What I've been up to

I'll just be honest and say that blogging has become a big task for me lately. School has really been getting to me (especially a certain class - some will know what I am talking about), and I tell everyone the same story: when I'm not doing homework, playing tennis, swimming, or flying, I'm sleeping. A lot. I'm averaging about 13 hours of sleep per day over the weekends, and now that I'm on Christmas break I hope to try and return to a normal schedule. Whenever I did have free time on my hands, I opted to do something else instead of write here. Yes, I procrastinated.

However, while finding the time (and the willpower) to write about my flying experiences has been challenging, I still enjoy sharing my stories with others. I find it odd that I finally sat down and began to write at 1:55am on December 23, 2008. A lot of good that is for my sleep schedule, right? Well, I'm awake, alert, and ready to write, so here it goes.

On November 14, 2008, I had a day off from school due to a teacher in-service (essentially the teachers go to school for the day but students don't), and my friend and I had planned to spend the day flying to State College, PA to visit Pennsylvania State University, better known as Penn State. Unfortunately, the weather was very bleak that day, and my departure from Queen City was delayed about 2 hours because I wanted to wait for the cloud ceilings to lift a little in Allentown.

After the ceilings finally lifted to my liking, I decided to get underway for the one-hour flight to University Airpark (UNV). The aircraft was the retractable-gear aircraft that I have been flying lately, a Cessna Cutlass 172RG designated N5176V, and it's still a wonder to fly with the increased performance. The flight was normal, with nothing out of the ordinary to mention, except perhaps for the wavey clouds we encountered enroute over the ridges approaching Penn State.

The flight on the way home was one of the flights that I learned something from. The weather at Penn State and Allentown was solid IFR, like when I left earlier that day, but at or above my comfort zone. Enroute, however, the picture was even gloomier. The cloud ceilings were down to about 200ft, which is incredibly low even for airline standards. Inflight, the cloud ceilings at Allentown had dropped dramatically to my surprise to 200ft. Immediately, I began to consider diverting to my alternate airport which had an ILS, as I would not be able to conduct the approach into Queen City. Shortly thereafter, the ceilings rose back to 600ft, which was sufficient for me to land at Queen City as I planned.

After landing safely I spoke with my instructors, who were also concerned about the conditions that I faced, and they convinced me that it would have been a better idea to have either stayed the night in Penn State or delay the flight a few hours until conditions were guaranteed to be above my comfort zone. This is why personal minimums have been created. There are always the legal minimums, but every aviator should have his own personal weather minimums, especially in general aviation, to conduct any flight.

Two weeks later, it was Thanksgiving, and my entire family was home to celebrate. This finally gave me the opportunity to take my three sisters on a promised flight to the Hudson River Corridor to experience the awe of Manhattan. As a matter of fact, "awe" is probably an understatement of what they felt. "Shock" would be more appropriate. Every person that I have taken on this special flight has been knocked out of their world because he/she never could've imagined how close he/she really gets to New York City. For example, one of my sisters fell asleep enroute to the Hudson River, and my other sister nudged her when we were right next to the the skyscrapers, which was followed by a very loud gasp. Not everyone can say that they've flown at 900ft above the Hudson River along Manhattan, below the peaks of many of the buildings. See for yourself here (click "watch in high quality"!). My passengers attempted to take pictures, but they all turned out blurry due to our speed and proximity to the island. My camera with a fast shutter speed would've worked, but I was flying and I could not explain how to operate it.

This next flight was quite eventful. I decided to fly VFR from Allentown to Atlantic City, a common destination for my cross-country flights. Today however, a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) was in effect over the city of Philadelphia, which was directly along my route of flight. Luckily, the TFR did not take effect until after I arrived in Atlantic City, but it the extra restriction would still pose a challenge for the leg home. Apparently, President Bush was arriving in Philly on Air Force One for the Army-Navy football game. Basically, there would be a 15 mile radius around downtown Philly that would be designated as a no-fly zone, and a 30 mile radius around the same point in which any aircraft could fly, but only with ATC clearance.

As I said, I didn't have to worry about the TFR for the flight to Atlantic City. Rather, I would be flying directly through the middle of the Class Bravo airspace, so spotting and avoiding other aircraft was going to be my primary job. Just as I was over downtown Philly, I spotted an American Airlines MD-80 (Super 80) which was inbound to Philly International (PHL). About a minute later, he was directly over me, above 500ft above me. One of the pilots of that aircraft informed ATC that he got a TCAS (Traffic Collision and Avoidance System) warning due to my proximity to him, and began to climb for an extra margin. From my perspective, there was still plenty of space, but I'm sure the AA pilot was binded by rules to climb anyway. Just to be safe, I descended as well. TCAS is a system common mainly in larger aircraft, which detects and tracts other aircraft in a certain proximity. While there are many versions and features, the type on this Super 80 likely had the TA/RA features, which stands for Traffic Advisory and Resolution Advisory. Essentially, the traffic advisory informs the pilot that there is other traffic nearby with an aural alert (normally "Traffic, traffic"), while resolution advisory will give commands on the best course of action to avoid the other aircraft (like "Climb" or "Descend"). I've read articles on near-misses in the air, and this sophisted technology has certainly been the saviour in many of those cases.

The rest of the flight to Atlantic City was normal, but as I mentioned, the flight home was going to be interesting because of the TFR. Before I left the ground, ATC was already asking me for more information such as my full callsign, home airport, etc. With this information, I was allowed into the outer ring of the TFR on a northerly route along eastern Philadelphia and Trenton before turning direct to to Allentown. Remember how I said the President was flying in? Well guess who I heard on the radio? As I was over Northeast Philadelphia, I heard in my headset, "Philadelphia Approach, Air Force One with you descending through 9,500." Although I was 6,500ft above the ground, my jaw still hit terra firma. I've been to Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, MD, the home of Air Force One. There I had the rare opportunity of being about 100ft from the presidential transporter, but that was the first time I heard the callsign over the open radio. That really made my day.

My last flight to comment on was another routine cross-country flight to Harrisburg Capital City Airport (CXY). This is another easy trip and one of my shorter cross countries, but there is still a lot to look at. On the way, I passed Reading and on the approach to Harrisburg, I saw Three Mile Island. Some of you may be familiar with the incident at Three Mile Island, which is still an active nuclear power plant. Long story short, there was a meltdown at the plant, but for more details, I would read more here. After takeoff on the way back to Allentown, I also managed to capture a shot of downtown Harrisburg. When I wasn't picking out landmarks, I just admired the beauty of rural PA. As you can see, I managed to get above the clouds on way home. I realized that it was a much smoother ride above the clouds compared to the flight to Harrisburg when I was below them. See the video (click "Watch in high quality"!).

I noticed that I used the terms "routine," "normal," and "uneventful" in this post. In reality, I think this particular post demonstrates how every flight is unique! Perhaps the last flight to Harrisburg was more normal than others, but how often do I get to fly above the clouds? Not often. In the last month, I've flown in IFR conditions, learned a thing or two about weather and decision making, heard Air Force One on the radio, and came within 500ft of an American Airlines jetliner. I'd say these flights have been anything but routine! Don't forget to check out my flickr site (see link to the right) and my youtube page (also to the right) to see more videos and photos! Comments on this site or any of my sites are always appreciated!

New York, Penn State, Newburgh, and a new camera!

It seems as though my trip to Michigan were yesterday. After I realized almost a month has gone by, however, I became obligated to make an update. I can only blame the high level of writing that I have had to complete that seems to have turned me against any form of writing whatsoever. But here I am, so here it goes.

