Flying in the Clouds

Flight Date: 19 April 2008

Conditions
Equipment: Mooney Acclaim Type S
WX: wind 370@8 ; Ceiling 1000ft ; Temp 45 F
Flight Rules: IFR
Airports: Flying Cloud ; Crystal

I took a ride in the clouds with my potential CFI. I have been speaking with him about flight training. I had desired an in person meeting so that we could ensure it was a a good fit. He offered to take me for a quick ride in a plane that he needed to move from Flying Cloud airport to Crystal.

We took off from runway 36 with a departure of 300 degrees. The conditions where IFR and being that he has all the proper training this was not an issue. Although it was a little rainy and cloudy the winds where relatively calm- the flight was very smooth.

Being that this was not a trainer airplane it was not appropriate for me to fly it as if it where a lesson. However, I did learn quite a lot and was able to do a few tasks. As an example, I called the tower for our take off clearance- my first call to the tower!

We took off and fairly quickly we where in the clouds. My instructor told be that in these conditions it is important to keep your attention "mostly inside the plane" on the instruments. From then on, he worked the radio and since this was a pretty quick flight there was a lot of action. We transitioned from Flying Cloud tower to Minneapolis departure to Minneapolis arrival and then Crystal Tower. ATC fed us the vectors and I watched as my instructor entered the vectors and altitudes into the Garmin G1000.

I was pretty amazed at all the information that is at your fingertips with the G1000. I learned a great deal by watching him fly. I also gained a new respect for all that it takes to fly in these conditions and I also must admit It motivated me a little stretch my goal to an instrument rating.
After about 15-20 minutes in the air we started our final approach. My instructor showed me how the glides slope dislpays on the G1000 as we where lining up on the final approach line. Before long we descended below the clouds and we could easily see the airport, and Minneapolis, directly ahead of us. We circled the field and landed on runway 32 R.

This was another great experience in a "small" aircraft, although this plane was a little upscale from the Cessna 172 and the Diamond DA20. It proved to be a motivating and valuable experience and once again illustrated the importance of a good instructor.

Sunset Landing Cessna 172

Last week I was fortunate to be able to take a ride in a Cessna 172. This was part 2 in my quest to know what is it like to fly in a general aviation airplane and also my 2nd pass at answering the question every man struggles with at some time in his life, "should I earn my wings?"

A colleague from work (I'll call him Steve) offered to take me up with him and he proved to be most gracious in the care he took to explain the workings of the airplane as well as everything that lead up to and occurred during the flight.

We departed from KANE in Anoka, MN. The weather and the evening was perfect for flying. The near-full moon was watching over us. The wind was calm and the temperature around 50 degrees. In MN we call it "spring" whereas everywhere else it is just called the end of winter.

Prior to departure Steve took me through the pre-flight checklist. He encouraged me to do the checklist with him. I tested the fuel and various other parts of the airplane. For the last step, I double checked that the engine was still there through the peak hole in the front cowel- it was! We did a quick weather check at the FBO and then we were off.

I did get a feel for a few uniquenesses in aircraft control. The whole steering with you feet in and of itself isn't too much of a stretch. However I will need to get it in my brain that I am not piloting a wagon. That is, you don't push with the right foot to go left. You push with the right foot to go right.

We taxied to runway 27, did the run-up and took to the skies. What a surreal feeling to lift off the ground in a 1600 pound aluminum can with wings. We climbed out to the north at around 80 Knts to 3,000 feet.

The air was smooth. I enjoyed flying in the 172 about as much as the DA20. While the DA20 does have an incredible unobstructed view, the 172 was not bad either!

It feels more stable to be to be climbing. When the plane is leveled out I get that “top of the roller coaster feeling” like we are about to take a dive. After a while I was getting used to it.

Steve allowed me to take the yoke and I made a some turns. For me it was actually just fantastic to get a taste of how the plane flies. Not only did he allow me to try out the controls, he explained everything very well- so I actually learned something!

