Memorial Day Flying

I had planned to fly to Mackinac Island yesterday, but complications and circumstances intervened to prevent that.

Instead I flew a friend in the Dakota from Pontiac to Jackson for their first flight ever in a small aircraft.

I did a thorough pre-flight as usual, and explained everything I was doing. I did the same with the run up and had my passenger read the checklist out so they could participate and see what I was doing.

An absolutely gorgeous and perfect day to take someone up for the first time.

Winds were light and variable and it was pretty much CAVU when we took off at 9:00 am.  I had flight following setup.

Flying along at 4,500 feet we soon got close to Jackson.

I soon had the field in sight, pointed it out to my passenger, and let Great Lakes Approach know I had it, they cancelled flight following and had me contact Jackson Tower, which I did.

Jackson tower had us enter a left downwind for Runway 7 and I did a nice landing. We then got to taxi to the apron and he stated I could park by the restaurant fence right at the front, and I stated I appreciated the premium handling.

I parked perfectly lined up on the fence, and Tower complimented me on the parking job. 

Jackson tower is always awesome.

Some kids at the fence were waving as we pulled up, so after I had shut down and got out, I walked over invited them and their parents to see the plane. The kids got to sit in the plane and play with the yokes and had a good time.

The two of us then went in to have a late breakfast.

I had a coffee and the Pilot's Omelette, of course. 

Outstanding as usual, and I tried the sourdough bread rather than my usual rye this time.

Suitably personally fueled up, we headed back to the aircraft.  I did a preflight and we were soon off again.

It was a little bumpier on the way back, and we flew at 3,500 as there was a scattered layer of clouds at about 4,500.  Even with the bumps, my passenger reelaxed enough to have a small nap.

 

Still a gorgeous day.

We overflew the President of the Flying Club's house and he got a suitably patriotic picture of us.

 

Yeah, that speck to the upper right of the flag above the cloud is us.  Next time, I need to try to overfly his house as its just inside Pontiac's Delta airspace.

Pontiac Tower first had me line up to enter the left downwind for 27L, whcih i did.

Then, he changed his mind and had me overfly the field and enter the right downwind for 27R.

Then he stated I should extend the downwind and he'd call the base turn.  So, I stayed up at pattern altitude motoring along.  He then calls my base right at the normal base turn location.

A bit of a diving turn ensued as I hadn't lost any altitude on the downwind and had kept my speed up on the downwind as he had been seeking to extend me for spacing before he changed his mind.

I then still made a good landing.

My passenger stated that the runways looked rather small as we came in to land, but was impressed with how smooth the landings felt and my passenger said they would fly with me again without any reservations.

I then taxi'd to the hangar, got the plane refueled, and cleaned off and that was the experience. 

That's 1.4, and 2 very good landings, and the first flights ever for a friend in a general aviation aircraft.

Friday Lunch Flight

Today the weather was very promising for flying, if a bit gusty.

I had invited my friends Nick and Anna for a lunch flight to Jackson.  Neither had ever been in a small plane before.

So we met at the airport at 1:30 and I got the airplane out of the hangar and showed them how I did a pre-flight inspection.

Then we loaded up, taxi'd to the run-up area and then took off to the southwest.

It was kinda bumpy up there at 4,500 feet.  Not terrible but not calm air by any means.  Wind kept pushing us to the right in gusts so i had to keep adjusting left to stay on course.   Also some up and down forces were at work as well, which made it even more fun.

They had fun and described it as a bit of a roller coaster feeling.

Got to Jackson and got a straight in to Runway 25.  With the wind out of 240 at 13-20 it would be gusty but not a ton of crosswind correction to worry about.

So I flew the approach a little bit faster than normal to account for the gust factor.  Of course, the bottom dropped out of the wind gust right during my flare so I did what Juvat would call a passable aircraft carrier landing as a result.  Still good enough that my passengers thought it was a really good landing, but I promised the next one would be better.

We went to the restaurant and had a very nice lunch, burgers for the guys, and a salad for the lady.

