Historic First Flight

First Flight

As I write this, today is the 119th anniversary of the Wright Brother’s historic first flight. One hundred nineteen years ago, on December 17, 1903, on the wind-swept sand-dunes of Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina, Orville Wright successfully made the first flight in a heavier-than-air aircraft, the Wright Flyer! He was only airborne for  the short distance of 120’. The brothers, Orville, and Wilbur, who by trade owned a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, built their aircraft out of wood. In 1903 there were no other airplanes in existence. So, they had to build one.

And, using their own crude (by modern standards) engineering methods, through experimentation, trial, and error, they were able to build a simple ‘airframe’ structure that worked. And they had to find a mechanic to build the two engines for their airplane, because there was no internal combustion engine available that suited their purposes, either. They found one, locally. They were pioneers, and were starting an industry, but they were not aware of that, in their day.

How far we’ve come in 119 years! It’s amazing. What’s next? We take air travel for granted now. And how the airplane and air transportation have shaped the world that we live in today. Air transportation has influenced war and peace. Air commerce is now a driving force both in our culture and our world today, and has spawned an entire industry that moves millions of people and tons of cargo, annually. Even in remote corners of the planet.

Milestones

Among the milestones since the first flight in 1903; in October 1944, a young USAF officer and test pilot, Chuck Yeager, broke the ‘sound barrier’ in an experimental rocket-powered aircraft, the Bell X-1, which he had named Glamorous Glennis, after his wife. And then in July 1969, the US put a man on the moon. Today, long-haul airliners span oceans and continents, flying up to 14 hours non-stop.

And for the occasion, I flew my Cessna 150 on a one-hour local flight, from Long Beach, because I had not flown it in 3 weeks. I’ve been busy or the weather has not been good enough to fly.

And, with this being December, this will be my last blog post for this year. Starting next month, in the new year, I will start to focus more on avionics (aviation electronics), which has become a huge industry in itself over the past twenty years. Now even the smallest of aircraft have instrument panels that are entirely ‘glass’, as it is called. How far we’ve come.

I would be remiss if I did not mention UAV’s, (unmanned aerial vehicles), which are a component of the UAS, or unmanned aircraft system, aka drones! They have become very popular in recent years, and now fill an increasingly important role in our world today.

And the FAA even has a separate certificate for drone operators, called the Remote Pilot Certificate, or RPC. I took the online training for this last year, to get a better understanding of drones, and now I have a Remote Pilot Certificate. It’s not a pilot certificate. It’s separate.

Goals and Adventures

As for any goals for next year, there are more airplanes that I hope to be able to fly, and more adventures that I hope to be able to take, when I am able to. I have a long bucket list! And it looks like I will be getting re-hired to go back to my job, after 2 years, 8 months being out of work. Ironically, work might get in the way of some adventures!

Possible adventures include an attempt at a record-setting flight in my 150 (yes, really). A record-setting flight will have to meet both US and FAI (Swiss-based Fédération Aeronautic Internationale) requirements and will likely be a one-way flight from Long Beach, CA (KLGB), to Chandler, AZ (KCHD), with a fuel stop in Blythe, CA (KBLH). I’ll just have to see how things go…

If you the reader, are in need of any proficiency or FAA Wings Training, let me know.

Fly safely, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year,

John

Crowd at Long Beach Airpot Festival of Flight

Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight

Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight is opened to the public annually

On Saturday, October 29, 2022, a portion of the west side of Long Beach Airport was opened to the public from 10am – 4pm, for the annual Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight. There were some airplanes on display, including my Cessna 150, which was one of several smaller aircraft being displayed. John Mahany and CessnaThere were also many exhibitors, though fewer than last year, including some airport businesses, food vendors and music. It is a family friendly event.

This is a once-a-year event to allow anyone who is interested to see airplanes up close and ask questions. It is promoted on Facebook and Social-Media, as well as the local newspaper. The event organizers reached out to local businesses and were able to arrange for a UPS Boeing 757 cargo jet to be on display, along with several helicopters, and a US Coast Guard C-27 twin-turboprop, which is used for search and rescue.

Cessna 150My Cessna 150 was a very popular attraction, once I opened the pilot’s door! Shortly after that, a line started to form, and for about 90 minutes, parents and their kids stood patiently in line waiting for a photo op with their children in the pilot’s seat, with a big grin on their faces! It almost resembled a line at Disneyland! Seriously. It was nice. I stood close by and watched carefully and answered a few questions that were asked about the airplane. The parents were very respectful of my airplane and the time, quickly taking pictures and keeping the line moving, thanking me as they moved on.

