Pilot Life: Solo Cross-Country to Roseburg

It looks like inclement weather for flying is returning real soon, so that means flying will become spotty once again. Hopefully, there will still be enough good weather days ahead to allow me to get the ratings I'm currently pursuing... Today was a great day for flying, so I took advantage of it by doing a quick solo cross-country flight down to Roseburg, an airport surrounded by some terrain that my uncle and I have flown into before.

Solo flight to Roseburg in N5174E!

It was an uneventful flight, which is how I like it; it was just me, my own thoughts, and the airplane. I picked up VFR Flight Following through Cascade Approach who handed me off to Seattle Center and navigated VFR southbound with the southern Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain ranges as my backdrop. I made a full-stop landing on Runway 34 at Roseburg and then taxied back before getting airborne again. As always with a solo outing, I practiced my Single-pilot Resource Management skills through visual cues, ADS-B usage, and monitoring instruments and engine gauges, keeping me busy as I made way back and forth between origin and round-robin destination.

I safely landed back at Albany, where I refueled the plane and then taxied it back to my uncle's hangar, where I put it away.

Looking back the past few months and the past year, I've come a long way in terms of logging hours; I have over 100 hours in the Cessna 172 at this point and I am well-over 250 flight hours logged at this point, which was hard to believe at first! Last year, I was still a student pilot struggling to get ready for my Private Pilot checkride and I was at around 70 hours total. As far as hours are concerned, the year 2018 is a stark contrast compared to the hellish year of 2017!

Pilot Life: Solo Cross-Country to Hillsboro

What's turning out to be a fun weekend for me continues! After yesterday's successful outing to Madras where I finally checked out the Erickson Aircraft Collection, I found myself flying out to do more aviation-related things! This time however, I flew up to the Portland-area for the fourth time this year to attend an aviation event that was open to the public: the 2018 Hillsboro Airport Air Fair, an airport open house hosted by the Port of Portland. I actually had ulterior motives for making this trip, which was for schooling reasons for one of the classes I'm currently enrolled in this semester. The assignment is to attend at least three aviation-related events to report on (yes, it's for a grade!). Until today, I've previously attended two other events (the 2018 Oregon International Air Show and a safety seminar), so this trip was to basically attend my third!

Another fun, albeit shorter cross-country outing in N5174E!

After the usual pre-flight/pre-departure routines, I got airborne and flew to the northwest. Before landing in Hillsboro however, I needed to make a quick pit-stop in McMinnville because I wanted to check out something. After landing on Runway 22 following several aircraft that were already in the pattern, I taxied over to the ramp and shut the engine down. I grabbed my camera and let's just say I got a little taste of Hawaii as an Aviation Geek:

Sharing ramp space with an ATR-42-500 belonging to Hawaiian Airlines' regional arm, 'Ohana by Hawaiian! Before you ask, no, Hawaiian Airlines DID NOT start turboprop service to the islands from McMinnville! Normally doing inter-island hops in Hawaii, this rare sight is apparently visiting the mainland to get some heavy maintenance and checks done. McMinnville happens to be a transit point for long-distance ferry flights.

After my shameless plane-spotting opportunity was fulfilled, I hopped back back in the Cessna and got the engine started up again. Following run-ups, I taxied to Runway 22 where I held short for an obnoxiously long time waiting for a bunch of helicopters that were beating up the traffic pattern! Once there was an opening the queue, I taxied onto the runway and got airborne. I made right crosswind turn to the north and continued on my to Hillsboro Airport. I called up the Approach controller in Portland to pick up VFR Flight Following; even though Hillsboro is just short hop away from McMinnville, I was approaching areas with high volumes of flight training and air traffic in the area (Hillsboro Airport is the second-busiest airport in all of Oregon after all!), so it was nice to get traffic advisories from the folks at air traffic control!

I got the latest ATIS information for Hillsboro and the approach controller cut me loose and advised me to call up the tower controllers at the airport, which I did. I established radio contact with Hillsboro Tower and they instructed me to enter in on an extended left base for Runway 31L to sequence me in with other aircraft in the pattern. I kept an eye out for other aircraft as I made my long final approach in and made a smooth landing. I taxied off the runway and was advised to call up the ground controller and requested taxi clearance to parking close enough to where the event was being held; he graciously gave me directions to the central tie-downs over on the south end of the airport. After pulling into a spot, I shut the engine down and then secured the plane before walking across the ramp to check myself in for the event. I even RSVP'd so they knew I was coming!

