Gallery Update: Being a Witness for the Sunset of a DC-3

After a friend and I went flying this morning, we were treated to a neat sight at the Spanish Fork-Springville Airport with a Douglas DC-3 parked on the ramp! Apparently, it made it's final flight yesterday from somewhere back east and is going to be re-purposed and re-located for permanent display as part of a children's playground. A crew was in the process of dismantling the aircraft by removing it's two functional Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines and replace them with non-airworthy ones (most likely for aesthetic purposes). 

As cool of a sight it was, I was actually kind of saddened to hear that this old, venerable warbird would no longer fly. But that's the sad truth about the aviation industry: Like anything else, everything gets spent over time after much wear-and-tear, and airplanes are no exceptions as they all have a limited airframe life. I can take solace in knowing that the DC-3 my friend and I saw today will still be somewhat appreciated by generations to come as part of a unique display; we served as witnesses for a venerable warbird's "sunset" moments...

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 11

Preview:

Douglas C-47 (DC-3F) Skytrain (N8061A) parked on the ramp. Formerly with Jim Hankins Air Service, Inc.

First delivered to the United States Army Air Force in 1942 as 41-18679. This beauty then went to Canada, where it was registered as CF-CPX, where it flew for Canadian Pacific Airlines from December 1945 until June 1969. During the 1970s, it flew for Harrison Air. In the 1980s, she was re-registered in the United States as N8061A and first flew for Salair. Eventually, this DC-3 made its way to Jim Hankins Air Service, Inc. until the company went bankrupt. A dignifying end now awaits this warbird as she will hopefully be appreciated by children and enthusiasts alike.

Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Desy Flying!

Once again, I took up Desy, another first-time General Aviation passenger, and I got to do it in the Piper Cherokee. And today was another rare case of someone not having classes until later in the day so it was indeed another nice morning outing! Once we got to the airport and found where the Cherokee was parked, I went ahead and performed the pre-flight inspections. After that, I towed the plane over to the fuel pumps to add some fuel to each wing tank. That's when I noticed something unusual; when the plane sits, the nose gear usually keeps the nose slightly elevated due to the telescoping struts. But the plane was already sitting level with the nose gear strut compressed. That caused me some concern to seek out one of the flight school's instructor to get some input on the matter. In the end, the mechanic was notified and I was told that I can meet him over at his hangar by taxiing the plane over there. So after refueling was complete, we hopped in and I got the engine started. Upon start-up, the nose sunk even more, which was more than enough to concern me even more; I honestly felt that we would have a prop-strike, but thankfully, we didn't! Ever so carefully, I taxied us over to the maintenance hangar where our mechanic was waiting for us. I shut down the engine and he wheeled out a Nitrogen tank. The nose gear strut assembly is usually filled with Nitrogen to help add pressure to keep the nose of the Cherokee elevated when stationary. As it turns out, this is a normal occurrence as part of a preventative-maintenance process.

Another round in the good ol' Cherokee (N7625F)!

Thankfully, the maintenance issue was minor and ended up being an easy fix so once that was done, we hopped in the airplane again and got the engine started up. I then taxied us around a row of hangars from where the maintenance hangar is located and positioned the plane just short of the taxiway where I did engine run-ups. Everything looked good, so I continued the taxi over to Runway 12, which the winds were favoring today. And the nose gear strut felt much better too! Once I got us to the runway, I held short and prepared for takeoff. Once ready, I taxied onto Runway 12, lined up and began takeoff. And before we knew it, we were airborne!

Obligatory selfie before takeoff!
(Photo credit: Desy Mendoza, my lovely passenger!)

After departure, I made a right-crosswind departure and flew southbound, where we would fly around the southern portion of Utah Valley. Over the more urban areas, it was quite obvious that the air was turbulent; I'm not a fan of turbulence and I get the feeling that most of passengers share that same sentiment! I then circled back and descended, getting in position to make a few circling turns around the Payson LDS Temple for my passenger to see, as is customary on my scenic "joyride" flights! After circling the Payson Temple a couple times, I decided to put some distance between us and the Spanish Fork-area and flew further south towards Nephi, where I would practice a few landings at the airport there.

View of the Payson Temple as we circled it.
(Photo credit: Desy Mendoza.)

