Holes in the Sky

It was TJ's idea. He had seen a sign advertising the War birds Museum in Nampa Idaho while visiting his Aunt."It's a destination, Dave." He said. That's all we need , a destination. so this trip had been planned , the three of us, TJ, Lauri, & I were flying to Nampa. Museum hours were 10 to 5, but we needed to be done at the airport by 3 to suit his aunts plans. That gave us a 9 am last departure time to allow time to see the P-40 Warhawks , among the collection. I awoke just after 4AM. I wandered out to the deck and peered upward.
the Moon broke out of the overcast, then dimmed as a few wisps of cloud and teased me with a clear full view. A sight that only lasted a few minutes before once again the clouds hid the bright glow of the reflecting surface of the Moon. but that was enough. After quickly showering and dressing ,I gathered my bags left at the stair the night before and kissed my wife before locking the house behind me. One last wave and I am on my way to Auburn. It has been a long time since I have been up this early, or out this late, and the traffic is sparse. It is not long before my Breakfast Jack is served and I have driven across the street and into the airport. The Moon, it still teases me. How big are those holes I wonder? I keep seeing them so I believe there is hope I can fly thru one to the bright clear VFR I know awaits me on top.TJ and Lauri are on the way as soon as I call, we board and taxi to the line, mags check, radio call , pullout a,turn and apply the throttle. in less than a minute we are climbing out. Late, I pull up the take off flaps and the Cherokee immediately responds by jumping up to 120 mph. Gathering speed we are soon hurtling along under the scud at better that 140 looking for those holes we saw. Finding what looks like an opening I use my airspeed to zoom up at over 1000 FPM. The sky closes up and we are between layers. The lower layer is scattered and the ground below can still be seen. I circle. Checking the GPS I assure myself I am outside the 3000' class B lid.I can go to 5 if I need to, but the tops should not be that high. .Pacing back and forth over eastern King county we probe first one than another glimpse of blue.It is just to early I decide. Going back to Auburn, TJ asks to be let out while I gas up again. We load on almost full tanks this time. with over 40 gallons I have the range to make Nampa with a hour reserve. Computer weather doesn't give me much hope, but the moon keeps on teasing us with prolonged gaps in the clouds that reveal the bright crescent of the moon. Although it is loaded heavier than I have ever been, the aircraft easily climbs out. Soon we are again chasing spots of blue above us. Each time I zoom up until my airspeed drops off and the cloud begins to creep closer. With the opening misting over I dive back to the still visible surface below me. the metar's seem to have reported a higher ceiling up north, so I decide to try to look there for an opening. Even if I have to gas up later because it takes longer to get out we can still make Nampa before 1 local.I talk to Renton , then flight watch. I am not given much hope, and as we cruise north the layers only get worse. We are not going to Nampa today.