As a General Aviation reliever airport for the nearby Portland International by catering to large business jets, three large flight schools, and corporations like Intel and Nike being headquartered in Hillsboro, it's no wonder why Hillsboro Airport is Oregon's second-busiest airport!

After attending the 2018 Hillsboro Airport Air Fair, it was time to go home. I returned to the airplane, did a quick pre-flight walk-around, hopped in, and got the engine started. I did my run-up on the ramp since there were no other aircraft around me. After listening to the updated ATIS information, I called up ground and picked up my taxi clearance, with instructions to taxi to Runway 13R (the winds shifted since my arrival!); the ground controller inquired if I need to do a run-up, to which I responded that I already did so before calling him up, which he greatly appreciated. I taxied over to the north end of the airfield via the parallel taxiway before holding short behind three other Cessnas; I had to wait a while too because of multiple landing aircraft.

To ATC's credit, they sequenced all the landing and departing traffic rather efficiently! Eventually, I got my takeoff clearance from the tower controller and I taxied onto 13R and got rolling without delay. After getting airborne, I requested a right crosswind departure to head south, which was approved and the tower controller cut me loose. I then contacted Portland Approach and requested VFR Flight Following to Albany; given where I was departing from, it was natural to get several traffic advisories en route, so I'm glad ATC was available for the return-trip. Otherwise, it was just another standard VFR flight on a rare, beautiful mid-October afternoon!

After flying over (and staying above!) Salem's Class Delta airspace, I began a gradual descent and Albany Airport came into view. I cancelled Flight Following an entered the traffic pattern via the extended left downwind for Runway 34, which I departed off of several hours earlier. With no other aircraft surprisingly in the pattern at the time of my arrival, I had the airspace all to myself! After making a smooth landing, I taxied off the runway and headed over to the self-serve pumps to top off the tanks once again, as is customary after a long outing like today. I then taxied the trusty Cessna 172 Skyhawk back to my uncle's hangar, where I put the plane away and called it another successful outing!

Flying out in an airplane to go see airplanes and do aviation-related things: Gotta love it! And definitely a good way to cap off the weekend!

Gallery Update: 2018 Hillsboro Airport Air Fair Recap

Before the inclement weather Oregon is infamous for eventually returns, I attended what will probably be the last aviation event of the year for me, and that happens to be the 2018 Hillsboro Airport Air Fair hosted by the Port of Portland. It's been a good four years since I last attended this event because I was either away for school or I was working long shifts and odd hours. Honestly, this wasn't an event I had to attend but I did mainly because I'm doing it for a good grade as part of a long-term assignment for one of my online classes I'm taking right now for the current fall semester. Plus, I got to fly up to Hillsboro to attend so I at least got a good cross-country flight out of it! For this post, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Hillsboro Air Fair 2018

Portland-Hillsboro (HIO) 5

Preview:

Hillsboro Flying Club Cessna 172P Skyhawk II (N7499C) on display.

Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182T Skylane (N567CP) on display.

Hillsboro Aero Academy Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow (N169JP) on display.

Hillsboro Aero Academy Robinson R22 Beta (N2356T) on display.

Raytheon Hawker 800XP (N544PS) departing on 31L for San Francisco.

Gallery Update: A Surprising Catch in McMinnville!

Today, I flew up to Hillsboro to attend the Hillsboro Airport Air Fair hosted by the Port of Portland. But before landing in Hillsboro, I made a quick detour to McMinnville to go checkout something I noticed thanks to FlightRadar24. And my hunch paid off as that something was one of Hawaiian Airlines' 'Ohana by Hawaiian ATR-42s that flew in as a ferry flight last night! A regional subsidiary of Hawaiian Airlines and fully integrated into their network, 'Ohana by Hawaiian serves inter-island routes throughout the state where passenger demand is smaller; Hawaiian Airlines uses Boeing 717s on inter-island routes as well, and those flights typically run the routes with greater demand.

Slated to begin service in 2013, 'Ohana flights did not begin operations until March 11, 2014 due to FAA certification delays caused by the government sequestration. Hawaiian Airlines owns the ATRs in 'Ohana titles and contracted Empire Airlines (a seasoned operator of ATR-42s and ATR-72s) to operate the flights with routes between Kahului, Maui and Moloka'i, Kahului and Kona, as well as Kahului and Hilo as of June 2014.

In July 2015, Hawaiian Airlines announced an expansion in their contract with Empire Airlines with all-cargo freighter service on inter-island routes in Hawaii with ATR-72-200Fs under the ʻOhana by Hawaiian banner; the inter-island cargo services began in March 2018. As of today, Hawaiian Airlines has seven turboprops as part of the 'Ohana by Hawaiian fleet split between four ATR-42-500s capable of carrying 48 passengers and three ATR-72-200Fs for cargo-only services.