My first flight that followed my long trip to Michigan was a much shorter hop to Westchester, NY (HPN), which took about 1 hour each way. Westchester is located about 10-15 miles north of Manhattan, and has become one of the notorious New York City area airports, although it is far from experiencing the extensive delays that JFK, Newark, and La Guardia airports face. Rather than being a commercial airline hub, it is the secondary corporate hub for New York City after Teterboro, NJ. Being near the middle of the New York Class "Bravo" airspace, I knew as a pilot that I must prepare myself for a possible heavier volume of traffic to watch out for.

I don't think I've gone over Class Bravo, or just "B", airspace before, so I'll explain it a little. Class B airspace is the airspace in the United States that surrounds the busiest and largest metropolitan areas, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and most other large U.S. cities. The airspace consists of a 30 nautical miles radius around the core airport in which all aircraft must have an operating Mode-C, or altitude reporting, transponder. Once inside of that circle, think of the Class B airspace as an upside-down wedding cake, like this. This represents the ATC ceilings that some smaller general aviation aircraft may choose to abide by if they choose not to enter the airspace. However, the airspace extends up from the surface around the core airport, like the center of the wedding cake, so any pilots who do not wish to speak to a controller must avoid that area. If a VFR pilot wishes to enter Class B airspace, he must contact ATC beforehand and receive clearance. I have heard stories, however, that sometimes airspace like that surrounding NYC has been so busy at times that controllers will actually deny clearance. Otherwise, it's fairly common to receive a clearance. Since the NYC has three major airports, the airspace is a little more bigger and complicated. The highest ceiling of a Class B airspace is to my knowledge 10,000ft, but that may vary depending on the area. If you want to do a little more research on types of airspace, look up Class A, B, C, D, E, and G airspaces on Google or another search engine.

Anyway, the New York Class B didn't turn out to be nearly as busy as I expected, and the descent, approach, and landing was typical and easy. After I landed, I started taxiing back to the runway for an immediate departure back to Allentown. This is typical for me, as I'm just doing cross country flights (50 miles one way or longer), so I have no need or obligation to stop and get out. I followed a Citation and Learjet out to the runway, and they were off the ground before I knew it. For some reason, a fighter jet decided to stop by, but unfortunately I didn't get to catch a shot of it. On the way back, I captured a few shots of the island of Manhattan in the distance and I was also caught flying with out any hands! :-) I also managed to get a quick photo of the lights of the surrounding suburbs.



The next week, I did another short cross country to Newburgh, NY, where Stewart Intl (SWF) is located. Unlike the flight to Westchester, I didn't cross through any busy airspace. The airport is actually in Class Delta, or just "D", airspace. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any pictures because I went to the airport directly from school, and I had left my camera at home. I immediately regretted that when, while taxiing back to the runway at SWF, a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy landed right in front of my eyes. I had always seen photos of this monmouth aircraft, which is used as a transport/cargo aircraft for the U.S. military, but I had never seen one myself, much less in-flight. It was landing at SWF because SWF is partially a military airbase. I was happy that two of my friends had come along for the ride to enjoy the awe as well.



Next stop: Penn State/University Park, PA. This has always been one of my favorite destinations, mainly because the flight time is neither too long or too short and the ATC congestion is minimal. However, the latter changes on the day of a Penn State football game. In fact, those games are the reason that University Park Airport is, according to what I've heard, the busiest uncontrolled airport in the United States as many aircraft owners or hot-shots with business jets choose to fly in. Sometimes it gets so busy that ATC has to assign arrival and departure slots, a type of tactic utilized by controllers in busier airspace such as New York. Normally, however, traffic is very sparse at Penn State.



Anyway, I departed Queen City Airport without a problem, and even saw a light sport aircraft, the type of which is becoming very popular as a trainer. I'm not sure about the exact make and model, but I know that this type carries two people, is extremely fuel-efficient, and the performance is exceptional as well. As a matter of fact, I watched the aircraft takeoff on the 3500ft runway, but only used 500ft on the ground roll at most. I'm sure the big windows offer a spectacular view as well! As you can see here, the weather during this short trip was totally VFR, an ideal setting for photography. I encountered a few clouds on the way back, but nothing that impeded my view for too long. Clouds are good for photography too! During the descent into Allentown, I managed to break my personal speed record by 1 knot. It was previously 180kt, but thanks to a generous tailwind, I hit 181. I could've gone faster, but I didn't want to make my passenger uncomfortable with a steep rate of descent.


Last but not least, my last flight was another one back to Stewart International in New York state. However, this time the weather was significantly worse. When my Dad and I departed Allentown, the weather consisted of a light drizzle and overcast clouds at 1100ft. Perhaps this will put the situation into perspective. So, my Dad and I took off and before I knew it we were in the clouds. That was my last view of the ground for the next hour, as I was in the clouds the entire flight to Stewart until the final approach phase. Enroute, a portion of the window seal began to peel off, but I deemed it to be safe and not a big deal at all. However, just to be safe, I kept an eye on the condition of the seal, if any water was leaking into the aircraft, and had a nearby alternate airport in mind should I be forced to land quickly. Due to low ceilings present at Stewart Int'l, I conducted an ILS approach to runway 09, and broke out of the clouds about 800ft above the ground. After I landed, I taxied back to the runway for the return flight to Allentown, and as I awaited takeoff clearance, a JetBlue Airbus A320 landed right in front of me. A few minutes later, I was back in the air.

The weather along the way home was more of the same: clouds. As I approached Allentown, however, the clouds began to thin out and I started grazing the bottom of the clouds. I love it when I get to be that close because it seems like I'm flying at warp five. Since the weather cleared up, I decided to cancel my IFR flight plan in-flight and I proceeded directly to Queen City Airport to cut some corners.

That's what I've been up to in the last few weeks with respect to my flying. I hope that you enjoyed the update and that you check out the rest of my photos on my flickr site (see link to the right). Also, don't forget about my videos on my youtube site (also to the right, a new video was just uploaded: here). Oh, and if you've noticed that the quality of my photos are slightly better, than you have a good eye because I did get a new camera for my birthday. I hope that will continue to improve the quality of my images and videos over time. Lastly, comments on this site and those two sites I just mentioned are certainly welcome.

Striking Sussex sky-divers and marvelous Michigan

In a nutshell, this week was one of the most brutal ones of my 17-year (almost 18-year) life. But, it's finally Friday and I can relax and finally write a new post. I'll start with my flight to Sussex, New Jersey on October 4.

I wasn't sure where to go on this day because it was so clear out, therefore my options were essentially limitless. I like to think of the recent weather as California weather - sunny, clear or few clouds, and a very comfortable 75 degrees. At the same time, the leaves are just starting to change colors, exposing the full beauty of Pennsylvania. As a result, I keep thinking that this is my favorite time of the year.

So, I set my mind on Sussex, New Jersey, a small town about 55 miles northeast of Allentown, as the destination. My Dad came along, and the plan was that we would get something to eat at the restaraunt at the airport, but our plans ended up changing.

Like all of my flights, I arrived at Queen City Airport in Allentown, PA about one hour before my intended departure time to prepare as adequately as necessary. On the drive over, however, I already reached a conclusion that the skies were so clear it was almost a crime that more people weren't flying. Therefore, no flight plan would be necessary. As I guessed, the radar and forecast called for clear skies for at least the next 24 hours if I recall correctly. Also, there wasn't anything on the radar for at least 400 miles in any direction! At this point, I was starting to wonder whether I really needed an Instrument Rating...

