The Great Western Adventure

Our first leg was 503 nm from Newport News VA (PHF) to Smyrna TN (MQY) then to Addison TX (ADS) for another 542 nm. The weather was getting unstable towards the last leg but with XM WX and ARTCC looking at the storm cells we rerouted around them and kept a healthy distance from the building cells.

The next day we set out to Roswell NM (ROW) for gas and lunch. There were no aliens to be found but the scenery over the desert was spectacular. At ROW we replanned our route because of nasty storms near Albequerque and went south towards El Paso to get around the restricted area enroute to Chandler AZ (CHD) outside of Phoenix. We had a great dinner at the “Top of the Rock” that overlooks the Phoenix skyline.

At that point, we were thinking about heading back to home base and maybe trying to catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon when we happened to meet a fellow aviator at our hotel who was watching us scheme and plan. His advice was, “You can’t be Lewis and Clark if you almost get near the Pacific and then go home”. Well, that was enough of a friendly poke to rethink the next flight and Catalina Island (AVX) was only 2+30 away so westward ho we went to collect trinkets and souvenirs to keep the homefront pacified. The weather around southern California was beautiful and the airport at Catalina was interesting with the 1500’ drop off at either end. It felt like looking at a carrier deck again, but with no arresting wires! Socal approach was helpful in vectoring us clear of the LAX traffic too.

Out of Catalina, we headed towards Vegas and landed in Barstow-Dagget CA (DAG) in the high desert for gas. We had been reading about flying in the Grand Canyon, and that was our next destination. The G1000 was a big help in allowing us to input lat/long user waypoints to mark the beginning and end of two of the VFR corridors. We got the chart, read up on the procedures and set off for a photo recce of the canyon. We also figured out why we were the only crazy aviators to be flying in the afternoon….the winds were high, it was hot outside and the turbulence was rough. We stayed at the corridor altitudes (11,500 and 10,500) just to have more options if we had to make an emergency landing, but the pictures came out great anyway. We bumped our way over the canyon then decided to forget the second corridor and keep heading to Albuquerque NM.

The last day was the longest flying day. We took off early in the morning as the balloons were rising north of Albuquerque, climbed east between the mountains and over the interstate, then settled in as the terrain below turned from desert to the plains of West Texas to trees again in Oklahoma and Missouri. This leg was 724 nm and took 5+45 to get to West Plains MO (UNO) with perfect VFR conditions. We needed to stand for a while and hoped to borrow the courtesy car but alas it had just had a flat tire. But we talked to a guy in the FBO (Jack Bowman) who happened to be the airport manager for the county (Pomona MO) and he offered to take us to a nearby restaurant that had great hamburgers and local fare. Jack turned out to also be the local auctioneer, guitar player in a country band and motorcycle rider with the local club.

Out of UNO, we filed direct to Bristol TN and actually got it. That seems to never happen in our local neck of the woods. Storms in the southeast were building rapidly and ARTCC and the XM WX helped keep us to the north of the storm systems. We had a few pop up cells but we could visually stay clear and center was getting flight plan deviation requests from everybody including us. The flight from Bristol (TRI) to Newport News was at night and we got to see a picturesque red moonrise. It was a long day with 1500 nm of flying but was worth it to see the landscapes of the states we had travelled across.

A few observations we made:
1. The G1000/GFC 700 autopilot was a great help. We alternated flying each leg and exercised the knobs and buttons to the fullest on the G1000. In 36 hours of flying you have a lot of time to fiddle with every function and button on the system. SVT is a great invention.
2. We planned for an emergency landing in the desert by packing tents, sleeping bags, survival tools and water.
3. We had a backup portable gps and portable radio with lots of batteries.
4. The controllers will generally work with you if you are prepared and considerate of them. Diverting left and right of course to get around cells was never a problem and several controllers offered different routing to bypass storm cells. The XM WX was generally agreeing to what the controllers were painting on their radar. We realized the satellite picture was dated but it did provide a strategic picture.
5. There are some real characters at the airports and places we visited. Talking with those folks really made the trip.
6. After flying a long leg (anything approaching 4+00) we made a pact to go get something to eat and be away from the plane for at least an hour.
7. The next time, we want to stay for a while in some of the places we landed and see more of the towns, attractions and friends. This was a good trail blazer. Now we have no excuses for that DAA fly-in in Utah!
8. The calculated fuel burn was a couple of gallons higher than the actual fuel burn. The fuel gages were dead on accurate.
9. I’d do it again! (But I need a few days to recover).

