Outstanding way to spend a weekend! Spent it formation flying with a great group of guys and gal in Stockton, CA. Mega thanks to Larry Gaines, leading his “Bonanzas to Oshkosh” formation flying clinic. And equal thanks to Wolfgang Polak, our steady Lead for the Grumman flights. Ended the weekend by passing the “Wingman” level FFI (Formation Flying Inc) checkride. Sierra Hotel!
Passed the Wingman level Formation Flying Checkride!
April 20, 2011
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Posted by brianflys
Complicated IFR clearances
August 19, 2009Flew home this afternoon from San Carlos (SQL), and picked up my IFR clearance which surprised me with its complexity and mix of IFR and VFR items. The airport is located south of SFO, but it’s a pretty small airport with not much traffic, so I expected a pretty simple clearance with vectors to one of the nearby airways or VORs. Weather was clear with some haze, so I guess that’s why they mixed in the VFR bits.
My notes:
SEE RWHD DIWTR H120 2MI V OSI V25 SNS V137 AVE FIL VFR 1100 TIL OAK 165 2/7/5 135.65 3204
Which means:
Cleared to Gillespie airport (KSEE), after departure fly runway heading until passing the diamond-shaped waterway, then fly heading 120 within 2 miles of the airport, vectors to Woodside VOR (OSI), then Victor 25 airway to Salinas (SNS), then Victor 137 airway to Avenal (AVE), then as filed. Maintain VFR altitude at or below 1100 feet until passing the Oakland (OAK) 165 radial, then maintain 2000 feet, expect 7000 feet five minutes after departure, departure frequency 135.65, squawk 3204.
The good news is I flew it without any SNAFUs. So much more fun than dealing with the airlines!!
Anyone else getting interesting or complicated clearances lately?
1 Comment | Aviation | Tagged: airplane, clearance, flying, IFR, pilot, SEE, SFO, SQL | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
Economy Got You Down? Go Flying!!
March 8, 2009Who isn’t spooked by the news that’s hitting us every day it seems. Layoffs, closings, business failures. Even Eclipse Aviation, one of the most successful makers of the very light jet (at least for awhile), now going Chapter 7. If you do still have a job, you keep your head down, try to stay focused, make sure you are bringing maximum value to your company (even when you ARE the company).
But guess what, there is an escape from all this madness, if even for a short while. Usually measured in tenths of an hour. Flying. Yes, flying. Proved it again this weekend. Once I strapped into the cockpit and fired up the engine, the rest of the world, the economy, politics, all melted away. I focused on the one job of pilot in command.
Even better, once you lift off and get some altitude, you really do get the sense of perspective. Took my 4 new cylinders (another story for another time) on a little tour of the low desert, building those hours at 65-75% power to really seat the rings. At 5,000 feet, you can see the beauty of the landscape, feel the sense of speed, and see how tiny the human presence is on that open land. Just me and my plane, with the engine playing its smooth drone, and Jimmy Buffett playing through the intercom. The rest of life could wait for that couple of hours. I had that priceless perch to see the rest of the planet, truely above all the issues of the day.
Some call this “boring holes through the sky.” But to me it’s a vertical vacation, allows me to clear my head, soak up the view (and it is a great view, have you looked lately?).
So go flying. Make the time. Even if it’s only a short flight. Nice thing about our planes is they can quickly take you to a new landscape, a new view of your world. The rest of your life can wait a bit. You will return fresh, energized, even if a little lighter in the wallet!
This is the essence of being Hog Wild for Flying.
Cheers!
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Flying to Margaritaville!!
January 2, 2009This is the kind of mid-day trip only possible by General Aviation. As a Parrothead, I found it a perfect way to end 2008. Flew from San Diego to Margaritaville for lunch! That is, the Margaritaville Cafe in Glendale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix. Good way to spend a mild Southwestern winter day.
Ok, Jimmy Buffett wasn’t there that day. But the cafe played the live Radio Margaritaville feed from the internet as well as video from various cafes and concert venues across the world. And the place is laid out like a waterfront pier with booths created from fishing or dive boats. Good food too. I’ll be going back…
Cheers till next time!