McMinnville (MMV) 1

Preview:

Empire Airlines (d/b/a 'Ohana by Hawaiian) ATR-42-500 (N801HC) "Kaiāulu"parked on the ramp. This little ATR is a long way from Hawaii and made the eight hour flight covering over 2,500 miles the night before as SXA516. The flight was operated by Southern Cross Aviation (with the "Ferry" call-sign), a company based out of Florida that specializes in the purchase, refurbishment and sale of turboprop and light jet aircraft. I am thrilled to photograph the 'Ohana by Hawaiian livery as I didn't expect to see one here in Oregon of all places! Also, this is my first time seeing a passenger variant of the ATR family!

First delivered to CSA - Czech Airlines as OK-JFL in July 2004. It was eventually painted in the SkyTeam livery in May 2009 before acquisition by Hawaiian Airlines in October 2012. Odd configuration for this aircraft as passengers board from the rear door while the luggage hold is up front behind the cockpit!

Face-to-face with the ATR-42-500. Needless to say, seeing one of these in McMinnville is spotting highlight for me! As of today, I've seen at least one example of every aircraft type in Hawaiian Airlines' fleet except their Boeing 717!

Pilot Life: Cross-Country to Madras

With such unprecedented weather we've been having in October, I decided to take greater advantage of it by taking a day trip for myself! Of course, I would've loved to have flown with my uncle so we can keep visiting airports around the region and be each other's safety pilots and allow us to log hood time to keep practicing our Instrument scanning techniques, but he has been busy with other engagements. He has given me access to the airplane with confidence so I've got that to be thankful about. So this time, I got to check out an airport in central Oregon on my own and it's one I've been wanting to visit with good reason. My day trip takes me out to Madras Municipal Airport in Madras, Oregon and the main reason why I've been wanting to visit was because the Erickson Aircraft Collection is located there. A large number of aircraft there used to be on display at the Tillamook Air Museum out on the coast, but have since relocated. And since the opening of the Erickson museum, I've been wanting to visit since it first opened in 2014. The only problem about getting to Madras from where I currently reside is that there's really no direct way to drive there; a road trip would've easily taken me three hours one way! So I was glad that I had a pilot's license and access to an airplane today, otherwise this trip would not have been feasible!

A nice little day trip in N5174E!

After the usual pre-flight and pre-departure routines, I got airborne off Albany and made my way eastwards to central Oregon! I picked up VFR Flight Following from Seattle Center and stayed with them over the radio for the duration of the flight. After passing the southern face of Mount Jefferson, I began a gradual descent into the area and picked up Madras weather via AWOS; Madras Airport eventually came into view. After cancelling Flight Following with the Center controller handling my flight, I descended to pattern altitude and entered the left traffic pattern for Runway 34. After an uneventful landing, I cleared the runway at the central intersection taxiway and taxied over to the south ramp to find some parking, which wasn't too hard to find. I pulled the Cessna into a spot and shut the engine down. After tying down the aircraft and securing it, I headed off on foot to the air museum I've waited four years to visit; I probably could've parked somewhere closer, but I didn't mind the walk!

Besides, how often do you get to share ramp space with a Douglas DC-7 that's been converted for aerial firefighting???

Or the remains of an McDonnell Douglas MD-87 formerly with a now-defunct European airline???

N5174E sitting pretty in drier climate in Madras! Why else would Jack Erickson move his large collection of airworthy warbirds from the wet, moisture-rich Tillamook to a more suitable location???

After visiting the Erickson Aircraft Collection, I returned to the airplane and did a quick pre-flight walk-around followed by engine start-up. I taxied a short ways and did run-ups with the engine on a remote part of the ramp. I then taxied over to Runway 34 via the parallel taxiway. After holding short for some local traffic flying the pattern, I taxied onto the runway and got airborne. After making left crosswind turn and onto the downwind, I left the pattern and headed back home to the west on relatively the same route I cam in on; and of course, I picked up Flight Following once again from Seattle Center after establishing radio and radar contact with them.

All in all, this round-trip was a routine and non-eventful cross-country flight. The familiar sight of Albany and the Willamette Valley that I departed a few hours earlier came back into view, so I cancelled Flight Following. I crossed over Albany Airport and midfield above pattern altitude and entered the downwind for Runway 34. After a smooth landing, I taxied my uncle's Cessna 172 over to the self-serve fuel pumps and topped off the tanks before taxiing back to the hangar to put the airplane away.

