All the above said, I wanted to post about the latest "happenings" in my professional pilot journey. This past weekend, I had the honor and privilege of flying our museum's Aeronca L-16A "Grasshopper" to an event in Erie, PA. Aside from last year's airshow here, and a town 5k flyover, this was my 1st time representing the National Warplane Museum as a pilot. The North Coast Flight School, located at Tom Ridge Field (Erie Regional Airport/KERI), hosted an open house to promote general aviation in the area. We were invited to attend with our warbirds, the C-45, Antonov AN-2, J-5, L-17, and L-16. And, attend we did!
There was quite a bit of preparation before the fly-in, as per usual with anything involving airplanes (logistics, etc.) For me, of particular concern were weather and fuel. A flight to Erie from Geneseo is 112.1 Nautical Miles, straight-line. The L-16A flies an average of 70 KTS, from my experience, and burns ~4.5 GPH (tank holds 13 US Gals.) So, a flight of this magnitude required that I plan for fuel management. Hypothetically, I could have flown to KERI without stopping for more fuel. However, since I started flying, I made a personal rule that I like to fly with tanks at least 1/3 full, slightly under that if I know a fuel-stop is in range. Why? Again, every pilot has personal minimums, and I just feel comfortable with this. So, all that said, I planned for a stop in Gowanda (D59) to re-fuel, both to-and-from KERI.
In addition to fuel, weather was another possible issue for the trip. I had been watching the forecast for the weekend during the whole week leading up to it. A week out, all looked as if it would be "severe clear," and great flying weather. However, as the day neared closer, the forecast looked more and more grim. The night before, I was almost certain we would not be going on the trip.
Nice weather, eh?
The above forecast was not optimistic. However, knowing that if we were still going, I needed to be airbourne by 0630, I went to bed. Strategically, I set my phone to alarm me every 2 hours during sleep (no REM for me) to allow me to wake briefly and peek at the TAFs (Terminal Area Forecasts) for KROC (Rochester) and KERI (Erie.) As you see above, the night before, the TAFs were not promising. Yet, as I began to wake around 0500, the conditions changed drastically. We now looked like a "go." So, I got up, grabbed breakfast, and drove to Geneseo.
Once I arrived, the other crew members for the day's mission began to arrive, including my co-pilot (and good pilot friend) Rob Nessel. Rob has plenty of time in the Aeronca 7AC (L-16), and is a great aviation mentor to me. That's why he's one of my "go to guys" for L-16 trips. We pushed the plane out of the hangar, pre-flighted, briefed with the J-5 crew (who we planned to fly down to KERI alongside of), and then hand-propped the Aeronca to life. Shortly thereafter, we were airbourne! After takeoff, I began to tail the J-5 Cub, but was unable to keep up. She has 100HP, to my mere 65. Further complicating the matter, the J-5 and I were having radio issues, and unable to communicate/coordinate joining-up. So, from here on out to KERI, Rob and I were on our own.
Immediately after engine start-up, I engaged my wristwatch timer for fuel management purposes. I monitered this time as we flew towards KERI, and I made the call to stop at Gowanda (D59) as planned after ~1hr of flight to re-fuel. Not only would this stop give me "piece of mind" for the final leg to KERI, but also allow me to calculate just how much fuel I had burned in 1hr of flight. We arrived at Gowanda, and I lined up for my approach to land. As I came in on final, I felt I had misjudged the runway and was too high/fast, so I went around. The 2nd time in, I nailed it, and we pulled up to the fuel tanks.
This is where things got interesting. You see, in the current AF/D (Airport Facilities Directory) and Foreflight Database, D59 claims to have self-serve 80/100LL fuel available. Well, once Rob and I began to examine the tanks, we found no such availability. There was no way to swipe and credit card, the pump hoses were dry rotted, and the ground cable was rusted up and frayed. No one was around the field, either. A call to the manager's number went unanswered. Well, shoot! From here, we made the "executive" decision to takeoff from Gowanda and fly 20 NM west to Dunkirk, a place where we could get fuel for certain.
Scanning for traffic on final for DKK, nice pic Rob!