An event like this is really important now, as helps people get a better idea of what goes on at an airport, and the importance of aircraft and the many roles that they play in our world today. Many are simply not aware of this, aside from an occasional airline flight that they might take, or when they have something shipped vis FEDEX or UPS. Just the way it is now.

So perhaps this made a positive impression on some of the attendees, or on some youngsters, who might decide Annual Long Beach Airport Festivalto find out more about airplanes and perhaps consider aviation as a possible career choice. This also serves as good PR for the airport and the community in general, to make those who come out to see this, more aware of the airport and get a better idea what goes on. It’s better to be proactive, and build community support in advance, than reactive, after something happens, to try and educate people.

And did you know that the Long Beach Airport provides 9% of the jobs in Long Beach and has an annual economic impact of $11 Billion? This has been reported in the Long Beach Business Journal.

Fly safely,

John

FAA approves use of (G100UL)

100 octane unleaded fuel (G100UL) is now approved!

This is really BIG news for General Aviation aircraft owners. On September 1, 2022, the FAA signed the STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) that approves the use of 100-octane unleaded aviation fuel, or ‘avgas’ for all general aviation piston engine aircraft. There is much work yet to be done on this before it becomes widely available for use.

It has been a work in progress for many, many, years. During the early years of flying, several varieties of leaded av gas that were developed for piston engines of the era, especially for the larger engines that were later developed for use in WWII, requiring higher octane for combustion. But since the late 90’s, we have only had 100LL, or low lead. And lead is still required for high compression piston-engine airplanes to prevent ‘knocking’ and to enhance the quality rating of the fuel, which is necessary for the efficient combustion of fuel. This is all part of the chemical engineering.

This work has been spear-headed by GAMI, General Aviation Modifications, Inc, founded in 1994 and located in Ada, OK. The FAA’s approval of the use of GA100UL fuel in all piston engines has long been a goal, to find one fuel that is suitable for all piston engine aircraft in the general aviation fleet. The co-founder of GAMI, Engineer George Braly, has been hard at work on this for a long time.

The process will take time as we transition the entire general aviation fleet to using G100UL fuel. It also requires an infrastructure, which is not yet in place, to support this and distribute the fuel to the 1000’s of airports across the country.

The photo above that I took shows the process of getting ready to fuel my Cessna 150 at local airport via the self-serve fueling that is available. It’s a bit more involved that getting gas for your car  at Costco or similar. You don’t ‘ground’ your car. We ‘ground’ the airplane to prevent the chance of a spark from static electricity starting a fire. 100LL is VERY volatile. Highly flammable. You don’t have to pull or drag a fuel hose 50’ or more to make sure you have enough hose to reach the filler cap for the tanks, which for most GA aircraft are in the wing. You don’t need a ladder to climb up on the wing. You get the idea.

If you are in need of any proficiency training to meet the FAA’s Wings requirements, please get in touch with me to schedule some training. I have experience flying many makes and models of aircraft.

Fly safely!

John

Tragic Mid-Air Collision

Tragically, on August 18, 2022, a mid-air collision occurred  over the runway where two aircraft were attempting to land, at the same time, at Watsonville Airport, KWVI, in Watsonville, CA. Watsonville, is in Santa Cruz County, south of San Jose.

What Happened?

A single engine Cessna 152 was overtaken by a twin Cessna 340 over the runway. Two passengers were onboard the Cessna 340, and one person was in the Cessna 152. Apparently the 340 did not see the 152, in spite of numerous radio calls. Tragically, there were no survivors.

Procedures

Mid-Air Collision per FAA_AC_NonToweredThe FAA has an Advisory Circular, or AC, for short, for procedures to be followed by aircraft operating out of ‘non-towered’ airports, where there is no air traffic control tower in operation. It is AC 90-66B, entitled, Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations. These procedures have been in place for decades, since WWII, and are published for all to see.

The FAA has also published information in the (AIM), or Aeronautical Information Manual, section 4-1-9, Non-Towered Airports. But it’s a matter of pilots following the procedures, and some get lax, as might have been the case here. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in this tragic accident.

