DC-3 (part 5) - smokejumping aircraft

Direct link to video on Youtube 

According to McCalls Smokeumpers the DC-3 entered service as a smokejumper aircraft in 1944 (link no longer available). In 1958, the California Smokejumpers first used the DC-3 .

At the time I first wrote this article, the US Forest Service currently had two DC-3 smokejumper aircraft that have been converted to turbo props. (Edited on May 6, 2020, the page that I linked to here about the USFS DC-3s is no longer available), the last DC-3 smokejumper aircraft was retired after the 2015 season. The two videos embedded here show the USFS turboprop DC-3.

Enjoy!


Direct link to video

Edited on May 6, 2020

DC-3 (part 4) -- Last Time Reunion

Last summer, July 23 to 26 to be specific, there was a reunion of 30 DC-3's and C-47's dubbed "The Last Time" in Rock Falls Illinois. There is a nice article (link no longer available) in the AOPA Pilot (December 2010) on this reunion of DC-3's/C-47's in honor of their 75th birthday. It was the first article that I turned to when I got my copy in the mail. I am hoping that this article is still freely available, so I have linked to it. At least it was freely available several days ago (a good friend who is not an AOPA member checked on this for me.

In the video that I embedded here, you are seeing some DC-3 enroute from "The Last Time" reunion to the EAA gathering in OshKosh. Enjoy!

Added on May 6, 2020: the video that I originally linked to as well as the article are no longer available.

DC-3 engine sound (part 3)

You gotta love those round engines!



Direct link to video

Winds

As I write this, the Mid-Atlantic States are cleaning up after a nor'easter. The snow is gone but the winds remain. The winds have been around 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 to 40 mph in my region. Some of you may have heard about the snow fall amounts in portions of NJ, with upwards of 2 feet and then some in some portions of NJ. Many of us in western NJ escaped wit somewhere between 4 and 8 inches. I give a range because the blowing snow precludes measuring the snow.

I don't want to post a video from one of the NY/NJ news outlets. Too depressing. Rather my "snow" story for today involves the winds and my snow blower.

I'll start with a friend who came by in the wee hours and helped us out by plowing out the detritus left by the snow plows on the street. This helped a lot, believe me. But I still had the portion in the back of the house by my garage to take care of with my snow blower. Taking a lesson from my blog writings, aviation ground school, and flying, I gave thought to the winds. I found myself thinking that any pilot has to know the direction and wind speed before flying. Winds affect a pilot's choice of runways. If there is one runway (runway 4-22 for example), And if the wind is blowing across that runway, known as a cross wind, a strong enough cross wind will ground you. With this in mind, I thought about the task at hand, using my snow blower to plow out the rest of my driveway on a very windy day.

Knowing the direction that the wind was blowing was not exactly rocket science because all I had to do was to look out the windy and see the wind blown snow to know that the winds were coming from the north west. And I was using a snow blower not going flying. The worse that would happen to me with my snow blower is that I'd end up with snow in my face and down the front of my jacket. Which did happen, but only once or twice.

I knew that this time, in order to prevent the snow from coming out the chute of my snow blower and being blown back to the area I was plowing, I knew that I had to move the snow blower chute when I changed direction.

I finished plowing the back of my driveway in about 30 to 45 minutes. At least I got much of the snow off. And yes, some snow is back on my driveway. And I'll deal with that, if necessary, after the winds die down.

I hope to run my posts about the DC-3 with my next post this Wednesday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Happy Holidays everyone! Stay safe

The Shepard

The Shepard by Fredric Forsyth as told by "Fireside Al: Alan Maitland and broadcast on CBC radio. This is a nice aviation related Christmas story.

This video was posted by someone who was listening to The Shepard on his car radio on December 22, 2006. The show starts with an interview with Fredric Forsyth.

About the DC-3 (part 2)

Direct link to video on Youtube

The first of the Douglas passenger aircraft, known as the DC-1 had its inaugural flight on July 1, 1933 and was delivered to TWA on September 13, 1933. Carrying up to 12 passenger, it could fly up to 180 mph. In April 1935, she set a transcontinental speed record, from Los Angeles CA to New York, in 11 hours and five minutes.

Prior to accepting delivery of the DC-1, TWA placed an order with Douglas for 25 of the new and improved version, the DC-2. The first DC-3 flew on December 17, 1935. The DC-3 could flew across country with only refueling stop. There were a couple of military versions of the DC-3, the most common being the C-47, that served as troop transports, paratrooper transports, and utility transports during WW II. Post-war, the DC-3 continued in service, including but not limited to service for smoke jumpers. The DC-3 continues in service today.

Specifications of the Douglas DC-3

Powerplants: 2 895 kW (1200 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14 cylinder twin row radial piston engines, or 2 895 kW (1200 hp) Wright Cyclone nine cylinder radials.
wing span: 95 ft 0 in
length: 64 ft 5 in
height: 16 ft 4 in
empty weight: 17,720 lbs.
maximum take-off gross weight: 28,000 lbs.
Performance: Max speed 346 km/h (187 kt), economical crusing speed 266 km/h (143 kt). Initial rate of climb 1130 ft/min. Max range 2420 km (1307 nautical miles), range with max payload 563 km (305 nautical miles).
Capacity: Flight crew of two. Seating for between 28 and 32 passengers at four abreast or 21 three abreast.

Stay tuned for more about this magnificent aircraft.

Edited on May 6, 2020 to add: the article that I originally linked was on a site that may pose security risks so I have deleted it. For the time being, if you want to read more about the DC-3 please go to this wikipedia article

A belated 75th birthday to the DC-3

The DC-3 turned 75 on Friday December 17, 2010. Stay tuned for more on this magnificent aircraft in a couple of days.

Updated on May 6, 2020. When I first wrote this article, I had shared a video that I liked and linked to an article. As happens, both of these links have expired. So, I found an article from the DefenseMediaNetwork originally published on December 15, 2010, the article may be found here. It is a nice article with some vintage pictures. Enjoy.

History of Aviation (3 of 3)

History of Aviation (part 3) -- types and applications of military aircraft in 1961 -- produced by the Department of Defense. Please go to this FedFlix page to watch the video. Unfortunately, the embed code that I originally used no longer works as of May 6, 2020.

My embedding the video here does not imply that the author, producer. publisher or anyone else endorses my use of the History of Aviation Part 3.

History of Aviation (2 of 3)

History of Aviation from the Billy Mitchell era through 1961, produced by the Department of Defense. Please go to this FedFlix page to watch the video. Unfortunately, the embed code that I originally used no longer works as of May 6, 2020.

History of Aviation (1 of 3)

I found a three part series on the History of Aviation (through 1961), produced by the Department of Defense, while browsing through FedFlix the other day. I thought that you might enjoy it, so I am going to share it with you. Part 1 takes you from the first flight with the Wright Brothers through the Billy Mitchell era. Please go to this fed flix page to watch the video. As of May 6, 2020 the embed code that I had originally used no longer works.

