Oh, The Places I've Been
Alright, I haven't been to that many places, but it has been awhile since I last blogged.... So below, I offer for your edification, an update on what I've been doing in the pilot world.
Aside from the one or two rides I gave to friends and the solo flights for proficiency or just to go have fun, I have gone on a few cross-country flights. I took Mrs. Dirk L'Orange and her mother to Fort Worth to have dinner at a restaurant in the Stockyards. I flew with a new friend, fellow pilot, and possible partner in an aircraft purchase to Stephenville, TX to have a BBQ lunch at the Hard Eight BBQ. I flew a solo cross-country flight in a Diamond Star DA40/180 to have lunch at the Red Barn Cafe in Sulphur Springs, TX. I also began receiving instruction again and building hours to obtain a Complex Aircraft Endorsement in my logbook.
First, the trip to Fort Worth. We got to the airport at around 7pm and got Mrs. L'Orange and her mom situated while I pre-flighted the aircraft. We got underway about 15 minutes later and started out heading West tracking highway 380 which stretches between McKinney and Denton. I called Regional Approach to request traffic advisories so that they could route me on the most direct path to Meacham Airport (KFTW) over in Ft. Worth. I got Flight Following from Approach and proceeded only to discover that my transponder was not reporting altitude properly. As a result of that malfunction I was asked to maintain my altitude at or below 2500 feet, but to proceed on course. The flight was more or less uneventful except for two incidents. First, as we passed Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW) we were told to watch out for an F-18 on a VFR flight plan landing at Alliance and to be careful in the event that he decides to do a touch-and-go. Second, on final for Meacham, we had to switch runways at the last second because a King Air (twin turbo-prop) was coming up behind us on landing. We parked at Texas Jet, who provided us a spot and courtesy car at no charge for the evening. If you get a chance to go to Meacham, stop by Texas Jet for really good service.
We arrived and had a good meal at the H3 Ranch at the Stockyards and headed back to the airport where upon takeoff, we were cleared to transition Class Bravo to return to McKinney and had no problems with the transponder. Mrs. L'Orange was a little nervous about this, but enjoyed the views as we passed directly over DFW Airport (KDFW). She also had an issue with landing back at McKinney without the tower being open. It had closed about 30 minutes earlier, but her fears were allayed when I explained that this was common and we just make calls to all the traffic in the area and report our position.
Next flight was to Clark Municipal Airport in Stephenville, TX (KSEP) with pilot friend, Ben. Ben is a private pilot who is currently working on his IFR rating... so, decided to split the flight time and cost. I flew from McKinney to Stephenville by heading south and going around the DFW Class Bravo airspace to the east and south. We arrived and I impressed Ben with a nice crosswind landing on Runway 32 (Wind: 340@16G22). His exact quote was, "Uh oh, you've set the bar pretty high." We had a really good lunch and overall, I have to say this is the first place I flew to on a "$100 hamburger run" that I really want to go back to.
On the flight back to McKinney, Ben took over and we flew north and east to return to McKinney. As Ben is an IFR Student, he decided to fly this next portion of the flight while referencing instruments while I acted as his safety pilot. Basically, he was allowed to fly with a view limiting device and log simulated instrument time while I kept my eyes open for traffic and also watched to make sure we didn't get turned around or into a bad attitude. This was advantageous for me too as I was allowed to log time as PIC (pilot in command) while in the right seat as long as Ben was "under the hood". I was impressed with his ability to control the plane and keep us on-course while we flew under these conditions. Ben is pretty close to taking his checkride and his skill definitly shows. We were running behind and landed at Bridgeport Municipal Airport (KXBP) to get some cheap fuel ($2.34/gallon) and were able to fuel up, and get back in the air in record time... I think it took at total of 10 minutes to land, taxi to the gas pump, get 20 gallons of fuel, and take off again. This time Ben flew the aircraft VFR back to McKinney and we were able to get back without any problems. Ben's landings were good, but he didn't have the crosswinds or gusts I had to deal with, so he did acknowledge that I won our unofficial landing contest.
A week later I had some free time and decided to fly out to try the food at the Red Barn Cafe in Sulphur Springs. None of the club aircraft were available, so I checked with the flight school up in Denton Municipal Aorport (KDTO) where I have privileges to fly their Diamond Star DA40. It was available, so I reserved it and flew out to Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport (KSLR). The Diamond cruises at about 125 knots and has an autopilot. I enjoyed giving that a try and watching the plane hold its course without having to touch any of the controls.
I landed at Sulphur Springs, parked, and walked over to the Red Barn, located just across the main highway from the airport and had a really nice lunch. This too is a place I would return for another lunch. Not just because of the food, but the people there are really nice.
After my meal, I made the walk back to the airport thinking, I would just do a quick pre-flight, and be on my way. But when I came back a very interesting and unique aircraft had arrived, so I decided to take a couple of pics and talk to the owners. The plane is a DeHavilland DHC-3 "Otter". They landed there to refuel and take a bit of a break. They were very nice and allowed me to climb up into the cockpit and the back cabin of the aircraft and told me a little bit about the plane. After that, one of the pilots took an interest in the Diamond I came in on and asked me a bunch of questions about it. We had a nice conversation and said our goodbyes so I hopped in the plane, having completed my pre-flight and returned to Denton.
Finally, it looks like I may own an aircraft soon. I and a partner are going to go "half-sies" on an airplane and we have found one that looks like it meets our criteria for a reasonable price. We are looking at a Cessna Skylane RG TR182. It is a Cessna 182 with retractable landing gear and a turbo charger on the engine. It cruises at about 160 knots and holds 92 gallons of fuel. This gives the airplane a range of about 1000 miles. The plane has an autopilot, which should help on those longer flights.
In anticipation of getting this airplane, which I should have in the next month or two, I have been flying in the flying club's Arrow. The Arrow, by definition, is a complex aircraft. A complex aircraft is an aircraft with a constant speed propeller, retractable landing gear, and flaps. In order to act as Pilot in Command of a complex aircraft, a pilot must have a logbook endorsement from a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). I actually have to obtain two endorsements to fly the plane I might buy. The C182 has a 235-hp engine and anything over 200-hp also requires a logbook endorsement. Anyway, you can see pictures of the airplane I'm planning to buy by clicking on the plane's tail number, N7049R.