Since the weather decided to comply with me today, I was done with my planning in only a few minutes. The only other information that I required was the estimated time enroute in both directions, the distance, the Sussex Airport information, and some other details. Before I knew it, I was out on the ramp making sure that the aircraft, a Piper Warrior II designated N8015X, was airworthy to my specifications, and I concluded that it was. The above picture was taken as I was in position for takeoff, waiting for a departing aircraft to turn crosswind.

I'm guessing you don't know what the term "crosswind" means either. Well, I guess I am obliged to elaborate. Crosswind actually has two definitions. The first is in reference to the wind. If one has a crosswind, it means that the wind is coming toward them at a relatively sharp angle, which causes the aircraft to fly along a track at an angle. During the approach and landing phase, this can makes things seem weird and sometimes challenging in high wind conditions. This is because we'll be flying along a straight line towards the runway, but our nose will not be pointing straight down the center. Instead, the nose will be turned into the wind, perhaps best illustrated here. This phenenomon is known as "crabbing," because you move slightly sideways. Just before touchdown, pilots will kick in the rudder to straighten the nose to ensure that the aircraft stays on the centerline of the runway. And just because you're in a bigger plane doesn't mean that you become invincible to mother nature. Just look at this Boeing 767 landing at Honk Kong's old Kai Tak Airport and this Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 landing in Zurich, Switzerland. In fact, the wind will actually have a more profound effect on larger aircraft because they have more mass.

The second definition of crosswind, and the one I used above, refers to the typical traffic pattern. In a normal pattern, one starts out with takeoff, and then once he is in the air flying directly away from the runway, he is on the upwind leg. Although it may depend on the airport rules and procedures, the pilot will then proceed with a 90-degree left turn to establish himself on the crosswind leg. A few seconds later, the pilot will make another 90-degree left turn onto the downwind leg, parallel to the runway from which he just departed but heading in the opposite direction. During all of this, the pilot is climbing to the pattern altitude which is 1000ft above ground level (AGL). If the pilot is remaining in the pattern (i.e. maybe to practice some landings), he will then begin his descent back to the runway after he is abeam the threshold of the runway while on the downwind leg. In other words, after he passes the end of the runway in the opposite direction, he'll start his descent. Shortly thereafter, he'll make yet another 90-left turn onto the base leg, followed by the last 90-degree left turn onto final approach.

So, while on the downwind leg and exiting the traffic pattern, I took a quick picture of Queen City Airport, followed by another of the nearby Lehigh Valley International Airport. After leaving the traffic pattern, I contacted Allentown Approach Control and they gave me advisories before handing me off to New York Approach. Now, I know that some people may think that if I am in contact with New York Approach, I must be very close to the city. Tell me, does this look like New York City? From this point, we were still approximately 65 miles even from Newark Airport. This sector of New York Approach just controls the aircraft in this area which surrounds the busier part of the airspace. Actually, we heard callsigns of many large airlines over the radio, like Continental, AirTran, American, and ExpressJet, who were likely all inbound to Newark or one of the nearby New York airports.

After cruising for only 25 minutes, I began my steady descent down to Sussex Airport, which has a base elevation of 421ft. From what I taught you before, can you tell me the pattern altitude at this airport? I hope your memory isn't that bad and you answered 1,421ft. However, many pilots won't bother including the extra 21ft, so we'll just level out at an even 1,400ft. Just as I turned onto final approach, another aircraft announced that it was taxiing and I immediately spotted it on the ground. However, it looked as though he was about to enter the runway, so I immediately prepared for a go-around. Thankfully he stopped short with plenty of room to spare, but did not respond to my radio calls when I asked him to confirm that he was not going to enter the runway. Nevertheless, I continued with the landing without a problem.

My Dad and I were surprised to find out that there was not a restaraunt at the airport, so we began to consider to head back home. However, that aircraft that I mentioned before was actually carrying sky-divers, so we decided to stick around and watch them come down. My brother went sky-diving, and so I was already somewhat familiar with the process. The first few times you go, it is mandatory that you jump with an instructor on your back - literally. When it comes to the landing, both the student and the instructor land on their butt while solo jumpers will land on their feet. See the difference betwen this video versus this one. After watching all of them land, my Dad and I headed over to the enormous Pilatus Porter that carried the sky-divers to 13,000ft. I immediately admired the gigantic engine which would do wonders in my Honda Civic. However, it does not come remotely close to competing in size and power with General Electric's GE90 turbofan which is used on some Boeing 777s.

After my Dad and I spoke with the pilot who kindly allowed us to examine the aircraft and answered our questions, we hopped back into good 'ole 15-Xray and headed back to Allentown. As we were taxiing out, we saw the next batch of jumpers boarding the Pilatus. Our flight took place during twilight and sunset, and we encountered some clouds which further emphasized the setting sun. It's something that I will never get tired of. See the video here.

My Dad also took a video of the landing at Allentown, but I haven't yet had the chance to upload it to my youtube account. Fortunately, I have uploaded the video of the takeoff at Sussex.

The following week, I flew the longest trip of my life: Allentown, PA to Ann Arbor, MI via Cleveland, OH. The flights between Allentown and Cleveland ended up being about 2 and a half hours each and covered exactly 286 nautical miles each way, while the two flights between Cleveland and Ann Arbor were about one hour each over 120 nautical miles each way. At the end, I gained about 7 hours and 40 minutes of flight time and flew a total of 408 nautical miles over two days. Furthermore, believe it or not, every flight was in the clearest of weather. I did not have to fly through a single cloud for the entire trip! I think I was meant to go!

My Dad came along with me as I was heading out to Michigan to visit the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (turned out to be a great visit, by the way), and we departed Queen City Airport at about 3:15pm in the Cessna 172RG (retractable gear) designated N5176V. Programming the GPS was simple...direct routing to Cleveland Burke-Lakefront Airport. There are multiple Cleveland airports, the better known one probably being Hopkins International which is 9 miles from downtown and is a hub for Continental Airlines. The second and closest to the city (1 mile from downtown) is the airport I chose, Burke Lakefront (BKL). When I researched this airport, it immediately reminded me of the former Meigs Field in Chicago, IL, a general aviation airport located only minutes from downtown on the banks of Lake Michigan (see more info and the controversial history of its closing here). Burke Lakefront seems to be just like Meigs Field in terms of location relative to a large city and the general aviation purpose it serves. The convenience was astonishing, as my Dad and I were driven to a restaraunt in downtown within five minutes to grab something to eat and stretch our legs after a long flight (remember, there aren't any 'lavatories' on a Cessna). The Cleveland Browns stadium was also on the lakefront and only a one minute drive from the airport!

About two hours later, my Dad and I took off into the Ohio night sky, and flew along the banks of Lake Erie to Toledo, OH before turning north towards Ann Arbor. If I wanted to, I could've flown a direct flight across the Lake from Cleveland to Ann Arbor, but that is highly unadvised beause, well, I only have one engine, if you get the hint. We arrived at Ann Arbor Airport at about 9pm local time, just after the control tower closed for the night. Just for reference, Ann Arbor is just outside Detroit's Class B airspace, about 30 miles from downtown.

After a great visit to University of Michigan and Ann Arbor, my Dad and I headed back to the airport for our long return trip. Once again, we would make an intermediate stop in Cleveland at Burke-Lakefront Airport. This flight began in mid-afternoon, so we got much better views of Lake Erie, Toledo, and the largest amusement park in the world: Cedar Point.