We passed over the Saint Croix river and landed on runway 28 at the Osceola Airport just inside of Wisconsin. This is an uncontrolled airport, so I was able to see the differences in the radio communication and approach. Steve took a very deliberate downwind, base and final approach- of course calling out position as one does. The landing was nice.

We soon took off from Osceola and then headed back to Anoka. On the way back you could see the Twin Cities in the background and the sun was on its way to the other side of the earth. I had a great time flying through the air and seeing the world around me from a totally different vantage point. MN is known as the land of 10,000 lakes, once airborne I could see why. Little pools of water are everywhere. The sunset landing at Anoka was exceptional putting an exclamation point on a perfect flight experience.

I have done a lot of on-line reading to ascertain the ideal trainer airplane for someone interested in learning to fly- just in case. What my first two flights have taught me is that it is not that important what plane you learn to fly in- taking as an assumption that it is a well maintained safe airplane. What is most important is who is sitting beside you while you are learning! This also is not just about skill, but about the repore and style of the person and how they fit with what you are looking for. I am sure it works the other way as well.

DA-20 Demo Ride

Last Friday, I took my first ever flight in a general aviation airplane. This was a demo flight and my mission was to see what it is like to fly in a small airplane. The above picture shows what the cockpit looks like in the Diamond DA-20 Eclipse that I flew. I guess it is technically accurate to say I flew it since I did control the stick for about 3 minutes and I made a shallow left hand banking turn. However, for the most part I was a passenger- in the left seat. The picture below shows the frontal view out of the actual plane from my seat.

Overall this was a fun experience and it did give me a good feel for what a GA flight is like in a small 2-seater. The conditions where clear and about 45 degrees. I was told it was bumpy up to about 3,500 ft. and we never went above that level. It was a little bumpy and at times unsettling- but I became comfortable with it rather quickly. I kept reminding myself that there has not been one US fatality in the DA-20 since it was introduced in the late 1980's..... "Wait what website was it that I read that on again, I think it had frames... when did Al invent the Internet again...I hope that is still true" moving on.

The flight initiated at Flying Cloud Airport (KFCM) in Eden Prairie, MN from runway "28R with golf" we ascended briskly to about 1500 feet leveled off and headed out about 10NM. We then circled around at level altitude over the area of Lake Minnetonka at ~100 knots. The view was fantastic! As I have read from others, flying in the DA-20 is almost like having the plane strapped to you.

Before I knew it, the time was up and we were headed back toward the airport. The CFI called the tower and we were cleared to land- again on 28R- with a right pattern from the west. The landing was a fun experience and smooth.

I can see why the DA-20 is highly regarded as a flight trainer. The plane is simple, comfortable (once you relax) and has fantastic visibility. The space inside is tight but ample once underway with your intended purpose- flight.

I had to overcome a little bit of the "what the hell are you doing anyway" that was going on in my mind as we closed the hatch. "I mean you just met this young fellow 20 minutes ago and now your strapped in this plastic tube with an engine on it and we just closed the lid." I felt trapped and constrained for just a few minutes- committed as it were. However, once we got the engine running and started moving through the check list items, I was fine. This was not unlike the feeling I had when I descended the first 10 feet during my first ocean dive in SCUBA training. I look at it as my mind gently asking the question- "are you sure you know what you are doing?"

This reminds me of a colleague at work that toured a cave on vacation and found herself in the bellows of said cave with too many people, only enough room to crawl, and nothing but battery powered torch light. About the time it was way too late to turn back without spoiling everyone's fun, she realized that her own mind was screaming at her to get the hell out of there! It is both interesting and remarkable that sometimes the one thing most difficult for the mind to overcome is itself. You have to rely on what is deeper and closer to you than you own mind to get through these situations. She gained control and made it out fine. For my brief SCUBA career that has so far come to an end after 10 magnificent dives in the GBR of Australia, it is the fact that I overcame my own mind while descending the first 10 feet of my first ocean dive of the coast of Sydney, that I hold most dear some 6 years later. The incredible feelings and scenes underwater come in a very close 2nd :)

The pictures bellow show the view from the cockpit but don't come close the real experience!