Then back in the plane to head back to Pontiac.  Since they actually got back in the plane, the flight out must not have scared them off too much.

Bumpy yet again, but a little better.

Then at Pontiac did the typical 27L downwind entry that was extended for a Falcon jet to pass on long final and then a base turn behind him to Runway 27R.  Pontiac had winds gusting 13-18 right out of 270.

I had promised a nice landing and I delivered - smooth and it felt like I was  holding it off the runway forever with that headwind.  Landed smooth as silk.

I also landed on 27R at the Whiskey taxiway leaving tons of runway to spare. This was thanks to the strong headwind.  I  then got to roll down the runway to Kilo to turn off and park the plane.

A great flight and both my passengers enjoyed themselves immensely.  A little challenging for the gusts and medium chop but it was a most enjoyable flight.

1.5 and 2 landings, one good and one excellent.

Sunday Funday Flight To Jackson

Today the weather was finally good for flying,  Heck, it was just beautiful, and just right for a breakfast flight. 

I took my friend David up for a flight.  David is a licensed pilot but hasn't flown in over 15 years.

A slight cross-wind from 300 at 6+ knots and we took off and headed to Jackson leaving the runway and hitting the skies right at 8:30 am.

At Jackson we were initially set to do a straight-in approach to Runway 25, but then the wind started blowing a fair bit from 330 at 10-12 knots. So the Tower started routing all aircraft to use Runway 32, which I hadn't ever landed on before.  Did a right base to 32, following a Cessna in and did a very nice landing if I say so myself, and David approved so that works.

 

Had a nice omelet at the on-airport restaurant, which has great food as always, and then we headed back to Pontiac. 

 

 

Weather was just beautiful on the way back as well.

I let David fly us back to Pontiac once i had us up to cruising altitude, and he was rather smooth, even with a two- handed death grip on the controls. He had a great time and had no problem keeping it pretty much on course and altitude.

I used the time to get the ATIS and listen in to traffic at Pontiac.

Pontiac got pretty busy. At 12 miles I checked in and idented, and as the Tower was giving me instructions and he got stepped on by another pilot so I had to ask Tower to repeat them.  

Tower got a little ticked off at the other pilot and then repeated my instructions.  

First he set me up for a 2 mile close downwind entry to Runway 27L, then amended the instruction to do a wide downwind, then he further amended  his instructions to continue downwind with his calling my base and then foing do a wide base leg and land on 27R. Kinda figured he would shift me over to 27R,  so it wasn't a big deal.

I then did another darn nice landing, and then we refueled and put the plane away.

1.5,  2 great landings, a great breakfast, and a very happy passenger.

Saturday Fly Day - Taking A Friend Up For His Birthday

So my friend Charlie had never been in a small plane before, and since today is his birthday, it was a most opportune time to remedy that.

The weather forecast was pretty favorable, and it turned out even better than forecast.  I did the official online weather brief and  packed the gear and was ready to go.

So we met up and I showed him how I pre-flight the plane, then we got on board, started her up and taxi'd out.

After the run-up, we headed to Runway 27R and then took off to the southwest.

He didn't even feel us liftoff the runway, and he enjoyed the flight immensely. It was smooth air all the way at 4,500 feet.

I let him fly the pane for a bit once we were past Brighton and he enjoyed that too.

Then we got the ATIS and contacted Jackson tower and got a straight in approach to Runway 25, and since we were on heading 250, that was rather perfect.

We then landed at Jackson with a nice soft landing, and I taxi'd the plane to what was becoming a rather busy ramp that has some construction going on, stopping only to allow a helicopter to take off, which was cool,  and we were marshaled to a parking spot.

An excellent lunch at the newly renovated The Apron Restaurant with really excellent food but slow service as they were slammed.  Worth it though.  Got to see a couple Extra 300s come in as well as an amphib and a Cirrus, some Cessnas and other airplanes as well. The parking area behind our plane filled in quick.

Then back to Pontiac.  We got flight following which was suggested by Jackson tower and was a good idea as the way back was busy.  Great Lakes Approach had me do an imediate turn to 360 degrees to clear for some traffic, then we returned to PTK at 5,500.

