Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Tyra Flying (Again!)!

It was redemption time! After a not-so-good attempt to go flying with my friend Tyra two weeks ago, today was the day I fulfilled my promise to take her flying on a better day with scenic views. As far as weather was concerned, it was gloomy but still good enough to get in the air and fly the Utah Valley and take in the view! After arriving at the airport, I immediately got to work on pre-flight inspections on the Katana we were going to fly.

We went up N968CT, a Katana that I haven't flown in over two months.

After completing the pre-flight, I re-positioned the plane and we hopped in. After closing up the canopy, I went through my checklists (it's become so routine at this point, given how much time I've spent with the Katana!) and got the engine started. After start-up I picked up the weather on AWOS, and then taxied a short ways to do the engine run-ups. After run-ups were complete and nothing out of the ordinary, I continued our taxi to Runway 30 a short ways away and we were pretty much ready for takeoff. But first, we had to take a selfie!

Obligatory selfie before takeoff!
(Photo credit: Tyra Draper, my lovely passenger!)

After visually clearing the final and departure ends, I taxied onto the runway, began takeoff roll and we got airborne. After takeoff checks were complete, I turned the Katana southbound and headed to I-15, which we would follow all the way down to Santaquin just south of Payson. As we flew southbound, I had my passenger feel along with me on the controls to give her an idea what flying a plane was like; I thoroughly enjoyed explaining and describing everything I did on this flight! And since we were flying in the Katana equipped with the Stratus router, I was able to hand her my iPad with the ForeFlight app active and get real-time information on the digital map which she thought was cool!

Once we were over Santaquin, I turned us around back to the north and headed to Payson so we could circle the Payson LDS Temple, as is customary for my first-time General Aviation passengers! I performed my favorite ground-reference maneuver, the turns around a point over the Payson Temple for my passenger to view. After circling the Temple a few times, we headed back to Spanish Fork. There was weather coming down from the north and forecasts for tonight called snow showers in the vicinity so I was in no mood to stick around and get caught in crappy weather, given how much I hate winter already. And I'm pretty sure my passenger shared my sentiments!

I entered the pattern over the airport and set us up for a touch-and-go landing. Last time I took Tyra flying, the one landing I did absolutely sucked, so I really had some redemption to shoot for here! I configured the Katana for landing on the downwind and base legs and made my final approach. This is also the same Katana where I experienced that runaway trim four months ago so the plane definitely has it's quirks! I realized I was still too high on final approach so I executed a slip to help bleed off the excess altitude. I got to the flare point over Runway 30 and made one of the smoothest landings on center line; I definitely redeemed myself here!

I got us back up in the air for one more circuit around the pattern. The second landing was going to be full stop. Again, I configured the plane for landing. And again, I came in high on final approach. So I did another slip-to-landing again! And I made another smooth landing, which I found satisfying! After clearing the runway, I taxied us back to the Platinum Aviation hangar, where I shut the engine down and called it a successful flight!

Today's flight was definitely a bulls-eye for redemption!

Pilot Life: Another Round in the Pattern in the Diamond Star

Once again, things regarding today's flight didn't go according to plan. But I was able to get in the air with my flight instructor and get a little more stick time in the Diamond Star, albeit, a really short flight in the pattern again. The problem: the plane sat outside in the elements and accumulated some frost on the wings. It was also a cold morning today when we were scheduled to go flying so the pre-flight took longer than expected! After pre-flight, we towed the plane over to the fuel pump because I noticed that the tanks were running dry (yep, another time-consuming process). After fueling up the plane (and enduring the miserable cold!), we finally hopped in and got the engine started.

Second flight in N321PF.

Winds favored Runway 12 so I taxied us over to the far end of the airport, where we would do our run-ups. After run-ups were complete, I taxied us onto the runway, advanced the throttle to begin takeoff roll, and we got airborne. Like the last time I flew the Diamond Star, we only had time for one touch-and-go landing and then a full-stop landing following two circuits in the pattern. Following the second landing, I taxied us back to the ramp so my instructor can get to work one of his students; his advice during my checkout in the DA-40 is always appreciated. We secured the plane and called it a successful, albeit, short flight.