Allow about 30 minutes.

Aerodynamics is important

When I was in ground school last winter, the first thing we covered on the first night was aerodynamics. At the time, I was gaining an appreciation for the importance of aerodynamics, and it was not just because I needed to have a knowledge of aerodynamics to pass the FAA"s written Private Pilot exam.

For example, I spent some time learning about stalls. One of the things a pilot is supposed to know in order to pass the practical (flying) portion of the FAA examination process leading to a private pilot's certificate is how to recover from a stall.

I have already written that it is unlikely that I may never get a pilot's certificate but that doesn't stop me from learning all that I can about aviation and flying. And to that end, one of the things that I have that I have seen on a few of my scenic flights involve watching the pilot demonstrate stalls. They talk about what they are doing and made sure I knew what the aircraft was doing (stall horn and vibrations in the wings). And they both made sure that I understood how they got out of a stall by lowering the nose and/or increasing thrust.

Then there was learning about weight and balance in ground school so as to not overload the aircraft. Here I did many practice problems that helped drive home the point of proper weight and balance of an aircraft.

Up until a few days ago, I hadn't given much thought to aerodynamics. That changed recently. I'll try to explain.

The other day as I doing some background research for an upcoming series of articles on the B-17 (to post in January), I realized again how important aerodynamics is. This time it was about how aerodynamics affect airplane design. I was wondering what factors affect the speed at which an airplane flies, but I was only thinking about thrust so I was missing a kep point. One of my pilot friends gently reminded me about drag because there are things that can be done to reduce drag in designing aircraft. Reducing drag means a faster aircraft.

So, I am revisiting aerodynamics and reviewing the chapters on aerodynamics in the books I used in ground school. I read about drag, reread a chapter in the B-17 book I am reading, and asked my pilot friend another question about drag. The brain cells kicked in again. It is hard to explain, but I learned (again) how important aerodynamics is.

I knew that I wanted to write about this experience in today's article. But not being any kind of expert in aerodynamics, I wanted to find something simple to provide those of you who are not pilots with a context. So, I found this video that I am embedding here. It is a little old, but I think that it still provides a good overview of basic aerodynamics.

The video, How Airplanes Fly is available from Fed Flix here, and is in the public domain.



revised 5:50 PM, Dec. 13 2010

Nice photo gallery of the wildfire in Israel

I always appreciate good photography, including but not limited to photography of wildfires. Over the almost two years that I have been writing about aerial wildland firefighting, I have seen a few wildfire related photo galleries from the Big Picture at Boston.com. I offer this photo gallery from the Big Picture telling a story about the recent wildfire in Israel. A couple of photos with graphic images have been blacked out. I enjoyed the photographs of the air tankers in action. I believe that you will see tankers from Israel, Russia, tanker 979 from the U.S., and some water scoopers (not quite sure where they are from).

But for me, this photo gallery is not just about fine photographs of airplanes. In some sense viewing and then posting the link to this photo gallery is also an act of prayer for those that lost their lives in this fire. And an act of remembrance that many people, responders and civilians, lose their lives in wildfires each year. 

NJ Forest Fire Service's new water tender - revisited

In late August, I wrote about the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's (NJFFS) new water tender (A 44)that I saw on display at a local 4H fair. I would think that this water tender may have been used on a fire by now, however I am not in a position to say this with any certainty.

I found this video on the NJFFS Section B-10 website and I thought that some of you might be interested. It is a slide show showing telling the pictorial story about the creation of the new water tender with the help of the Federal Excess Property Program.

Israel wildfire - under control

The wildfire in Israel that has burned at least 12,000 acres seems to be under control. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today posted an article yesterday that may want to read. He summarized what happened to the C-130 MAFFS and the type 1 wildland firefighting crews that were not needed. He also includes some links to other media reports on the fire that you may want to check out.

Israel Wildfires - update #3

Progress is being made in fighting the wildfires in Israel!

Thanks to a tanker pilot friend who sent me a link to the Israel National News with a short article about the arrival of tanker 979 along with the video that I embedded here. Another tanker pilot friend sent me this link from Firehouse News reporting that tanker 979 has arrived in Israel.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting that tanker 979 made two runs today on the 12,000+ acre wildfire in Israel, dubbed as the Carmel Fire. I'd like to thank another friend who sent me a different article from the Jerusalem Post.

MSNBC has an article (from the Associated Press) on their website reporting that a senior fire official in Israel, Boaz Rakia, is saying that "the blaze under control, though it was unclear when it would be extinguished."

You will also want to see Wildfire Today where Bill Gabbert has reported early today about the progress made today, including a link to the same (or a similar)article from the Jerusalem Post that I linked to earlier. He is also reporting that because of today's progress, U.S. wildland fire fighting crews and resources are being held over in Boise until Monday when the situation will be reassessed.

Updated Dec. 5, 5:25 PM EST: I was just talking about Tanker 979 with someone on another forum who pointed out to me that Tanker 979 arrived in Israel around the time that progress was being made on the fire. I agreed with him that the locals seemed to be impressed by her performance. Tanker 979 will be hanging around for awhile as an insurance policy.

Israel Wildfire - update 2

The fire has consumed approximately 10,000 acres. Two suspects have been arrested in Israel, it appears that the fire may not be arson but rather "negligence.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today continues to report on the wildfire and has a couple of maps of the area where the fire is burning, some details about the C-130s being sent by the US, the arrival time of the Evergreen 747 supertanker, wildfire fighting crews being sent by the U.S., and at least one line of duty death (one being a 16-year old volunteer fire fighter), go here for today's post. CNN has a report on their website along with a photo gallery here.

Israel Wildfires - update #1

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here are some pictures of the wildfire in Israel from MSNBC along with an article.

California Fire News is reporting that the U.S. is doing the following to help Israel: the US Dept. of Defense is sending five C-130 MAFFS (2 from the U.S. bases in Europe theatre and 3 from the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard; fire retardant and foam; and a team of wildland fire fighters. The C-130 MAFFS and Evergreen's 747 Supertanker will join a tankers and helos from other countries some of whom are already on scene.

Wildfires in Israel

A 7,000 acre wildfire in Israel is in its second day. The Washington Post is reporting that Forty-two people have died. Bill Gabbert of wildfire today reports that Evergreen is sending its 747 supertanker to assist in the aerial assault.

A slideshow from the Washington Post may be found here. The wildland fire hotlist forums has a thread devoted to these fire that may be found here.

Sunfish Pond Fire Redux

I have been meaning to write about the Sunfish Pond Fire, that burned 250 acres in early August. You may recall that I last wrote about the Sunfish Pond Fire on Sept 6, 2010, where I wrote about a scenic flight I took over Sunfish Pond.

