How I Spent my Christmas 2002 Vacation
by Eric Rood

Pre-flight Planning.  I always begin preparations for a long trip about six days in advance of departure.  I start with the weather outlook, make my checklists for flight gear and clothing, followed by a home shutdown list.  Weather doesn't really become important until 48 hours prior to departure.  It is at this time the picture begins to form more clearly and a tentative departure time can be considered.  It isn't really until the 7 pm weather is posted the night before that the true picture is available.

DUATS flight planner is good for calculating route flight times, but for me, the ADDS site at www.aviationweather.gov and the National Weather Service Hydrological Prediction Center site www.hpc.nws.noaa.gov give me the big picture.  The ADDS site yields color coded wind data in graphical format from the surface to the flight levels in 3000 foot increments, either as streamers or lines.  Icing and turbulence are depicted as well.  The NWS site will give you a six day surface prog outlook and the "old fashioned" fax charts to analyze.

With the experience gained from our last family trip to Florida in April 2001, my wife issued the edict that the legs were to be of two hours duration.  That's where the DUATS flight planners come in.  I plugged in the entire IFR route from start to end then looked at what was available for fuel stops when the times were two hours apart.  Bristol / Johnson City / Kingsport (TRI) was 1+48 and Hickory (HKY) was 2+17.  It didn't make sense to land and have to climb back up to 7500 to get across the mountains, so HKY became the logical stop.  This also cut five minutes off the leg.

Glynco was always the logical second stop, just far enough south of Savannah, but not too far if alternate transportation was needed.  Plus, it made the last leg just a little over the requisite two hours.  Three two-hour legs were much more comfortable than two three- / three-and-a-half hour legs.  A thing I learned: Dyncorp DUATS flight planner is preferable to DTC DUAT flight planner.  I had printed both for each leg, but hadn't really paid attention to the detail of each.  When I went to file the IFR leg between BQK and PBI, I had my copy of the DTC plan in front of me.  As I was reading the route to the FSS specialist, I noticed that something was missing.  The DTC plan has all the intersections, times, headings and airspeeds, but it doesn't include the Victor Airways between stations.  The Dyncorp plan, while not as detailed, lists the stations, headings, airways, speeds and time between stations.  I had to hang up, go out to the plane and get my chart and call FSS back with the routing as I read it from the chart.

Southbound.  Saturday, December 21, 2002 dawned bright and clear.  It was, however, a "blustery day", as H. H. Milne would say.  As usual, the plans to be packed, the airplane loaded and wheels off by 0800 were thwarted by too many things to do in too little time.  The packing did not occur until 0800 Saturday morning.  The airplane was loaded by 0945 and we were wheels off at 1004.  Surface winds were 230 at 17 gusting 24.  3000 foot winds were westerly at 30 knots and 6000 foot winds were westerly at 50 knots.  Originally, I had planned to file IFR the entire route to PBI, with fuel stops in Hickory, North Carolina (HKY) and Brunswick, Georgia (BQK).  Instead, I departed VFR, climbed to 3500 and flew:

The turbulence was light, but sufficient to cause my wife and son to get airsick.  (I always keep a supply of one-gallon Ziplock bags handy!)  South of York VOR, I asked Huntington Approach for a "ride report" at higher altitude along my route of flight.  The report came back, "Smooth above five".  I requested an initial climb to 5500 and decided to continue on up to 7500, the minimum enroute altitude between Holstein Mountain VOR and Barretts Mountain VOR on V259.  The ride was smooth, the pax were content and the ground speed increased from 111 kts to 158 kts (120 indicated).  The turn from HMV to BZM put the wind directly on the tail and the ground speed jumped to 187 kts (118 indicated).  With clear skies and tailwinds, I went direct HKY once I was east of the mountains.  Mountain wave turbulence in this area was light, so the bumps were minor during the descent.  About this time someone called Atlanta center to advise that they were in a downdraft and unable to maintain their assigned altitude.  Center gave him a block altitude of 8700 - 10000.  The guy came back and said he had been at full throttle and was still descending.  Center then cleared him to deviate as necessary and report level.  I never did hear how it ended, as I was then switched to HKY tower.

