New Feature: Videos!

As mentioned earlier, I've set up in-cockpit video capture capabilities, and a YouTube channel to host the results.

This first "episode" is not terribly exciting, just verifying that internal cockpit communications (intercom) and radio traffic are audible. In flight, there will also probably be a soft murmur of engine noise as well...basically, the video will sound pretty much like what pilot and passengers hear with noise-canceling headsets on. This test was done on the ground (in the hangar, actually) with the engine off, so not entirely realistic conditions, but real enough to verify that it will work.

After doing some research online, I've settled on the following setup:

• A patch cord from Aircraft Spruce


• Our Sony digital camcorder


• Our GorillaPod tripod, with the legs of the tripod firmly gripping the back of the rear seat in the aircraft

My biggest concern is that the tripod will gradually work its way loose during flight. I suppose I will learn how likely this is on a flight soon. I did my best to dislodge it by replicating the effects of various aircraft attitudes, and it was very firmly attached to the rear seat. It really didn't seem at all likely to slide off, but I'll probably try to shore it up with some kind of backup bungee or tie, so if it does slide, it won't be rolling around the back of the cabin.

I'll take a photo of the setup next time I fly.

The contrast on the video is pretty dramatic, but that's largely due to the fact that the aircraft was still in the hangar (where it was quite dark) and the sky, while cloudy, was still pretty bright. I think when sunlight streams in the windows, the inside and outside lighting will be fairly equal.

In the test video, I tune the ATIS for KOLM first, then the Unicom where I did a quick radio check. (Unicom is a general communications frequency at an airport; at Olympia, since traffic advisories are provided by the tower controllers when the tower is open, the Unicom is largely for non-ATC communication and advisories (such as requesting fuel or other services). I'm still getting used to tuning the communications radio via the GPS receiver, but it's pretty straightforward. I happened to use COM2 (the second of the two comm radios) here, since the ATIS was already tuned there.

I will have one absolute rule about the video capture: no fiddling with the video camera in flight. Whatever gets captured, gets captured. It's really not reachable from the front seat, and I'll use the camera's remote to start/stop the video, but that's about it.

Hangar Flying Weekend

"Hangar flying" is a common term among pilots to describe a social gathering at the airport on days when the ceiling, visibility, or cashflow are inadequate for actual flight. This weekend I did a different sort of hangar flying...

On Friday morning, the weather was looking halfway decent for late afternoon, so I called up Joel and asked if he could do some dual time to get me more comfortable with 898. He said he could, and we agreed to meet at 6.

At 5, the weather was clear, with a high ceiling, but the winds were nearly 15 knots out of the southwest and the atmosphere very unstable. Not the kind of conditions that are going to help me reach a comfort level with the new aircraft. I went out to the airport anyway, taking my son Michael with me, just to take a look...and show Michael the hangar and airplane while we were at it. Somehow he thought we were going flying and was disappointed when I told him we weren't...that the weather wasn't going to work out and anyway, it would be awhile before Daddy was ready for passengers! He sat in the plane while I called Joel to cancel. As we were leaving, the Beech 1900 service that flies back and forth to Hillsboro, Oregon (KHIO) several times a day was landing on 17, so we parked 100 yards from the end of the runway and listened to the dull roar of the turboprops as it passed 200 feet overhead.

Then today, in more nasty weather, I went out to the airport with my new toy: an adapter that will allow my to patch our camcorder into the aircraft intercom system. It works great! I did a little test from the hangar that I hope to post on YouTube later. I'm looking forward to adding a video component to the olympiapilot blog!

While I was out there I snapped a picture of 898 so you can put a name with a face:



In between, I've been studying hard for my FAA knowledge test (which I'll take next weekend) and diving deep into aviation weather. Which is a good topic as I look outside at the rain, gusty winds, and waves of cumulus that have descended upon us.

More power than I knew what to do with

Tonight was my checkout flight in the latest of my long line of aircraft relationships: N75898. Eight-niner-eight, as she's known, is a beautiful ship that belongs to the Center O Flying Club, of which I am now a member.

First, a little about Center O. It's been around for 30+ years, has about 50 members, and is really an excellent way to fly a variety of aircraft--more variety than any FBO on the field at KOLM--very, very economically. Fortunately they accept students as members (in fact, many current members started as student pilots), and had a few memberships for sale. I've been working with them over the past couple of weeks to secure a membership. I applied, and the members voted me in at their annual meeting, which as luck would have it was last Saturday evening. I have learned that it is a very well-run organization, whose members take flying very seriously and take very good care of their aircraft.

The club recommended--and I insisted--on a checkout flight in the new plane, so I arranged to meet Joel at KOLM tonight for a lesson. I went into it thinking that the extra 20 horsepower of 898's engine would not make that much difference, and that I'd pretty much pick up where I left off on Saturday in 6268D. So Joel and I planned to work on "high performance" takeoffs and landings--practicing short-field and soft-field operations, which are required on the private pilot checkride (and good things to know anyway).