For those of you who keep track of such things, the date on the image from Google Earth (above) is August 30, 2010. I recognized the burn area from the aerial photographs I took in mid-August. The area circled in blue is the approximate location of the start of the Sunfish Pond Fire. The red line is the Appalachian Trail (available as an overlay for Google Earth).

Sometime in mid August, I took a hike up the Douglas Trail (see the pin in the image above) where it ends at the Appalachian Trail on the ridge. I climbed about 1,000 feet in approximately 1.5 miles. Roughly 1/3rd of the way into the hike, I ran into what seemed to be evidence of a fire. As I continued up the trail, it became clear to me that this was probably the Sunfish Pond Fire. For much of the hike, the burn area was only on one side of the trail. The first two images below were taken on the hike up to the ridge and the last was on the hike down.

A few days after my hike I had a conversation with someone at the Worthington State Forest. I wanted to know if the burned area that I saw during my hike on the Douglas Trail was indeed the area burned by the Sunfish Pond Fire. It was. About three weeks later I got a copy of a map of the hiking trails in Worthington State Forest where someone with an approximation of the boundaries of the fire drawn on the map. Also indicated on this map was the approximate location of the start of the fire.

Between the map that I got from from Worthington State Forest, my own hike up to the ridge on the Douglas Trail, and other accounts of the fire, I was able to do a very crude outline of a portion of the burn area on the topo map (using an overlay available for Google Earth) below. It is not meant to be an accurate depiction of the outline of the burned area. Rather, my intent is to give those of you who are not familiar with this area of NJ and idea of what fire fighters from the NJ Forest Fire Service were up against. As you can see, it is steep. You can't really tell from the image below, but the fire was located in a remote and difficult to access area on the ridge.

dancing planes

Time for something beautiful. I came across this video yesterday. A tanker pilot friend of mine told me that the aircraft are Mirage 2000, French Air Force.

RIP Bob Finer, CAL FIRE S-2T pilot

When I went to wildland fire this morning I saw the very sad news that Bob Finer, a CAL FIRE S-2T pilot died in an airplane crash on November 17. He had finished flying for CAL FIRE for the season and was flying for another company when the accident occurred. He was on the board of the CAL FIRE Pilots Association.

The wildland fire hotlist thread may be found here and includes information on the location of the services in Boise Idaho this Thursday, Dec. 2. His obit may be found here. A brief bio from the CAL FIRE Pilots Association may be found here.

I did not personally know Bob. But I have come to know tanker pilots, in a way, through writing about fire fighting tankers and helos for the last two years. I am saddened by his death.

My condolences and prayers go out to Bob's family, friends, and his CAL FIRE colleagues. Bob, may you always fly in favorable tail winds.

Thank-you Linc

I loved reading Linc's book, Fire Bomber into Hell, and I enjoyed interviewing him to share with you here. In the course of the two years that I have been writing about aerial wildland firefighting, I have often wondered what it was like to sit in the cockpit of a fire bomber. Regulations prohibit fire bombers, at least in this country, from carrying passengers. Yes, I understand the safety, legal, and liability concerns inherent in such regulations. Reading Linc's book did take me in the cockpit. Thank-you. I experienced the joys, and the dangers in flying fire bombers. I grieved at the loss of his friends. I laughed at some of his stories. I experienced the beauty of places in northern Canada that I have never seen.

And if someone were to ask me,

"what is it like to fly fire bombers?"

I can say read Fire Bomber into Hell by Linc Alexander.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy the day and safe travels. I'll be back tomorrow with my final reflections on my interview with Linc Alexander.

More on fire-truck - passenger vehicle crash in LA

More information, including another video report, on the accident involving a fire truck carrying inmate firefighters and a passenger vehicle may be found here. The driver of the passenger vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Also dead is Fernando Sanchez, a 25-year old inmate firefighter, go here for more information.

Very sad. My condolences.

Fire Truck - passenger vehicle accident outside of LA

News of this tragic accident came across my desk late last night. My condolences to all those who lost their life, their family, friends and colleagues. I understand that there are some critical injuries as well, so I offer up my prayers as well.

I'll return to my regularly scheduled post (yet to be written) later today or tomorrow.

Fire Bomber into Hell by Linc Alexander (3 of 3)

Tyler: Do you have any words of advice for pilots, whether they be general aviation, commercial, military, or fire bomber pilots?

Linc: All of us who fly have a built in problem, our ego. When we as pilots forget about our own weaknesses, failing to keep our pride and ego in check, we risk jeopardizing our own lives, the lives of any passengers we may be carrying, and the lives of others in the air or on the ground.  Going around when our approach is bad to a runway or a fire is bad, is a dent to the ego but we have to keep our weaknesses (pride and ego) in check if we want to think and act rationally when we fly. It’s hard for us gung-ho pilots to think that we can't do anything, but the military says it like it is: “Know your own and the airplane’s limits.” We all aren’t Bob Hoover who does aerobatics with both engines feathered on an Aero Commander. An ex-service friend of mine was asked to do a low-level air show in a T-6 many years after he had left the service. As it had been many years since he had done these precision maneuvers, he was probably out of practice. He decided to do the show, he went into the ground upside down half way through a roll. 

Tyler: What about those of us who are not pilots, is there one thing that you would like us to know about fire bombers as we watch news accounts?

Linc: Becoming a proficient pilot takes many years of practice. Becoming a proficient bomber pilot also takes years of practice. When a run is perfectly executed and the load placed precisely on target, it is easy to get the impression that the whole exercise is a big game that anyone can do. Firstly, not all highly trained pilots can fit in this game. Not many people like flying right next to the mountains all the time. Throw in bad visibility, turbulence and a wall of fire and it sorts out those missing a few marbles who like flying in this zone, and those who choose a more sane way to fly. Also the viewer should realize that the pilots who fly bombers are extremely conscientious about getting good results and saving property and lives. We all feel the loss and grieve for people who lose their home as a result of a wild-fire.  The public should also be aware that most large fires are preventable with the proper use of bombers in the very earliest stages of a fire. There is a vast difference in how agencies use the bomber. At a large fire, the media should ask questions about how bombers were used as soon as the fire was discovered.

I'll wrap this up with some concluding thoughts in my next article. Stay tuned.

Fire Bomber into Hell by Linc Alexander (2 of 3)

Tyler: I loved reading your stories of your early days flying fire bombers. I think that history shapes and defines our present. You and the other pilots you flew with during those early days paved the way for the fire bombers of today. How did these early days impact you during your later years as a fire bomber pilot?