As usual, I tuned into the AWOS frequency for weather and wind information and then began monitoring the CTAF frequency; there was one other aircraft in the pattern. I made my routine position reports as I brought us closer to the Nephi Airport. Eventually, I entered the left downwind for Runway 17 and made my normal approach for a touch-and-go landing. I logged three landings total at Nephi, all the while sharing the airspace and runway with a Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star. After logging my third landing, we departed the area and headed back north to return to Spanish Fork. I tuned into the radio frequencies for Spanish Fork and I made my descent. I flew over the airfield at mid-field and entered the left pattern for Runway 12.

I made the landing a full-stop. After touch-down and rolling out, I exited the runway at the next available taxiway and then taxied back to the ramp the Cherokee's parking spot. I shut the engine down and I called it another successful flight with a first-time passenger! It was a fun morning outing!

Pilot Life: Taking Twin Sisters on Two Flights on Two Different Planes!

I've had a busy day with TWO flights by taking twin sisters I'm friends with today. Since I'm still not checked out in the Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star (or any other four-seat aircraft for that matter!), two flights in a single day was justified. Plus they both had differing schedules so I could only take each of them flying during a certain time of the day. All in all, it was a great day of flying as I got to take each twin on a different aircraft for each flight!

First Flight: Taking My Friend Jessica in the Katana

The day started with a flight in the Katana; we were originally supposed to take up the Cherokee but the maintenance it was under was still on-going until later in the afternoon, so I reserved a Katana instead. Once the airplane became available, I wasted no time in getting the pre-flight done and putting some fuel in the tank.

First flight was onboard N992CT.

Once fueling was complete, we hopped in, went through pre-start briefing, and got the engine started up. Winds were favoring Runway 12 so I taxied us over and did the run-ups there as well. Once run-ups were complete, I lined the airplane up with the runway and we got airborne, with yet another first-time passenger in a General Aviation aircraft!

We turned southbound and flew around the valley, particularly around the Payson area, where the LDS Temple there was a focal point of the sight-seeing! Afterwards, I decided to take us into Provo for some touch-and-goes. As always, I picked up the weather information on ATIS frequency and then called up tower for instructions, to which I obliged. That's when things got a little crazy!

On my first downwind leg, I was cleared to do my first of three touch-and-go landings and began turning my base when the tower cancelled my clearance and requested that I extend the downwind leg to give way to a Beechjet 400. After establishing visual contact with the jet, tower cleared me for touch-and-go. I had to avoid wake turbulence from the Beechjet so I came in high. I eventually executed a slip on short final and was seconds away from landing when the tower called me to go around. Without hesitation, I obeyed and aborted the landing and started climbing out. Things weren't going the way I expected during this excursion to Provo!

I made right closed traffic and tried again. This time, I was able to execute my touch-and-go landing before I got back in the air again. Tower then requested that I make left closed traffic instead of the usual right traffic for Runway 13 operations; reasons were because there were several full-stop arrivals coming in and two departing aircraft that have been holding short of the runway for quite a while. As I made left closed traffic (meaning the runway was to the left as I flew the downwind leg!), tower once again requested that extend downwind and he would call my base leg. Once tower approved my base turn, I made a normal approach for landing. As I got closer and closer to the runway, I realized I never received landing clearance so I called tower and asked if I was clear. The tower controller cleared me for touch-and-go and he even thanked me for keeping him honest as he realized he never cleared me! Shout out to the tower guys at Provo!

I made my second touch-and-go and then made right closed traffic once again; I also let tower know of my intentions to depart straight-out to Spanish Fork after this circuit. I made my third touch-and-go and I was cleared for a straight-out-departure. The tower controller and I exchanged the usual pleasantries before being approved to change radio frequencies. Once again, I made position calls on the Spanish Fork CTAF and entered the left-downwind for Runway 12 as the winds still favored it. I executed another touch-and-go landing before getting back up in the air for one last circuit in the pattern. My next landing would be full-stop. As always, I kept my eyes peeled for other aircraft as there were several planes in the pattern over Spanish Fork-Springville Airport.

I made my full-stop landing and the cleared the runway at the next available taxiway. I taxied us back to the ramp and hangar before shutting down the engine and calling it another successful flight with another first-time passenger!

Obligatory selfie after landing!
(Photo credit: Jessica Boekweg, my lovely passenger!)

One passenger flown, one more to go for the day!

Second Flight: Taking My Friend Jennifer in the Cherokee!