Shortly after passing Cedar Point and while speaking with Cleveland Approach Control, an incident occurred as I approached Cleveland's airspace at 5,500ft, heading east. All of a sudden, I heard the control say to me, "Cessna 7-6-Victor, traffic twelve o'clock, 1/2 mile, 5400ft, westbound." Translated into English, the controller said to me that there is an aircraft directly ahead me in 1/2 mile, about 100ft lower than me, and heading in the opposite direction. This really got my attention, and my eyes focused directly in front of me. Only a few seconds later, I saw the wings take shape and I immediately began a tight right turn to avoid a potentially serious mid-air accident. The pilot of the other aircraft must've seen me at the same time because he also began his right turn at the same time I did. Remember, though, that because he was going in the opposite direction, his right was my left, and therefore we passed by each other safely, albight too close for comfort. How did we both know to turn right? It is actually one of the first things a pilot learns along with right-of-way rules. If two aircraft are on a path for a head on collision, then both pilots must begin a right-hand turn. I am thankful that my training came so instinctively when the situation called for it.

However, I still felt obligated to report the "near-miss", as we like to call it, to the Cleveland TRACON (Terminal Control Center) once I landed. I did just that, and while the supervisor reviewed the recording of the radar image, he commented, "Oh wow, that was close." I also told him that I felt that the controller's warning was fairly late, because he later advised me of traffic that was more than 2000ft below me and heading southbound. If we could've warned me of that aircraft, then why could he not have told me about the one directly along my path and in the opposite direction? It also turned out that the other aircraft involved was not in contact with any controllers, which was perfectly fine. In the area he was flying in, he was not actually required to speak to anyone, as long as he obeyed the basic rules of VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flight. Anyway, the report was filed and that was the end of it. From my perspective, the other pilot nor I committed anything against any rules. If the pilot had been cruising at 5,500ft heading westbound, then a regulation would've been broken because while flying eastbound under VFR, one must cruise at odd thousand foot intervals plus 500ft, while westbound aircraft cruise at even thousand foot intervals plus 500ft. If anyone, I would blame the controller, who was not busy at all, for not giving me more of an advanced notice.

Like the last time, my Dad and I exited the plane and went downtown to a sports bar to enjoy a good meal before the last and longest leg home. We discovered that unfortunately for the Michigan football team, they lost to Toledo. I immediately thought of the taxi driver back in Ann Arbor who drove my Dad and I back to the airport and said, "If we lose to Toledo, we've got problems." During the drive back to the airport, we passed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which I had no idea was in Cleveland, nor on the lakefront along with the Browns stadium and the airport.

Back at the airport, I prepared the Cessna 172RG while at the same time admiring the Cessna Citation and Bonanza on the ramp only about 20ft from my smaller Cessna. The weather was still unusually perfect, and so the rest of the planning was a walk in the park. We took off into the late afternoon sky and we were finally heading home.

While slowly (relatively speaking) working our way over western Pennsylvania at 136 knots, we began to pass some familiar sites, like University Park, the home of Penn State, where we also got a view of the seemingly endless ridges. Of course, my Dad and I couldn't resist to take another photo of ourselves. We finally had the small town of Selingsgrove in site, which also meant we could see the Susquehanna River, which, if followed to the south, would lead directly to Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania. We also saw the sunset (and here) from 9,500ft just before we began our descent for Allentown.

The landing in Allentown was perfectly normal. I wish I had gotten a shot of the airport at night, but there will be other opportunities to do so I guess. I'm glad I had this opportunity to fly such a long distance, as it certainly had its benefits experience-wise. My Dad and I also calculated that this was the cheapest method of going to Michigan. A few weeks prior, I had researched the price of an airline ticket from Allentown nonstop to Detroit, and came up with an astonishing $743/person one way. That means $1400 for both of us one way, and $2800 round trip! All together, the cost of renting the aircraft, 20 gallons of fuel in Cleveland, and other inexpensive airport fees added up to a grand total of about $800. In other words, the cost of me flying to Michigan was equivalent to a single one-way ticket to Detroit, plus perhaps some extra time. In addition, this trip counted towards my hours, which only adds to the value. Lastly, the convenience of general aviation is infinitely better than common air travel by airline. I could play around with this all day and night if I wanted to, but I think I've made my point.

As always, comments are appreciated on all of my websites (see links to the right). My blog is only a glance at the photos I have taken during my trips, so be sure to check out my flickr site. Also, I rarely include videos on my blog posts, so be sure also to see my youtube site and my videos there.

New photos

See my flickr site for new photos of my two-day trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan via Clevland, Ohio.

I'll write a new post hopefully this Friday night or over the weekend. My schoolwork is momentous as usual, and despite my best efforts to get my work done as soon as possible, more work just keeps piling on top and thus changes my schedule. I'll just stop promising on due dates and start using "hopefully" and "maybe" more often so that I do not disappoint.

Check back soon!

Comments and questions on all of my sites are always appreciated.

New uploads

See my flickr site and youtube site for some new uploads. At this moment I'm currently in the process of uploading the rest of the videos to youtube, but keep checking back. Unfortunately, the videos take forever to upload to youtube, so it may not be until Monday night (10/6) that I'll have them all on there.

I won't be able to write about Saturday's flight until Wednesday night (10/8) at the earliest, but I definitely want to get it done before Friday. Just keepin' you all updated and check back later!

New Video

Here's a video of the climbout from Allentown, PA to Atlantic City, NJ on 9-27-2008. Also available on my youtube site (see link to right).

Ithaca and Dinner with Pops in ACY

I'm really surprised that I got my homework done as quickly as I did today. Over the weekend, especially Sunday night, I was swamped with various commitments and too much homework. I even spent all of my free time in school on Monday 9/29 finishing an advanced physics assignment that I had begun the night before and was due later that same day!

So, to make up for the lack of posts for the past two weeks, I'll begin by writing about my trip to Ithaca, NY with my Dad, my friend, and my friend's Dad to visit Cornell University. Unfortunately, the schedule called for a 5:45am wake up for myself, and I decided to arrive at the airport at roughly 6:30am to being my pre-flight for a 7am departure. Luckily, the weather was absolutely stunning, so there wasn't any extra paperwork to fill out for an IFR flight. However, one might think otherwise after seeing the morning mist on the way to the airport. Enroute the airport, I was driving along when my Dad and I noticed that the mist was covering only one side of the road! How unusual, right?

So I arrived at the airport and began my standard pre-flight checks. This typically consists of a "walk-around", during which a pilot, even of a jet airliner, will literally take a stroll around the aircraft checking for any leaks, major damage, tire pressure, fuel contamination, and much more. When I speak of fuel contamination, I mean that I actually take a small, fresh, sample of fuel from the wing and check for the following: blue tint (color of the fuel), lack of obvious contaminants (i.e. dirt), and lack of any foreign or clear fluid (clear fluid would indicate water). To see a sample, click here.

Another thing that I always check is the condition of the wheel and tires. I don't check the tire pressure, but I do make sure that it is firm and hard and I also make sure to look over the condition of the brake disc, pictured here. This is what allows me to slow down quickly, so I definitely want to make sure that it is good standing, which means no cracks or other obvious damage.

In addition to a fuel sample and tires, I'll also typically take a look at the pitot tube, which is an instrument on the leading edge of the wing that sends readings to the airspeed indicator. Essentially, all I do is be sure that there isn't any blockage in the tube and, again, that there isn't any obvious damage. To see a picture of a pitot tube, look here.