Lessons

There are lessons for all to be learned from this. Avoid ‘straight-in’ approaches when there are other aircraft in the traffic pattern. Also, fly the appropriate ‘pattern’ speed for the aircraft you are flying, so as to maintain appropriate spacing between aircraft. That clearly did not happen in this case.

If you are interested in doing any proficiency training in the aircraft you fly, for FAA Wings Credit, contact me. I would be happy to schedule time with you as my schedule permits.

Fly safely!

John

Mack Rutherford

“Round-the-World” solo pilot visits the OC

Meeting A Young Record-Setter

Belgian Pilot Mack Rutherford, 17, recently completed his RTW, record-setting ‘Round-the-World’ flight in his European built Shark, a single-engine high-performance ultra-light aircraft, with a cruise speed of nearly 300KM/hr, which is about 186 mph!

Mack at JWA

Mack left Sofia, Bulgaria, on his world-record solo attempt months ago on March 23, and arrived back in Sofia, Bulgaria, again on August 24, 2022. What a journey!

In 141 days, he landed in 52 countries, on 5 continents. Just Incredible. And he’s only 17! Two years ago, his sister, Zara, did the same thing, flying an ultra-light aircraft around the world, setting records in the process. Both parents are also pilots. Cheers to Mack Rutherford! What’s next for this young man?

I had the pleasure of meeting him in August. Here are two pictures taken on the ramp at John Wayne Airport when he stopped at KSNA for fuel and lunch at Clay Lacy Aviation.

Congratulations, Mack!

Oshkosh Control Tower

Flying low and slow across the country

Lots of Planning

Planning Route to OshkoshLast month, after lots of planning, starting in March, I flew my 2 seat Cessna 150 from Long Beach, California, ‘low and slow’, about 85 – 95 knots across the country to Oshkosh! It was awesome! Thirteen legs over four days getting there, twelve legs and three days, returning. I planned fuel stops roughly every 2 hours or about 200 miles, being conservative. I attended the world’s largest aviation gathering, or celebration if you prefer to call it that. Oshkosh is aviation ‘mecca’ for one week each year, normally the last week in July.

Almost 10,000 airplanes flew into Oshkosh for AirVenture

This year attendance was estimated at 650,000, with people traveling in from all over the world! But in spite of the large crowd, it is very well managed, and people are well behaved and respectful. The grounds are almost free of litter. Almost 10,000 airplanes flew into Oshkosh and were parked on the grounds at AirVenture. There really is nothing else like it.

After some unexpected delays, I was finally able to leave SoCal, early Wednesday morning, July 20. The weather cooperated, for the most part. There was one small ‘airmass’ thunderstorm, just east of Flagstaff, that was stationary, so I was able to safely deviate around it after takeoff. The density altitude was over 9,000’,  and there was a headwind, and I was under gross weight. It took a longer takeoff roll to get airborne, but I was able to climb out, just slower than normal.

I spent Wednesday evening in Santa Fe, NM, at a Doubletree Hotel. The next day, Thursday, I had made it across ‘the heartland of America’, flying northeast across OK/KS/NE and landed in Lincoln, NE for the night. The nice folks at Duncan Aviation were able to arrange a room for me at a Marriott Courtyard Hotel downtown. The third day, Friday, I made it to Clinton, IA for the Cessna 150 fly-in and lunch there, and then tookoff in mid-afternoon and flew 1+20 northeast to Dodge County, WI for the night.

Planning is Key

The next day, Saturday, the ‘mass arrival’ was planned, during the early afternoon, with just over 100 Cessna’s flying in formation, 35 ‘flights’ of three aircraft each, stretching out several miles. All coordinated with Oshkosh ATC, of course. See the image with ‘Xs’ for airplanes, at right, that illustrate this. It’s a very highly organized, well-planned, ‘arrival’. What a blast!! It took about 50 minutes for this flight…

And then the weather moved in. A typical Wisconsin summer afternoon thunderstorm moved in on us at around 5 pm, with a torrential downpour and wind gusts up to 50 mph! It lasted over an hour. Some tents were blown down. It was a bad start to the week for some campers. Fortunately, I was staying in the dorms. For the rest of the week, the weather was excellent!

It was a very busy week in Oshkosh, each day packed with activities and things to see and do. And you simply cannot see it all, because so much is going on simultaneously all around you. And there are lots of friends and colleagues to connect with, as well, some of whom I only see once a year while there. I am also actively involved as a volunteer for two organizations, and this adds to it for me. This included breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with various organizations.