A couple hours later, I traded one twin sister for another as I found myself back at Spanish Fork to take my second passenger of the day flying. And I finally got back in the Piper Cherokee for this flight! Once again, I did a pre-flight and walk-around for the airplane and then used the tow bar to pull it over to the fuel pumps to add some fuel to the wing tanks. After fueling was complete, we hopped in, closed up the door, and I went through start-up procedures to get the engine started. Much to my delight, the engine started right up and the throttle controls felt really responsive! Considering how much grief and trouble the Cherokee's engine throttle put us through last week with its broken throttle control cable, I was happy with the results! I then taxied us a short distance and did the run-ups. Once run-ups were complete and everything looked good, I taxied the plane over to Runway 30, lined up, and began takeoff roll and we got airborne!

Second flight was on board the Cherokee (N7625F) after it finally came out of maintenance!

I turned us out to the south as we climbed out. Like this morning, we flew around the valley for a scenic flight for a first-time passenger of a General Aviation aircraft, a privilege I thoroughly enjoy! Once again, the highlight feature would be the Payson LDS Temple where I circled the plane around a few times. I've also been wanting to take the Cherokee out to another airport to get some practice in on my landings. The place I had in mind was Nephi, since I figured that would be a good place to start before going to a controlled field like Provo. Plus, I've already been into Provo this morning, so we headed down to Nephi!

As usual, I picked up the weather and wind information on the AWOS frequency and made my position calls the CTAF. There was little to no activity so we pretty much had the airspace around Nephi Airport all to ourselves! I made my descent and entered the left traffic pattern for Runway 17 and I did several touch-and-go landings to get some practice in! I managed three good touch-and-go landings at Nephi before heading back north; it was really nice to have the airspace around Nephi all to myself to be able get the kinds of landings I wanted!

I flew us back up the valley with Spanish Fork and the rest of the Utah Valley coming into view. Once more, I tuned into the newly installed AWOS frequency at Spanish Fork and made my position reports on the CTAF frequency. I made my descent and entered us on the left traffic pattern for Runway 30 and prepared for another touch-and-go landing, which I was able to execute well. I got the good ol' Piper Cherokee back up in the air for one last lap in the pattern before making a full-stop landing. Good timing too, because other aircraft started calling in their positions intending to land. I made the landing and then vacated the runway at the next available taxiway.

Another obligatory selfie after landing!
(Photo credit: Jennifer Boekweg, my lovely passenger!)

I then taxied us back to the ramp and usual parking spot for the Piper Cherokee. I initiated shut-down procedures and the engine shut off. I called it another successful flight with my second first-time passenger of the day before proceeding to secure the aircraft.

Long day, but it was well-worth it! Thanks to the Boekweg sisters for being awesome passengers!

Gallery Update: General Aviation Traffic at Spanish Fork

My flight got cancelled today due to ongoing maintenance with the Piper Cherokee I've been wanting to fly more. Hopefully, I can fly the Cherokee this weekend. In lieu of flying, I hung around the Spanish Fork-Springville Airport and got a chance to hang out with the instructors during some down-time they had and I even got a little planespotting in from a park bench just inside airport grounds. I got some interesting sightings on this impromptu spotting trip in addition to an aircraft that piqued my interest.

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 10

Preview:

Cessna 150G Commuter (N3699J) doing some taxi tests after what looks to be a tear-down/restoration.

Airgyro Tercel (N557AT) on short final for 30 doing a touch-and-go.

Platinum Aviation Diamond DA-20-C1 Katana Eclipse (N968CT) on short final for 30 for a touch-and-go.

Mountain Star Air Care Eurocopter AS350 B3 Écureuil (N862MB) on arriving over the taxiway towards a helipad.

Cessna 170B (N170SB) on short final for 30.

Beechcraft B300 Super King Air 350i (N154KF) departing on 30.

United States Air Force Fairchild SA-227DC RC-26B Metro 23 (94-0261) parked on the ramp. I was quite surprised to see a Metroliner here at Spanish Fork, let alone a military version! Note the equipment mounted on the belly of the aircraft just behind the nose gear. The RC-26B is C-26B modified with electronic surveillance equipment primarily for drug interdiction missions. The RC-26B was originally configured with a belly pod containing a sensor turret and a data recorder, but now the pods have been removed and a lone sensor turret is not equipped. The Air Force currently operates 11 RC-26Bs jointly with the Air National Guard. This particular airframe used to wear a dark grey military livery with military markings, but now has a more civilian appearance.

Cessna 172P Skyhawk II (N52877) on short final for 30 while doing pattern work.

Aeronca 11CC Super Chief (NC4105E) doing run-ups prior to departure on 30.

