Today was going to be a simple review of the basics with my CFI but as is sometimes the case, turned into more of an adventure.
To set the scene, I’m deploying 1 Apr for 100 days or so. I just came back from 10 days of training, shots, and paperwork, missed a day of work due to sickness (a cold on top of whatever side effects come from 7 vaccines for 10 or 11 diseases). I really want to finish up my private pilot certificate before I go. I figure I’d knock the rust off with CFI Mike, particularly power on stalls (which I can do fine but am not comfortable doing them by myself), turns around a point and s-turns.
I was the first to fly to plane today, surprising given the beautiful weather today. The only issue I had to plan around was the lack of fuel at Tipton. The fuel pump is broken and out of service until Tuesday. I figured correctly that we’d stop by Lee Airport (ANP – Annapolis) for some gas on the way back.
According to standard operating procedure at the Ft Meade Flying Activity (aka the flying club), planes are refueled post-flight, before they’re tied down. Checking fuel levels is therefore as simple as peeking in each fuel tank and ensuring they’re topped off. Today I learned the use of the FuelHawk…sure, not a big deal but anytime I learn something new I’m happy.
We had 35 gallons usable (46 gallons usable is full) so there was plenty of fuel to get us where we needed to go. Refueling the aircraft wasn’t required but since I’d never been to Lee it was a good opportunity to get me signed off on another airport, just in case Tipton’s runway closed while I was out flying. It was also the courteous thing to do.
I knew another club aircraft would be out in the practice area I usually use and as we arrived on station we quickly picked him up. Going to the opposite end of the area I got to work, steep turns first. My first ones weren’t that great, gaining or losing nearly 100 feet. During one turn to the left I spotted the other aircraft headed under us, going back to Tipton. That was a surprise and caused me to end that turn early. He was well below us…but geez, you’d think with all the airspace he’d pick a better route out of the practice area.
Distractions aside I finally nailed my steep turns, stalls, slow flight…the stuff I’ve been working on for months. Sadly, the winds were too light to practice what I really wanted to review, the turns around a point and S-turns. I did some hood time and unusual attitudes, followed by a successful simulated engine-out emergency to cap the practice.
Off to Lee for fuel…
That street looks a lot closer from the air!
Tipton is nice because we just have trees around the runway. No gas stations, busy streets, junior high sports fields. Landing just over a busy street seems to me like shooting a free throw with fans waving balloons in the background…somewhat distracting. The approach to Lee’s runway 30 is like that. The satellite image shows plenty of space, but coming in at an angle the road looks right on top of the runway.
I landed just fine, and Mike has me taxi around for takeoff so I can do another landing before we refuel. I’m game – I like visiting different airports though it’s mentally taxing. Another landing and we taxi to the fuel pumps, pulling up at 1715. The pumps closed at 1700. No fuel for us.
This is an unexpected and ironic development…Lee is where CFI Mike hangars his Maule, and while I was preflighting the aircraft before we left FME, Mike ran to Wal-Mart to get a new watch.
On the bright side, it means a trip to another airport…this time across the bay to Bay Bridge Airport (W29). I’ve wanted to fly in there for a while – the runway abuts the bay. While Mike files new flight plans (we’re now leaving the ADIZ) I pull out my Airport/Facility Directory (AFD) to read up on our destination.
Enter downwind for Rwy 29 over water twr south of fld.
Hmm, I wonder what that means.
It’s even less clear to me as I see the tower in question, a couple of miles away from the field. That’s a hell of a base leg if the downwind is that far. Sure enough, that’s how it goes…you can see where I came over the bay and flew an odd-shaped box during my descent to pattern altitude.
We can hear other traffic but they’re not really clear. Mike queries them but gets no response so I fly on my long base leg to runway 29. As I’m getting ready to turn final another voice comes on asking if we’re setting up for 29. Why yes, yes we are. Voice informs us that there are solo students in the pattern for runway 11 and we should probably conform to the general traffic flow (those are my words, not his. I don’t remember exactly what he said…I was busy looking for other students in the rapidly diminishing light).
W29's runway 11
Since the runway at W29 is not nearly large enough to accommodatestudents landing from both ends simultaneously, we joined the procession, headed out over the water and turned over the Bay Bridge (hence the name of the airport). While Google Earth shows me diving under the water (or perhaps flying under the bridge) I was too high when I turned final. Mike helpfully pointed this out to me to which I replied, “I know, there’s water down there!” I’m not the first pilot to have that feeling – you’ll see where the bay was filled in ahead of the runway to encourage pilots to touch down somewhere in the first third of the runway. I wasn’t too bad off – a slip and I was down where I needed to be. Landing, refueling, and back home to FME.
In the dark.
I like night flying…I had my spiffy new flashlight around my neck and I was all set to do some pattern work in the dark. No dice. Mike was hungry and I was out later than I’d told my wife, so a single night landing (my 10th!) was all I logged.
Two new airports, funky traffic patterns, landing over the water…all things that took me out of my comfort zone (which admittedly is probably pretty narrow at this point in my flying career). That’s good, though, and while I was tired (it was my longest flight to date) I was pretty pleased too.
I talked to Mike about the road ahead and he doesn’t see any reason why I can’t complete my certificate by 1 April. I do best with a deadline (despite what my college transcript might indicate). Now it’s time to step it up and finish this off…along with everything else I’ve got on my plate.
It should be interesting…
P.S. Here’s a tip about refueling. Though I only put $78 worth of fuel in the plane I see that the pump put a $500 hold on my checking account. Not thinking I pulled the card for our main checking account out of my wallet instead of the the card for my flying account or our credit card. Now I know why the display on the pump said I could get up to 133 gallons…oops!
Total time: 43.4
PIC: 6.6
Cross country (dual): 4.2
Night: 2.5
Simulated instrument: 1.2
Landings: 135
Night landings: 10
Airports landed at: 54J-dirt, ANP, CGE, ESN, FME, HGR, LNS, VPS, W29
Number of airports landed at: 9
I like Bay Bridge, that’s a cool looking airport, kinda like Whitted, with the runway in the bay and the marina next door. Have you taken the written test yet? Also, as soon as you take the written, I would start with that ASA oral prep guide. It sort of intimidated me at first and I wished I had the time to go through if two or three times, but a very good book.
No, I haven’t taken the written yet…so much to do, so little time!
I took my written at the last minute. It was good to have the stuff fresh in my mind for the stage check and checkride.