Great NW Air Race

We had the windows open as we slowly followed the biplane down the taxiway. There was no hurry now,we were awaiting the departure of the scheduled airline. Our timing was good, the fastest plane stops for less than a minute before the turboprop full of paying passengers rolls out to the runway. Then it is on. The fastest classes depart at 15 to 30 second intervals. We creep forward steadily , till at last the biplane turns into the wind and accelerates away. He is much faster so I am waved out a mere 15 seconds later. I climb to 1000 agl and accelerate toward the start line. It is only a few minutes on this heading until we reach the confluence of the Wenatchee River & Columbia, our next Checkpoint. Gil, my Co-pilot, calls the turn and I pivot the Cherokee to the right as we follow the gorge of he Colombia northward. Chelan is on our left as we climb gradually just enough to clear the bluff ahead by the merest of margins. 200 ft is good enough for me, then everything gets light as I nose over on the far side losing a few hundred feet before the turn at Anderson Field, Brewster. The Southeast leg to Mansfield takes us over a few dry valleys and ranches. Below I spot a few developed lots among a maze of roads & graded right of ways for future roads. All part of a grand scheme of a bustling community of homes and dreams that never sold or came true. A few had pioneered , only to have a vast sprawl of roads without homes surrounding them. The next ridge was cleared by a few hundred feet and the altitude maintained. This kept us 1000 agl over the turn at Mansfield. I made one of my mistakes next. Crossing the next ridge I saw a small town at the base of the next rise , and assumed it to be Quincy. It wasn't. I was far short, but I had let down and now the climb cost me. over one more ridge , past a cell tower, and there it was, Quincy. But where is the airport? Gil spots something ,He thinks it is the field, but I can't see it. I keep flying on another few precious miles before I realize I have to be past it. Banking hard right I steady on the final heading hoping the Grumman who had been a mere two minutes behind as we called in to Quincy had not past me.The gauges were all good.EGT steady just ROP. RPM at max cruise 75%. There the edge of the gorge again, now I can descend another few hundred feet and pick up a few more mph. The 5 mile call. the Grumman calls in too. We are neck and neck. I know he is straining to see me. Gil and I are frantically looking to the plane we know is very close and only two hundred feet above. We sped on,tugging the throttle out a touch to be sure i am getting all the throttle the POH allows.(It is a shared airplane, I might consider running at full T/O rpm if I owned it outright.) A red roof, we are aiming for a red roof and there it is! keep it smooth & steady center the ball, everything slick.Without a single noticeable difference it is over. The red roof has vanished beneath us and I am cooling of the engine. Slowing to pattern speed. The Grumman beat me by seconds, but he is not in my class. The waiting is as exiting as the race itself, then they announce , " The winner of the GOLD in FAC3FX, Dave Rice, in a PA28-180, at 136.95 mph. My first air race , my first win. My co-pilot Gil was a great help. We had chow and chatted with the other racers before we made our return over the rocks to the green side of the hill.












sgl over the turn at Mansfield

Expanding the sandbox

It was a clear calm Saturday morning . After a cup of coffee at the Auburn Pilot lounge, I took 34H, the 172, south past Eatonville. I climbed as I reached the hills around Alder Lake. I've read Sparky's book, and was not sure if these were mountains but I still tried to gain 2000' over the peaks. I had reached nearly 7,000' before I spotted the town of Morton. Descending at the top of the green arc I made my first call about 8 out. An answer came from local traffic with an advisory. Morton is a small strip on the east edge of town. The 25 x 1800' paved runway is not especially hard to approach if you are landing 25. On the west side is rather imposing terrain rising steeply just south of Hwy 12. The Ultralight crowd has Strom Field buzzing with activity. The advisory had come from a Trike motoring about over the tops of the hills. I flew out to Riffe Lake before reversing and coming into 25 on a dogleg approach. After some chat with the ultra light crowd I departed on 7 and continued East toward Packwood. The valley is pleasant & wide, Hwy 12 clearly leading the way. Packwood at last appeared as I rounded a left hand bend in the valley. Having not heard anything on the CTAF I made the straight in on 1. At 2400'x38 Packwood poses no challenge. They were mowing the edges while I was there. I used the permanent facility to relieve my bladder then remounted & took of on 19. Hugging the North side of the valley till near Randall kept me directly over 12. At Randall I veered over to the south side of the valley and followed the River to Riffe Lake. Having camped there many years ago it was interesting to see the lake from above. It is spring, so it was not surprising to observe the water level was quite high. Many areas often dry, were now under water. Overflying the lake at about 1000 agl was very smooth and provided a great view. Finally we were at the dam then Mossyrock. There are several private strips marked on the chart but only found a couple. I did find Fantasy Field, and circled it. Not seeing anyone I set course for Chehalis. I actually did a proper pattern at Chehalis and upon parking immediately noticed a familar Ercoupe. Sure enough , It was Ercoupe Eddie And his flying partner Gene. After a chat they got gas, and it was time for me to head home. Two and a half hours on the hobbs, and two new airports in my log book. Best of all , my sandbox got bigger.