Cessna 150M Commuter II (N3715V) on short final for 30.

Beechcraft V35A Bonanza (N7516N) on short final for 30 while doing pattern work.

Pilot Life: Taking My Roommate, Ben Flying!

Time for another flight with a first-time passenger! This morning, I took up Ben, another one of my roommates for a little scenic flight around the valley; he didn't have classes until the early afternoon, so it was a rare case of me being able to take someone up on a busy weekday. Plus it made for a nice morning outing, considering that I've been recovering from a lousy cold since late last week and into this past weekend.

My go-to aircraft, N802CT!

It was cold outside, so I wasted no time in getting the pre-flight inspections done! I added some fuel to the plane as well. After fueling up, we hopped in and I got the engine started. I taxied the Katana a short distance and did the run-ups. I had no abnormalities show, so I continued taxiing to the runway and got us airborne.

Obligatory selfie before takeoff!
(Photo credit: Ben Thomson, my roommate from Canada!)

After getting airborne, I turned us out southbound and we flew around the valley for a little bit. After getting some distance between us and the Spanish Fork Airport, I asked my roommate if he wanted to try his hands at the controls for a little bit; he accepted and manipulated the stick to turn the airplane. I helped him out a little with rudder and power inputs. Afterwards, I retook controls and demonstrated a rapid descent so we could get a closer look at the Payson LDS Temple, which we circled around.

View of the Payson Temple with snow that fell over the weekend.
(Photo credit: Ben Thomson.)

After the scenic views, I tuned into Provo Airport's frequencies and it didn't sound too busy, so I decided to head there to do some pattern work and show my roommate what it's like to fly into a controlled field; this was also going to be my first time flying into Provo for the year 2018. As always, I picked up the weather from the ATIS frequency and then contacted the tower, where I received instruction for pattern entry.

A view of West Mountain just before turning around to head to Provo. Sure looks gorgeous with all the snow on the ground!
(Photo credit: Ben Thomson.)

I entered the right pattern for Runway 13 and made my radio calls; tower cleared me for touch-and-go followed by another right-closed-traffic circuit. I did three touch-and-go landings total at Provo, which turned out to be perfect because things started to sound like it was going to get busy so we high-tailed it out of there in time! After the third touch-and-go, I was cleared for a straight-out departure back to Spanish Fork. I gave the guys over at Provo Tower my appreciation and switched over to advisory frequency for Spanish Fork as we left Provo's airspace. I flew overhead at midfield over Spanish Fork Airport and swung back around to enter the left pattern for Runway 30, descending down to pattern altitude at the same time. I set up for another touch-and-go in the pattern all the while keeping an eye out for other aircraft. I did one last lap in the pattern and called it a flight with a full-stop landing.

After clearing the runway, I taxied the Katana back to the ramp in time for my flight instructor and his student to take it up afterwards. And once again, I was privileged to introduce someone new to my world and lifestyle!

Pilot Life: Back in a Katana

Today was a crazy day! Things did not work out how I wanted it to be. I was scheduled to go fly in the Cherokee but since yesterday, it's been giving us issues, particularly with the starter for the engine; very important, if I do say so myself (and then I later found out that it was grounded for maintenance because the issue was much worse than we originally thought!)! So I ended up flying a Katana instead. And I got a sweet deal from the owner of the flight school today; he said he would charge me the lower rental rates of the Cherokee (since that was what I originally wanted to fly) when I took a Katana instead! He also offered me a reduced rental rate because of a positive review I left on the flight school's Facebook page not too long after I earned my license, which he greatly appreciated!

"On Thursdays, we play musical airplanes!" -Duane Barr (Platinum Aviation)

The original plan was to get some yoke-time with the Cherokee (N7625F)...

...but I ended up getting some stick time by taking up a Katana (N992CT) instead!

After I got ready to fly the Cherokee and I hopped in, I attempted engine start and I got nothing. Eventually, a couple flight instructors as well as the owner of the flight school (also a real cool guy!) noticed and came out to the airplane to assess the situation. In the end, we brought the Cherokee over to the hangar and plugged it into the external power source to determine if there was a problem with the starter; again, I later found out that the plane was officially taken offline for maintenance because the problem was discovered to be much worse than anticipated.