During my pre-flight of the Cessna 172RG (Retractable Gear), my friend called me to tell me that he had arrived, and I told him that I would be done shortly and hopefully we'd be on our way. Little did I know that a delay lay ahead of us. The airport employees actually show up at 7am, at which time they must conduct a routine inspection of the taxiways and runways for any debris that could be potentially dangerous. This takes about 20 minutes to complete, so I had to wait until that task was done until I could get some fuel. During my wait, I decided to wonder around a little and I captured this shot during that time. After finally getting the fuel required for the round trip, everyone got in the plane and I proceeded to start the engine. However, after sitting on the ramp through a colder-than-normal night, the battery was especially weak and the engine wouldn't start. Now I had to go request a GPU, or Ground Power Unit, to provide some extra juice to the battery during the engine start process. After about another 15 minute delay, I started the engine and we were finally on our way.

Shortly after takeoff, my passengers and I were treated to an extremely rare view. It seemed as though the mist yet had to burn off over the eastern section of the Lehigh Valley and to the north of over the ridges. Therefore, we witnessed some low-level fog and mist flowing through a gap in the ridges like flowing water. It was truly an extraordinary sight.

As we cruised along at 6500ft on a northerly route to Ithaca, we flew over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA and the windmills there before crossing state lines into New York. Enroute, we continued to see some more low-level fog/mist which covered some of the numerous Appalachian valleys. For a moment, my passengers and I thought that the fog in this picture was a river! Throughout the rest of the flight, the weather was the clearest that I had seen it in a long time, and the landing in Ithaca was typical.

The return flight was equally labor-free as the weather seemed to be working with us for once. It might explain why the general aviation ramp at Ithaca was unusually busy, according to the FBO employee. Due to the early wake-up call, my passengers decided to take a snooze on the way home to A-Town while I took a self-portrait (also capturing another dozing passenger) and a picture of the GPS (scroll your mouse over the different parts for descriptions). Just as we had on the way to Ithaca, we overflew Scranton/Wilkes-Barre once more and I managed to get a quick snapshot of the aiport there (see side). The landing back at Queen City was also typical, well, maybe a little bumpy. But nothing unusual.

Fast forward one week. It's Saturday, September 27. The weather is horrible, but I still have an urge to get out of the house and go somewhere. What better way to go somewhere than to fly? So, I attempted to fly to Atlantic City, NJ in the early afternoon with my sister, but I was literally at the airport for only five minutes because the weather forecast had actually changed while I was driving to the airport. The weather was bad all day, but it wasn't anything I haven't flown in (low visibility, rain, low cloud ceilings, etc.). However, when the cloud ceilings drop below a certain altitude, or are expected to during the timeframe that I would be airborne or away from Allentown, it would be very ill-advised to fly because I would not be able to return to Queen City because the ceilings would be below the "minimums" for the instrument approach. So, I cancelled this flight, but I re-scheduled myself for 5pm when the forecast was predicting that the cloud ceilings would be higher (hopefully it would be right this time).

So far so good. I checked the weather at about 4pm and the ceilings were well above the legal minimums and my personal minimums. This time, however, I would be taking my Dad because my sister was now busy doing her schoolwork. My choice in destination you ask? Atlantic City, New Jersey (ACY). My Dad and I concluded that, if the weather still looked good enough for later in the evening, we would get out at ACY and grab something to eat before returning. So, I filed the IFR flight plan and we were off in no time. This time, the aircraft in use was a Piper Warrior registered as N8015X, a single-engine, fixed gear aircraft. This is probably my favorite aircraft to fly in IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions) because it has many features that make the workload much lighter, like an autopilot and a GPS just like the one I gave the link to above.

We took off from runway 7 at Queen City Airport, and immediately we were in radar control and receiving instructions from ATC to proceed on our course. Our route of flight took us in a southeasterly direction towards Trenton, NJ and McGuire Air Force Base, circumnavigating the busy Philadelphia Class B airspace, before turning almost directly south to Atlantic City. Once it was clear to the controller that we would not enter the Philly Class B airspace, he cleared us, "direct to Atlantic City VOR," giving us a bit of a shortcut by cutting a corner.

The low weather conditions continued to be ever so present throughout our flight over Trenton and northern Philadelphia. Occassionally, we spotted some gaps and holes in the clouds, exposing the homes below. To the west, my Dad and I could spot some sunlight, but I knew that weather was deceiving because only a bit further west was some thunderstorm activity.

As we came into contact with Atlantic City Approach Control, I was instructed to, "report the field in sight for the visual approach to runway 1-3." I thought to myself that I would, except I'm still in the clouds! I had listened to the Atlantic City ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) only moments before, which reported clear skies. I thought that the report was either old or the weather was going to clear up very soon. Speak of the devil! I kid you not, but about ten seconds after the controller gave me those instructions, we broke out of the clouds, revealing totally clear skies. Behind us, we left a wall of clouds which were heading north. In unison, the surprise came with a, "Woah!" from both my Dad and I. The clear weather really helped ease the workload for the approach, since I simply flew directly to the airport and essentially flew a straight in approach.

I checked the weather forecast for the next three hours in Allentown after landing, and fortunately, it was good enough so that my Dad and I could hop out and grab something to eat. We took a cab to a nearby sports bar and enjoyed a scrumptuous American sized burger while watching an amazing last inning in the Phillies-Nationals game (4-3, Phillies!). We returned to the airport by 7:30pm, and ten minutes later, the engine was started and we had obtained our IFR clearance back to Allentown. Unfortunately, the weather was still poor in Allentown, so I definitely expected to conduct an instrument approach, most likely the GPS approach to runway 7.


By the time we took off, it was well into the night, which made for an interesting flight in the clouds. With the landing lights on and flying through the clouds, it was very surreal because it gave the illusion of traveling at warp five. To prevent any disorientation on my part and keep my Dad's hamburger where it is supposed to be, I turned off the landing lights. Personally, I like flying at night with all of the lights on. Of course, I couldn't see the lights on the ground, so I had to enjoy the cockpit lights, which also look pretty neat.

Enroute, we were vectored by Philadelphia Approach to the north near McGuire Air Force Base at 4000ft before turning west towards Allentown. Since the traffic was sparse in the area, the controller was nice enough to give us another shortcut, like the previous controller.

Finally, I came into contact with Allentown Approach, who set me up for the GPS approach that I expected to execute. The approach went by flawlessly, if I do say so myself. I came out of the clouds exactly where I expected to (about 200ft above the minimums, or 1100ft above sea level/700ft above ground level) and we had no problem landing at Queen City. When we broke out of the clouds, we were pointing straight down the center of the runway that we were landing on, and the precision of the approach seemed to impress my Dad immensely. He said to me after the flight, "I had no idea where we were the entire flight and then all of a sudden I see the runway lights right on front of us! That's technology at its greatest!"

I'm happy that my Dad was able to come along on this flight because he had never gone with me on a cross-country flight before without an instructor in IFR conditions. It gave me a chance to show him how one flies without looking outside the window (I'm not sure if that frightened him or impressed him. :-) ) and the skills I've acquired over time. Hope you had a good time Dad!

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope that I can keep up with my posts more frequently, and as always, I'll do my best to do so. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at mike_stangy@msn.com. Also, all of my photos here and more are available on my flickr site (see link to the right), and I've also uploaded a new video to my youtube account (also see link to right). As always, comments on this blog, my flickr site, and my youtube site are highly appreciated!

Mr. Procrastinator

Yeah, I know. Still no new post. But I did manage to find some time to quickly upload some pictures from this weekend's past trip. Take a look at them here. I won't make any promises this time, but I really hope I can write about the trip to Ithaca and this weekend's trip before October 3. If you're one of my family members, you'll know that I have had a larger than normal workload from school lately, so I'm doing my best to get as much done as soon as possible. Bear with me and the reward will be great!