A fun day of flying to go visit an aviation museum! Trips like this makes flying really worth it in my book!

Gallery Update: Visit to the Erickson Aircraft Collection

Since it's opening in 2014, I've been wanting to pay a visit to the Erickson Aircraft Collection located on the grounds of Madras Municipal Airport in central Oregon. The museum holds perhaps the largest private collection of airworthy warbirds in the country and many of the aircraft there now used to be on display at the Tillamook Air Museum. The only problem about visiting Madras was just how out of the way the most-direct driving route would've taken (three hours at least, first going up to Portland and then via the Mt. Hood area!). But now that I'm a licensed private pilot with access to an airplane and with all the nice weather we've been having, I decided that today would be the day I would fly myself out there, so I did (using an airplane to go see some airplanes, and it was worth it!)! In addition to visiting the museum, I've also always wanted to check out the water-bomber planes from Erickson Aero Tanker and I got to look at a couple of DC-7s as well as a couple of MD-80s!

Madras (S33)

Erickson Aircraft Collection

Preview:

Erickson Aero Tanker Douglas DC-7B (N838D) Tanker 60 parked on the ramp. This old bird started out life carrying passengers back in the day for Eastern Air Line!

Erickson Aero Tanker Douglas DC-7 (N6353C) Tanker 66 parked on the ramp. Started life with United Airlines!

McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N950NS) parked on the ramp without engines. Haven't seen a 'Mad Dog' in a while! Of the three MD-80s I saw, one of them is apparently going to get converted into a water-bomber. Otherwise, the airframes I saw are sources for spare parts for the MD-87s already in service with Erickson Aero Tanker. Last operator was with Ryan International Airlines on the behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. Started life as N950AS flying for Alaska Airlines.

McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (EC-LUJ) parked on the ramp without engines. The shorter MD-87s are a rare sight and I'm glad I got to see not one, but two here in Madras. This old 'Mad Dog' started life as EC-638 and later re-registered as EC-FHD while in service with Iberia. It was then re-registered as EC-LUJ while with Tiger Aircraft Trading (TAT). Apparently, this frame is currently registered as N296EA, which makes this 'Mad Dog' the likely candidate to be brought back into flying service as a water-bomber since other 'Mad Dogs' currently flying for Erickson are MD-87s!

Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (EC-FFI) parked on the ramp without engines. Spanair ceased operations on January 27, 2012 due to financial troubles, so I am thrilled to see this livery in 2018! This airframe started life as EC-636 and later re-registered as EC-FFI with Iberia nicknamed "Ciudad de Cuenca." Under the same registration it then went to Spanair sometime before the airline folded. Apparently, this frame is currently registered as N294EA and it could be another contender to be brought back to flying condition as a water-bomber!

Erickson Aero Tanker Douglas DC-7 (N401US) Tanker 62 parked on the ramp. Former United Airlines "Mainliner Kansas City."

North American/Commonwealth CA-17 (P-51D) Mustang 20 (N551D) on display. This is a unique P-51 because it was license-built in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation.

Hispano HA-1112-M1L Buchón (NX90602), a Spanish license-built version of the Messerschmitt Bf-109G-2. This is the one of the museum's latest restoration additions to the collection following extensive restoration work by Pacific Fighters out of Idaho Falls! This particular airframe was one of a dozen or so used to portray German Messerschmitts in the 1969 film 'The Battle of Britain!'

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk (AK803) on display. Truly a time capsule aircraft as this beauty has gone untouched since 1946! Brought back from New Zealand in a shipping container after a five year lease with the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, this P-40 has been up for sale by Platinum Fighter Sales for a cool $1.8 million since 2016; in the meantime, she'll be proudly on display at Madras! It was an absolute privilege to see this old warbird in its original, immaculate condition.

Aero L-29 Delfin (N7149E) on display.

Bellanca 66-75 Aircruiser (N2191K) on display.

Douglas A-26B Invader (NX3222T) on display.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (N56V) on display.

Lockheed P-38L Lightning (NX2114L) "Tangerine" on display. I last saw this "fork-tailed devil" at the Warriors Over the Wasatch Air Show at Hill Air Force Base this past June!

Grumman J2F-6 Duck (N3960C) on display.

Grumman/Schweizer G-164B Ag Cat (N8115K) on display.

Bell P-39Q Airacobra (44-2485) on display. My first time seeing a P-39! My understanding is that this rare fighter is slated to become airworthy again with a new N-number after receiving a new engine.