Great Lakes Approach handed me off to Detroit approach and I was told to immediately descend to 3,500 feet as there was a Gulfstream in my vicinity going the same way above me.  I did so most quicly and we then stayed at 3,500 the rest of the way in.  The only downside was it was a bit bumpy at 3,500 feet, and Charlie wasn't quite used to that.  I told him it was fine as it really wasn't that bad at all but if you've never felt those bumps before in a small plane it can be a bit disconcerting. 

Lots of traffic was out and about.  Detroit Approach was keeping pretty busy and I heard them use the word "expedite" to quite a few pilots. We also had got a traffic alert form them and was later told it was not a factor.  Having flight following can be pretty useful and its nice to know someone is watching the traffic around you that you can't see yourself.

Then we were handed off to Pontiac Tower and we were first instructed to setup to enter the downwind for 27L. But, as we entered the downwind, he had us do an immediate crosswind turn and then join the right downwind for 27R, so Charlie got to experience his first pattern.

I entered the right downwind at a perfect altitude and airspeed, then setup and turned base and then to final and landed again in a really smooth manner just kissing the ground with the wheels.  Always good to keep your passengers happy and good landings ensure that.

1.7, 2 landings, and a beaming birthday passenger. 

Flying - Birthday Flight To KJXN

Turning 47 today was a trip, and it deserved a trip.

So I left work and did a lunch flight with my trusty co-pilot, Leah.

I had planned a Birthday $100 burger fligth to Jackson.

Fair bit of crosswinds gusting 17-22 from anywhere from 280-310 on the way there and quite a bit more chop than my co-pilot was used to feeling. Nothing too much but her first time feeling bumps in the air.

Clouds were a fair bit lower than forecast and the chop was similarly unreported in the weather brief. The clouds were hanging out about 5,500 so we flew at 4,500 on the way there.

Landing at Jackson was no problem, a light direct left crosswing at about 7 knots and we landed on Runway 25. Firm but a good landing, not a bouncer or anything like that. The apron was busy as a Nascar race will take place this weekend at Jackson Speedway, so lots of jets were there and we were directed to taxi and park a bit farther away, which was no problem.

Stopped, shut down and pushed the plane back by some other props, chocked it in place, and headed into the restaurant.

Decent service and the burger was ordered.

Good food was had with decent service, as the place was hopping. Then back to the plane and a pre-flight.

Jackson Tower was nice and we took off from Runway 32 heading back to Pontiac and picked up fight following. There was quite a bit more chop on the way home but we were making 120+ knots which was kinda nice.

Then at Pontiac I got to enter the left downwind for Runway 27L and was then told to land on 27R as we came around on base which put us closer to our hanger which again was nice of them.

Winds were 13-23 gusting from 310 which made for an exciting crosswind landing. I only put in two notches of flaps and kept my approach speed up a little faster than usual for the gusts. Amazingly enough, I landed it smooth as silk, crosswind and all, I could not have done it better.

Then we headed back to the hangar, refueled, and cleaned and put the plane away.

That was a fantastic flight and definitely one of the reasons why I learned to fly - being able to take the kid for a lunch on my birthday.

That's 1.5 and two landings.

Without Fake Hate Crimes, There'd Be Damn Few Hate Crimes At All

On the national stage we have Jussie Smollet now being charged with faking a hate crime in an attempt to smear whites and Trump supporters and make himself newsworthy in the process.

Locally, we've had quite a few fake hate crimes.

This latest one however brings the heat and may top them all for sheer depravity.

In Jackson, Michigan, a gay rights activist is now being charged for felony arson by faking a hate crime - burning down his own house, along with five pets (2 dogs and 3 cats) of his still inside it.

The Detroit News: Jackson gay rights leader accused of burning down own home

It takes a lot of commitment (or being quite the narcissist or sociopath) to do a fake hate crime where you burn your own pets to death.