So in the end, I ended up flying a Katana. And I was offered the cheaper rental rates of the Cherokee as compensation. After I did pre-flight all over again, I hopped in and got the engine started no problem. I taxied a short distance to do my run-ups before taxiing to the runway to get airborne. Once airborne, I stuck to the original plan I had if I flew the Cherokee by travelling down to Nephi to get some landing practice in; once the Cherokee is fixed and in good working order, I'll head down to Nephi again and get some landing practice at a different airport in a different aircraft than the one I've been accustomed to during my flying career.

I got to Nephi and entered the left traffic pattern for Runway 17, since the winds were favoring this particular direction and heading. I did three touch-and-go landings before I headed back north to Spanish Fork, where I would once again, do some pattern work and get two more touch-and-go landings in followed by a full-stop landing; when I got to Spanish Fork though, the pattern was pretty busy and I had to find an opening in the traffic build-up to ensure spacing. Visibility was good and I didn't have much problem looking for and finding other aircraft in the pattern.

After going full-stop on my third landing (for a total of six landings logged today!) in Spanish Fork, I vacated the runway and taxied back to the ramp and hangar, where I shut the engine down and called it a flight.

Not a bad day's work given the craziness that went on before I went flying today!

Gallery Update: Warbird Sighting at Spanish Fork!

I was supposed to go flying today, but I encountered some maintenance issues that forced me to cancel the flight and ground the airplane so the mechanic could take a look at it. While I was doing the pre-flight before I officially cancelled the flight though, I got a chance to check out an unusual warbird that happens to be based at Spanish Fork; I've actually seen the plane before but never had a chance to photograph it until today! The plane is a Cessna O-2 Skymaster, a military version of the model 337 which served as an observation aircraft as a forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010. The airframe I saw is a veteran of the Vietnam War.

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 9

Preview:

Cessna M377 O-2A Super Skymaster (N102WB). Ex-United States Air Force 67-21398. One easy way to distinguish between military and civilian Skymasters is that military models don't have propeller spinners.

Face-to-face with the Skymaster. This aircraft was riddled with bullet hole patch jobs on the engine cowlings from small arms fire during its service in Southeast Asia. This warbird is now being used as a research platform for radar technologies.

Pilot Life: Logging My 100th Flight Hour!

Today, I achieved a personal milestone; I have logged my 100th flight hour as a pilot in my logbook! I was only seven-tenths of an hour away from hitting triple digits before I flew today! And I did it on the Piper Cherokee! I've noticed that not many people are flying Platinum Aviation's Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser; the flight school acquired it to give students an appropriate transitional platform for the Piper PA-28RT-201 Arrow IV, which serves as the primary commercial trainer. It's also cheaper to rent by the hour than a Katana. Since my successful flight flying the Cherokee with my sister yesterday, I've decided to fly the big metal clunker and give some much-needed love to the ugly duckling more often and take advantage of the fact that no one else is flying it! As always, I did my pre-flight inspections, fueled up the airplane, and got things going with the engine-start procedure, followed by run-ups.

My 100th flight hour as a pilot was logged in the Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser (N7625F)!

After verifying run-ups resulted in zero abnormalities, I taxied a short distance to Runway 30 and got airborne. I headed south towards Payson and flew around the valley, practicing some maneuvers and keeping an eye on the timer to note exactly when I hit 100 hours! I hit my 100th hour while I circled the Payson LDS Temple, an appropriate landmark for me! Needless to say, I was grinning from ear to ear!

Flying by the Payson LDS Temple when I hit hour number 100!

After hitting that milestone, I headed back to Spanish Fork and did two touch-and-go landings, followed by a full-stop landing. On my third landing, I vacated the runway and taxied back to the parking ramp before shutting down the engine.

The Cherokee after landing on this landmark flight! Getting to log my 100th flight hour as a pilot in this plane makes this Piper Cherokee Cruiser that much more special to me!

January 17, 2018 will be a day I'll remember, since I officially hit triple digits in my logbook!

Gallery Update: Some Spotting Before Going Flying

My first spotting outing for the year 2018 comes out of Provo AND Spanish Fork. I was scheduled to go do some flying this afternoon. Before I did though, I headed to my usual spotting location on the dike road at Provo Airport because I saw on FlightAware that an Alpine Air Express Beech 1900 was inbound (and it ended up being one I haven't photographed until today!). After I got what I was after at Provo, I headed down to Spanish Fork to get some flying in. While I was at it, I took a few random shots where I could. Here are some links:

Provo (PVU) 50

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 8

Note that the Spanish Fork-Springville Airport identifier is now KSPK/SPK due to some major upgrades made to the airport.