Get on the downwind side of the mountains when the wind is blowing strong and you can count on strong downdrafts and turbulence.  You will eventually fly out of it, but be careful to not let your airspeed decay too far fighting to hold altitude.  Ask Bill Crawford about his experiences flying out west.

Profile Aviation is the FBO at Hickory.  Fuel (100LL) was $2.55 / gallon plus 6.5 cents on the dollar tax.  I took on 36.1 gallons, fuel burn was 14.4 gph.  The restaurant at Hickory is closed and the FBO had given the courtesy car to someone who had arrived just ahead of us.  We ate snacks we had brought with us and were on the ground for one hour.

Leg Two.  The second leg was also VFR:

This was shorter than the IFR routing and kept me clear of Charlotte (CLT) Class B airspace.  All military airspace was cold that day, so the routing was even more direct.  Glynco is a nice stop.  Just above the Florida - Georgia border, an 8000 foot, uncontrolled runway, no traffic and north of town.  We got the courtesy car and drove a couple miles south to the land of fast
food.  This was the shortest leg, 2+00 actual flight time.  Clear skies, visibility greater than 40 miles, no traffic, smooth air and groundspeeds in the high 150's.  It doesn't get much better.  Glynco-Manning is the FBO and fuel was $2.65 / gal plus 5.7 cents per dollar tax.  I took on 28.5 gallons for an average fuel burn of 12.4 gph.

Leg Three.  As it was getting to be sunset, I decided to file IFR for the last leg to West Palm:

There is a remote outlet on the field at Glynco linked directly to Jacksonville Center, so one can use a handheld to copy one's clearance.  The Jacksonville controller wanted to give me an amended clearance because of a TFR at Craig Florida, 3000 and below, due to a submarine base.  I had filed for 6000, so it shouldn't have mattered.  I immediately said I could not accept any overwater legs.  She said, "Well, that makes things easier, cleared as filed," and went on to pass the other pertinent information.  Round one, a win for the Eric.  Airborne at sunset, the ride was smooth and the tailwinds still with us.  After the hand off to Jacksonville Approach, the controller again tried to give me an amended clearance.  From Melbourne via Victor 492 to West Palm.  This is outbound on the MLB 148 radial, over the water to ANGEE intersection, then back towards shore on the PBI 359 radial.

Again, I stated that I would not accept any overwater legs.  He explained that the problem was the computer that would not accept the routing.  It seems there is some sort of plan that wants to route traffic offshore or over Central Florida via Orlando-Lakeland and then southeast.  Since I would not accept either routing, he suggested I negotiate with Daytona Approach, as that was their airspace.  Round two, another win for the Eric.

Handoff to Daytona Approach and wait for them to bring up the amended clearance.  Cannot accept overwater routing.  Negotiate a slight inland routing.  This I accepted, but the controller came back with the original routing!  Go figure.

The Center boundaries between Jacksonville and Miami change at Melbourne VOR.  Handoff to Miami Center, this time I am issued a 145 heading towards the water and told to intercept the PBI 359 radial.  I am still 75 nm north of PBI, tracking the 345 radial inbound.  The 14 degree bearing change would put me 10 miles offshore.  Gee, that sounds just like the V492 routing!

Approaching the shoreline, I advised MIA Center that I was not equipped for overwater flight and would not accept overwater routing.  "Oh, it won't take you too far, you'll be able to coast in if you have a problem."  Those controllers are sly, the word had evidently been passed down the line.  Instead of issuing an amended clearance, I was assigned a new heading and told to intercept a radial.  Two can play at that game, so I cheated on my assigned heading and stayed along the shoreline.  They didn't say anything so neither did I.  Everyone was content, so I would have to say Round Three was a draw.  I could understand the rerouting if there was sufficient traffic, but I saw only two aircraft between BQK and PBI.  I am wondering if it is a noise abatement or no overflight agreement to keep the natives happy.  I can fly VFR along the same route and not talk to anyone, but if I want to file the same route IFR, they won't approve it.  On the surface, it doesn't make sense.  PBI Approach kept me at 6000 until 25 miles out, then dropped me down to 3000 at 12 miles, then 1500 at six miles from the airport.