After doing a lot of good things, and being properly recognized for it, including being named Jackson Citizen of The Year, apparently this jerk needed to spend more time in the spotlight and felt a fake hate crime would bring him and gay rights more attention. This of course fed the media frenzy that loves to paint the stereotype of the City of Jackson and its citizens as homophobic etc - by the way, it's not.

It turns out that while he like Smollet got initial sympathy and lots of attention, and money to boot, he's now not getting the kind of attention he wasn't originally seeking. Instead of being painted as a poor victim, he's now getting felony arson charges as just like with Smollet, the timeline just doesn't work and his purchasing $10 worth of gasoline just before the fire started isn't going to help much either.

Burning your own animals to death to fake a hate crime has got to be a new low in the annals of Fake Hate Crimes.

Flying - Leah's First $100 Burger

This morning the forecast improved dramatically, so much so that it was time to take Leah for her first $100 burger.

Winds promised to be light, clouds higher than the MVFR forecast last night and all was set to go.

We headed out tot he airport and I showed her my new (to me) plane.

I called for fuel form the FBO and did the preflight. Doing so I saw that one of the tires was a bit low, and checking the pressure showed that it was indeed low, so I used the club's air compressor to add air. I then added too much as its a ridiculously powerful compressor unit, and had to drain it back to spec. With that done, I added a quart of oil and everything else was ready to go.

After the fuel truck came and filled the tanks I got us started and ready to go.

We flew to KJXN, the same sport I had gone last weekend with Peter as its a ncie easy flight and great for her frst ever cross-country and landing at a different airport.

For my birthday, I had requested as a present a headset so my passenger could ride in comfort. I got her a Kore Aviation P1 as the rental Dave Clarks were giving her a headache when I was flying with her using the DCT aircraft.

This time the headset was pronounced to be very comfy. Audio quality was excellent and for the price you can't beat it. I expect to get more as mthe rest of the family finally sees the light and joins us in the plane.

We flew to Jackson with no problems, getting as high as 4,500. There was a little haze but it wasn't a problem.

We passed by, but not over, the prison.

Jackson tower had us do a straight in approach for runway 25 and then we headed to the tarmac, which was quite crowded.

Lots of T-34 Mentors. The Hooligans were in Jackson for lunch.

We headed in and they were at a table all in matching shirts having lunch. We ordered the $100 Burgers and proceeded to have a fine lunch.

A nice bunch, they're going to be performing at a local airshow, of which more will be blogged later.

Then we headed back to Pontiac.

A very smooth flight back, we did it in 12 minutes less than the ride out.

Tower had us enter the downwind for 27L and as they did last week, then they had us extend the downwind for traffic and then had us cut a long base to 27R and I made just a superlative landing. I mean it was just perfect, Leah complimented me on it highly, especially as she thought initially from the approach angle that I would land in the grass in front of the runway. Instead it was a perfect landing - right on the numbers going from flying to rolling sublime kind of landing.

Then we headed back to the hanger, wiped the plane down and got all the bugs off and put it away.

Another perfect flight, and a great experience for her first trip.

1.5, 2 landings, and some great burgers.

Flying - First Flight As Member Of The Club

Today the sky was pretty clear and the plane was available in the afternoon.

My fellow student pilot from Flight 101 days, Peter, is also looking for a club to join and I told him about this one. I took him to the hangars and showed him the planes and we got the Archer ready to go.

He's only flown Cessna 172s so far, so the Pipers are new to him.

We decided to take a flight to Jackson and hit the restaurant there. A good practice flight for my planned trip with Leah next week.

He noted this would be his first trip as a passenger since getting his license. No pressure.

I showed him the preflight and the minor differences between it and the procedure for the 172s. Took the plane out of the hangar and got it fueled up and I then started it up and taxi'd to the run-up area. I did the run-up and showed him the differences there from the 172 as well. Not much, manly the fuel pump and tank switching.

I then got a takeoff clearance and we headed west.

At 4,500 it was a little bumpy but not bad, there was also a 25 knot headwind to slow us down. The headwind would make for a nice tailwind on the way back though.