With Gowanda now in our rear-view mirror, we made our way to Dunkirk (DKK.) After about 1/2 hour of flying, we arrived and landed. A short taxi from the runway to the FBO, and we were soon being re-fueled by a friendly gent with a taildragger of his own, a J-3 Cub. We had a quick chat while we refueled and paid, then Rob and I made our departed for the final leg of our journey to KERI. Up until now, the flight had been smooth and level. However, once we began to hug the lakeshore from DKK to KERI, we noticed some "choppiness." Part of this was due to the winds coming off Lake Erie, and the other part was the upcoming weather. Regardless of the bumps, we had a good flight to Erie. About 17 miles out, we were able to receive the airport weather frequency and make contact with the control tower. The communications in the L-16 are somewhat unpredictable, as the plane is not equipped with a radio (or an electric system, for that matter.) Thusly, the circuit system causes interference with handheld pilot radios, like what I was using. We were able to make contact with ATC, this time, so we "lucked out," one could say!
Erie Airport Layout, note the difference in orientation of Runways 6 and 20.
Erie ATC cleared us to land on Runway 6, which I felt was odd. The winds were stated to have been coming from 090, at about 8 KTS. So, that would put us in a near-direct tailwind on final for landing. Not ideal, and thanks to Rob for spurring me to question ATC, we were able to request/receive clearance to land on Runway 20. Much better! And, the landing reflected that we made the correct choice, nice and smooth. Once we pulled up to the open-house and shut-down the 65hp Continental engine, we were met with a hero's welcome. My mentor, Austin Wadsworth, summed up my arrival best, "Better slow down there, Austin, your tailwheel's on fire!"
Made it!
The event itself was very well done, with lots of cool planes and people showing up. The important thing was, lots of kids attended. It is crucial to get young people into aviation, so this was very promising to see. Ironically, this is all I really have to report on the event itself, this was the easy part for us! All I did was show off the L-16 to visitors, and had fun doing it. Lots of people came up to the L-16 and told me stories of how they learned to fly in, or once flew, a Champ like this one. I guess a lot of pilots have been touched by the Aeronca in one way or another. We even sold a ride in the L-16, which Jim K. flew for the passenger. Jim was not so lucky on the radios, however, as he mentioned having problems with the tower hearing him upon return.
L-16 in good company! A 75% P-51
The weather during the day was "so-so" with clouds and spotty rain showers. The forecast and ceilings still looked good for VFR flight home, but we continued to monitor it throughout the day. We were confident we'd be able to fly home, despite having to dodge a few showers en-route.
Two Austin's waiting for the rain to pass...
The time had come, and the open-house began to wrap-up. Everyone was leaving with smiles on their faces, so I'd call it a success! As we "convened"/"conspired" (or, briefed), my fellow museum gang expressed (rightful) concern for the L-16s return to Geneseo. The issue was the rain. You see, the L-16 has a wooden prop, and wood props don't mix well with rain as de-lamination is possible (http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/rain-on-the-prop.26545/). Austin W. wanted to make sure I was comfortable making the flight home, and offered to put Rob and I up in a hotel for the night if we has any doubt. I felt confident that we could safely make the trip back to D52, or divert if need be. So, we proceeded with this plan, and prepped to head home.
Austin W. gave us a "prop," and we were ready to talk with ATC for taxi/takeoff/departure...or so I thought. My radio/intercom was on, I could hear myself talking, and the push-to-talk function was indicating that it was active, yet my calls to the tower went unanswered. So, what did I do? I broke out the cell-phone. I waved over one of the FBO ramp-hands, and asked him for the tower's phone number. Within a few minutes, he brought me the digits I needed, and I made the call. I was met with a friendly, albeit confused, voice who was most helpful to my situation once I explained it. Over the phone, we agreed to handle my taxi/takeoff via light-gun signals, Yes, that's right, light gun! All those times learning them during Private Pilot training is not "for-not."
This trip was turning into quite the adventure! Personally, I was quite excited about being able to utilize the light-gun signal system. Not every pilot gets this chance! We began to taxi from the open-house ramp to the runway, and received the "green light" from the tower to proceed. We taxied to the "run-up" area, and did our engine power tests/pre-takeoff checklists. Once ready, we received the green light once again from the tower, cleared for takeoff! So, off we went. As we departed and climbed out, the rain continued, albeit light. The weather report claimed that clouds were at 3,500', but I noticed them hanging around closer to 2,800'. I climbed up to ~2,600', and we made a direct route to Geneseo. This is where things got...interesting...