898 is kept in a hangar...new experience #1. Preflight was the same routine, though there were a few more details like engine heaters and wheel fairings to consider. Joel and I pulled the ship out of the hangar, and it was then that I noticed how immaculately clean it is. The club repainted it last year, so it looks much better than any aircraft I've ever flown. It doesn't really look like a typical FBO "trainer". The inside is in very good shape as well. A very pleasant ride.

898 has a panel-mounted Garmin 430 GPS...new experience #2. This is a very nice feature, but it has a bit of a learning curve. Joel gave me a very quick primer on it, but it was hardly enough to be productive. I've noticed that Garmin makes a free simulator for it. I will definitely be downloading that and playing with it. Joel said that once I get comfortable with it, I will fall in love with it. I believe him!

We had to takeoff without delay, as there was a Beech 1900 on final behind us, so we scrapped the idea of practicing a short-field takeoff. I flew over Michael's elementary school where his baseball team was practicing...I usually watch his practices, just usually not from this perspective.

10 minutes later we were at Tacoma Narrows airport (KTIW). During the whole trip there, Joel was showing me the 430 while I was flying and scanning for traffic. KTIW tower cleared us for a straight-in approach, and it was during the approach that I realized how much more power this aircraft has, and how much the difference would change my routine...new experience #3. I'm sure seasoned pilots just adjust to this, but for me it was a stark contrast. We stayed there for 4 trips around the patch, and after the second one we gave up the high performance bit...I was just focusing on basic takeoffs and landings. In the picture on the page linked above, you can see that one end of the runway (the 35 end) is near the water; what you can't tell from the picture is that between the runway threshold and the water is a 300 foot cliff, which really tends to skew the perspective and also, I found, created some strange wind currents on short final.

By the time we left, I felt like I was starting to get the feel for the aircraft, but we needed to head back to KOLM and park the ship for the night. Between the different perspective of KTIW and the different handling of the aircraft, it was a very challenging evening. But I am already eager to go out again and master it. Once I do, this will be a very, very fun airplane to fly.

Next lesson: tentatively Sunday, weather permitting.

Fine Day of Flying

So today was my first "total solo" flight...just me and the aircraft from start to finish. I did speak to Joel by phone this morning to review the weather and my plans, and he blessed my decision to go ahead with a simple flight today.

I was a bit concerned first thing this morning. While it was a beautiful day for flying (a bit of fog burned off by 9 am, and unlimited ceiling above it), there is a front approaching the northwest coast and it is pushing strong winds ahead of it. I consulted one of the many neat tools on the Seattle Center Weather Service Unit, which forecasts low level wind profiles (including wind shear). The tool was indicating calm winds at the surface at KOLM, but 30 knot winds at 2000 feet, at my planned flight time. Clearly, that would mean turbulence and challenges maintaining a proper traffic pattern.

I reviewed this with Joel, and he urged me to try one circuit, reminding me that I had the skills to land the plane safely. It might be bumpy, but wouldn't be unsafe. He reminded me of my new philosophy: set conservative limits, especially with respect to comfort, and stay within them. I acknowledged and decided to move forward with that plan.

I arrived at the field just before 11, did the pre-flight, and called up on the ground frequency for taxi clearance. My new headset--same model as before, but a new one since I somewhat impulsively sold the last one :)--worked great. I completed the engine runups, double checked all the checklists at the right times, and took off on runway 17. About 100 feet off the ground, the bumps started, but nothing too bad. I just rode it out. The winds did indeed get a lot stronger at pattern altitude--1000 feet off the ground--and were right out of the south, so my downwind leg went by before I knew it. I was high and fast, so just determined to extend my downwind leg a bit. I went probably half a mile further than usual, and that was almost exactly the right amount. Finished off the pattern and just about greased the landing.

Launched again, and the second circuit was a lot better. Anticipating the strong southerly wind up there, I planned ahead and was right on target at each phase. I'm also working on doing the landing checklist each time through the pattern, to help commit it to memory. Seat belts secure, Mixture rich, Carburetor heat on, Fuel selector on both tanks. I've found that the first three items share my initials--what could be easier! All I have to remember is that F...as in, do you want to FAIL the FAA checkride by forgetting the checklist??

After the third launch, I exited the pattern to the north for some steep turns practice. Above 2000 feet the air was super smooth, but I think I was getting about a 20 knot groundspeed boost from the back. I wasn't quite able to pull off 45 degrees of bank today...I stopped at 30, but I maintained altitude and airspeed pretty well. I'll hit 45 soon.

I was fairly close to Shelton (KSHN) and so decided to do some pattern circuits there. I tuned the automated weather service, and noted that the winds were at 4 knots (within my limits) but at 90 degrees to the runway. I evaluated the risks, and decided that I would go ahead, but was expecting that if I didn't like *anything* about the approach I would go around. The two landings I did there were okay, but certainly nothing to brag about. I did notice the crosswind, and did my best to handle it, but this is definitely something that will need work with Joel. And practice.