Linc: The early days taught me the never-must-do aspects of this business. There are inviolate rules to this game which must always be obeyed and I discovered them the hard way, I made all the mistakes and fortunately got away with it. I cover some of them in this book Fire Bomber Into Hell and one of them is the answer to the last question in part 1: always have an escape from where you are in the event the air goes bad. The early days saw so many fatalities from people doing some pretty hair-brained things that I felt compelled to write the book Air Attack on Forest Fires. That book gets into the real nitty-gritty about what a pilot must do to fly safely while he is performing his job. It may sound crazy but I re-read my own book each spring for many years to remind myself about the many do’s and don’ts.

Tyler: Of all the places where you flew as a fire bomber pilot, are there one or two that stand out to you and why?

Linc: I loved flying in California, firstly because of the wonderful people I worked with and the opportunity to fly the wonderful F7F. I flew almost every day with actions that took place in such varied terrain and with different forest and brush cover. In California, actions have to take place quickly or a fire could get away in a matter of minutes. CAL FIRE (CDF at the time) exercised the “One Strike” concept of fast initial attack. We were fast and effective; there was a great sense of achievement. Of course, California is the only place with the fabulous Redwoods and the superb wines. Flying in California also rounded out my research for the book Air Attack on Forest Fires.

Flying in British Columbia particularly from a place like Campbell River (the Salmon fishing capital of the world) took me over the world’s most fantastic scenery. There is nothing like the backdrop of an iridescent blue glacier as one does an action over emerald green forest. The action at Butte Inlet where I slid down just over top of a glacier to fly out over the azure waters of that magnificent inlet was an experience one never forgets.

Fire Bomber into Hell by Linc Alexander (1 of 3)

Tyler: In your introduction, you begin by saying: "Fire Bomber into Hell was written for the reader who knows little more about the business of Fire Bombing than watching TV news clips of bombers in action next to the subdivisions of Los Angeles."

You invite us to sit besides you in the cockpit. Without giving anything away, can you share one or two things that you would like your readers to take away from your book?

Linc: The reader will learn that Fire Bombing is an occupation that takes pilots to the edge of safety every single time they go out to fight a fire. We don’t have the luxury of climbing high into still, calm air, fly comfortably from A to B and use a maze of navigation aids to help us safely land at our destination. Every time we go out, we face a multitude of hazards with mountain air currents, possibly restricted visibility at the target, and getting at targets in confined valleys. Leaving the target area is often more difficult than arriving there. I have often thought that it would be great if we could invite people to sit in the cockpit with us and experience a few bombing runs, particularly on a difficult target. Some individuals would find it exciting threading among mountain peaks on the way to a steep downhill drop just as I do, and others would doubt my sanity.

The reader will also discover my experiences with the political nature of Fire Bombing, and why I think that not all agencies use the bombers to their best advantage. I discuss the differences in bomber use in California (by CAL FIRE, the state fire control agency in California), and the United States Forest Service (USFS), a Federal fire control agency.

Tyler: You talk in your book about the boundary layer as being "the atmosphere from the ground up to five thousand feet", but you also emphasize that fire bombers spend a lot of time in the boundary layer in conditions that might ground general aviation pilots, such as strong winds, turbulence, and rotors and downdrafts in the mountains. What can lessons can private pilots in the general aviation community take from your experience as a fire bomber pilot flying in the boundary layer?

Linc: I have had good friends crash into the mountains because of restricted visibility, flying up a dead end canyon and not leaving themselves enough room to turn around, and getting smashed into the ground in downdrafts. If a pilot is going from A to B in mountainous terrain and the visibility goes bad in the valley route he is following, the safest thing to do is climb above the cloud in clear air (if the tops are not too high) get a weather report at his destination and if the condition at the destination is no worse than broken cloud with a decent ceiling, then fly to the destination above the mess below and let down in a hole at the destination. This procedure has made life simple and safe for me on many occasions. If the weather at the destination is bad, turn around and go back to your starting point.

Downdrafts, turbulence and rotor winds are a fact of life in mountainous terrain and they are generally found on the lee side of mountains. If the pilot has to maneuver close in to the mountains for any reason, then he must know where the wind is coming from and he should expect to find trouble on the lee side. He should always have the alternative of being able to turn out into a valley if he suddenly finds himself on a downhill ride. If you are in close to the mountain, it is always a good idea to have an extra ten knots (perhaps more) of airspeed for mom and the kids. We can’t read invisible air, for Fire Bomber pilots, smoke may be an indicator but the private pilot can only guess. Always suspect the worst and always have the alternative to quickly turn away from the mountain.

Fire Bomber into Hell

Even if I had a pilots certificate, which I do not, the chances of my being able to sit in the cockpit of an air tanker or fire bomber are remote at best. More likely given contract restrictions and liability concerns, the chances are nonexistent.

In the introduction to his memoirs, Fire Bomber Into Hell, Linc Alexander invites us to sit in the cockpit with him as he writes of his thirty-seven years flying fire bombers in Canada and the United States. Linc delivers. I was with him in the cockpit in his early days of flying fire bombers when the tanker business was in its infancy. I was with him as he flew in rotor winds. I was with him as he barely beat out a thunder storm to make a drop on a fire in a ravine in a mountainous area in Canada. I was with him in each of the fire bombers that he flew. And you will be too.

Knowing that Stearman's and TBM Avengers were used in the early days of the tanker business, I enjoyed reading about his experiences with both of these aircraft. A couple of months ago I wrote a series about the TBM Avenger, so I enjoyed sitting next to him in the cockpit the first time he flew the TBM Avenger, learning the hard way about one of the quirks of the TBM Avenger.

I have seen a few Stearman biplanes at nearby general aviation airports. They are beautiful airplanes. Linc put me in the open cockpit (in front of him) of the Stearman he flew during his first year flying fire bombers. It was cold at times, so I had my warm clothes on, and my seat was properly adjusted to mitigate some of the effects of the slipstream.

Linc writes about piloting the F7F and the A26, two planes that I knew very little about. Thank-you Linc for introducing me to these two planes. I sat with Linc in the cockpit has he was first co-pilot and later pilot-in-command (pic) of a DC-6 fire bomber. I learned a little more about the relationship between the pic and the co-pilot. I know something about Butler's DC-7 tankers thanks to Larry Kraus, so I couldn't help but wonder about the similarities and differences between these two tankers. What ever those differences are, they will have to wait for a later time.

I know what Linc's favorite fire bomber is. You will have to read the book to find out. Linc, I read a book recently where your favorite plane is mentioned.

There is a list of other things that I know a little bit more about through Linc's words. I know a little more about Canada and the Canadian north. Linc flew for Sis Q in CA for a time, a company that I have read about. I learned about the check rides that all pilots experience. I learned more about rotor winds from Linc because he has lived to tell about it. I am reminded that the tanker business aka the fire bomber is dangerous. I knew that some pilots die, and others live, and Linc's words reinforced that. Linc loved being a fire bomber pilot and he was good at it. We should all be so fortunate to spend a career doing something we love.