OLATHE, Kan./April 8, 2010/ Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced that it will soon include synthetic vision in the G300 and G3X, the avionic platforms for Cessna’s Skycatcher and other experimental and light sport aircraft (LSA), respectively. The G300 and G3X’s synthetic vision, SVX, is specifically for experimental and light sport aircraft. SVX will be included with newly purchased G300 and G3X systems, and will be available for download for those who are already flying with the avionics.

“Synthetic vision is one of the most useful, safety enhancing features that we offer and it makes a world of difference in how you aviate,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “G300 and G3X pilots will appreciate the added situational awareness in 3D as they fly.”

With SVX on the G300 or G3X, the primary flight display (PFD) illustrates a clear 3D depiction of terrain, obstacles, runway designations, airport sign-posts and more – all shown in relative proximity to the aircraft. Instead of a flat blue-over-brown flight display, pilots will see an in-depth perspective view of realistic terrain features rising into the sky. G300 or G3X systems with a single display will be able to view SVX in split screen mode with PFD information on the display’s top half and multi-function display (MFD) information on the display’s bottom half.

In addition, aircraft that are equipped with a Garmin GTX 330 transponder or other compatible traffic receiver will display traffic alerts that use standard traffic symbology represented in 3D.

The G300 is a glass cockpit exclusively for the Cessna 162 Skycatcher. The Skycatcher is a two-place, single-engine piston, high-wing aircraft in the LSA category. The G300 presents information as a split-screen PFD and MFD, or as two full-screen displays with an optional second screen.

The G3X, like the G300, is a customizable PFD and MFD combination and features one, two or three all-glass displays; magnetometer; ADAHRS (combined air data and AHRS unit) and engine monitoring. Thanks to its building block design, customers can create a high performance panel that is tailored to their experimental or light sport aircraft.

Garmin anticipates the availability of SVX during Sun ‘n Fun 2010 and customers will be able to download it from www.fly.Garmin.com. For additional information visit www.Garmin.com.

Air Refueling in the KC135 from John Armstrong on Vimeo.

Here at GlassPilot we enjoy sharing information about modern aircraft and the impact the technology is having on the way we fly. Sometimes we like to share unique experiences and flying destinations for our readers to enjoy.  In this video we have the opportunity to share the experience of a recent flight on an Air Force Air Refueling Tanker. I was invited on a Civic Leader orientation flight.  The entire process was truly amazing.

In a typical refueling the KC135 might give an F15 3000 lbs or 500 gallons of fuel in only minutes.  The F15′s follow the tanker and the boom operator guides the fuel nozzle into a special fitting on the top of the aircraft. The song on the video seemed to fit as it says, “follow-me home and give me 5″. In one refueling mission the KC135 can deliver more fuel than the average driver would use in over 40 years of driving!

Though there are lots of engine gauges you’ll see that they don’t have anything on our modern GA panels! In fact, the aircraft was built the same year I was born and has been updated with glass avionics systems. In this updated form it is still the workhorse of the Air Force for refueling today. I think you’ll enjoy the video, check it out.  JA for GlassPilot.com

Event: Wings & Steam Fly-In
Dates: November 6, 7, 8, 2009

Flying Destination:
The Pik-N-Pig Restaurant, Carthage, NC

Airport: Gilliam-McConnell Airfield – 5NC3 coordinates: N35-20-366 W079-26-204   SDZ (VOR) 111.8 10.6 miles 049 Radial

Activities: Enjoy a BBQ lunch or dinner while you watch airplanes and then make your way to the Train and Tractor Show.  I heard there is a 5 mile Flea Market Too!

Comments: This unique place is simply something you must experience. They are hosting the Wings & Steam Fly-In Nov 6-8 2009.  This once a year extravaganza of vintage motorized equipment is so extensive and unique it is hard describe. You will be amazed by all that is on display. There are steam engine train rides and much of the equipment will be running providing demonstrations. Kids, young and old, love to see and hear trains and tractors so this event will entertain the entire family. Plan to stay longer than you might suspect you will!

Click to see the news video of this unique destination

See our Previous Post for all the details about the Pik N Pig and Flying into the 5NC3.