I was getting pretty tired so decided to head back to KOLM. The return flight was noticeably longer, and as I approached the Black Hills (2500 foot peaks west of Olympia) I did experience some pretty good turbulence on their lee side. It was bothersome, but not panic-inducing or enough to stress me out. The KOLM tower controller gave me a base entry to the pattern, which requires some thinking and adjusting versus a typical downwind entry. But I made the adjustment just fine. There was a bit of crosswind on runway 17, and I landed a bit too fast. Other than a little bounce it was a decent landing.

One other thing I learned today...the ability to play an iPod through my Lightspeed headset works great! I never tried this feature last year, but was determined to do so this time around. Plug it in and it just plays, and the headset shuts off the iPod sound when there is either internal intercom sound or radio traffic. This is something I will really, really enjoy.

Next flight? Uncertain. Weather this week is supposed to be crummy. Will be studying hard for the FAA private pilot knowledge test, which I hope to take around the end of the month.

Climbing back up

So, what have I been doing for the past month? In a nutshell: convincing myself and Joel that I still know how to fly.

Happily, for the most part, I do.

I posted before about our "reorientation" flight to Hoquiam. It didn't start out as such, but that's what it wound up being.

I've had a lesson or flight almost every week since that first flight with Joel in mid-February.

First time out, after Hoquiam, was to practice pattern work and slow flight, including stalls, with Joel. Even though I learned how to stall the aircraft safely last year (and more importantly, how to avoid stalling it!) Joel and I both agreed it was crucial to experience this again before re-solo. The techniques and feelings all came back fairly quickly. I still like power off stalls (basically, simulating a stall on final approach) a lot more than power on stalls (simulating a stall on takeoff). But I can perform both within the standards of a private pilot. Check.

We also did a pattern entry at Shelton (KSHN) but didn't land due to the high volume of traffic and skydivers operating at the airport that day.

Next time out we worked on navigation, steep turns (maintaining altitude and airspeed in a 45 degree bank), and pattern work (both Chehalis (KCLS) and at KOLM). After a couple of successful landings at KOLM, Joel jumped out and told me to do three more myself. Which I did. Re-solo, check!

By the way, in the past year, a new fixed-based operator (FBO) has opened at KOLM, offering a viable alternative to Glacier. Since Joel is no longer instructing through Glacier, I decided to try the new outfit. Jorgensen Air Service is an outstanding FBO, run by enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful folks who took over the space formerly occupied by Gower Flying Service. Gower was a pillar at KOLM, but when the owner Eldon Gower passed away last year, the family decided to leave the field. Jorgensen has big shoes to fill, and so far is doing an excellent job. I have had only positive experiences with them and their aircraft.

Will post a bit later about today's solo flight...now that I'm almost caught up on the story!

The Olympia Pilot is Back!

After almost a year away from flying, the Olympia Pilot is back at it!

Many friends and fellow pilots told me that it's quite common for someone to suspend training due to discomfort, busy-ness in other parts of life, or for a host of other reasons. Also after I posted my "final" entry last May, several pilots left comments that the discomfort, especially with turbulence, would get better if I'd give it time and challenge myself to overcome fear and uncertainty.

I don't regret the decision I made last May to stop. Turbulence bothered me, things about the aircraft I was flying bothered me, and frankly I burned out. Those of you who know me, know that I tend to jump into things with both feet and go at full speed. I did that with flying, and after two months of intensive pushing, it wasn't fun anymore. Mix all these ingredients together, and it makes sense to me why I stopped.

But gradually the gravitational pull of aviation started to have its effects in the intervening months. Pretty much every day since May 24 I've read the Pacific Northwest Flying Blog, and through it have kept up with the adventures of other pilots in this great part of the country. I've continued reading and studying, and visiting airports. I began to grapple with the issues that led me to stop. I gained a better understanding of what causes turbulence, and I thought about staying within my limits without compromise--weather limits, challenge limits, and aircraft operational status limits. And most importantly, as I eventually made the decision to resume training, I promised myself I would take it easy, have fun, and maintain a reasonable pace.

My understanding, supportive, and loving wife got me a flight experience for my birthday in February. The purpose was just to see how I felt about flying, and to enjoy some time in the air. I took Joel to lunch and we agreed on these simple goals for the flight. The Saturday after my birthday, Joel and I went to Hoquiam (KHQM), and did some slow flight on the way back. It was a perfect day for flying--smooth air, good visibility--and I really enjoyed just going for the fun of it, with no pressure. I did almost all the flying (Joel just needed a couple of corrections here and there), and I landed once at KOLM without his input at all. I felt like I didn't lose much in the past 10 months.

Soon thereafter I broke the news to Deb that I was still hooked on flying, and wanted to resume training. Again she was very supportive and understanding. So I put things in motion, and have officially been back on track for nearly a month.

In my next post, I'll talk about my three flights since that trip with Joel to Hoquiam. But let me close this one by saying, the year off was good. It provided lots of time for reflection, and to confirm my interest and passion for aviation. I have a plan for overcoming the factors that overwhelmed me last time.

Time will tell how it all works out, but right now I'm feeling great about it. More soon!