I have been in touch with Linc over e-mail and he agreed to allow me to interview him. I will be posting the interview over the next three posts. Stay tuned.

Dome Fire (CO) - 10/29/10

I came upon this video of the Dome Fire by the Daily Camera Newspaper in Boulder CO. I especially enjoyed the footage of the crew boss talking to his crew before they went up to the line. The fire was first reported on Friday, October 29 2010. There were evacuations ordered that day and there were power outages as well. Evacuations were lifted on Saturday morning (Oct. 30).

The JeffCo air tanker base was in the process of shutting down operations for the season when they got the call about the fire on Oct. 29. However, it only took them about 30 minutes to get the tanker operations up and going. The fire burned 84 acres and according to the Boulder CO Office of Emergency Management, the fire was 100 percent contained at 2:35 PM on Nov. 2, 2010. Note, I wrote the first draft of this article about 7 to 9 days ago, and the Boulder OEM webpage was still reporting on the status of this fire. At the time I posted this article, the Boulder OEM webpage is no longer reporting on the fire, and I am including the link to let you know that I got this information from the Boulder OEM.

Paul Filmer took an absolutely stunning series of photographs of one of a P-2' (T-07) and a SEAT (T-878) working the Dome Fire. His slide show is available at his website (skippycage photography) and may be accessed here. 

For more information, see Bill Gabbert reports about this fire here, here, and here.

Cross-Country -- References

I have tried to put together a good list of references where you may go for more information about basic aviation that I referred to in my series on my recent cross-country flight. This is not meant to be a thorough bibliography on general aviation or learning how to fly, rather it is meant as an introduction to some important concepts. I have grouped the references by the related article (with a link). It is not necessarily my intent for you to read all of these references, rather that you may want to check out a couple of the links that might be of particular interest to you.

Over the next few days, I will be working on adding some of this information to the aviation links and info page of this blog, so stay tuned for that. I have worked hard to ensure that all these links work, if you should find a broken link, please post a comment.

Part 2, what is a cross country:

• The Association of Aircraft Owners and Pilots (AOPA) has a website devoted to learning how to fly, including free resources, it may be found here.
• Definition cross-country from FAR: The Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) defines cross-country time in some detail in FAR Part 61.1 paragraph (b)(4)

Parts 3 and 4, planning for the flight and plotting the course:
Air space

• Airspace for Everyone is one of the documents in the Safety Advisor Series from the Airplane Owner's and Pilot's Association's (AOPA) Air Safety Foundation (ASF). In the short Airspace for Everyone document (SA02) you will learn about the different classes of airspace in the U.S., as mandated by the Federal Aviation Regulations. Illustrations accompany the text. I think that this is a good place to start if you want an overview of airspace in the U.S.
• The ASF's Airspace Guide, shows how different airspace is designated on NACO's aeronautic charts. I referred to this often when I was learning about how airspace is depicted on aero charts, and continue to use this as a resource.

Aeronautical Charts

• Page 8 of NASA's aviation navigation tutorial brings you to an interactive page on the symbols used on aeronautical charts.
• For the complete scoop on all of NACO's aeronautical charts, there is the freely available NACO Aeronautical Chart User's Guide (11th edition). This guide is broken down into six sections, two sections apply to sectional, terminal and a couple of other charts used when flying under VFR, Introduction to VFR symbols and VFR Chart Symbols
• The FAA makes digital versions of the NACO charts available for GPS devices. I have been able to read these files in my pdf viewer software. The files are very large. To access these charts go here.

Flight Restrictions
For more information about temporary flight restrictions, visit the FAA TFR website.

Weather

• Weatherwise Safety Advisory from the AOPA's Air Safety Foundation (ASF) website may be found here. This is a good intro to aviation weather.
• The ASF has a few freely available interactive courses on weather and aviation (Weatherwise), they are located here along with the ASF's other interactive courses.

Part 5, take-off from KABE:

• Information on Lehigh Valley International Airport including, but not limited to a map of the airport is freely available from flightaware.com, it may be found here
• The ASF has a very nice interactive course, Pinch Hitter Interactive Course where you learn about basic aerodynamics, control of the airplane, and emergency operations. It takes about 4 to 60 minutes to go through the course. It is designed for people who fly regularly with a pilot, but I think that anyone interested in learning something about basic aviation will benefit from the course.

Part 6, navigation and radio communications:

• Airspace for Everyone
• Avweb got permission to from the AOPA to post an article from the AOPA's Flight Training publication on Class B Airspace.

Part 7, more on radio communications:

• To read about flight following services see this, read this Avweb article.
• From Pilot Friend on the phonetic alphabet used in aviation radio communications, go here.
• I deleted the reference to Pilot Friend's article on pilot-controller communications because it refers to flights under instrument flight rules (IFR). While the sequence of communications is similar to that used by pilots flying under visual flight rules, I thought that the references to IFR and IFR routes might confuse some. I'll try to look for another short article to post here.

Part 8, Tappan Zee Bridge and KHPN:

• If you are interested in reading more about the Tappan Zee Bridge, go here.
• Taxiing signals from pilot friend. 
• A map of the Westchester County Airport, and other information about the airport may be found on Flight Aware, go here.

revised on March 11, 2013

Cross Country (part 9): return to KABE

Rob takes a slightly different route on our return flight to Lehigh Valley International Airport (KABE) so that I can see one of the ridges near West Milford, NJ. There is a small general aviation airport in West Milford, NJ near Greenwood Lake (4N1), so we fly from Westchester County Airport (KHPN) to 4N1 to KABE. This is not far from the Sparta VOR we flew over on our flight to KHPN earlier. Rob gives our course to the controllers. After we clear the immediate airspace around KHPN, we are told to fly under class B airspace. The floor of class B airspace in the area is 3,000 feet, the controllers tell us to fly at 2,500. Rob does not request flight following, he will be navigating using the instruments in the Cherokee and his aeronautical charts. I continue to scan for other aircraft.

There is an area that I had done some hiking a few years ago, the Abraham S. Hewitt State Forest, not far from 4N1. I think it would be fun to fly over the this ridge top forest. I regret not taking photos for you. See the Google Earth image below showing some of the locations mentioned in this article. The image at the top of this article is an extract from an aeronautical chart.

The airport, 4N1, is near the southern end of Greenwood Lake, so I help Rob look for the airport. Rob spots 4N1 first, he radios the common air traffic frequency used at 4N1 to say that he is overflying the field from west to east at 2,500.

Rob is flying into a head wind. Our ground speed to about 93 knots, 20 knots lower than our ground speed on the flight to KHPN.