Looks fine, right?
I mean, beautiful!
LOL, nope...(other window view)
For those unfamiliar to the area, the terrain between Erie and Geneseo (Southern Tier NY) is rife with hills, and also wind-mills. The FAA sectional charts denote a minimum safe altitude in this area, between 1,900-2,800'. So, I was immediately aware after departing KERI that we would be cutting it close to these minimums, after seeing the clouds lower than advertised. This kind of flying is also known as "scud running." Rob and I proceeded with caution in the L-16, ducking around clouds, hills, and wind-towers. As we progressed, I saw the clouds and precipitation begin to look worse, off in the distance. I could see, miles ahead, the hills became entombed within the clouds, and certainly there were towers within there as well. I said, "no thanks."
Diversion into 4G2 (Hamburg)
1.) Depart KERI
2.) Encounter poor weather and and terrain concerns
3. Divert to Hamburg
I told Rob about my executive decision to avoid this situation, and suggested we divert to the north to nearby Hamburg Airport. Of course, he agreed, and off we went. We arrived in Hamburg shortly after our diversion. Once again, as with Gowanda, I made a "go-around" to gauge the winds, runway, and glide-slope. After this pass, we came in to land, and succeeded! The runway @ 4G2 is quite narrow, and has a rather long threshold. This made for a fun landing experience, which I personally loved. We then taxied to the tie-down area of the field, where the scene was obviously quite dead, not a soul around.
All tucked in for the night, in Hamburg.
Once we shut the L-16 down, I made my calls. First, I called our flight ops team (Austin W, Naomi W.) to notify them of my decision. They were pleased with my choice, and assured me that I should feel no shame for making it. After this, I called my dear mum, Mary Anne. She is a saint, and she offered to come pick Rob and I up! So, for the next 2 hours, we had a good chat and napped in the L-16. My mum came in record time, and hauled two tired pilots back home to Geneseo, she even bought us Timmy Ho's on the way! <3
I went to bed shortly after getting home, with plans to go get the L-16 the next day. Austin W. had offered to fly me out there if need be, so I was not worried. When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to find myself refreshed and energized! Furthermore, a text message popped up on my phone just as I woke, from my good buddy Andy G. He offered to fly me out to Hamburg in his own plane, a T-Tail Piper Arrow! What a guy! I jumped at the chance. That afternoon, Andy met me in Geneseo for pickup, and we took-off for 4G2.
Andy in his "happy place."
More good company for the L-16, Andy's T-Tail Arrow.
The flight was quick, and Andy did a great job. He is an accomplished pilot, who even has time flying warbirds such as the PBY, B-17, C-45, etc. When we arrived in Hamburg, we were met by a few friendly folks who helped get us fuel for the trip home. Andy then gave me a prop, and I was soon inbound to Geneseo. The flight home was smooth, and beautiful. I averaged 72 KTS Groundspeed, not bad! Andy passed me on the way home, I suppose he wanted to race. I arrived in Geneseo about 55 minutes after departing Hamburg, and landed smooth. Andy was there waiting for me, and he helped me re-fuel, clean, and push the L-16 back into her home. What a nice dude.
5/22 Flight Summary: Hamburg (4G2) >>> Geneseo (D52)
1.) Depart Hamburg
2.) Arrive Geneseo
Home, safe and sound!
So, with all that, the mission was complete. I have to say, in reflection, that it was quite the experience for me. I was tested, and learned many things about my personal flying minimums. I also found that, once again, those in aviation are the kindest, most giving people one can find. I will admit that I was nervous, about fuel management, weather, and paved-runway landing. Yet, I overcame and succeeded, all thanks to the support and help of some great people. I want to personally thank Austin, Naomi, Rob, Andy, Mum, and all the other great folks who helped me get to KERI and back safely. Most important of all, I had fun! Until next time, "Keep 'Em Flying," and "Never, Never, Never Give Up."
FAA Instrument Rating Checkride = ~2 Weeks Away
5/21-5/22 Flight Time Logged = 3.7 Hrs
Total Flight Time = 218.9 Hrs
Total Flight Time to Commercial License = 31.1 Hrs
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