Locating an airport beacon among the city lighting clutter is difficult along Florida's east coast.  The GPS with moving map display earned it's keep on this trip.  Surface winds were light and I landed to the west and taxied to Signature Flight support on the southeast side of the field.  I decided to give Signature a try, as they have a 50 cent / gallon fuel discount on weekends and I had not been satisfied with the service at Galaxy.  On my trip to Sun 'N Fun 2001, I had used Galaxy, which is located mid-field on the south side.  They were okay, but it bothered me that the aircraft was not towed up to the main ramp so we could load up.  Instead we had to haul all our baggage by hand a couple hundred yards down the ramp to load.  I had called and requested this more than two hours before arriving at the airport, so they had sufficient time to get the aircraft in place.  The service at Signature was excellent.  We were greeted by a helpful lineman who stayed with me (post 9/11 syndrome) and loaded all my baggage onto the cart and drove it back to the reception area.  We were there for an hour, as my wife was unable to get an answer on her mother's telephone.  At that point I went over to the counter to get a rental car.  Kari at the counter then offered to have one of their van drivers take us.  Charlie, the van driver got us loaded and knew the shortcuts to my mother-in-law's condo, so we were there in minimum time.  Great service!

Leaning.  Without a fuel totalizer, fuel burns are difficult to accurately calculate.  The Cessna 182 I flew does not have an EGT.  It does have a single probe CHT in the panel.  I actually prefer to use CHT for leaning because they are slower to stabilize and don't fluctuate as much as EGT, and aim for 380 degrees.  The single panel display is not calibrated, it only shows the green range from 200 to 460 degrees, so the desired lean point is open to interpolation.  I will attribute the higher burn on the first leg to the lower altitude portion, the climb to altitude and forgetting to close the cowl flaps.  That also explained the lower CHT and slower airspeeds I witnessed.

I am tempted to say that the second and third legs, flown at higher altitude were responsible for the corresponding lower fuel burns (and cowl flaps closed), but the book figures do not bear this out.  According to the tables, I should have burned around 13 gph.  I may have leaned a little aggressively, but the CHT looked good and the engine ran smoothly.  On the 182 I fly, you can feel the vibration as the engine begins to run rough from excessive leaning, before the manifold pressure begins to drop off.  I try to twist the knob slowly, watching for manifold pressure increase and / or indicated airspeed increase before the vibrations sets in.

Fatigue.  Another reason for filing IFR the last leg was fatigue.  I know from previous day long trips that I will suffer brain fade sometime after eight hours of duty.  With the exception of takeoff, climb, descent and landing, I used the autopilot extensively / exclusively during cruise.  This mitigates an earlier onset of fatigue.  I have never really trained my wife to assist me with charts and approach plates, copying clearances, etc because in the past we have flown the Cherokee Six and she would sit in the back with the kids.  We have been talking about enrolling her in a Flying Companion course, but none have been available locally.  This trip I had her up front, next to me and she was invaluable reminding me what the controllers had said as my memory began to fade late in the trip.  Was I unsafe?  I don't think so.  I could still aviate and navigate, it was just the addition of communicate that slowed down.  Hearing and remembering, then thinking of the correct phrase to respond quickly was difficult.  Instead of automatically responding, I had to pause to think about what I wanted to say, and in the proper sequence, before keying the transmit button.

I had made sure to get a full eight hours of sleep the previous two nights to lessen the onset of fatigue.  Saturday morning, I got out of bed at 0700 and immediately logged onto DUATS to obtain weather and NOTAMs.  My flight gear had been set aside Friday evening and my pre-departure checklist completed to assure that I hadn't forgotten anything.  By the time I shut down at 1940 Saturday evening, it was almost a 13 hour day.  When I was young and sharp, I didn't have these problems, but age has a way of telling you to work smarter and know your limitations.