1 Comment | Aviation | Tagged: Arizona, flying, general aviation, Glendale, Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, Parrothead, Phoenix, pilot, Radio Margaritaville | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
Formation Flying on a Beautiful Weekend
October 18, 2008Beautiful weather, and a beautiful location for some formation flying last weekend. Santa Maria, California (KSMX). Inland enough that there were no worries about the marine layer coming in to delay the day’s flying. But close enough to the central California coast to allow some great photo ops.
Formation Flying at Santa Maria, Oct 2008
Fun weekend for the West Coast Hepcats, an informal group of pilots flying Grumman light single aircraft. Informal, but very serious about our formation flying. We take this very seriously (with strong focus on safety), following FFI and Grumman formation flying standards. This weekend our training included 2-ship and 4-ship formations (I’m flying slot in the above photo) and even a 6-ship formation with a Delta configuration. If you are interested in flying formation, PLEASE get the appropriate training. It is intense, safe, and fun when the participants are properly trained, led, briefed, and can execute (good stick-and-rudder skills).
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Posted by brianflys
Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh – Flightline Fun!
August 1, 2008Short post today. See my other posts from Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh: Find them here, here, here.
The flightline is very active (and the spectator area is very busy at airshow time.) Been here a good part of the week and finally starting to feel I’ve seen a good part of the show. But there are still surprises, particularly when the shuttle buses take different routes and I discover new areas to visit! Some of the sights on the flightline:
U-2 Spyplane
V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor
Jam-packed flightline. Weekend will be even more jammed.
Also spent some “quality time” at the Seaplane Base, just south of the main Oshkosh airport. This lagoon on Lake Winnebago is owned by a local farmer and airplanes only operate there for the week of Airventure. Shady and compact, but quite busy little area. I highly recommend spending some time there.
Seaplane Base at Oshkosh
One of the latest things at Oshkosh is the “Fly-In Theater” where they are playing aviation-themed movies every night (tonight is “Broken Arrow“, starring (and the film introduced by) John Travolta. I’ll avoid DMCA concerns and only show the 5-story inflatable screen they use for the movies. Very cool, actually. Even free popcorn!
- Fly-In Theater screen at Airventure 2008
I’ve been posting using my EVDO wireless card, so cannot upload large files like video. When I get back to an area with real high speed access, I’ll work on posting some sample videos on YouTube.
Cheers!
1 Comment | Aviation | Tagged: airplane, airplanes, Airventure, Broken Arrow, flying, John Travolta, Oshkosh, Osprey, pilot, Seaplane, U-2, V-22 | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh – It’s About Planes!
July 30, 2008Lots of time (and miles) in the last couple of days looking at planes at Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh. I can believe there are 10,000 planes here.
First two Airventure 2008 installments are here and here.
Here’s a TINY sample of what I saw that struck my eye, anyway.
RVs. Not recreation vehicles, but homebuilt aircraft from kits by Vans Aircraft. Hundreds, maybe a thousand of them! The largest is the RV-10 a relatively new 4-seater. And there were rows and rows of just RV-10s; some unpainted and looking like they just finished the last rivet, and others looking pristine in perfect paint, avionics and interiors.
Yeah, there are a huge number of the other kind of RVs (land-yachts) at Airventure too. But you can see them anywhere.
How about the Boeing Dreamlifter. This is one big damn airplane, filling Aeroshell Square the days it was at the show.
The Red Bull Helicopter, used on the worldwide circuit of the Red Bull Airraces, putting on amazing displays of aerobatics that virtually no other copter can attempt.
Rows and rows of virtually any kind of airplane. From warbirds like P-51s. More than you could imagine. And civilian aircraft; not just current planes, but classics like the Cessna 195. Again, rows and rows of them. Almost all in pristine condition too.
How about your own personal Jetson jetpack? That is, a Martin Jet Pack. Flew for a couple of minutes (up to 6 ft high, and tethered per FAA requirements). Only $100K for your very own.
More weird stuff. And haven’t even gotten to the Fly Market yet! Saw this PETA nightmare of a prop cover. The vendor was selling airplane floats, but the “prop-pelts” sure drew some attention.
Finally, tons of formation flying (interested in this because I’ve started formation training, maybe to participate at OSH next year). Lots of formations. Warbirds (US and overseas aircraft) and warbird wannabees (apparently RVs love formation flying…) Some better than others. So much formation flying (good and not-so-good) that it would fill its own DVD.