Gallery Update: Chasing a Denver Air Connection Dornier 328JET in Provo

Once again, I credit FlightAware.com for this spotting opportunity! I noticed that a Key Lime Air Fairchild-Dornier 328JET was en route to Provo. After doing a quick search, it was an airframe I never photographed before AND this 328JET was in the full Denver Air Connection livery! I knew I had to chase this one down, so I headed out to the airport dike road once again and successfully got the shots I wanted. Here's the link:

Provo (PVU) 53

Preview:

Key Lime Air (d/b/a Denver Air Connection) Fairchild-Dornier 328-300 328JET (N394DC) on short-final for 13 arriving from Boise as LYM3307. Later scheduled to continue on to Portland with the same flight number. My third time catching a 328JET and my first time catching the full Denver Air Connection livery! It's been slow, but it seems like Key Lime Air is finally repainting their Dornier fleet to match what their business model is. I gotta say, I really love the colors on this livery and branding!

First delivered as N417FJ to Atlantic Coast Jet (AC Jet)  in January 2001 and operated for Delta Connection. Transferred to Atlantic Coast Airlines in August 2001 following the re-branding of AC Jet. Transferred again to Independence Air in August 2004 following the re-branding of Atlantic Coast Airlines. Following the demise of Independence Air, airframe went to Vision Airlines in June 2006; re-registered to N38VP in December 2006. Acquired by Key Lime Air and re-registered to the current N-number in June 2011.

Pilot Life: A Bad Day...

There's not much to say about today other than the fact it was a bad day for me! I tried to go flying solo in the Piper Cherokee to practice some landings, but I never got in the air. In fact, the only thing I did today was taxiing the airplane before I encountered a rather serious mishap.

The Cherokee that's grown on me has let me down today...

After doing the pre-flight, engine-start, and run-ups, I taxied the plane over to the far end of the runway. As I was getting ready for takeoff going through the checklists, I heard a loud pop through my headsets followed by an audible screech that got progressively louder. I thought something happened to the plane's electronics before noticing that my radios went out. The next thing I noticed was a slightly foul odor; I immediately came to the conclusion that I may have had an electrical fire! I was passing an intersection taxiway when this happened so I turned the airplane over to it in order to keep the main taxiway clear. Once I came to a complete stop, I wasted no time in shutting down the engine because I had no idea what the extent of the situation. Once the engine was shut down, I hopped out of the aircraft; I also noticed some electrical smoke emitting from the radio controls on the panel, verifying my suspicions.

With caution, I evaluated the aircraft and called up the mechanic, who drove out to meet me at the airplane. He decided to hop in and taxied it over to the maintenance hangar and I followed him in his pick-up truck. He thinks the radios might be fried because they're old and probably at the end of their service life. He asked me to taxi the plane back over to the ramp as it was taken offline for maintenance for indefinite amount of time. So I taxied the Cherokee back to where I pulled it out from and concluded a very disappointing flight (or lack thereof!). Like I said, today was a bad day for me!

But after a moment of reflecting, I'm glad this episode occurred on the ground and not in the air. And I must be a good enough pilot to know what to do and be able to handle myself the way I did when this problem occurred. The downside is that the Piper Cherokee I love to fly is down for a while. But I live to fly another day!

Pilot Life: First Flight in the DA-40!

This was another flight I was looking forward to since I've started flying: logging time in a Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star, the big brother to the DA-20 Katana! I've been trying to get a flight in on one with my instructor for the past few days, but weather hasn't been all that friendly the past couple days. My instructor and I did a little ground training with the DA40's Garmin G1000 cockpit system last Friday and weather just hasn't been all that great the past couple of days. Thankfully, today offered an opportunity to get up for a quick flight. We did however spend a bit of time on the ground going through the pre-flight of the airplane and getting to know the G1000. So today's flight consisted of staying in the pattern as more of an intro flight to the DA-40 and the G1000 avionics package. My first flight in a Diamond Star, my first logged flight in a four-seater, and my first time flying a plane with the Garmin G1000 on board! And considering today is Valentine's Day (more appropriately, Singles Awareness Day!), it was good to go do something I love on a holiday I dislike a lot!

Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star (N321PF), the plane my instructor and I took up for a short hop around the pattern today.

After a somewhat lengthy and thorough pre-flight of the airplane, my instructor grabbed the tow-bar the plane is equipped with and towed it over to the fuel pumps. Like the Piper Cherokee, the Diamond Star is equipped with fuel tanks in each wing so we had to fuel the plane on each separate tank. After refueling was complete, we hopped in and my instructor walked me through the start-up process and we got the engine started. We taxied a short ways and my instructor then walked me through the run-up procedures. Again, we took our time going through everything since this was a new plane and avionics system for me.

After run-ups were complete, we taxied over to the runway and held short for some landing traffic. Once the runway was clear, I taxied onto the runway, did my cross-checks, advanced the throttles and began takeoff roll. We got airborne and we had time for two laps in the patter; one touch-and-go landing and a full-stop landing. My instructor walked me through a lot on this short flight. While similar to the Katana, the Diamond Star is certainly different. Aside from the G1000 package, the plane flies a lot faster than what I'm used to! And because the Diamond Star is a faster airplane, I had to fly a wider pattern. But with most of my experience coming from the Katana, I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to smoothly transition to the Diamond Star.

Because we spent so much time on the ground getting to know the plane, the flight was short. After making the second landing, I taxied us off the runway at the next available taxiway and returned to the ramp, where I shut the engine down and made a new entry into my logbook.

A guy can get used to the Diamond Star! I'm looking forward to my next flight in one!

Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Jordan Flying!

Last night while running an errand, I ran into a good friend of mine of six years back from my days in Japan. It ended up being a next-to last-minute arrangement, but I offered to take Jordan, a former mission companion flying today and he gladly accepted my invitation! Once again however, the weather wasn't what I wanted it to be this morning so all we did today was fly a few laps around the pattern. After meeting up at the airport, we hung around for a little bit to kind of assess the weather and the cloud layer we had. It was at this point that I made the decision to stay in the pattern before heading out to the plane to get the pre-flight started. Compared to last month, it's been a lot colder this month (still mild compared to most winters), so we had to dry off the airplane of the condensation build-up on the fuselage and critical surface areas to prevent icing. Afterwards, I unhooked the tie-down chains and towed the plane over to the fuel pumps with the tow bar and added fuel to the wing tanks.

Once again, I took the good ol' Piper Cherokee (N7625F) for this flight!

After completing the refueling, we delayed hopping in to allow two airplanes that were doing their run-ups. Once the planes were out of the way, we hopped in and I got the engine started. I taxied us a short ways and did the engine run-ups. Nothing concerning to note so I continued the taxi over to the runway, where I held short for two aircraft currently in the pattern.

Selfie before beginning taxiing!
(Photo credit: Jordan Larkin, my old mission companion back from our days as twenty-something year old missionaries in Japan!)

Once the runway was clear, I taxied onto it and lined up and throttled forward for takeoff roll and we got airborne. From here, it was four laps total in the traffic pattern because areas to the south, east, and west looked to have rather low cloud ceilings. I did four touch-and-go landings; my first wasn't great because I veered to the left just before touchdown. My second landing was the best as I was able to keep it on center line. My third and fourth landings were so-so, as my passenger would put it!

After the fourth landing, I cleared the runway at the next available taxiway and I taxied us back to the ramp before shutting the engine down and calling it another successful, albeit short flight. And it was great to catch up with a friend whom I haven't seen in a while!

Gallery Update: Chasing Cirrus SF-50 Vision Jets in Provo!

Once again, I credit FlightAware.com for making me aware of such an opportunity! I saw that not one, but TWO Cirrus SF-50 Vision jets were en route to Provo. Given that I've never seen one before, I knew I had to jump at this opportunity. It was cold out on the dike road, but it was worth freezing my butt off to catch such unique jets!