Rob circles around to the north after overflying 4N1 and we fly over the ridge I hiked a few years ago. Things are starting to get quieter on the radio as we fly farther away from the edge of class B airspace. It is getting a little late, so I tell Rob that I have seen what I wanted to see in the Greenwood Lakes area.  He sets a course to KABE. We fly over the Sparta VOR. Soon we are in airspace that is more familiar to me.

All to quickly we enter KABE airspace. KABE approach hands over to the tower and we enter the pattern for landing. We taxi to the ramp. Rob has to tie down the Cherokee for the night. Rob asks me to get out of the Cherokee and help out by pushing/guiding the plane back to the tie-down area.

I will be posting one final article in this series, probably this Wednesday, with some references where you may go for more information on some of the aviation terminology that I have used in this series.

Cross-country (part 8): Tappan Zee Bridge and KHPN

Rob has made good time on our flight to KHPN because he has a tail wind, with a ground speed of about 113 kts. I see the Hudson River in the distance and know that we will soon be flying over the Tappan Zee Bridge crossing the Hudson River approximately 40 nautical miles north of mid-town Manhattan (in New York City, NY). The controller comes over the radio giving Rob an altitude and course to the Westchester County Airport (KHPN) across the Hudson River. He tells Rob to use the Tappan Zee Bridge as a visual navigation point. Rob may still be talking to the NY Approach controller handling aircraft on approach to KHPN.

I am paying attention to the altitude that we are flying because I am busy getting my camera ready to take some shots of the bridge as we fly over. Having crossed this span numerous times by automobile, sometimes literally crawling across the bridge in traffic, it is a thrill to fly over the bridge in less than a minute or two. Rob banks the plane a little to the left so that I can get some good shots of the bridge, thanks Rob!

At the appropriate time, NY Approach hands Rob over to the Aircraft Control Tower at KHPN who gives Rob instructions for landing at KHPN, including the runway that we land on. Unfortunately, I do not make note of the runway we arrive on. After we land the Tower hands Rob over to ground control, Rob tells ground control that we want to go to the restaurant. He is unfamiliar with the airport, so he asks for progressive taxi to the restaurant. Ground control gives Rob step by step taxi information to Signature Flight Support where he will park the Cherokee. When he gets to the Signature ramp, a signal man is there guiding Rob in with hand signals. This was another thrill for me, as this is the first time that I have seen this up close and personal from the cockpit. At first I regret not taking pictures for you, but I find out later that photographs are not permitted, so it is a moot point.

The signal man puts a covering over the engine, and chocks under the wheels. The Signature Flight Support staff direct us to the restaurant inside the terminal. We get a bite to eat, and have a chance to chat about the flight. We go back to Signature, I pay the $28.00 landing fee. I am impressed by Signature, the staff is nice, there are computer terminals available, snacks and beverages, a lounge, and items that the corporate or general aviation traveller will find useful. I think that they have maintenance facilities and a hanger.

Final report on wildland fire in Edison NJ

The Raritan Center fire (Edison NJ) seems to be out thanks to the rain that has fallen last night into today. Burnout operations were performed by the NJ Forest Fire Service until shortly before midnight last night. After that, municipal fire fighters remained on the scene.

Final acreage -- 475 acres.

This this thread from the wildland fire hotlist forums for more information.

Update on fire in Edison, NJ

According to this this thread from the wildland fire hotlist forums, the fire in Edison, NJ known as the Raritan Center Fire, was 80% contained as of 9 PM last night. It has been raining most of the morning, with bands of moderate to heavy rain. I suspect that this rain has helped efforts to contain this fire.

A slide show may be found at this APP photogallery.

Wildfire in NJ

This just in. I saw a note on the NJFFS Section B-10 website a short time ago about a 100-acre wildfire burning in grass and marshes near Edison NJ. The NJ Forest Fire Service is on scene. I found this video report on myfoxny.

The next post in my series about my cross-country flight will post this Friday. I'll follow the news about this fire and report back here as the situation changes.

By the way, I did check the weather forecast from the NWS, there is a low pressure system moving up the coast that is forecast to bring showers and rain to NJ Thursday into Friday.

Cross-Country (pt 7): more on radio communications

While we are still on the ground at Lehigh Valley International (KABE), Rob tells the controllers our course -- KABE to Sparta VOR to Westchester County Airport (KHPN) -- and requests flight following. Flight following, aka traffic advisories, is a service provided by controllers to pilots flying under visual flight rules (VFR). The VFR pilot asks the controllers, as Rob does, for flight following. The catch is that controllers grant flight following on a space available basis, meaning they can say no if their work load is too heavy. In our case, after we leave KABE airspace, the NY Approach controller grants Rob flight following.

As we get closer to and then enter class B (or bravo airspace), I get to listen to and learn what traffic advisories mean. The controller will say something like the following:

"Cherokee 2345 alpha , traffic three o'clock, five miles west bound, 6,000 feet"

The pilot looks for the other aircraft and if he immediately sees the aircraft will respond by saying something like:

"NY Approach Cherokee 2345 alpha , traffic in sight."

Or if the pilot does not immediately site the other aircraft (this may have happened to Rob once or twice) he might say something like:

"NY Approach Cherokee 2345 alpha, looking."

In the above response, I believe that pilot is telling the controllers that he is looking for the other aircraft. He sights the other aircraft very quickly and then tells the controllers something like:

"NY approach, Cherokee 2345 alpha, traffic in sight."

As we are flying along on our way to KHPN, I listen to the communications. Sometimes, but not always, I can hear the controller calling Rob and follow along as Rob responds. Other times, I miss the controllers call, but because the protocol is that the pilot repeats back the instructions to the controller, I get a sense of what is going on. An example of this is the traffic advisories that I have just discussed. Rob turns the traffic advisories into an opportunity for teaching and asks me if I can see the aircraft. I admit that I often did not see the aircraft on the first try. But I do see some or most of the traffic in question. This takes some getting used to, and I have to be honest and say that I do not see all the aircraft that Rob has me looking for.

As the controllers give Rob traffic advisories, I practice looking for the traffic. Some times I see the traffic and sometimes I don't. At the same time I am listening to the fast paced radio communications over my headset. I am glad that I have listened to aviation communications using online scanners such as LiveATC.net, providing me with the opportunity to get used to listening to communications in the confines of my house.

I begin to appreciate that radio communications take some getting used to. I have new found respect for student pilots learning radio communications. This is my first time in airspace with such busy and fast paced radio communications, I understood more than I thought I would. I am pleased.

We continue to fly, Rob piloting the aircraft and I listening and looking. In the distance, I see the Hudson River. I know that we are north of the Hudson River Exclusion Zone adjoining NYC. We are getting close to KHPN.

Next up: the Tappen Zee Bridge and KHPN

New life at 9/11 memorial

Trees from Millstone nursery bring life to Ground Zero site

Excuse the interruption to my series of articles on my cross-country flight. I just found this video and wanted to share this with you. I have been reading about these trees for at least a year.