More soon. Cheers!
2 Comments | Aviation | Tagged: airplane, Airventure, Boeing, Cessna, EAA, flying, formation flying, Grumman, helicopter, Martin Jet Pack, Oshkosh, P-51, pilot, Red Bull, Vans Aircraft, warbird | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh, v2, Hog Wild for Flying!
July 28, 2008Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh – Day 2. First day of the “show”, and only one word fits: OVERWHELMING. Wandered the field to regain my bearings once again and identify targets of interest for closer exploration later this week.
Aeroshell Square early in the day, before many of the other star attractions arrive. But there is already one plane drawing a crowd. “Terrafugia” – a convertible plane-automobile! Hasn’t flown yet, but it’s here and getting lots of attention. This is apparently one of those innovative ideas that has many lives. I remember as a kid watching grainy 16mm film footage of a similar “Air-Car” with detachable wings.
Of course, this is OSHKOSH, so there is not just one, but several manufacturers of these convertible airplane-automobiles at the show, with front and center placement and coverage. Wonder what the mileage is on these bad boys?
4 Comments | Aviation | Tagged: Airventure, Cessna, flying, Harley, Oshkosh, pilots, planes, Red Bull helicopter, Terrafugia | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh – Hog Wild for Flying!
July 27, 2008Arrival day at AIRVENTURE 2008, Sunday July 27!! Or, simply, “Oshkosh”. Thank you, EAA! This truly is the spirit of “Hog Wild for Flying! 500,000 people and 10,000 airplanes in one week at one airport. Awesome!
Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh!
More after the break:
2 Comments | Aviation | Tagged: Airventure, EAA, flying, Oshkosh, pilot, plane | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
Hog Wild For Flying…Red Bull Air Races vs NASCAR
April 16, 2008How do we grow General Aviation, making more people “Hog Wild for Flying“? A local billboard advertisement got me thinking about how we promote Flying versus other activities.
Here’s a perfect opportunity to share the excitement of General Aviation. But will that happen?
The Red Bull Air Race World Series is coming back to San Diego in May. Last year the air races attracted about 50,000 people in San Diego. Likely more will come this year. Lots of media covering the event. Lots of attractive young people promoting the title sponsor beverage.
So where will General Aviation be at this event? Of course these are GA aerobatic planes, but I mean our kind of GA. Plane manufacturers, equipment and suppliers, FBOs, Schools, Clubs, Organizations. Are any of you planning to be there…to get exposure to 50,000+ people who want to see fast planes? I don’t recall seeing any GA presence at the air races in 2007.
Nor is there a GA promotion presence at the MCAS Miramar Air Show every October, where the 3-day attendance is on the order of half a million people. Ok, maybe one local flying club C-172 on static display, with a couple of sunburned volunteers braving the roasting windswept distant transient ramp. But no real effort to promote GA.
Now, contrast this with NASCAR.
Say what you will about the “good ol’ boy” atmosphere of the participants, fans, and most everything else about NASCAR. They DO bring in the people, media and the automotive industry. Plus a whole lot of other industries that love the exposure, starting with the colorful logos plastered all over the cars and drivers.
Every major vehicle manufacturer is there. Every major supplier. Racing schools. Most anything that has wheels finds a way to get there. Oh yeah, how about home improvement, candy, and cereal to name a few other prominent products. And this excitement breeds excitement by the fans. They love their cars, drivers, and all the logo apparel and paraphenalia that goes with the NASCAR culture. It’s a COMMUNITY, carefully nurtured to the benefit of the sponsors as well as the fans. And the media and entertainment industry eat this up, with all kinds of shows built around racing. All this excitement brings many new fans and sponsors every year. It’s not perfect and there are other issues that limit NASCAR’s growth, but there is a core strength in the COMMUNITY.
There are lessons to be learned here, GA. It’s all about the excitement of a vibrant community. Rewarding for the participants, and enticing for newcomers.
What should our community look like?
More to come…
2 Comments | Aviation | Tagged: air racing, airplane, Aviation, Detroit, flying, general aviation, Miramar air show, NASCAR, racing, Red Bull Air Race, San Diego | Permalink
Posted by brianflys