Built by Cirrus Aircraft, the SF-50 Vision is a single-engine, low-wing, seven-seat (yeah, SEVEN seats! Let that sink in for a minute!), very light jet (VLJ) intended to be a step-up aircraft for pilots who have flown the Cirrus SR20, SR22 and other high-performance light aircraft. It is the first civilian single-engine jet to achieve certification with the FAA and the smallest and least expensive certified jet currently on the market. And in true Cirrus-fashion, the SF-50 comes equipped with the company's Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which deploys from the nose of the aircraft, making it the first jet of any kind to come with a whole-aircraft ballistic parachute. The FAA type-certified this unique aircraft in late-2016 after ten years of development.

Provo (PVU) 52

Preview:

Cessna 414A Chancellor (N414LM) departing on 13 for La Verne, California.

Cirrus SF-50 Vision (N17CX) on short final for 13 arriving from Amarillo, Texas. I am beyond excited to have finally photographed one of these unique single-engine VLJs!

Pilatus PC-12/47E (N386NG) departing on 13 for Santa Ana, California. It was getting dark and the overcast skies did not help, but a little photo-editing helped to bring these photos out a bit.

Cirrus SF-50 Vision (N52CV) on short final for 13 arriving from Denver-Centennial, Colorado. There are currently less than 20 SF-50s out there and I got two in one spotting trip! Always exciting to catch something that's still rare or uncommon before it becomes a common sight!

Pilot Life: A REALLY Short Flight with My Friend, Tyra!

Today was not a good day weather-wise for us General Aviation pilots. Likewise, I was reminded of how deceptive mother nature and weather can be. I was planning on taking up a friend flying during the latter half of the afternoon, but I cancelled the flight because the weather was being bi-polar; it was sunny one moment, then it got cloudy and it started snowing, followed by more sunny weather, then some more snow (apparently, that's Utah weather for ya!), and the pattern repeated itself! However, I kept an eye on the weather and it looked like things were improving as we got more towards the evening so I called up my friend Tyra and asked if she wanted to go, which she accepted. When we got to the airport, I immediately conducted pre-flight. Afterwards, I pulled the plane out of the hangar and we eventually hopped in. After getting the engine started, I tuned into the AWOS frequency and it became apparent that gusty conditions have returned. Like I said, bi-polar weather!

A REALLY short flight in N802CT!

I decided that plan was to go up, fly the pattern to see what the air was like, and then make a further decision from there. So I taxied the plane over to the run-up pad and did the run-ups. Engine gauges and instruments were looking good so I taxied over to the runway, lined up and got airborne. Right away, I felt the winds shaking us up a bit. But it was still manageable. Once we got to pattern altitude, it wasn't so bad, but it was winds close to the ground that I was worried about. I set up for a landing and that's when I decided that I did not like the situation. As I approached the runway, the winds kicked us around a bit and that was the case all the way until touchdown.

Let's just say it was not my greatest landing ever, but my passenger was a good sport about it. And I plan on taking her back out on another flight on a better day! After a not-so-great landing, I vacated off the next available taxiway and taxied the Katana back to the hangar, where I shut down the engine. After hopping out, I conducted a post-flight check of the plane to make sure I didn't cause any damage, especially to the landing gear. Any landing you walk away from is a good landing! Any landing where the plane is reusable is a great landing! And the plane is reusable!

Selfie with my lovely friend Tyra after we got back. I plan on taking her flying again! But for now, we're just happy to be back on the ground! Better to be down here wishing we were up there instead of being up there wishing we were down here!

After post-flight, I grabbed the tug and towed the plane into the hangar, carefully maneuvering it around and putting it back just as we found it. As for today, I learned some valuable lessons and was reminded of my personal limitations and I found it humbling. I'll back with my passenger to fly on a better day!

Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Katy Flying!

Well, today's plan for a flight changed drastically, but I still got to take up Katy, a first-time passenger! I was originally planning on taking the Piper Cherokee up for a late-afternoon flight; that did not happen as I ended up taking a Katana for a late-morning/early afternoon flight due to a tight schedule on my passenger's part. It all worked out as I was planning a shorter outing anyways. After we arrived at the airport, we went over to the airplane and I conducted the pre-flight. After pre-flight inspections showed no concerning areas, we hopped in and I got the engine started.

A quick hop around the valley in N992CT!