I landed at the Gilliam-McConnell Airfield recently with my son and a friend  for a plate of their awesome bbq and corn bread with jalapeno butter and enjoyed a chat with Roland Gilliam the friendly proprietor and airplane man extraordinaire. Our conversation included taking inventory of his 10 airplanes among the other happenings about the field.

Roland reminded me of the upcoming Wings & Steam Fly-In event he is helping to host.  Though I’ve not been to this event, Roland’s description had me pulling out my calendar and making my plans. The magnitude of the number and uniqueness of all the motorized equipment and trains on display sounded truly amazing.  I am confident that children of all ages will delight in the fun this event promises so I encourage you put this unique event on your fly-in calendar.

Admission for the Tractor Show is only $5 with kids under 6 Free. They have transportation to the show location 3 miles away for only $5 too.  Roland said it would help them serve you better if you email him to let him know which day you are coming. His email address is: amg3636@hotmail.com.

A few things to remember
You have permission to land. Traffic is left hand for 31 and right hand for 13.
The restaurant is open 11:00AM to 8:00PM Tuesday through Saturday and 12:00 to 3:00 PM Sundays.5NC3 is only 62 miles from Concord, 118 miles from Columbia or about 155 miles from Richmond so it’s an easy hop from most of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The food is great, the people are friendly and the experience is simply outstanding.

“We are delighted to be able to resume volume deliveries of the DA42, less than 11 months after the insolvency of TAE”, said Christian Dries, CEO of Diamond Aircraft Industries. “The DA42 NG is better in every respect with much improved performance, increased gross weight, even better fuel efficiency and the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot and is prepared for Garmin Synthetic Vision System. With over 40 airframes already in various stages of production, we will be delivering the first aircraft almost immediately. Most important to the existing customer base, we are focusing our efforts to achieve the certification of the optional upgrade of all delivered DA42s with the Austro Engine, such that all customers can benefit from these improvements along with comprehensive customer support for their engines. We will shortly be announcing the details of an all inclusive maintenance program that will ensure a superior level of support as we work to extend the TBO of the engine from 1000 to 2000 hours. In parallel we are pursuing validation of the certification in all other markets as quickly as possible.”

With over 500 delivered aircraft operating worldwide, the DA42 is the best selling light twin engine piston aircraft, popular with private pilots and commercial flight training organizations. With its all carbon airframe, known ice certification, Garmin G1000 and single lever jetfuel powered turbo-diesel engines, the DA42 is the undisputed technology leader in general aviation.

The DA42 MPP multi purpose special mission sensor platform version of the DA42 is gaining worldwide popularity in search and rescue, law enforcement, border patrol, security, maritime surveillance, high accuracy digital mapping, and ecological monitoring.

For more information call 877-258-8011 or visit http://www.flydominion.com/

February 2009 was a “Red Letter Month” for us all.

See what our friends in the aircraft sales business are saying about the Obama Stimulus Package as it relates to buying an airplane this year.

While average citizens are trying to figure out all the ways they are going to spend their $13 / week benefit from the bill, businessmen and smart fliers that can qualify for the various opportunities for business use may be swimming in cash flow positive heaven while enjoying their dream plane.

Glass Pilot says, if you want an airplane, you need to get with an experienced aircraft representative that knows the ropes on the new tax code and can help you get started with the right resources.  (Email GlassPilot to request a referral)

Click for News on 2009 Stimulus for Aircraft

To quote Mac McLellan in a recent Flying e-newsletter, “It is clear that the present administration in Washington, in the midst of the greatest economic crisis in 70 years, doesn’t care one wit about the future of business aviation. Over the past several weeks it has lumped all private airplanes used for business into a category of spending that is so wasteful it cannot be tolerated. And now it continues to press ahead with its Large Airplane Security Program (LASP) that piles more cost onto business flying and robs those airplanes of a huge chunk of their usefulness…rules that may make some sense for public transportation using aircraft that weigh hundreds of thousands of pounds are absurd for the typical business airplane that its owners use to visit the thousands of airports around the country that are not served by any airline.”

You can join this letter writing in just a minute or two by following the link http://www.nbaa.org/advocacy/contact/ to NBAA’s website.  There, upon entering your name and address, you can review and personalize a letter to your congressperson that NBAA will forward to the right person for you.  It took me less than one minute to send this letter and support the NBAA.