The (Long ) Voyage Home.

Monday, December 30, 2002 dawned clear and cool in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The weather was looking good for the entire route, with strong tailwinds throughout.  A strong low pressure system moving eastward from Texas and a high pressure system just east of the Florida peninsula provided a strong northerly flow.  The plans to depart that morning were postponed to allow my wife to accompany her mother to the doctor's office.  Upon their return, it was decided that my wife would drive her mother to Naples, Florida that evening while I would fly over and meet them there.  I filed IFR for the trip across the Central Florida swamps.  My daughter elected to ride with me in the plane for the one-hour flight rather than endure three hours in the car.  At nine years old, she is wise beyond her years, always choosing the plane when offered a choice.  The ride was smooth and the air was clear, with a small patch of scattered at 3000 just east of Naples.

The Naples Municipal Airport Port Authority is where general aviation fuels and parks.  The folks there were friendly, offering advice on places to eat and stay near the airport.  A one-quarter mile walk from the FBO will take you to Michael Bob's Ribs.  At 8 pm on Monday night, the wait for seating was one-hour.  I ordered a pork sandwich and large coke from the carryout window and was on my way back to the airport in 15 minutes.

We spent the night at a Wellesly Inn about two miles from the airport.  We were back at the airport and wheels off by 9 am.  The tailwinds were good, groundspeed averaged 170 kts, up to Waycross, Georgia.  Service was prompt and the fuel was cheap.  We were back in the air within 30 minutes.  Northern Florida was forecast to have severe weather later in the day and the high overcast from the low pressure system off to the west was upon us.

The next leg went up up to Athens then west across northern Georgia and into Tennessee.  Chattanooga had ceilings of 3900 and Knoxville was at 6000.  The goal was to reach Knoxville, fuel up and evaluate the last leg.  I chose to fly around the southern end of the mountains from Athens to Chattanooga and up the valley to Knoxville.  The valley offered a VFR ride with light turbulence most of the leg.  We landed straight-in on 5R and taxied to Knox Air and shut down at 1330 ET.  A woman came out on the ramp, chocked the wheels, offered to take our trash and led us into the FBO when all the housekeeping chores were completed.  We chit-chatted for a bit, they mentioned that we were the only GA airplane they had seen since 7 am that morning.  I gave them a fuel order and they gave us the keys to the courtesy car along with directions and a recommendation to a good place to eat less than a mile away.

The restaurant name eludes me.  We paid cash for that meal so I don't have a credit card receipt to refer to.  It had a retro-50's theme, the server was from the Dayton area, the food was good, the price reasonable and the service good.  The hardest part was turning across a four-lane divided highway, without a traffic signal, to get out of the airport.

Back at the airport, a call to flight service and look at the WSI weather maps showed the weather moving into the southwestern Ohio / north central Kentucky area.  I have yet to learn how to discern the amount of precipitation falling when the color code on the map represents the signal strength, in decibels, of electromagnetic energy returned to the antenna.  It is helpful to see the distinction between white (snow), pink (freezing precipitation) and green (unfrozen precipitation) presented on the NEXRAD screen.  Since I now know what is inside the cloud, I can make my decision to land upon reaching that point.  And that's pretty much what I ended up doing.

