New control yokes

Out with the old and in with the new.  I have decided to update the interior a little bit and make 04J look nicer inside.  I purchased a pair of yokes from Avion Research and installed them in Serenity.  I did this for a couple of reasons.   The first is that the bow tie yokes look old and dated and the other was because I wanted more control at my finger tips.  Since the FAA disallows modifications of certified aircraft parts, I could not just add a push to talk button.  Avion, had a pair of certified replacements but the cost was high, so I have put it off for some time.  I decided that I should do it because of the convince, increased panel visibility and the excellent look.  As you can see, it is drastically improved.  I could not be happier with the results.

Arlington 2013

Another year at Arlington Fly-In and another West Coast Cherokee Fly-In.  It was great to see all the people that I have made friends with over the years and make new friends.  I also like to see all the changes to the airplanes that happen year after year.  This year there was a night airshow, A mystery tour fly out, a museum tour and a charity flight for some of the Arlington volunteers.  The mystery tour took us to Orcas Island for lunch and the Museum of Flight restoration hangar where we got to see the engineering demonstrator of the Boeing SST.

I had another great year and I am looking forward to the next.

Pearson box plan defeated

The highly unpopular Pearson box plan that would severely hinder flight operations from my home airport was officially cancelled today.  Thank you to all the people who helped us fight this.  

IFR Popup Clearance

This Sunday I requested and exercised my first Popup clearance.  I have had my instrument rating for about 6 months now and I have made several approaches in actual IFR, and I have spend a fair amount of time in the clouds.  Now I have used another tool in the instrument pilot's tool kit.  The popup clearance.  Normally to fly in/through a cloud, a pilot needs to be flying an instrument qualified airplane (all the right instruments, current pitot static check, and VORs tested in the last 30 days), be instrument current, and be on a filed IFR flight plan.

Say you are out sight seeing, free to go where ever your heart desires.  Flying around a mountain, over the city or perhaps up high to see the sun.  A flight plan would not allow for this as you would need to follow a specific path defined by way points.  But you need to follow visual flight rules, even if you are instrument current and your airplane instrument qualified.  You need to be on a filed flight plan to fly through a cloud.  If one forms over your airport while you are gone then you may need to go a good distance out of your way to get under it.

There is an exception.  If you have radar service, then you can request a popup clearance.  This is a way to have a controller help you transition through a cloud on a temporary "flight plan" defined by radar vectors.  For me it went something like the following:
N4404J: Portland Approach, Cherokee 4404J with request.
PDX App: Go ahead
N4404J: I am 15nm north of VUO at niner thousand fife hundred feet and I would like a popup clearance from my current position to VUO.
PDX App: 04J Squawk 1401 expect radar vectors in 2 miles.
N4404J: 1401 and expect radar vectors 04J
PDX App: 04J, you are radar contact 3 miles north of Battle Ground VOR, turn heading 210 and descent to fife thousand feet.
N4404J: heading 210 descend fife thousand 04J
...
Several heading changes and altitude changes
...
N4404J: 04J is in visual conditions and would like to cancel IFR at this time
PDX App: 04J Cancellation received, squawk 1200 and frequency change approved
N4404J: 1200, Thank you for your assistance

It is as easy as that.  I am still smiling.  There is a video of the transition on youtube here.

Another Annual Maintenance done

9/1/2012

2012 Annual maintenance complete and no problems found.  I have new back windows that are slightly tinted and keep the noise level down.  I also now have a vernier mixture control that is in a logical place near the throttle.  So much better.  I ordered a heated pitot mast but I have yet to install that.  I am waiting for the mechanic to have time to install that with me.

Instrument Check Ride

8/27/2012


Well I have been putting a lot of time and effort into the Instrument Rating and I have finally finished up.  On August 27th 2012 I earned my instrument rating!!  I was very nervous and made a lot of little mistakes.  It is a nerve racking event but I made it through.

The night before I received a call from Mary Crinendon at 7:30pm to give me the fictitious weather (the real weather was too good).  She tole me to plan an IFR flight to Pasco, WA.  The weather was pretty bad.  800' ceiling over the entire area.  I got to work on the flight plan and picked my alternate, double checked everything and went to bed.

On the day of the exam I got up early, did my pre-flight and awaited the arrival of the examiner.  The oral part of the exam went very well.  Mostly weather questions and chart symbol identification.   After several hours of questions, she said that she was satisfied and that we should go fly.   I was given a route of BTG to SPB VOR to a missed, SPB GPS to a missed and HIO ILS to a missed.  I called flight service and put the plan on file.

In all of this I failed to plan on getting any food.  That was a mistake.  I was starving by the time we were out to the airplane.  We took off and flew the planned route.  The last part of the exam was unusual attitude recovery.  That went very well and I flew back to Pearson Field.   I got out and we went upstairs to complete paperwork.  She congratulated me and I was on my way.   I am really looking forward to being able to fly more in the winter here in the Pacific Northwest!!

Final stage check and extreme weather

8/18/2012

I did my final stage check for my Instrument Rating with Adam Moore to make sure I felt ready.  We departed VUO on an IFR flight plan and flew direct BTG.  I climbed up to 4000' and went into the published hold climbing to 5600' for the procedure turn for the VOR approach to SPB.  All was going well.  The approach to SPB went well and then I executed a missed approach.  I contacted the tower and let them know that I was on the missed and they assigned me 3000'.  Upon reaching that altitude, I was then assigned 4000'.  I went to full power and pitched up and had a 700' per minute climb.

About 4 miles from BTG the VSI dropped to -500 ft per minute.  I checked my pitch and I was still up 7 degrees, Power was still full at 2700 RPM, and my airspeed was 90kts.  This configuration should give a nice steady climb.  Were my altimeter and VSI failing?  I pulled the alternate static source and noted a very slight change then back to the indications I had before.  No carburetor ice as I was still making full power.  While I was checking and double checking everything, I recieved a radio call from ATC.  "Confirm you are climbing to 4000'?"  I responded that I was unable to comply and that I needed an immediate diversion to VUO.  ATC cleared the airspace for me and I returned to Pearson Field (VUO) for landing.  a few miles away from BTG I noticed that I could climb easily.  What ever was going on was very localized.  Upon landing, I called ATC on the radio and told them I was safely on the ground and thanked them for their help.  They then asked for a description of what happened.  I explained it to them and they thanked me for the information.  Less than a minute later I hear a 737 radio the tower that they are in the vicinity of BTG and are experiencing a 2000' per minute down draft.

I can now say I have experienced a micro burst.  A rare weather phenomenon associated with thunderstorms.