So after a crazy busy week, I had arranged to leave on Saturday morning, July 30, and Row of small planesflew 90 minutes south and east to north suburban Chicago, to the same airport where I had learned to fly in 1977, after college. It’s still there, but now ‘rebranded’, like so many other things. The former ‘Pal-Waukee’ Airport is now renamed Chicago Executive Airport, because of the large presence of corporate jets that are now based there. It is a really nice facility.

Weather, Good and Bad

After a fun weekend visit with family, who wanted to hear all about my adventures so far, I delayed my departure on Monday morning because of early morning thunderstorms and the lingering adverse weather conditions that followed it. And one of my brothers drove my mother and I to the airport on Monday morning. So, they finally got to see my airplane! That was nice.

Then after hugs and goodbyes, I flew north for about 30 miles, staying low enough to avoid Chicago O’Hare’s Class ‘Bravo’ Airspace, though I did get ‘flight following’ from Chicago Approach (radar facility at KORD) which was very helpful, and then turned west to my first stop, Dubuque, IA, where the weather was much better! After getting fuel and lunch, I took off and continued southwest towards Des Moines, IA, for fuel, and then finally, Lincoln, NE, where I stopped for the night.

The next morning, I left Lincoln, taking off by 7:30am, and flew southwest to Salina, KS, then Dodge County, KS, Dalhart, TX and finally due west to Santa Fe, NM, for the night. And the airport restaurant in Dalhart, TX had closed before I arrived! Darn, no lunch! So, I continued to Santa Fe, about a 2 ½ hour flight, dealing with headwinds, turbulence and dodging some rain showers along the way. All of that is typical of this area. They were not threatening in any way. And Santa Fe was very nice!

Finally, my 3rd day, I left Santa Fe early, then flew west to the small city of Gallup, NM. There a new fuel vendor was just starting in business, and there were a few things that weren’t ready. Like the credit card kiosk. After my credit card was declined several times, I went to their office and told them about this. They quickly took care of me, and I was able to get fuel and leave.

Next stop Winslow, AZ where the 100LL was $1.26 a gallon cheaper than at Flagstaff! So, I topped off in Winslow and headed for Lake Havasu City, over the mountainous terrain in northern Arizona. Just over 2 hours en route, I stopped there for fuel and lunch in the 105° heat. Ugh. I am no fan of the heat. But they have a nice on airport restaurant, Hangar 24, with indoor dining and of course it’s air conditioned!

After lunch, I took off and because of the hot sun shining through the ‘skylight’ windows overhead on my airplane (only a few Cessna 150’s have them), both my iPad and iPhone soon overheated! Ugh. I turned both off and moved them out of the sun. I knew what heading to fly and headed south and west across the rugged, mountainous, southern California desert. It’s a harsh landscape! Especially in the summer heat! I’d hate to have a forced landing there because of engine problems.

Finally, about 2 ½ hours later, again after fighting headwinds and turbulence, I arrived back in Long Beach! It was good to be back home, after two weeks traveling with my tiny Cessna 150. But it was quite an adventure!! No regrets.

There were lessons learned, and more….much to share, as well. Too much to write about, here, in more detail. I’m working on all of that, now. If you have questions or comments about any of this, please reply using the comments box…

Considering a long cross-country flight?

I am available for training, in your airplane, should you be in need of any FAA Wings Training for Credit. Also, if you are considering a longer cross-country flight, and have not done this before, please get in touch and I can provide some help with the planning and other considerations. There are many, depending on what you fly.

Especially concerning the weather. Many pilots are not comfortable with their understanding of weather, or lack thereof. I can help with this. Weather has long been an area of interest for me. I got ‘official’ weather briefings daily along my route. I’d call ‘Flight Service’, or ‘Leidos’ as they are now called, in the evening for an ‘outlook’ the next day, and then I’d call again in the morning before taking off to get a ‘standard’ weather briefing, and along the way I’d call and get an ’update’. The briefers did an excellent job. In addition, a friend had recently sold me his Garmin GDL-52 Sirius XM Aviation Weather receiver, that connects via Bluetooth to my ForeFlight iPad app, so I had real-time inflight weather info.

Also, I will be creating some quick reference materials that will be available in PDF format, containing some tips and lessons learned from this, that you will be able to download for a nominal fee.

Fly safely,

John