Landings are not optional . . . .

Just when you think you aren't ever going to improve, you stick two!

A couple of nights after work this week, six or eight touch and gos each night, and no landing has been better than about fair, with a couple being poor.  Last night I realized I was running out of fuel and was going to need to buy it at KSRQ for $6.00 a gallon if I didn't take a quick run to one of the more reasonable airports.  So it was off to KPGD for $3.72 fuel.  The landing at KPGD was grade A.  The landing back at KSRQ was grade A, and it was a substantial crosswind since Runway 04/22 was closed and winds were 22015KT.  You can see from the crosswind chart below, landing on Runway 14, the cross wind component is almost the whole 15 knots, at 14.8 knots:

There are two ways to handle a crosswind landing.  My preference:

Aileron to keep the plane on the runway centerline.  Opposite rudder to make sure the nose, and wheels, are pointed the direction the plane is going.

It will take more practice so all landings are as good as the last two, but there is progress getting to know Alexandra and in being able to put her smoothly on runway centerline at the end of every flight.

Rain, rain, it's Florida!

First flight through rain.  Note, it was not a thunderstorm!  Not even enough to wash all the bugs off.

What's wrong with this picture?

Four reds on the PAPI or Precision Approach Path Indicator lights means I am low on this approach to Runway 32 KSRQ . . . .

Hard to believe it's a cut and paste problem

An update to the post below . . . .

Look closely at the magenta Mode C circle.  Find the break and misalignment.  What is happening here is the Orlando TAC is overlaying the Tampa TAC.  So guess what gets covered up?  Anything right of the left edge of the Orlando TAC!  The solution for now, carry separate Tampa and Orlando TACs but that's a pain.  FltPlan Go has been wonderful in all other respects.

I would love to hear from others whether this quirk exists in their flight bag!

Whoops!

Look first, and see if you can see the difference in these two charts, before I tell the rest of the story:

Free from Skyvector:

Free from FltPlan Go:

For reference, the free tool from AOPA omits the detail, too.

The omission by FltPlan Go, the frequency used to reach Tampa Approach when in the northeast quadrant around KTPA caused some slight anxiety in the cockpit today during a flight from X60 to KSRQ.  The frequency can be recovered by calling St Petersburg radio, but even they gave me three frequencies to try.  It was very surprising that I could not raise Tampa on 119.65 when I was northeast of KTPA.  That, I knew, would be the frequency I would last be on before being handed to KSRQ Tower.  I guess comm radios are directional because I had no trouble reaching Tampa once I had the frequency for the quadrant I was in.

Side note, taxiing directly to Dolphin Aviation was not possible today because a twin was disabled on the south ramp just off Taxiway A.  The front tire was completely flat and the nose gear looked a little bent.  Hard landing?  The crosswind component today was 12.3 knots, given Runway 14, winds 09016KT.  My landing was a B+ but I drifted a bit right after getting into ground effect.  My right seat passenger commented, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.  I modified that a bit:  any landing you can walk away from, and not have to call the insurance company, is a good one!

Dashboard cover . . . .

For all of you that I have driven nuts, this is what I need to do on niner niner five:

North along the coast . . . .

Today was a lovely little flight up the west coast of Florida, Sarasota to Williston and back.  Airspace around Tampa is Class B, but you can still get reasonably close to the Sunshine Skyway for sightseeing around the mouth of Tampa Bay.  Then basically Tampa Approach wants you to follow the coastline.

Why Williston?  Fuel is $3.25 per gallon and they have a wonderful little grill, Pyper Kub.  Carol and Dave opened it seven years ago.

The excitement today.  Coming home Sarasota Tower put me on RWY 14 with reported winds 08005KTS.  Winds were actually 32013KTS!  It was my first downwind landing ever I think.  I couldn't figure out why this was only a C or C+ landing until I saw the windsock while taxiing back to Dolphin Aviation, and then a regional jet took off beside me opposite the way I just landed!  The whole thing was a little squirrelly.