Update coming soon

Hey everyone. Sorry about the long wait. I'm trying as hard as I can to get some free time to write a new post. Anyway, I went to Ithaca, NY this past Saturday (9/20), and I may fly to Lancaster, PA tomorrow night (9/26) for dinner with some friends, depending on the weather conditions. If you haven't noticed already, I've uploaded some new photos from my flight to Ithaca to my flickr site, some of which I will use on my upcoming post. In the mean time, I found these fantastic photos of Hurricane Ike taken from the International Space Station, so enjoy those until I have updated my blog.

Again, comments are appreciated on any of my sites.

Bad weather, new privileges, and a grand finale (long post)

This weekend I'm actually a little relieved that I'm not flying since it gives me some extra free time (especially to write here). I never thought I'd actually put the words "relieved" and "not flying" in the same sentence before, but I guess everyone could use a break once in a while. Anyway, I'll write about what I've done in the past week starting with Saturday September 6.

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you would know that I was planning to fly to Ithaca, NY on September 6 to visit Cornell University, a school on my college list. But you would not have had to read my blog to hear about Tropical Storm Hanna (was it a Hurricane?). It made landfall only a day or two before in North Carolina, but it moved north quickly and thus disrupted my plans to fly to Ithaca. I actually waited until that morning to decide whether or not to go (to get a forecast that's as accurate as possible), and we could've gone there without a problem, but the issue remained on whether we would be able to return or not ("We" being my Mom, Dad, and I). The forecast called for gusting winds up to 30 knots (nautical miles per hour) around the time we would've returned, 3:00pm. Had the visibility and cloud ceilings not been so low, I might have considered going, but it's one thing to fly in gusting winds when it's clear weather versus when you cannot see outside the window, so I elected to cancel the flight.

However, I still had a few hours until the winds would pick up (it was about 7am at this point), so I decided to go flying alone to do some approaches in the local area and complete my IFR currency requirements. When a pilot obtains an instrument rating, the he/she must also adhere to the currency requirements, which call for: six instrument approaches; intercepting and tracking courses; and holding procedures in a six-month period. However, I cannot simply go up on a clear day and conduct an approach so that it can count towards currency. One of the following two conditions must be met for the approach to count: the weather conditions are IFR (1000ft or less cloud ceiling and/or 3 miles or less visibility) at the airport where the approaches are being conducted or there is an appropriately rated safety pilot with you. A safety pilot is anyone with a Private Pilot's license, and he/she can go with the other pilot to watch outside the window while the pilot flying conducts the approaches wearing a hood or foggles. Under this condition, the approach can be conducted in clear weather conditions and count towards currency since the pilot flying cannot see out the window (he can only look down onto the instrument panel) but the safety pilot can. Just so that there isn't any confusion, this is only used for training purposes. When you fly on a commercial airline, the Captain or First Officer doesn't wear a hood while the other watches outside the window.

Anyway, I completed the four approaches I needed (I had two before I went) to meet currency requirements. The first was an ILS approach to runway 24 at Allentown, the second was a GPS approach to runway 06 at Allentown, and for the last two I returned to Queen City for a VOR and another GPS approach. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that I went into a holding pattern briefly at East Texas VOR (ETX). In all, this took about an hour and half to complete. Later that day, I discovered an F1 tornado had touched down in Allentown (tornados can form in Pennsylvania?!) and destroyed part of the roof of a local high school (see article: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5tornado-bug.6578732sep08,0,3422909.story). Even more, the tornado touched down about the time that I would have returned from Ithaca had I gone.

I imagine that many people feel like going to the ER after seeing one of those charts, so I thought I would briefly explain one. This particular one is for an ILS approach at Los Angeles International Airport (I apologize for the quality).

Don't scream yet please. It's a lot simpler than you think. I'll start with the top. In the first three rows, you have all of your essential radio frequencies and course headings to conduct the approach plus the missed approach instructions (where to go, when to go there, how high you can go) and any nonstandard takeoff minimums. The largest box in the middle represents the horizontal profile, or the bird's eye view of the approach. I know it's confusing without the geographical shading, but essentially LAX is to the right and you conduct the approach heading west. That white/gray flag that gets thinner and thinner is your approach path, or localizer. On the bottom right is your vertical profile, which displays the glidepath down to the runway and the waypoints that you cross along that path. Those same waypoints are also depicted on the horizontal profile, except here it mentions the minimum altitude that you can cross them. Below that box are the minimums, what are sometimes referred to as the Decision Height (DH) or Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA). This dictates the lowest altitude that you can descend to on the approach without having the runway environment in sight. Now that was a very brief overview of the chart and you would have to go into a lot more detail to explain the entire chart.

To continue, I also obtained the hours necessary to receive the privileges to fly in a Cessna 172RG without an instructor (see post "Quick Harrisburg turn" for explanation of the systems). Although it is slightly more expensive to fly per hour, it is worth it to have the ability to fly this plane because it is actually cheaper to fly on lengthy trips than the smaller, less expensive aircraft on the rental fleet. Therefore, my trip to Michigan on October 10 won't be as expensive.

This last event really summed up the week. Last spring, I had promised two of my teachers that I would fly them to the Hudson River Corridor, and this week I finally had the chance to take them. Unfortunately, one of my teacher is on a leave of absence, so he wasn't available to go. However, the one remaining teacher found a substitute and we continued as planned, well, almost. We had decided to go on a Friday night, but the weather forecast was calling for rain and poor conditions, so we moved it up to the night of Wednesday, September 10.

With the weather the clearest that I've seen it in a long time, we took off at about 8pm and headed east towards Newark. Once we began speaking to New York Approach, I kept south of Newark flew towards Sandy Hook Bay. Over Sandy Hook Bay, I descended to about 1000ft above sea level and flew over the Verrazano Bridge. This is the first checkpoint for the Hudson River Corridor, and I stayed on the right side of the river heading north ("northbound, city side", is what the pilots there say on the radio, and, "southbound, jersey side," for the opposite direction). From there, you fly along Brooklyn and then Manhattan at about 900-1000ft above sea level to stay clear of the strict and busy airspace above you. When I fly here, I'm actually below the tops of some of the skyscrapers! At night especially, everything is crystal clear with the lights and just stunning. After passing the George Washington Bridge, we made a 180 degree turn and passed Manhattan once again. Also, we flew close to the Goldman-Sachs building on the Jersey side of the river, and I always like to laugh at the investment bankers still working in their offices. :-)

I always think the way out is the most fun and also the most challenging because I have always circled the Statue of Liberty to give the passengers a good photo opportunity. It's fun, well, becaue you don't circle the Statue of Liberty at 1000ft or less everyday. It's also challenging due to the strict airspace restrictions (I have to keep a constant eye on my altitude), the speed restrictions (I should not exceed 140 knots), and the tight turn around the landmark required to avoid other traffic. Also, if I want the passengers to be able to see the Statue, I can't make the turn too tight because otherwise the wing will block the view. However, I was able to make the turn successfully without any complaints, and from there I exited the corridor for the short trip back home to Allentown. I've done that trip three times, and everytime I go I feel the same amount of excitement as before. Furthermore, the fact that we conducted this trip the night before the 7th anniversary of 9/11 really hit the spot.

Unfortunately, my family has not obtained another camera yet, and now it's really starting to irritate me since I cannot share the feeling through images or videos. However, I'm in contact with some of the passengers that I have taken in the past on the Hudson River Corridor, and they may send me some of their pictures.

