2013 Winston Salem Airshow

Saturday's edition of the 2013 -S Airshow was a big dissapointment due to the weather. Ceilings varied between 1200 and 1700 AGL and there was a constant drizzle. Acrobatics were out of the question, but there were some moments of clearing when some of the performers were able to do some banana passes before the crowd.
There was a brief window when the Aeroshell Team were able to do some loops in a very shortened program.

An L-39 with a nice paint job did both high speed and low speed passes:

 

 

 



One plane I was excited to see at the airshow was the "Super Stol" by Just Aircraft. I have heard a great deal about this plane. It will take off and land in 100 feet.  This is accomplished by leading edge slats and wing length flaperons. 

Just Aircraft - Super STOL



Super STOL - Panel



Super STOL - Wing

 

Beech 18

Beech 18

Beech 18

Jane Wicker at 2011 Winston Salem Airshow

I was going through some photos on one of my SD cards, and I ran across this short video of Jane Wicker at the 2011 Winston Salem Airshow. At the time, I didn't know I was watching one of the best. She will be missed.

 

Some Pictures and Video from my Europe Trip

In June, I took a trip to the UK and to Geneva with my family. In all our commings and goings, we flew 6 segments. Here is a video of the approach and landing into Geneva:

 

On my last night in London, I stayed on the 6th floor of the Jury's Inn Heathrow which over looked the approach path to the main Heathrow runway. Here are a few photos from that great vantage point:

 

Emirates A-380

Emirates A-380

 

Old and New Liveries

1.5 Hours in a 1940 J-3 Cub!

Crosswind Landings!

It had been a couple of weeks since I had flown, and Friday dawned beautiful. Having checked the forecast, I knew that in the afternoon the wind was going to pick up and be gusty. At 8:30 a.m. however, it was supposed to be about 5 kts without gusts. So I headed to KEXX. Following preflight, I taxied out to runway 24 for take off.

Immediately after lifting off, I realized that this was going to be a bumpy, crosswind day. While the METAR was reading only 5 kts, not far out of ground effect was 10 - 15 kts. I now was committed to one landing! Afterwards, I would decide if I would do anymore.

What made this more challenging was that the crosswind was variable between 80* and 100* off of my right. So the choice of runway was problematic. I would listen to the AWOS on downwind and the wind would be a slight headwind. I would listen again during final, and it would have changed to a tailwind.
I crabbed till I just about touched down and then switched to wing low. The tailwind caused me to float a little, but it was acceptable. Having a little more confidence, I decided to try another circuit.
I did a short field take off and just like last time, I began getting bumped around right out of ground effect.  The amount of wind altititude provided me with practice at flying a square pattern. It was a challenge to keep the plane lined up on final. My second landing was comparable to the first. During my training, I had not practiced many crosswind landings, so this was good experience.
Once more! My third time around the pattern was similar to the first two. Final approach felt fine and my flare was perfect. Just as my wheels touched down, a gust hit me from the right, and I could feel the plane begin to slide sideways putting a big side load on the landing gear. Right then I had a decision to make. The grass was getting nearer, and I didn't feel I had control. So I crammed the throttle in for a go around. As the wheels left the runway, I began floating over the grass between the runway and taxiway at about 10 feet. I accelerated but took out flaps a little too soon, so I mushed along at 10 ft agl for about 1000ft. Eventually, I established a positive climb and got the plane lined back up with the runway.
It is true that the training just kicked in. I made the decision very quickly not to try and salvage the landing. What I did realize is that I need to be much more careful about establishing a positive rate of climb before I take out the flaps. And when I do, I need to make sure I don't take them out all the way. I was glad to get the 3rd (or is it 4th) landing done. I called it a day.
In order to grow as a pilot, you must push yourself just a little beyond your comfort zone. Friday did that for me. I look forward to more opportunities to practice crosswind landings and get better.

Night Currency

July 2, 2012 was the last time I had done any night flying. As December dawned, I really wanted to get current and proficient to take my family up to see the Christmas lights at night from the air. Since it had been awhile, I asked my CFI Jerry to go up with me. My primary concern was to get confident with night landings. I remembered that the runway comes up very fast at night, and I wanted a little coaching.
Jerry had just finished 2.2 hours of dual night cross country, so he went to take a break while I preflighted 69R. When I finished, we climbed in and got started. I did five landings. Each got a little better than the last. I had a tendency to round out a little late. I didn't bang the nose, but the first ones were a little hard. I need to anticipate better when to round out and then be patient as the plane settles down.
I did take a few minutes to fly over Lexington and see the lights. Night flying is so beautiful, and it is a privlege to see what few people get to see at 1500 feet agl. I am looking forward to going back up with my family.
We finished the night with a practice ILS approach into Runway 6. I am beginning to do the book study for my instrument rating, so I wanted to begin to get acquainted with what will actually be required in the cockpit. It was challenging and fun. I am looking forward to my training.

Sugar Valley Airport - 5NC2

I have discovered a hidden jewel of an airport that would remind anyone of the way airports used to be and ought to be. Here there is no 12 foot barbed wire fence, just a friendly community of aviation enthusiasts who want to share the magic of Sugar Valley Airport. Located just outside of Mocksville, NC, 5NC2 is a 2400 foot runway located beside a lake. They have camping facilities, canoes to use, and a brand new 5820 square foot heated hanger that is sometimes used by the community as a meeting space.
This past Saturday, I went to the Sugar Valley Airport to attend a Women in Aviation Symposium that brought in 14 women who are at various stages of their flying lives. Presenters included Linda Finch who recreated Amelia Earhart's voyage around the world in an Electra, Capt. Bridgett "Atlas" Fitzsimmons of the 335th Fighter Squadron, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, and 10 other accomplished women in the field.
The volunteers were friendly and went out of their way to make the 150 or so guests feel like part of the Sugar Valley Family. Coffee and danishes were available as the event kicked off at 9 a.m. When the panel discussions and presentations were over at 12 noon, EAA Chapter 1083 provided a delicious lunch. My daughter and I sat by the runway, ate our lunch, and watched the Young Eagle Flights come and go. It was delightful.