Watch this for more comment about downwind landings:

Starting a Cessna 182 by hand!

Leaning the IO 540 . . . .

I don't mean to start the fight but I found this in the Operator Manual from Lycoming:


A.  LEANING TO EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURE GAGE.

1.  Normally aspirated engines with fuel injectors or carburetors.

(a)  Maximum Power Cruise (approximately 75% power) – Never lean beyond 150°F on rich side of peak EGT unless aircraft operator’s manual shows otherwise. Monitor cylinder head temperatures.

(b)  Best Economy Cruise (approximately 75% power and below) – Operate at peak EGT.

See the link to the right for the Operator Manual and the whole language about leaning . . . .

Engine starting and priming . . . .

KSRQ to KPDG and back . . . .

KVNC 

Venice jettys (one day I'll be sailing again)

The $100.00 hamburger was actually a patty melt, and it was only $60.00.  Fuel at KPGD is the best self serve station yet.  $3.71 per gallon.  Twenty-one cents more than KX07.  But better runways, clean, good equipment, and a cooler with iced bottled water, a full FBO.  And down and back along the beach is a more pleasant view.

Mistake or, what I learned today?  When Tampa Approach let's you go, they don't necessarily tell you in simple language:  N65995, Tampa Approach, fly own navigation, squawk 1200.  Whatever the heck the controller was saying did not register.  After a few, say agains, I asked, would you like me to fly my own navigation, and he replied, affirmative.  It didn't help that I wasn't out of the Class C when he gave me instruction, or I was just barely out.  Upon arriving at KPGD there was a little back and forth about me squawking a code that was not VFR, which I should have been.

Another odd event, the twin who landed in front of me pulled off the runway just past the markings, and stopped and stayed right there for way too long.  I was directed off the same taxiway and could not clear the runway!  Tower finally chastised the twin, and off he went.  In retrospect, the twin likely had the right to stay where he was but he likely also should have let Tower and Ground know what his intentions were.

It will be important to remain vigilant about looking for traffic.  Traffic on the G1000, with annunciations is too cool and could lead to complacency.  Audible alerts come when traffic is within 0.5 nm or 34 seconds and +/- 500 feet.

All updated . . . .

There are two kinds of people in the world.  Those who have updated aviation databases and those who have not.  If you are one who hasn't, you will likely struggle to become one who has.  Garmin just doesn't do a good job of laying out how it is done.  There are writings and Youtube videos.  The best resources are the blogs of those who have gone before us.  I will say that once you do it, it seems so simple, you wonder why it was ever an issue in the first place.

Here is how it goes for a G1000 in a Cessna 182T with PFD and MFD at Version 12.03:

1. With power off, take all four SD cards out of the plane, noting where each goes.  It would be good if the two lower slots have actual Garmin cards of 4 GB or more, which is needed for TERRAIN and SVT.
2. Buy the new databases you wish to place in the plane, Garmin or Jeppesen.
3. Load all of the databases that you buy, except the navdata database, on the two Garmin cards that will go in the lower slots, one for the PFD and one for the MFD.  You are making duplicates, and those cards will remain in the displays.
4. Load the navdata database onto a newly formatted card.  It is appropriate to reuse the one that came out of the PFD, upper slot.
5. Erase the fourth card that came out of the MFD, upper slot, by formatting it.
6. Now back at the plane, with power off, place the navdata card into the upper slot of the PFD and turn the BATTERY switch on.  You will be prompted to update the database of the PFD
7. Once the PFD is updated, power down and move the navdata card to the MFD, upper slot.
8. Turn the BATTERY and AVIONICS 1 and 2 switches on, and you will be prompted to update the database of the MFD.
9. Once the MFD is updated, power down and move the navdata card back to the PFD.
10. Place the blank fourth card in the MFD, upper slot, for flight logging.
11. Place the remaining two cards in the lower slots of the PFD and MFD.
12. At next power up, the additional databases will be verified, and you are good to go, until next month!

You can learn anything on Youtube . . . .

Flying by the instruments