In the mean time, if you have not seen my pictures or videos, check out my flickr and youtube links to the right! Feel free to leave comments on either of those sites and here on the blog. You do not have to be a Blogger member to post comments on my blog. Thanks for reading!

Sorry!

Sorry about the wait. My flying schedule changed a little over the weekend and I've been a little busy with school work. Expect a new post by Sunday, September 14. This time, there's a good chance that there will be pictures and/or videos too!

See my flickr (photos) and youtube sites through the links at the right of this page!

Weekly update

I went flying today (more bad weather !!!), but I'm not going to write about it now because I also plan to fly tomorrow. Unfortunately I do not have a functioning camera, so photos and videos are unfortunately still not possible until a) we buy a new camera, or b) it gets fixed. Anyway, just keep an eye out for a new post really soon. Also, my schedule for the time being is as follows: this coming Friday (9/12), I'm flying to the Hudson River Corridor (probably the most exciting flying experience), and the following week I may be flying to Ithaca, NY to visit Cornell University. After that point, I'm not sure what I'll do right now. Check back soon!

In the mean time, entertain yourselves with this video of a Thomson Boeing 757 which suffered from an engine fire during takeoff. You can hear the ATC as well!

Quick Harrisburg turn

Phew. I have been putting a bit of time into this blog to update it since I got home from Argentina. Luckily, I got some time to go flying too. This flight was a treat for two reasons: the weather was bad (I will explain why that was a good thing) and I got to fly a really nice plane. The plane I flew was a Cessna-Cutlass 172RG. This plane is a little faster, carries more fuel and thus more weight, and, as designated by the "RG", it has retractable landing gear. To the right is a quick shot I took of the cockpit. If you want to see descriptions of the instruments, go to my flickr site and search for this photo.

Unfortunately, I am not rated to fly this aircraft yet, so I had to take my instructor along. I need 10 hours total time in this aircraft to be type-rated, so that leaves only about another hour for me. This aircraft is designated a "complex" one because it has a different propeller system and has retractable gear. It is traditionally used by the students who are working towards their commercial license because the exam requires that you be familiar with the different systems. Not to mention that it's just a really cool plane to fly!

You might be wondering how the propeller system on the "RG" is different from a standard Cessna 172. Well, take a look below. The picture to the right is of the 172RG, and the one on the left is of a standard 172. Can you see the difference? If you can't see it, look where the propeller goes into the spinner. The angle of the propeller for the RG can be adjusted, while the prop for the standard 172 is fixed-pitched. Another name for an adjustable pitch propeller is a constant speed propeller. This is one reason why the 172RG flies faster, because the angle/pitch of the prop can be adjusted to allow for a more streamlined airflow. Surprisingly, the 172RG, although heavier and faster, is slightly more fuel efficient partly due to this feature as well. It burns about 8-9 gallons per hour while the standard 172 can be from 10-12 gallons/hour. Also, the plane has more thrust than a normal 172, so after takeoff, upon reaching about 1000ft above the ground, we actually pull the power back slightly to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear on the engine. This is an operation normally used by higher powered aircraft, including commercial jets.


Now I'll explain the landing gear operation. In the upper photo you can see the principal landing gear lever and position lights. When the amber (upper) light is on, it signifies that the gear is up and locked. When the green (lower) light illuminates, the gear is down and locked. However, we normally confirm visually as well by taking a quick glance out of the window. The lower picture shows the nose landing gear, gear doors, and wheel well. Of course, foul-ups do happen, so there is an emergency gear extension lever located on the floor between the two pilot seats.

So, I mentioned before that the bad weather was a good thing, and now I'll explain why since you probably think I'm out of my mind. Since I've received my Instrument Rating, I've barely been able to put it to use in actual IFR weather conditions. Actual IFR conditions refer to weather conditions with 1000ft cloud ceiling and 3 miles visibility or less. I could always go with an instructor or safety pilot and wear "foggles" (a type of google that lets you look down at your panel but not outside the window), but flying in the clouds and low visibility always makes my day for some reason. So, when we departed Queen City airport for Harrisburg, the cloud ceiling was at about 700ft and the visibility was between three and five miles if my memory serves me correctly. We were also in the clouds the entire way to Harrisburg, and the first half of the flight ended there with an ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach. Unfortunately, I could not take any videos or photos in-flight because the workload was too high at the time and I did not want to distract myself.

However, to demonstrate an ILS approach in low weather conditions, watch this video of a LAN Boeing 767 landing in Santiago de Chile. Essentially, an ILS is a system which provides vertical and lateral guidance right down to the threshold of the runway. In other words, it's a very accurate system which provides a descent path for you to follow along with alignment of the centerline of the runway. The descent path that we follow is called the "glideslope", and the system that provides lateral alignment is known as the "localizer".

At this point in my career, the lowest I can descend on an ILS is down to 200ft above the ground. That altitude is called the decision height. If I do not have the runway environment in sight at that point on the approach, I must discontinue and conduct a missed approach, or as some people may know it, a go-around. The reason I cannot continue below 200ft on an ILS is because the aircraft I fly are not certified to conduct the approach below that altitude. The type of ILS that I fly is known as "Category 1", which signifies the decision height of 200ft. There are also Category 2 and Category 3 (a, b, or c) approaches. These approaches are only conducted by commercial jets which have been certified to meet the special requirements regarding the autopilot. On these approaches, the autopilot flies the entire procedure, including the landing. To see the chart for the approach that I conducted into Harrisburg, go here. Tell me if your mind exploded after seeing that.

So, the landing into Harrisburg was normal, and we taxied straight back to the runway for our return leg to Allentown. We were off the ground again in five minutes, and a few minutes later we were cleared on course to Queen City airport. We still flew in the clouds the entire way to Queen City, but by the time we arrived the cloud ceiling had lifted a little and was VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions once again. Nevertheless, we conducted another instrument approach (http://www.naco.faa.gov/d-tpp/0809/05171R7.PDF) and landed into Queen City.

So, that was about it for this week's flight. Next week there's a possibility that I'll be flying to Potsdam, NY for a college visit at Clarkson University, but it is rather far and so my parents are still considering it. Don't forget to check out my youtube page and flickr site for photos (both links to the side), and feel free to leave comments on my blog, on my youtube page/videos, or on my photos on my flickr page. Thanks for reading!

One more video

Here's another video during the cruise phase of the flight from Allentown to Erie. My friend always sleeps on my flights...I guess I can take that as a compliment. :-)

I'm about to make another post about my flight this weekend. Also, next weekend I may be flying to Potsdam, NY for a college visit at Clarkson University. It's a little farther than usual though, so my parents are debating whether they want to sit in a small plane for two hours or drive for six to seven hours. Obviously, I would reject the latter of the two choices.

Don't forget that all my videos are at my youtube page to the right and I have plenty of photos on my flickr site (link is also to the right) as well. Also feel free to leave comments on my blog posts, photos, and videos at each site.

An update and videos

Hey everyone. I Just thought I would stop by to make a post to bring some life to this blog after nearly a week. So, I went flying today, and I took some pictures. However, the camera belongs to a friend so I have to wait until I get the cable to upload the photos onto my computer. After I get that done, I'll write about the flight and then I'll post it. I would say it'll be another day or two until you can see that new report. Meanwhile, I finally managed to get a hold of some videos from my trip to Erie (see: "Erie trip...with a surprise"). The first is a video of the cruise enroute to Erie at 6000ft while the second is of my landing at the airport. You can hear ATC talking to me and other planes in both videos. Enjoy them, and keep a look out for my new flight report in the next few days!