Preview:

Provo

Alpine Air Express Beechcraft 1900C (N125BA) on short final for 13 operating as AIP150 from Idaho Falls.

First delivered to Ryan Air Service in 1984 before going to Mohawk Airlines for passenger service. Airframe then went to Sundance Air for cargo operations in Caribbean before acquisition by Alpine Air. 

Colemill Panther (N191TA), a re-engined Piper PA-31-310 Navajo taking 13 for departure to Denver-Centennial. Distinguishable with its four-blade "Q-Tip" propellers and optional winglets. 

Ain't that a familiar sight! Platinum Aviation Diamond DA-20-C1 Katana Eclipse (N802CT) on short-final for 13 doing some pattern work. My flight instructor flying with one of his students!

Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI)/Gulfstream G150 (N150KM) beginning takeoff roll on 13 for a VFR flight southbound. This is like the third time I've seen this jet!

Spanish Fork

Platinum Aviation Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star (N566DS) parked on the ramp. I plan on logging time in the Diamond Star and get some experience working with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit it's equipped with very soon!

Platinum Aviation Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser (N7625F) parked on the ramp after I finished flying it today. 

Pilot Life: Flying the Piper Cherokee with My Sister!

It's Martin Luther King Day so that means it's a no-school day for everyone! I was originally planning on flying in a DA-20 Katana with Cloe, my little sister this morning, but we were both tired from the weekend and I ended up cancelling the flight to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

However, I capitalized on this change in plans and my sister did end up flying later in the afternoon after we ran some errands; we flew in the Piper Cherokee! It's been about a month since I last flew in and got checked out in the Cherokee by my flight instructor, so naturally, I was a little nervous flying it again. However, I was able to recall everything I learned while flying it and applied it to today's flight with my first passenger of 2018 and my first passenger while flying the Cherokee! I ended up have a really good, enjoyable flight in the Piper Cherokee and it gave me a major confidence boost!

My fourth ever flight in the Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser, my first without an instructor, and my first with a passenger all in one go!

We got to the flight school, I did my pre-flight, and then got a workout towing the plane over to the fuel pumps with the tow-bar! I added some fuel to each of the wing tanks before moving the plane away from the self-serve fuel pumps. I took my time with all the pre-flight stuff since the Piper Cherokee is still fairly new to me. My sister and I hopped in the plane and after some initial difficulty, I got the engine started. I taxied a short distance to the runway and did my run-ups. Once I verified that engine systems were in the green, I taxied onto the runway, lined up, began takeoff roll,  and I got us airborne.

I initially stayed in the traffic pattern to practice a few landings. I honestly felt that I wasn't going to do too well with landings in the Cherokee. But strangely enough, I did really well as I was able to recall everything I previously learned flying the PA-28-140! It was like riding a bicycle as I was able to execute three decent touch-and-go landings on Runway 30 that I felt really good about! Having gained quite a bit of confidence in flying the aircraft, I asked my sister what we should do; she wanted to fly around the valley a little bit. So after the third touch-and-go, I took us away from the traffic pattern and headed south towards Payson, where we would fly around for a little bit enjoying the view and keeping an ear open on the Spanish Fork CTAF for traffic.

After we were done flying around, I took us back to Spanish Fork-Springville Airport, descending down to pattern altitude along the way. I entered the traffic pattern and set up for another good landing in the Piper Cherokee. After clearing the runway, I taxied us back to the ramp and the parking spot I pulled the plane from when this little adventure began. I shut the engine down and called it another successful flight; my first as the sole pilot-in-command in a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser!

Needless to say, today's flight with my sister in the Cherokee was a huge confidence booster regarding my own personal evaluation as a pilot!

Right after the flight. The Cherokee is really growing on me!
(Photo credit: My sister Cloe.)

Pilot Life: Sunset Flying Down to Nephi and Back

How hard is it to find someone to go flying with me on a Saturday? For me, apparently it's not that easy!

I flew another solo flight this afternoon right up until around when the sun set; after lousy weather all last weekend and mostly this past week, I needed to get some flight hours in to make this whole week satisfactory. And for today, I did a quick flight down to Nephi and then came back to Spanish Fork before it got too dark outside (even though I'm now night-current). And it looks like I've been making the right decision to fly down to Nephi because I've heard from other pilots that Provo has been busy with everyone trying to get their flying in, especially from the flight training side of things!

Took up N992CT up again!