My sandbox

I have been farther afield, but today I wanted to grow my familiarity of the area close to home. I had flown past Eatonville south over Alder lake , before returning to the known safety of the flat lands. Today I pressed on , following the highway south and climbing until I spotted Morton.Not having a lot of experience in Mountain flying( I have read Sparkys book) I had climbed to almost 7000' to be 2000' above the peaks of the nearby hills. It was smooth so I made a powered decent into the valley around Morton. I made my radio call and received a reply for Morton area traffic. After overflying the airport I finally spotted what looked like a hang glider off my right wing. A trike He corrected me. Not liking the narrow ( by my standards) valley I flew to Riffe lake to turn around. I had good speed control on approach so the short 1800' runway was no issue in the 172.The Trike had reported light winds, local smoke confirmed that. I launched back to the east, avoiding the right turn to avoid the mountain. next time I will work on flying a proper pattern in the tight confines of the valley. I decided to suck it up and continue to Packwood since I had come this far. Since I was low, I stayed low, taking in the sights. The peaks, still spotted with snow loomed above my wingtips warning me of their power. Knowing my destination was mere miles up the valley, and seeing the blip on the Garmin inching closer, I flew on. Rounding the corner of a small hill on the left I spotted the strip. I made my calls , and saw mower's off to the sides of the area, clearly not a factor. After using their permanant outhouse facility's I again took off in reverse of my landing. Flying 1000 AGL along highway 12 provided plenty to see as the Cowlitz meandered below me. Carrying it's load of spring silt and runoff downriver. At Randall a pilot called in his arrival to the private airport there, I responded with a position report first then a sighting. A short time later I announced my crossing the valley as he landed. He was home at his airpark. The Cowlitz passes south of the hill by Morton, and soon the campground and several of my past fishing sites rolled below me. It was a beautiful flight along the lake till finally the damn then Mossyrock & it's damn were behind me. the charts listed a number of private strips in the area but other than Fantasy Field Ionly spotted one. I circled Fantasy once but not seeing anyone, set course for Chehalis. Stretching my legs at Chehalis I saw what looked like a familiar Ercoupe. Sure enough it parks one hangar over at Auburn. After edging around Grey & McCord's airspace, Making a position report south of Thun traffic I finally rolled into the home valley at Orting. My sandbox is slowly getting a little bigger.

Fly like Bob

Reading the auto biography of the greatest pilot of all time , I read that he became airsick during his first flights. This queasiness persisted after his soloing. His solution was to fly through it. He did loops , rolls, and stunts until his stomach acclimated. One cannot go far astray following the advice of Bob Hoover. Last weekend I started out bound from Auburn. about 3 miles out I decided that it was not a very pleasurable day to be flying, so I returned and put the aircraft away. Easter Sunday began with a calm clear still, cloud free morning. I was informed I was not required to be at my daughter's for Easter breakfast until 11AM. When I took off at 8:30 it was still calm at the surface. I had expected it to be glass smooth and was surprised by the mild but persistent turbulence.Later I learned that the winds above 3000' were over 25 knts. That caused a layer of shear below 3000', making for a bumpy ride. However today I stuck it out. Occasionally dropping down in the valley's around Kapowsin & Ohop to carve the "canyon" (at close to 1000agl). Then climbing back into the rough air . My left hand started to go to sleep from gripping the yoke, I had to ease my grip, pilot with my right, and flex my hand a few times. I don't expect to be the next Bob Hoover. I have no real desire for acro. It would be nice to be a bit more relaxed in rough air, a to fly a bit more like my Dad, Who my Uncle Called the best instrument pilot he had ever known, and a bit more like Bob, the greatest stick & rudder pilot of all time.

Because I can.

Recently a pilot lounge blowhard told me that " If you're doing something in an aircraft just because you can, You probably shouldn't be doing that.". Huh? OK, the comment was made shortly after I had expressed a desire to land on 13R at BFI, and make the Alpha one turn off, in a 150. I had questioned the penalties for landing on the displaced threshold and if they would even notice. I know I am capable of doing this, especially if I have a good headwind, but would never risk a violation or penalty just to say I did. The way the statement was made was that anything one did in a plane just for bragging rights was wrong. I guess if I were to believe that, it would mean quitting flying. Much of my flying is just to say " I did it". Would I believe that landing at Eatonville, Port Orchard, Eugene, Concrete and Monroe to be something I should not have done? Does he mean I should not keep myself night current? Or stop taking occasional IFR lessons, with no real desire to fly IFR. Is there a reason I should not have taken advantage of a beautiful day to cross the rocks to Ellensburg? I really enjoyed the Out of the Blue poker run, and flying the Cherokee to Dave Wheelers Hanger party. I was hoping to go to Apex now that it is open the the public. Is there a great danger in that I am unaware of? Again this yr I hope to attend the Fantasy Field Fly-in , landing at the private grass strip in a 150. I often drive from Des Moines to Auburn, pay my bill there, then fly to BFI to pay my Alt Air dues. Just because I can. Mostly, I fly just because I can. The best part about flying , is , just because I can. I may not know everything about flying(or anything else),and I may not be the highest skilled pilot, but education fixes that. Stupid is forever.