Out of Knoxville, the ride up through London was at 5500.  On the north side of London was a thin, solid layer down at 4000 which lasted for about 20 miles.  We overflew that and I cut the corner 25 miles east of Lexington and headed towards Falmouth VOR.  Just about Georgetown, the clouds and light precip started.  My plan was to head east to Mount Sterling, as we had been there for lunch last June, and it was ahead of the weather.  The low overcast north of London was a warning that the temp / dew point was coming together.  As I flew east toward Mount Sterling, another low broken layer was forming.  ATC was giving me heading guidance and I was checking the GPS.  The clouds were forming rows and they just happened to be parallel to the runway.  I spotted the approach end of runway 3 but was too high, too fast and too close in to land.  I flew a standard instrument approach procedure pattern and inbound was looking for the runway.  Staying above the clouds, I was too high, too close and too fast, again!  This time I continued the descent, did a go around, and circled the field below the clouds.  The drizzle was just beginning as we taxied in.  The attendant called me on the Unicom and told me to park by the big hangar and he would put it inside so the freezing rain that was forecast wouldn't coat the airplane.  The other airplanes wouldn't pack as tight as was necessary for the 182 to fit, so he put it in an empty T-hangar.  Great service!  You don't even have to ask, they offer it to you!

We were definitely there for the night.  Then they offered us the "new" courtesy car.  Not the white Cadillac we used last June, this is a mid-1990's, blue, Nissan Altima.  I inquired about hotels, rates and places to eat.  Everything is in town by I-64.  Every fast food joint is there, as are Applebees and Jerrys, and of course the Chinese buffet we sampled.  The Ramada Limited's New Year's Eve special of $50 / night was the best choice.

Happy New Year!  Mount Sterling has a Walmart, now.  The local joke when anyone asks what there is to do, is tell them to go to Walmart.  We checked out of the hotel around 10 am, stopped at Walmart to get some snacks and find something for the kids to read to keep them occupied.  Back at the airport by 11 am.  Check the weather (it didn't look promising), call Louisville AFSS, they don't have anything good to report, check the ceiling on the AWOS (it seemed to be stuck at 400 feet).  The kids were occupied with their new Gameboy Advanced devices, Janet read her book.  4:30 pm, we packed up, checked back in at the Ramada and went to Applebees for dinner.  The meteorologists on the Cincinnati television stations on the hotel's cable system predicted more of the same weather pattern for the next two days.

Back to the airport again the next morning.  More waiting.  Around 2 pm, I started accepting that things were not going to improve until Saturday.  Danny, the owner of the FBO is there, and offers that there are two rental car agencies in town.  Wow!  These folks are psychics, too!  I had been mulling that option not more than five minutes ago!  I called both of them and asked about rates and told them I would call back if I decided to rent from them.  I could rent from Enterprise for $32 / day, 150 miles / day and $0.25 / mile over 150; pay a higher rate with unlimited miles; or rent from Usave and pay a lower daily rate and $0.10 / mile.  The hotel with tax was $52 and change, the Enterprise with unlimited mileage was the best deal at $54 / day for two days.

We left Mount sterling at 4 pm and arrived home in Columbus at 7:30 pm. I found it interesting that no one said anything about stopping during the 3.5 hour car ride.  Yet, I was instructed to stop every two hours when in the airplane.  We could have saved two hours on the trip down and an hour on the trip back by having only one fuel stop instead of two.  I think I will argue for three hour legs from now on.

Last Leg.

The weather finally cleared on Saturday morning, January 4, 2003.  Jack Catlin accompanied me on the drive from Columbus OH to Mt Sterling KY to return the rental car and the flight from Mt Sterling to Columbus to bring the 182 home.  Clear, crisp air and blue skies from Mt Sterling KY to Mt Sterling OH, about 20 nm south of Columbus.  OSU ATIS was calling for 1500 overcast.  I was looking at low stratus layer.  I had let Jack fly since takeoff and decided to let him descend and fly beneath the layer back to OSU.  The visibility beneath the stratus layer was 3-5 miles, but required a circumnavigation to the west to avoid Bolton Field (TZR) before turning north and east.  The GPS was providing the moving map situational awareness we have become so accustomed to.  We landed after 1.5 hours of flight and stopped by the Barnstormer for lunch.  In hindsight, I should have taken the controls at Mt Sterling OH and flown an ILS into Don Scott.  I missed a good opportunity to fly an easy, actual approach.

All in all, a good trip down and back.