I taxied the plane a short ways and did the engine run-ups. Nothing abnormal resulted, so I taxied a short distance again toward the runway. I held short while some traffic (namely another Katana!) cleared out. While we were waiting, we took a selfie!

Obligatory selfie before takeoff!
(Photo credit: Katy Pratt, my lovely passenger!)

Once Runway 30 was clear, I taxied onto to the runway, lined up and throttled forward to begin takeoff roll. I got us airborne and we headed to the south part of Utah Valley. Needless to say, my passenger was enjoying the experience, a first for her! I pointed the plane towards Payson and descended until we were a thousand feet off the ground. I then positioned the plane so we could circle the Payson LDS Temple, which we did twice. Afterwards, we headed back to Spanish Fork where I entered the pattern and executed one touch-and-go landing.

After getting back in the air, I elected to make the second landing a full-stop since my passenger had classes to get back to and it was a good time to call it quits with time being a limiting factor in today's flight. During the pattern, I had to deal a couple of birds, which I had to avoid, and warn other aircraft about! After landing and the rollout, I cleared the runway at the next available taxiway and headed back to the ramp, where I shut the engine down and called another successful flight.

Another fun outing, another ecstatic first-time passenger!

Gallery Update: Chasing a Gulfstream G650ER

This morning, I went out to the dike road over by the Provo Airport (only my second spotting trip to Provo this year!) and I waited for a Gulfstream G650ER to fly in. The reason for this outing was because this G650 belongs to Air Lease Corporation, one of two of the largest aircraft leasing companies in the world. And this G650 was carrying none other than Air Lease Corporation's CEO and chairman of the board, Steven F. Udvar-Házy, the man credited for the conception of the airplane leasing industry. He was visiting UVU's aviation department and was to give a lecture on the main campus later in the day. I learned about his impending visit from an E-mail I received a few days prior. Given this significance, I figured that this Gulfstream was worth chasing after!

Provo (PVU) 51

Preview:

Czech Sport Aircraft (CSA) SportCruiser (N275SC) on short final for 13 for touch-and-go before returning north back to Ogden.

Air Lease Corporation Gulfstream Aerospace G-VI G650ER (N1AL) on short final for 13 with Steven F. Udvar-Házy on board. Arriving from (I think!) the Los Angeles-area, given that Air Lease Corporation is located in Los Angeles (You can't track this plane on FlightAware or FlightRadar 24!).

Great looking jet, considering that this is what $65 million will buy you!

Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Allison Flying!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: There's no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than by taking Allison, a first-time General Aviation passenger flying on a local flight! Once again, I took advantage of using the Piper Cherokee for this flight as it is seldom flown and for the cheaper rental rate! It's also worthy to note that I got to log my tenth flight hour in the Cherokee on today's flight! After we got to the airport, we went over to the airplane and I conducted the pre-flight inspections; and I didn't have to add any fuel to the tanks this time as someone already did it for me!

Taking up N7625F again!

After finishing the pre-flight, I pulled the plane out of the parking spot (while maneuvering around a now-derelict DC-3 hogging three tie-down spaces!) with the tow bar. We hopped in, went through the checklist, and I got the engine started. I taxied us a short distance and I conducted the engine run-ups to check all the systems and instrumentation, as standard procedures required.

Try maneuvering a plane around with a tow bar while this behemoth is on the ramp!

Once run-ups verified that engine gauges were in the green, I continued taxiing the plane over to the runway. We departed on Runway 30 and go airborne. Before leaving the vicinity of the airport, I stayed in the pattern to do one touch-and-go landing; the reason for this was because I heard on the ground that there were reports of turbulence. So I flew the pattern to determine how the air was to help me make a decision. It ended up not being so bad. I did one touch-and-go on Runway 30 and then we departed to the south.

I started the scenic flight with a few circuits around the Payson LDS Temple for the benefit of my passenger. After circling the Temple a few times, I decided to take us over to Provo to practice some landings there and to show what it's like to fly into a towered airport. As always, I tuned into the ATIS frequency and then called up the tower. Much to my surprise, the tower controller directed me to enter the right downwind for Runway 18 and not 13. I knew the winds were favoring more towards 18, but it's been a while since I last used this runway (not since I was still flying at UVU!) so I was thrown off a little bit by the different view and visual cues. But I managed and was able execute a proper approach to landing on Runway 18 flying the right-traffic pattern and get a touch-and-go in.

