WebRuss
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2013
- Messages
- 993
- Reaction score
- 201
Hello All
Jan 8 was a flying adventure day. I did my good deed for the year and delivered a young missionary from his home in Florida to his work site in Tennessee. This trip was planned to be a pick up and drop off and return.
Link to the route on skyvector
We took the following route:
KPIE to 16J Flightaware Link
16J to KBGF Flightaware link
KBGF to KJWN Flightaware link
Drop off the missionary and head home
KJWN to KOPN Flightaware Link
KOPN to X35 Flightaware Link
The flight overall was good. Very clear skies until the end. But more on that in a minute. The wind was a bit tricky. We went from a cross wind to a tail wind to a cross wind to a headwind as the high pressure system over the southeast moved further south.
I used a newly discovered feature on the airnav.com site that helps to plan a flight based on the least expensive fuel along the route. On the airnav.com site go the the aviation fuel tab and then click on the the fourth option:
[SIZE=+1]Plan a flight with fuel stops[/SIZE]
This allows a user to pick leg distances and options for the airports. I saved about $150 using this tool! Sweet!
So about the final approach...
We planned to do the GPS 23 approach at X35 and circle to runway 5 to land. Did not know however that this approach cannot legally be issued at night and has a minimum of 1700 descent. Strange but OK.
The evening of Jan 8 there was a thick cloud layer from about 5000 feet down to about 1100 feet that started way up at Valdosta Georgia and went all the way to Brookesville Florida.
We tried the GPS 23 at X35 but at 1700 we could not make out the runway lights. No worries! We climbed back up to 2000 and let ATC know we could not see the runway. He gave us a novel suggestion. He vectored us for the ILS 36 at Ocala. We broke out at about 1100 feet and it was really clear under the clouds. He suggested we just finish our flight under the clouds. So we cancelled IFR and then flew over to X35 and landed. Very clever solution.
Whew! 14 hours of flying marked by long hours of relaxing sight seeing ending with fifteen minutes of white knuckles as we attempted two approaches at night in the clouds.
Best flying day I've had in a long time!
Regards
Russ
Jan 8 was a flying adventure day. I did my good deed for the year and delivered a young missionary from his home in Florida to his work site in Tennessee. This trip was planned to be a pick up and drop off and return.
Link to the route on skyvector
We took the following route:
KPIE to 16J Flightaware Link
16J to KBGF Flightaware link
KBGF to KJWN Flightaware link
Drop off the missionary and head home
KJWN to KOPN Flightaware Link
KOPN to X35 Flightaware Link
The flight overall was good. Very clear skies until the end. But more on that in a minute. The wind was a bit tricky. We went from a cross wind to a tail wind to a cross wind to a headwind as the high pressure system over the southeast moved further south.
I used a newly discovered feature on the airnav.com site that helps to plan a flight based on the least expensive fuel along the route. On the airnav.com site go the the aviation fuel tab and then click on the the fourth option:
[SIZE=+1]Plan a flight with fuel stops[/SIZE]
This allows a user to pick leg distances and options for the airports. I saved about $150 using this tool! Sweet!
So about the final approach...
We planned to do the GPS 23 approach at X35 and circle to runway 5 to land. Did not know however that this approach cannot legally be issued at night and has a minimum of 1700 descent. Strange but OK.
The evening of Jan 8 there was a thick cloud layer from about 5000 feet down to about 1100 feet that started way up at Valdosta Georgia and went all the way to Brookesville Florida.
We tried the GPS 23 at X35 but at 1700 we could not make out the runway lights. No worries! We climbed back up to 2000 and let ATC know we could not see the runway. He gave us a novel suggestion. He vectored us for the ILS 36 at Ocala. We broke out at about 1100 feet and it was really clear under the clouds. He suggested we just finish our flight under the clouds. So we cancelled IFR and then flew over to X35 and landed. Very clever solution.
Whew! 14 hours of flying marked by long hours of relaxing sight seeing ending with fifteen minutes of white knuckles as we attempted two approaches at night in the clouds.
Best flying day I've had in a long time!
Regards
Russ