After pre-flight, engine start-up and run-ups, I taxied to Runway 30 and took off. Once airborne, I headed south to Nephi. Winds were favoring Runway 35 in Nephi today, so I came in straight from the north for the left downwind during my descent. Once established, I set myself up for a touch-and-go before doing another circuit in the pattern. I decided to do something I've never done before; a land and taxi-back operation, which means I made I full-stop landing and vacated the runway before taxiing back to the same runway I landed on. I figured it would make my routines diverse for the week. So after I landed, I cleared the runway on the next available taxiway and taxied back to Runway 35 via the parallel taxiway.

Right wing view look north while holding short of Runway 35.

Once I got to the runway, I held short for a second before taxiing on and lining up. I throttled forward and got airborne once again. I made a straight-out departure back to the north and headed to Spanish Fork, where I would do a little more pattern work practice before calling it a flight; I did one more touch-and-go followed by a full-stop landing back at home base.

Pilot Life: Getting Night Current

It's been well over a year since I last did a night flight, which is hard to believe. I've been waiting for a good night to get some solo night flying in, but weather for most of this week was just awful. But today worked out in my favor. Not only that, but tonight was my very first time flying solo at night as well!

Regained my night-current status in N802CT.

Equipped with my red flashlight, I waited about an hour after the official sunset time for the day before I conducted pre-flight. After that, I towed the plane over to the fuel pumps to put some fuel in the tank. After fueling up, I hopped in the airplane and got the engine started up. I taxied the plane over to the run-up area and did run-ups; I took my time with everything to allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness. After verifying run-ups didn't result in any abnormalities, I taxied to the runway, turned my exterior lights on and took off.

To get night-current, I had to do three landings to full stop (according to regulations) so I did three stop-and-go landings on Runway 30 at Spanish Fork; I also ended up doing one go-around tonight because I've forgotten how nerve-racking night flying can be sometimes. After doing my three stop-and-go landings and respective circuits in the pattern, I made my fourth landing a full-stop landing and vacated the runway and taxied back to the ramp before shutting down the engine and putting the airplane in the barn for the night.

It was a simple, local flight, but well-worth reviewing how I should conduct a flight in the dark of night. Plus tonight served as another milestone in my piloting career as my very first solo flight at night. Now that I'm night-current, I can legally take passengers flying as pilot-in-command at night!

Pilot Life: First Flight of 2018!

It's been a little over three weeks since I last flew. I didn't fly at while I was home for the holidays due to lousy weather in Oregon (which sucked, by the way!). So today was my very first flight for the year 2018 and believe me, after what I went through last year, I intend to fly the hell out of this year as I work towards my Instrument and Commercial Ratings! It's the first week of the new semester and weather has not been working in my favor since getting back to Utah, but I finally caught a break today and got some flying in. Since I haven't flown in a while, I decided to go solo today and get a little self-refresher flight in to evaluate myself. Everything went smooth for me today.

First flight back was on N992CT!

After doing the pre-flight, engine-start, and run-ups, I taxied to Runway 30 and got airborne. I decided to depart the area southbound and headed to Nephi and practice some landings there! It's been a while since I landed at Nephi, so it was a good change of location after returning to Provo often all last month during my local flights. As always, I tuned into the Nephi AWOS to get the weather and wind conditions and made my radio calls. Once I entered the left traffic pattern for Runway 17, everything was like clockwork. I did two touch-and-go landings and one stop-and-go landing at Nephi before high-tailing back to Spanish Fork. One thing's for sure: Nephi is a lot more rural and open compared to the places I'm used to!

I made my way back to Spanish Fork, where I did one more touch-and-go landing followed by a circuit in the pattern, where I did a full-stop landing. I taxied off the runway and taxied back to the ramp and called it a successful flight. It's good to be back on the saddle!

Gallery Update: Revisit to the Tillamook Air Museum

It's been a little over four years and I figured it was time to once again visit the Tillamook Air Museum up in the northwest corner of Oregon while still home for the holiday break. Four years ago, I made my first visit with a so-so digital camera and really struggled with the interior lighting of the place. Also back then, the museum had the Erickson warbird collection before they moved out to Madras, Oregon because it was thought then that the Historic Hangar B would be shut down. Thankfully, the historic sight ended up being preserved with the Port of Tillamook Bay taking up ownership and control of the hangar as of November 2014. Starting in 2016, the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum out of Hillsboro, Oregon started moving a bunch of their airworthy warbirds often seen at air shows to Tillamook on a long-term loan to beef up the collection. The museum also added other unique aircraft from other places to the collection.

