than glad to do as it gave me an extra hour and a half to sleep and drive there.

I arrived at 9:30 and we spent the next few hours checking in photocopying my credentials and going over my written test and discussing what we would be attempting to accomplish over the next 3 days.

My CFII had a student who had a check ride scheduled for shortly after my arrival and he had to take the candidate up for a review flight prior to the test. He had me review some of the ground material while he was out flying and once he was done we went out to meet the airplane I was going to be spending 12 hours in.

N41382 is a 1974 Piper Seneca that has been training Multi Engine pilots for what looked like a very long time. The paint and interior were Spartan and the avionics included two KX170B Nav/Comms a non-functional ADF and a KMA20 autopilot. My first flight was an hour and a half and from the second I sat down in the left seat it was all preparation for the check ride. Ryan was emphatic that the examiner would be looking to see things done in a particular manner and accepted nothing other than certain procedures. From startup to shutdown the checklist was to be used and the sequence followed. Normally I use CGLUMPS rather than the traditional GUMP check and do that for every phase of flight. This was strongly discouraged. At Action the process is king and their success rate is based upon it.  The flight starts with a normal takeoff and appropriate noise abatement. At 400’ the power reduced to 24”/2400 until 1000 when it is set at 20”/2400 and climb to assigned altitude (3000) is at 120.

Once out of the airport traffic area we transitioned into steep turns to the left and to the right immediately after two ninety degree clearing turns. I love steep turns and feel that they, followed by slow flight are the best indicators of how a particular airplane if going to handle. The Seneca tracked through the turns as if it was on rails and after the first day I never got the second 360 in as the engine had a nasty habit of quitting about 270 degrees through the turn. The fuel would be turned off on one engine so working through the engine failure checklist always resulted in a restart.

From steep turns we then setup for slow flight, into landing and departure stalls, then the VMC demonstration. Vectors for the ILS 5 followed and turning onto the localizer results in an engine failure two miles from the final approach fix. The approach is flown single engine and at 250’ Ryan calls the lights allowing us to descend to 108 feet. After reaching that he says nothing so we execute the published missed approach and head out to Babet intersection. At 500’ I’m told I can have my engine back and once established in the hold (Teardrop) he tells me that the oil pressure on my right engine is low and the cylinder head temperature is climbing rapidly. A precautionary engine shutdown is initiated and its always an eerie feeling to see a prop blade standing still outside the window when the airplane is flying along . A couple turns in the hold and we start the engine again and on the outbound leg I’m told that once established inbound I’m cleared for the VOR 23 approach. Execute that and we land and taxi into the ramp.

The first day was over and that was the introductory flight. The Instructor told me we were done for the day and we looked at the weather for Tuesday. The weather looked marginal and he suggested that I should drive back to Danbury and spend the night at home rather than spend the money on a hotel. As it was 3:30 in the afternoon I agreed and made it home for 5:30, had supper with Judy and slept in my own bed. I put myself back on the schedule for Tuesday and then after looking at Wednesday’s weather decided to do the same for then. I spoke with my instructor around two on Wednesday and expressed my frustration about the weather. I was a little put out as I had cancelled quite a few people for the week to get the rating and now I was looking at losing additional days into the weekend. I thought about my reaction and realized that since May I was accustomed to being able to train any time and weather.     

The weather cleared out Thursday around 1pm and we were in the air again. As the front had passed High pressure was building into the area and with our proximity to the low the wind was howling.  We flew three circuits of roughly 1.7 each with a ten minute rest between them and finished as it was getting dark. I spent the night in the Hampton Inn and nearly fell asleep in the restaurant I had dinner at. Next morning we were at the airport at 8am and we flew two more flights and finished right as the examiner finished up with the prior applicant.

My instructor ran to Burger King to pick up lunch for us and the Oral exam started while we waited for our food to come back. We broke momentarily while we ate and finished up and I went out to preflight the plane. The wind was out of the North at 19 gusting to 27 and after doing the flight maneuvers we discontinued the exam because it was getting too rough to perform the instrument approaches. We continued this past Tuesday when the wind was forecast to have lessened, the proverbial calm before the storm day.

I flew the Mooney out Tuesday and did a dry run of the ILS 5 on my way in. I rode with my instructor again and we finished up just as the examiners car pulled into the lot. The rest of the ride lasted 1.0 and we finished up the things we hadn’t completed and landed runway 33 just as the winds started gusting up to 20 again. The examiner shook my hand and congratulated me. He also gave me some insight into areas he would like to see me improve on. Paperwork done and certificate surrendered and I’m carrying a temporary that reads Airline Transport Pilot Airplane Multiengine Land; Commercial Privileges Airplane Single Engine Land; [Limitations] English Proficient.