Getting to Jsckson, instead of a straight in approach to Runway 25, which I kinda expected as we were lined up right for it, they had us enter a left base first, which was fine. Winds were gusting 15-20 knots from 230 degrees, so a little bit of a crosswind but nothing major. I landed just fine.

Then we taxi'd to the terminal and parked and headed for the Skyways and Spirits restaurant.

I had their $100 burger (which was only $7.50 when you take away the flying time) - two 1/4 lb patties of Angus beef cooked to perfection. Pete had a BLT. The $100 Burger mission was met most satisfactory. We looked around the small terminal for a bit and then headed back to the plane.

I did a preflight and then we got clearance to taxi back to Runway 25 and were cleared for a right turn after takeoff towards Pontiac. Jackson tower courteously asked if we wanted flight following and, why not? So I received a squawk code and first ws told to contact Lansing Approach who quickly passed me off to Detroit Approach and we had flight following until we were 12 miles from Pontiac and had the airport in sight and they then ended it and had us contact Pontiac tower.

On the way back the cloud base had lowered a bit and I flew at 3,500. With the tailwind we were making over 130 knots ground speed at cruise RPMs.

Pontiac tower initially put me on a left downwind entry for Runway 27L, but since the plane lives on the north side of the field, the tower had us continue the left downwind but land on Runway 27R. It made for a longer base leg crossing 27L to get to 27R but that was fine - just a very atypical approach to 27R. I then did an even better landing than the one I did at Jackson, again with a bit of a crosswind and gusts as well. Then I got to contact ground and taxi to the hangar.

We then put the plane away, wiped it down and got all the bugs off, locked the doors and turned out the lights and that was that.

Here's the plane parked at Jackson. The cone shaped building in the background is Jackson's VOR.

1.7 hours, 2 landings, and 1 $100 Hamburger.

Flying - Thanksgiving Morning Flight To Jackson

So this morning the weather was finally favorable for a flight. Weather briefing indicated no problems.

So I checked out N8570F and did the preflight and started her up.

Winds were a bit of a crosswind from the left at 200 degrees at 6 knots but was not a problem and the clouds were finally high enough for safe VFR flight. For all that, it was still a rather overcast day but the overcast was up high enough.

Pontiac airport was pretty quiet so I got permission to takeoff and a west departure, a good takeoff and off I headed to the west.

Dawn over the lakes was nice, with still a bit of fall color in the trees.

The view of the sun off the right wing was rather pretty.

They're already making snow at Mt. Brighton.

Brighton airfield was surrounded by fall colors.

I arrived at Jackson just behind a Bonanza and the cheerful controller happily issued me a straight in approach to Runway 25 to land. Very nice guy and the landing was pretty decent.

I had planned to stop at the restaurant on the field for a bite of breakfast but as I landed the Bonanza let the tower know it was closed, so I decided to just do a taxi back and depart. No problems and it was a nice takeoff and I headed back.

No aerial visit to Jackson is complete without seeing the State Prison. Per NOTAM, I did not fly nor loiter directly over it.

On the way back from Jackson I practiced some slow flight, stalls, and steep turns as it had been awhile since I had done those.

I had a nice 17 knot tailwind on my return so I was making about 137 knots which was darn nice.

I passed by the GM proving grounds on the way back.

The cloud layer was at 5,000 and dropped to 4,500 so I remained at 3,500 all the way back to Pontiac.

12 miles out from Pontiac at 3,500 feet I had picked up the ATIS and was about to call the tower, and they were busy conversing with a Citation. Before I could get a word in Tower notified the Citation he had VFR traffic to his north at 3,500 - guess who?

He then asked if the traffic was on the frequency and I then immediately replied that I was and got to state my tail number, altitude, direction, and I had the ATIS.

Tower had me stay at 3,500 and line up for a left pattern to 27L and I saw the Citation overtake me to my low left. No issue and Tower then set me up for a right pattern to 27R and it was a nice smooth transition and nice landing.

A nice cross country flight of 1.5 hours and 2 landings.

Now I'm home and about to begin preparing for the feast and cookin' the bird.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!