The first post and update to the gallery for the year 2018 is a museum visit! There were a few new things up in Tillamook I wanted to see and I'm glad I was able to make the trip. Here's the link:

Tillamook Air Museum (Revisit)

Preview:

Aero Spacelines 377MG Mini-Guppy (N422AU) on display outside the massive blimp hangar.

Face-to-face with the Mini-Guppy.

The Mini-Guppy in comparison with the size of Hangar B. They sure don't build these like they used to anymore...

Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth (NX34TM), an 80% scale replica kit version of the De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth.

Brown Starlite (N49RH).

Chris-Tena Mini Coupe (N62ME).

Nieuport 11-N (N132DL), a 7/8 scale replica of the famous French fighter of World War I.

Rutan 61 Long-EZ (N1382Y) "Tempus Fugit." This aircraft was formerly displayed at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon.

ERCO 415-C Ercoupe (N99903).

Fairchild 24W-40 GK-1 (N3779C).

Arctic Research Laboratory Cessna 180F Skywagon (N2146Z). This aircraft was the very first light-aircraft to ever land on the North Pole.

PZL-Mielec Lim-6 (N2503N), a Polish license-built variant of the Russian MiG-17.

BAC/Hunting P-84 Jet Provost T3A (N27357). This is one of the jet warbirds from the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum that's on long-term loan to the Tillamook Air Museum.

WindRyder Rotorplane (N532WE), the prototype of a gyrocopter capable of cruising at 130 mph.

Fouga (Valmet) CM-170R Magister (N71FM). This is another one of Classic Aircraft Aviation's jet warbirds on long-term loan to Tillamook.

PZL-Mielec (MiG-17F) Lim-5 (N1426D). Another from Classic Aircraft Aviation on loan; not many places to see two MiG-17s displayed in one place!

Lear Jet 24 (N711CW). This old Lear from 1965 is another vintage jet that's part of the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum's collection. There aren't many Lear Jets that look like this, with the old windows.

Douglas A-26C Invader (N26PJ) "Lead Sled." Another one from the Classic Aircraft Collection. The ironic thing is that the Tillamook Air Museum previously displayed the Erickson Collection's A-26 before they moved out to Madras only to get another one to display from Hillsboro!

Cvjetkovic CA-65 Skyfly (N600W). Despite the manufacturer name, this plane is American-built! The aircraft's designer, Anton Cvjetkovic is of Yugoslav descent.

Nord 1101 Noralpha/Ramier I (N2758). The history of the Noralpha starts in Germany, first designed by Messerschmitt as the Bf 108 Taifun. Production of the Bf 108 was transferred to occupied France during World War II and production continued after the war as the Nord 1000 Pingouin. The original Bf 108 was designed to be a sport and touring aircraft, purely for recreational use. Post-war French Noralphas were used for military purposes, serving in the communication and liaison roles. Many went to private hands at the end of their military careers.

Grumman F-14A Tomcat (159848). Served with VF-14 "Tophatters" operating from the USS John F. Kennedy.

Alenia G.222 C-27A Spartan (N2286Z). Formerly with the United States Air Force as 91-0107. The Air Force and U.S. Department of State operated a handful of these Italian-made Spartans for clandestine and counter-narcotic operations in Central and South America. This particular airframe served with the 310th Airlift Squadron/24th Wing out of Howard Air Force Base in Panama. It went to the Arizona Boneyard in September 1997.

Face-to-face with the Spartan. I've never seen one of these Italian military transports, so I was really excited to see this at Tillamook!

The Tillamook Air Museum acquired this C-27A from the Arizona Boneyard in Tuscon, Arizona at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base just one year ago. It is believed to be that this airframe is one of five left in existence. Given the condition of the aircraft and just how leaky so many places are, I still can't believe that they flew this thing to Tillamook all the way from Arizona!

Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) A-7E Corsair II (158819). Served with the United States Navy during Desert Storm with Attack Squadron 72 (VA-72) "Blue Hawks" operating off the USS John F. Kennedy.

Douglas A4D-2 A-4B Skyhawk (142922) on display off of Highway 101 near the entrance to the museum. This aircraft is often the first to greet visitors to the museum.

Glad to see that the Tillamook Air Museum was able to rebound under new ownership and operations after a period of uncertainty. I look forward to seeing the museum grow and add to its collection that would warrant another visit in the future!

Also, this year marks ten years since I started pursuing a hobby of plane-spotting and aviation photography!