After getting airborne again, I decided to head back to Spanish Fork and do some more touch-and-go landings there. So I called tower and let them know of my intentions and the approved me for a straight-out departure and eventually cut me loose. I tuned into Spanish Fork's CTAF and made my position reports on the radio followed by an entry into the left pattern for the same Runway we departed from. I did two more touch-and-go landings before departing to the south again.

Following the second touch-and-go, I decided to take us south of the airport again and asked my passenger if she wanted a shot at the controls, which she accepted. I walked her through it and assisted with the controls as she took us through a couple of banking turns. She didn't do too bad! After flying around the valley a little bit more, it was time to head back in so I took us back to the airport, where I entered the left downwind for Runway 30 and configured the airplane for landing. I made the full-stop landing and then vacated the runway at the next available taxiway before taxiing back to the ramp. After carefully maneuvering around the DC-3 and other aircraft parked on the ramp (and thanks to some marshalling assistance from one of Platinum Aviation's flight instructors!), I went through the shut-down checklist and successfully shut the engine down, signifying another successful (not to mention fun!) flight. After that, we took a selfie!

Obligatory selfie after landing and shutting down the engine!
(Photo credit: Allison Hale, my lovely passenger!)

We secured the Piper Cherokee on the ramp and called it a great outing! Thanks Allison, for joining me on my tenth flight hour flying the Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser! I don't have as much flight time in the Cherokee compared to the Diamond DA-20-C1 Katana; but the Cherokee has grown on me!

Gallery Update: Checking on the DC-3

After getting back from another flight with one of my passengers this afternoon, we checked out the DC-3 that flew into Spanish Fork earlier in the week. Since I last photographed it, it has been put back together, ready to go to its new home to begin its non-flying life. Of course, I had to photograph the vintage piece of aviation history in it's intact state!

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 12

Preview:

Douglas C-47 (DC-3F) Skytrain (N8061A) parked on the ramp. Glad to see that's the old girl is at least put back together.

Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Megan Flying!

What's a better way to spend a Friday afternoon than taking someone flying? I don't think there is anything better than going flying and having the privilege of taking up someone as a passenger who has never flown in a General Aviation aircraft! I took up Megan, a friend and another first-time passenger today and we had a enjoyable afternoon outing!

(And before any of you long-time readers/followers ask, no, it's not weird to be taking my lady friends up for a flight!)

Taking another passenger up in the Piper Cherokee (N7625F)!

After arriving at the airport, we went over to the Piper Cherokee, which was parked next to the maintenance hangar and I did the pre-flight. After pre-flight was complete, we hopped in the plane and I got the engine started. I then taxied the plane a short ways and did the run-ups. After verifying the run-ups showed no abnormalities, I continued the taxi over to Runway 30. But first, we had to take a selfie:

Obligatory selfie before takeoff!
(Photo credit: Megan Stromness, my lovely passenger!)

Once I got us to the runway, I lined up and began takeoff roll and we got airborne. After getting airborne, I pointed the plane south and we then flew around the valley, including a few circles around the Payson LDS Temple for the benefit of my passenger! After we circled the Temple a few times, I took us further south towards Nephi where I would get to do some touch-and-go landings.

As always, I tuned into the airport's AWOS frequency to get weather information and then made my position calls over the radio on the CTAF frequency. Winds were once again favoring Runway 17 so I entered the left pattern and made my standard pattern procedures to landing. I logged three total landings at Nephi while sharing the pattern with another Piper Cherokee. After my third landing, we headed back north to return to Spanish Fork.

Again, I tuned into the appropriate frequencies and made my position reports. I entered the left traffic pattern for Runway 30, the same runway we departed from. I made the full-stop landing and was able to vacate the runway via the next available taxiway. After performing the after-landing checks on the checklist, I taxied us back to the parking spot by our maintenance hangar, where I shut the engine down and called it another successful flight!