I will resume the series of articles on my cross-country flight tomorrow.

Cross-Country (part 6): navigation and radio communications

I am having a ball. I had already told Rob about the course that I had plotted the night before. He liked what I did so he set one of the navigation radios to the frequency used by the Sparta VOR. I have my aeronautical (sectional) chart on my lap with my penciled in course. As we pass over certain roads and other geographic features, I am sometimes able to look at the chart and see exactly where we are. Sometimes.

We are getting closer to class B airspace, but first we have to cross into or "pierce" the mode C veil that surrounds class B airspace. All aircraft entering mode C must have a mode C transponder.

I was talking about the transponder in an earlier post. Simply, the transponder reports our position to controllers. Before we get into class B (or bravo) airspace, we will enter an area 30 nautical miles (NM) from the center of class B airspace known as the mode C veil. I got raster files of the NY terminal aeronautical charts from the FAA; terminal charts depict class B airspace and includes the mode C veil. I extracted a portion of this chart to post here and put in an approximation of our route. The mode C veil is shown by the purple line, I have marked where our route "pierced" the mode C veil with the letter "T" and an arrow. A working transponder is required before piercing the mode C veil.

Rob turned the transponder on before take-off and set the code to 1200 (for aircraft under visual flight rules). Before we left the airspace around KABE, the controllers told Rob to change the code on the transponder to a unique four-digit code (e.g. squawk 4321). When we get to the mode C veil, we are all set.

Before entering class B airspace, 10 NM later, the controllers have to clear Rob to enter class B airspace. If the controller does not specifically clear Rob to enter class B airspace he has to stay out. In that case he would have flown below the 3,000 foot floor of class B airspace that is on our route to Westchester County Airport (KHPN). However, the controllers, in this case NY approach, have already cleared Rob to enter class B airspace, giving him an altitude and a course. This important bit of communication happens over a minute, maybe two. I have noted on the image where our route (in red) crosses into class B airspace (represented by the blue line) on the chart excerpt above.

Hearing the interchange between Rob and the controllers when we are given clearance to enter class B airspace was another thrill. Up until now, I have never been in or near class B airspace in a general aviation aircraft. The radio is busy, Rob says this is the busiest that he has experienced. I stay quiet. I know that Rob needs to pay attention to the communications, so I don't want to bother him with unnecessary chatter. Instead I concentrate on listening to the communications. It is fast paced, and I am pleased that I understood most of the communications.

Next up in part 7, more on radio communications.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The image below is another excerpt from one of the aeronautical charts that I posted last week. This time I have noted the location of the three large airports in the NY-NJ metro area:

Newark-Liberty International in Newark NJ (KEWR)
John F. Kennedy (KJFK) and Laguardia (KLGA) both located in NYC.

Some of you may have flown into one of these three airports at one time or another, so I thought you might be interested in seeing what this airspace looks like on an aeronautical chart.
________________________________________________________________________________

Note, I need to point out that airspace and airport classifications take some getting used to. Aeronautical charts with their weird colors, circles, and other notations take even more time to get used to. Next week, I will provide you some references where you may learn more about airspace and airport classifications, aeronautical charts and other information discussed in this series. In the meantime, if you can not wait, please refer to my aviation links and info page on my blog where I have linked to some information on airspace and aeronautical charts.

Cross-Country (part 5): Take-off at KABE

The day of our cross-country flight arrives, the weather looks decent: broken clouds at about 4,500 feet with light winds and visibility of greater than 6 nautical miles. If the clouds are to pose a problem, I knew that both Rob and the Cherokee are rated for flight under instrument flight rules (aka above the clouds). I'll tell you now that the clouds will not be an issue. In fact, the sky will get clearer as the afternoon wears on. So, we will not have to go above the clouds.

I am psyched.

I am at the airport, finally finding the hanger were I am to meet Rob. We go out to the plane, a Piper Cherokee. Rob goes through his pre-flight check list both outside and inside the Cherokee. One important item is checking the fuel level, so he arranges to add fuel to the two tanks (one on each wing). Once inside he checks various instruments inside the cockpit including the radios. He sets the navigation radio to the frequency for the Sparta VOR, and sets the two bands on the communications radio, one to the frequency for ground control. He sets the other band to a frequency that we will use a little later.

He sets up the transponder. The transponder, a Mode C transponder, is a special piece of aviation equipment that will be required later in our flight. It communicates the position of our Cherokee to the radar used by various controllers along our route. He sets it to 1200, the code for VFR flight. Later in the flight, Rob will be directed by one of the controllers, to change this code (aka squawk) to another code.

After Rob is finished with the all the pre-flight checks, using his check lists, he radios ground control who gives him instructions on where to taxi, telling him to hold at area kilo where he does a final check, called a run-up (a check of the engine among other things). Ground also tells Rob that we will be taking off on runway 24. After Rob completes the run-up, we hold at kilo to wait while another plane clears the runway.

The take-off will be handled by the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATC). It is finally time, and Rob taxis to runway 24. This is not the first time I have been at KABE, I was at KABE about seven months on a scenic ride observing a maneuver called touch and goes where the pilot lands and then immediately take-off again. Not all airports allow touch and goes, KABE does. I had also flown on commercial flights out of KABE.

But this is different. I am in the cockpit of the Cherokee looking down a 7,000 ft runway at a decent sized international airport. There was something magical about this take-off. For me flying is peaceful and freeing. it is hard to explain but a part of the magic is sitting in the cockpit looking down at this long runway. This is so different from sitting in the back of a Boeing 717-200 on the way to Chicago.

I hear the familiar and comforting sound of the engine as our speed increased and we lift off. I am free. There is comfort in the communications with the controller at the tower who guides us through the take-off before giving Rob a course and an altitude.

Soon ATC will hand us over to Allentown departure, on another frequency and then Allentown Departure would hand us over to New York Approach on still another frequency. I trust Rob and all of the controllers to keep us -- Rob, myself, and the Cherokee -- safe. And the Cherokee, she is doing what she does so well, flying. I look out the windows watching the ground shrink as we climb to our cruising altitude of 5,500 feet. I sit, taking in the freedom. I am home.

Landing at KABE

Sorry everyone. I got distracted with various things including diagnosing and then sending off my Pentax DSLR for in-warranty repair, so I never finished today's article in my series on my cross-country flight. That article will post tomorrow, barring unforeseen circumstances. In the meantime, I found this video on youtube of a Cherokee landing at Lehigh Valley International Airport (KABE). You may recall that my pilot Rob and I took off from KABE for our cross country. Enjoy!

Upcoming articles about my cross-country flight

My cross country flight was not only about seeing first hand some of the things that I learned in ground school. It was also about the joy of flying. I may never be a pilot, but I can and do fly in my own ways, so to speak. This flight was part of that experience.