First Fiasco, Finally Flight

I went flying Saturday, taking a birthday boy, with his dad and big sis. It was fun, we did one lap, I checked everyone , and off we went sightseeing. Sunday dawned a gorgeous blue clear day. I figured I had done my flying for the weekend. I was informed we were going grocery shopping at noon. I just couldn't pass up such a day. My charm, wit and good looks were all used to win a couple of hours reprieve. Despite my efforts we were allowed to go.With Chyanne and my bag we hopped in the maverick and headed to BFI. I had to fiddle with the seat belt for her car seat, but I finally preflighted 12J and strapped her in. A quick check of the planes flight log.... dead battery. Yup, that's today's Date on it. Hopefully turning the key to start anyway, it groans, weakly stirring the prop. I have a booster in the hot rod. After a few minutes boost it fires up. But all is not well. It pops & misses, barely running. After a few minutes trying to lean the plugs and clean them I give up. That took at least a half hour. Ok 98J is sitting there. I leave a heads up about the plane, note the log, and head off in the car to Clay Lacy. Chyanne is so excited because I let her sit in the seat alone with just a seat belt. Some quick schedule master on their computer, a package of cookies and we are off, back to NE parking. I get her strapped in, it is actually easier in this craft, preflight and off we go. "Boeing Gro.." ? "testing" . I slow the taxi as I fiddle with the plug. "testing." Nada. Ok Now I stop. check behind, good , nobody. I try both plugs , nada. I taxi back and get my spare head set. still nothing. I look at the set up, It has been a long time since I flew 98J. "test" Aha. they copy me. Check the belts. "Clear". Ok gauges. Radios. ck. Knee board? No map, no clock. Ok I have my pocket watch. I have a check list. OK I go. Ground sends me to 31R, I run up, call and hold short. "98J takeoff without delay, traffic on long final." I answer on the fly and the little plane takes to the sky quickly as I climb out toward downtown. It's been a while, I am using to much speed , not getting best climb, but still 500 fpm. On the first downwind the tower requests a short final. Ok
I can accommodate them to aid spacing. I swung around sooner and higher than normal, the added speed took me over 31L. I Apologised to the tower and got a no problem reply. finally losing enough speed and altitude I got lined up for a sloppy landing just past the numbers. Holding the flap switch, unlike the auto up in the 172's, we leap back in the air. Ok it's a 150, it doesn't exactly leap, we claw our way hopefully skyward. After three trips around and two gentle landings, I figure my time is about up. Sure enough, by the time we taxi back & unload, the next pilot arrives. A two hour adventure at Boeing Field. It was fun despite it all,and as I write the check for .5 hours I am ready to grocery shop.

No passengers allowed

It was my first visit to OLM. I had announced that I was a student pilot when I requested progressive taxi to the museum. I was a hot summer morning , so I left the cabin door open while I wandered around the Aircraft outside the exhibit. It was a relief that the cabin was not stifling hot when I returned. After a quick preflight I was in and calling for instructions for take off. Finally the mag check before I lined up on 35. The typical focus on take off was quickly compromised as a very large bumble bee zoomed past my ear on his way to the windshield. As he buzzed angrily against the Plexiglas I thumbed the mic button and asked for an immediate return for landing. I think they sensed the urgency in my voice and cleared me for runway 8 . As I settled down on 24 I announced that I had a large bee with me. I was allowed to stop on the taxi way beneath the tower while I killed and removed the offending insect, after all I was a Student Pilot , and passengers are NOT allowed.