If for any reason you can't view these videos, I'm also in the process of uploading them to my youtube account, so see the link to the right side for that page.

Back in the U.S.

Despite what I wish, I'm back in the U.S. I mean, I'm glad that I'm going to see my family, friends, and home again, but I wish so much that I could stay longer. It's really hard to come home from a place you love, ESPECIALLY when it's for school!

Anyway, my last night in Argentina was nothing short of amazing. Some classmates, and a teacher too, decided to go to a "boliche", or dance club, after dinner on my last night. After some difficulty getting in (which is a very interesting story in itself, maybe I'll post about it), we were welcomed by a MASSIVE crowd of Argentines watching the Argentina vs. Nigeria Olympics Soccer/Futbol game. I wish you could've been there to see the excitement when Argentina scored (very good goal too) and eventually won. At this point, it was about 2:00am. :-)

The fun didn't end there either. After the game ended, we went to the dance floor and literally danced until we dropped at 6am. I never knew I could fall asleep while dancing. Now, many readers may be thinking I'm nuts. Well if you're calling me nuts, then you're also saying the same about Argentines. The schedule is VERY different in that country. It's crazy, but I liked it. It is commonplace to stay out very late/early in the morning and then a little before going to work, and then sleeping after work during the siesta.

So, after saying my last goodbyes, I returned to my homestay where I fell onto my bed like a piece of concrete. I slept for about 7 hours, packed, ate a little, said goodbye to my "mother" and roomates, and then I was on my way to the airport.

That was the end of my trip and vacations for another eight or nine months. I think I went out with a bang, don't you?

One more thing. My roomates went to Buenos Aires for the weekend when I was in Mendoza where they learned some more tango and went to some shows. Justin, my one roomate, took the following short video (sorry that it's sideways, just the way it came):

If I were you, I'd go to www.youtube.com and search "Tango." Look for some of videos that aren't from movies, and you'll see what real tango is like and how complicated it can get. Here is one example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXhQNRsH3uc

So that's the end of my trip report for Argentina. On Wednesday August 27, I start my Senior year of high school. That means that I'll be back to flying about every week, so I'll do my best to keep up with blogging about them. Also, I plan to blog about some interesting trips in the past, like to the Hudon River Corridor in New York City for one.

Don't forget to visit my flickr website for my photos (see sidebar on right) and please feel free to leave comments there or on my posts here. Thanks for reading!

Argentina, 3rd and last week

I still can't believe that it has already been a little less than three weeks since I arrived in Cordoba. Certainly this has been my best experience abroad but unfortunately I have to cut it short because of school. I really wish that high schools had study abroad programs during the year like colleges. Oh well.

Anyway, it's been another busy and interesting week for me. But first I need to take a look at where I left off.

Ok, so I last wrote about the economy in Argentina and how it collapsed in 2001. After asking around for personal opinions about the economy, the general conclusion is that it is currently neither improving or worsening. They are just stuck. But that didn't turn out to be the only surprising thing that I learned.

One day, I decided to take a walk alone through what they call "El Centro," which obviously means "The Center." This area consists of walkways filled with outdoor shops (Paseo de las Flores) and Plaza de San Martin. In the plaza is also a large church simply called "La Catedral" (The Cathedral).

Along side of this church is an alleyway, where there is a memorial site for all of the "desparecidos", those who were kidnapped and/or tortured and/or killed from 1969-1983. I had passed through this alleyway once before, but this time there were hundreds of photos hanging from wires above the walkway, photos of all those who went missing. The more shocking thing was that they were only the ones from the Province of Cordoba who went missing. In total, up to about 40,000 people went missing across country during this time period (The number has never been confirmed, however). I had seen all of the names before on a list, but to see all of the faces really felt like a punch in the stomach.

The general age for the standard victim seemed to be in the high teens or low 20s, which would place them at a college level when they were receiving a higher education. After doing some research, it turns out that most of the recorded victims were workers, with students at a close second followed by employees, then professionals, and more.

Starting in 1976, a group of high-ranking members of the Argentine military ovethrew the Democratic government under President Peron. The new government became known as the Junta Militar, which created a police-state in which basic civil liberties were dissolved along with any judicial or legislative structure.

To bring even more chills, the tactics used to control the state were similar to those of the Nazis (i.e. there were concentration camps). Furthermore, some of the main constructors of the Junta Militar were graduates of La Escuela de Las Americas (School of the Americas), which was created by the U.S. government. I suggest that the reader does some further research on the subject, especially about La Escuela de Las Americas, since I believe it is a subject many are not familar with.

On a much brighter note, I managed to get out of Cordoba during the past weekend. This was possible because Monday was a holiday and thus I did not have class. So, I chose to go to Mendoza, a city to the west which borders Los Andes. After a 10-hour overnight bus ride, I arrived Saturday morning and immediately went to my hostel where I met up with some of my classmates from Cordoba as planned.

On the first day, we went to a winery owned by the Zuccardi family, obviously of Italian heritage. I learned two things (besides how wine is made) here: 1) The winery is one of the few in Argentina still owned by the original founding family and 2) the wine is famous for being young, not old like most Americans drink it.

While there, we went on a brief tour of the factory which was followed by another brief wine-tasting session. I saw this as an opportunity to enhance my taste buds, so I had a few sips. After a few sips, I came to the conclusion that I need a few more years to get used to the taste. I believe at this point I am used to drinks with A LOT of sugar (sodas, gatorade, etc.), and wine doesn't exactly offer the same taste for me.

After the wine-tasting, we had an excellent lunch, although slightly pricey. However, the service and the quality of the food definitely made up for the bill and more. This restaurant worked off of a fixed menu which started with a carrot soup followed by various servings of every meat in existence topped off with a well presented dessert. It is located on the Zuccardi fields, and thus is a part of the company.

That night, we went to yet another winery for dinner (nothing to drink this time), although it didn't come close to the quality of the first earlier that day. Nevertheless, the seafood pasta was very good. Afterwards, we called it quits.

Back at the hostel, I stayed up until about 1am playing pool/billiards with a friendly group of Argentines. Somehow, my partner and I managed to beat them easily, but the second game didn't go so well.

The next day, Monday, was a holiday honoring General San Martin, who essentially liberated Argentina from Spain in the early 1800s. We weren't able to find an open museum to visit since nobody was working that day. So, we decided to walk to Parque Central/Central Park and have lunch. This park was HUGE. I'm not sure how it would compare to Central Park in New York City, but I'm sure that it would compete in terms of size at least. So, we essentially spent the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon at this park and ate lunch at a small restaurant outside.

After visiting the park, I returned to the hostel on my own to read some more of my book for school. Also, by this point I had misplaced my digital camera. I was a little frustrated, but thankfully I backed up the photos on a computer before I left for the weekend. Anyway, my friends returned to the hostel at about 7:45pm at which point we began to cook our own supper. We made pasta with a mushroom sauce which was also mixed with some arregano. It didn't turn out EXACTLY the way we wanted (slightly gooey pasta, sauce a little runny), but it was still very good.

Immediately following the dinner, I had to leave to catch my bus for the return trip (overnight) to Cordoba. Although I was not able to do everything that I wanted to do in Mendoza, I still had a great time and I hope I can return someday. I would recommend this trip to absolutely anyone. As soon as I get some photos of Mendoza from my classmates, I'll post them on my flickr site or I will paste a link to them.

Again, feel free to e-mail me with questions about Argentina or aviation, and please don't hesitate to leave a comment or two. Lastly, be sure to check out my latest photos on my flickr site through the link on the right side of this page.