Upcoming articles about my cross-country flight:

• October 29: part 5 - take-off from KABE
• November 1: part 6 - navigation and radio communications
• November 3: part 7 - more on radio communications
• November 5: part 8 - Tappen Zee Bridge and KHPN
• November 8: part 9 - return flight to KABE
• November 10: part 10 - references

Cross-Country (part 4): plotting the course

The night before my cross-country flight I checked the weather forecasts and planned a possible route that for the scenic ride from Lehigh Valley International Airport (KABE) to Westchester County Airport (KHPN). The weather looked to be good for the flight the next day with low winds and good conditions for a flight under visual flight rules.

I admit that I had paid that much attention to the navigational aide known as a VOR since before I passed the FAA written private pilot exam. So, I wanted another opportunity to observe VOR navigation. The VOR is a ground based radio beacon that pilots use to navigate by referring to an instrument in the cockpit. The VOR transmits its signals in 360 degrees.

I planned for a route flying first to the navigational aide known as the Sparta VOR (SAX) and then proceeding to Westchester County Airport (KHPN). I wanted to show you the route that I plotted, so I went to the FAA website where I downloaded the NY Sectional raster file. the files are very large, so I cropped and saved a smaller image. I then drew the course on the image, adding some labels. The Sparta VOR (navigational aid) is circled. On this route, if the controllers let us into class B airspace, we will only be in class B airspace for a shorter time compared with the alternative of a direct route to KHPN.

I added the distance and true course to the image, but it may be a little hard to read.

KABE to Sparta VOR: 48 nautical miles, 70 degrees.
Sparta VOR to KHPN: 38 nautical miles, 102 degrees.

Nautical miles (or knots) are used in aviation. One nautical mile equals approximately 1.15 miles.

Aeronautical charts take some getting used, but I wanted you to see what one looks like. However, I thought that some of you might want to see the route plotted using more conventional maps. So, I went into Google Earth and using an aeronautical chart overlay, I added a marker for the Sparta VOR. I then deleted this overlay, reverting back to a normal image.

Next up, I'll get to the flight itself and talk about starting out from Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Cross Country (Part 3): Planning for the flight

A student pilot will sit down the night before a cross-country flight, look at the aviation weather forecasts for the next day with an eye towards the forecasted winds. Information they would like at includes but is not limited to:

• forecasted wind speed and direction,
• fuel capacity of the plane from the airplanes manual (aka pilot operating handbook or POH),
• gallons of gas used per hour (from the POH),
• nautical miles to be traveled (determined using the aeronautical charts),
• information about the destination airport(s) including but not limited to a diagram of the airport, runway information, radio frequencies used, etc., and
• noting all radio frequencies for the flight, including frequencies used by navigation aids.

On the morning of the flight, a student pilot/pilot will check the aviation weather forecast again, and adjust any calculations, if necessary. Finally, they would check for temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) and Notices to Airman (NOTAM) along their planned route.

This is a scenic ride, and I am not a pilot student or otherwise, nor am in flight training. Nevertheless, I did take a look at the weather forecasts the night before and the morning of the scenic ride. I made sure that I had a copy of airport diagrams, and noted radio frequencies that the pilot might use on the flight. I looked for TFRs and NOTAMs that might affect the route of the scenic ride prior to leaving for the airport.

In addition to the experience of a longer flight, I was especially interested in navigation and listening to radio communications. I will continue to write more about what I did before the flight in my next post. I will get to navigation, radio communications, and more in later articles. Stay tuned!

Cross-Country (part 2) - what is a cross country?

I want to take a little time to talk about what a cross-country flight is and it's role in flight training of student pilots. While I am not a student pilot nor am I in flight training, I wanted the experience of taking a scenic ride in the form of a cross-country flight.

Students seeking their private pilot's certificate (single-engine) have to complete a variety of piloting tasks, both dual time with their instructor as well as solo time. Before flying solo as a student, the instructor endorses their pilot log book for the specific solo task. One of these tasks is to log a certain number of solo cross-country flights. It is way beyond the scope of this article to go into these definitions and requirements, but one of the articles that I am including in this series of articles about my cross-country flight will focus on where you can go for more information about flight training and aviation safety.

What I can say is that when I was ground school, the instructors discussed cross-country flights, saying that a cross-country flight is a flight of at least 50 nautical miles (NM) to another airport where you land at the airport and come to a full stop. We also spent some time in ground school talking about all that must be done by the student pilot before going on a cross-country flight. In addition to ground school time, students spend time with their individual instructors going over the their cross-country flight in some detail.

As I understand it, Cross-country flights come after a student pilot has learned take-offs and landings, climbing and descending, straight and level flight, radio communications, navigation skills, weather advisory services, flight planning, runway markings, temporary flight restrictions, and the hand signals that ground crew members use as you are preparing to park your plane. A student pilot's first cross-country flight will be with their instructor (dual time).

If I am remembering my ground school training correctly, with the possible exception of looking at the charts and planning a route, most of the pre-flight planning done by the pilot prior to a cross-country flight requires an idea of the weather forecast as well as checking for any flight restrictions that might be in place along the planned route. Most of the real pre-flight planning, including checking for new flight restrictions, happens either the night before or the day of the flight. For example, a current wind forecast is an important component of any pre-flight planning, and might be available 12 to 18 hours before take-off time. On a flight into the wind (aka a head wind), ground speed -- how fast the airplane is moving relative to the ground -- the flying time to the destination will be longer. Conversely, if the wind is at the tail of the aircraft (aka a tail wind), you will get to your destination a little quicker. Ground speed affects fuel consumption.&

Stay tuned for my next post in this series where I will be writing about what I did to the night before/morning of my cross-country scenic flight.

And speaking of my next post in this series, I am still in the process of developing an outline of the series of posts that I will be writing on my cross-country scenic ride. I'll try to post some sort of outline in a day or so. I know that I promised some more pictures, but they don't really fit into today's article. I will be posting one last set of pictures from this scenic ride in a later article, I promise.

Cross-Country: part 1

I'm posting a few photos that I took today before I started on my cross-country scenic ride. The plane for this scenic ride is a Piper PA-128-140 Cherokee. We departed from Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, PA (KABE). I'll post more about my cross-country, an article and some more pictures on Friday. She is a nice plane. The door into the plane is on the passenger side of the plane, requiring that you step up on the wing to enter. Note the clouds, broken clouds at about 4 to 5,000 feet. By the time we flew back, we had scattered clouds (more blue sky and fewer clouds).

Piper Cherokee

Planes

Taxiways at KABE

Taxiway at KABE

I was standing on the wing on the other side (outside the cockpit door) of the Cherokee

Standing on the wing looking towards the rear