Those pesky TFR's

I like to stay night current. My currency expires Sunday, so I have been wanting to catch some night landings this week. Shoulda gone Tuesday, it was clear & bright, but I didn't. So come Thursday, it seems passable,a high overcast & light drizzle. Just a quick hop to BFI. Not going over 1200', got the weather what else . Off we Go. BFI's ATIS lists some TFR's, but they all are north of the field, no problem.I was switched to 13R ,then instructed to back taxi to alpha two. We did notice that there were a lot of cops on the taxiways as we taxied to northeast parking and the Alternate Air birds. Vince is a bit bigger than I am, so we wanted to see how he fit in a C-150. If he goes with a small instructor it will work. Great! So fire up the Cherokee & call Boeing Ground,"63 Sierra at Northeast parking with X-ray for a valley departure". they replied "63Sierra, all taxiways are closed, I'll be able to get you out in about three zero minutes" Not thinking I asked "three minute delay?".. So they repeated " three zero minutes, you may want to shut down and check back later."..Hmmm I turn to Vince " I think I heard that the VP was coming to town tonite and that is why we are being held." Listening to the scanner we soon heard Air force Two being cleared to land. The big Boeing jet settled down, made the turn at
alpha nine then taxied to near alpha three. Then the wait till they off loaded and the Motorcade had left BFI. I had the radios on as Tower announced the field open. Flipped the avionics's off and started the engine again. After a quick Atis check, a call to ground got permission to taxi to 13R. After run up checklist was complete we got a valley departure from the tower and was the first guy out, 45 minutes later than planned.... I will make no excuses, I should have checked better for TFR's & Notams. I was complacent on a short local hop that I have flown many times before. I did not set a good example for My fledgling pilot passenger. I may not need to call a briefer, but I should have rechecked Notams & TFR's before I left home. I had glanced at them the night before, but didn't note what time. An important omission that came back to bite me. I spent more time sitting than flying. Luckily I was only sitting in a cockpit, not a cell.

The Centerline

There is a joke, Why Don't pilots land on the center line? , because they can't. Can I land on the centerline? Depends. When I practice landings I put most of them on the line. In reality It depends on the runway. Today at Bremerton & later at BFI I allowed the plane to drift off of center a bit. A bit more at Bremerton, where I floated a bit due to my unfamiliarity with the flap switch, & I retracted them.. It was still a fine landing but off the line a ways. Yet at Oak Harbor, Wes Lupin field, to be off the centerline is to be in the grass. Even on the down sloping runway it remained steadfastly on the centerline.Maybe it's greed, if you give me 150' of runway , I want to use all of it. If I only get 20', I use what is available. I have heard the argument that one should always practice centerline landings. And the argument can be quite persuasive. I don't relax my standards for the vertical component of the landing, but if I have the room I will easily allow the horizontal part to wander. The question I posed was "CAN" I land on the centerline? The Answer is yes, I can.. Do I land on centerlines? No , Not always, but I can when the pressure is on.

Zen of Flying

Zen, the spiritual one-ness. I had it on a bike. I spent countless hours roaring thru the woods (or on twisty roads), in the zone, the bike an extension of my being. No thought is given to shifting , application of throttle & brake. Balance and direction are instinctive. There is a rhythm, a flow, harmony in motion. In flying, it is the same. One builds zen a bit at a time, some achieve it faster than others, but all real pilots experience it. Zen is one of the things that drags us back into the air, time & time again. A good CFI will sense it in his student in each seceding take off & landing, in the flow of motion required to tame the unseen winds. After a while he is no longer repeating the instruction " Ball! center the ball" as you stomp right rudder and swing wildly in the opposite skid.When you solo you first demonstrate that it is indeed your own Zen that safely returns man & machine to the tarmac. It begins for me as I finish my final pre-takeoff checklist and roll onto the active runway. As my craft gathers speed I begin to sense the song it plays in my hands , feet & seat. No longer does an airspeed indicator determine the moment of flight, instead we are drawn into the ether by a force greater than any amount of horsepower, a moment when everything is in harmony. And flight is achieved.
Climb is only noted on panel, it's rate is a function of weight , power and air. Our muscles are commanded by zen to climb higher into the sky. Vx & Vy become innate feelings that are summoned forth at our whim. Zen brings us over the fence at a steady rate, duplicating the same speed over & over, the indicator only serving to provide visual proof that it is Zen that pilots the craft. No dial, no gauge, no computer can tell the pilot when it is time to kick the rudder and break the crab, the moment of the flare is signaled thru zen to the proper airfoils. And we know flight has ended.