Martin AM-1 Mauler (N7163M) on display. One of only four left in existence!

Vought F4U-7 Corsair (NX1337A) on display. I last saw this warbird three years ago at the 2015 Oregon International Air Show.

North American B-25N Mitchel (N8195H) "Heavenly Body" on display. Saw this one earlier this year as well at the 2018 Warriors Over the Wasatch Air Show at Hill Air Force Base!

Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa replica (N43JE) on display.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (NX2172N) on display.

Lockheed SP-2H Neptune (N360RR) on display. This thing was huge up close! So much so that I had a difficult time getting a decent photo of the entire aircraft in the frame; I had to settle with this shot... This old sub-hunter was only recently brought inside the hangar after spending a long time outside where the birds got to it; she'll undergo some much-needed TLC and hopefully be back in the air real soon.

Gallery Update: Canadian Visitor in Albany!

After doing another flight today, I had to check out a visiting aircraft that's stopped in at Albany while I was refueling my airplane (because the visitor was Canadian-registered, German designed!)!

Albany (S12) 8

Preview:

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm - MBB (Canada) Bo 105LS A3 (C-GCFT) parked on the ramp after arrival from Abbotsford, British Columbia via Bellingham, Washington. This German-designed helicopter was en route to Redding, California. Never expected to catch something that has the Messerschmitt name attached to it! The Bo 105 holds the distinction of being the first light twin-engine helicopter in the world, and is the first rotorcraft that could perform aerobatic maneuvers, such as inverted loops. This particular airframe was manufactured by MBB at their facilities in Canada, as the type had significant export sales. MBB as a manufacturer would eventually become a part of Eurocopter in 1991 and Bo 105 would eventually replaced by their EC135, which was itself a development of the Bo 105. This airframe is currently registered with Transport Canada, and previously was jointly-operated by the Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Gallery Update: Ramp Spotting in Albany!

After doing another local flight on a uncharacteristically sunny October afternoon, I briefly checked out an aircraft I noticed out on the ramp while I was refueling.

Albany (S12) 7

Preview:

Backcountry Aviation, Inc. (d/b/a Infinite Air Charter) Cessna T303 Crusader (N303WA) parked on the ramp. Infinite Air Center started flying charters just this year under the Infinite Air Charter name to provide affordable charter flights from the valley and Portland areas to points beyond. It's always neat to see local charter options available in the small places!

Pilot Life: Taking My Friend, Julia Flying!

Once again, I had the privilege of taking someone flying on their first ever flight in a General Aviation aircraft. This afternoon, I took up my friend, Julia. After doing the pre-flight inspections, I hopped in the airplane, got the engine started, and taxied over to the fuel pumps to top off the tanks while I waited for my passenger, who would meet me at the airport, to arrive.

Another first-time GA passenger in N5174E!

After refueling was complete, I towed the airplane over to a parking spot with the tow bar and hung out at the FBO while I waited for my passenger to arrive, which didn't take long! I escorted Julia over to the plane, gave her a passenger briefing, and helped her get settled in before hopping in myself. Once again, I got the engine started and taxied to the run-up pad by Runway 34 to do the engine run-ups. Everything looked good, so we were ready to go. But first, we took a selfie, as usual!

Selfie before taking off! Jeez, my hair looks horrible!
(Photo credit: Julia Hasbrouck, my lovely passenger!)

I got us airborne off Runway 34 and made a straight-out departure northbound. The plan was to cruise up to Portland and enjoy the view of the valley on a beautiful October day. Needless to say, Julia enjoyed the flight and the view! I picked up VFR Flight Following from Seattle Center, who eventually handed us off to Portland Approach. I set up to do a practice approach into Hillsboro via the RNAV 31L, but once I was handed off to the tower controller, I got instructed to enter a right-downwind for Runway 2, which inevitably forced me to break off my final approach for 31L; reason being is the winds. I entered the right downwind and was cleared for touch-and-go. I made my turn to final approach and made a smooth landing. I got back in the air and tower instructed me to extend my upwind leg, to which I complied. I was then instructed to depart to the south via the right downwind leg and I did so without hesitation; Hillsboro was busier than I can recall today!

We departed south and decided to head back to Albany VFR via McMinnville and Independence. The west side of the valley was much quieter too, making this part of the flight a lot less stressful for me! We got back to Albany at a good time because it looked like the winds have picked up (Corvallis was reporting gusting conditions). I landed the plane and taxied it to the fuel pumps to top off the tanks once again. I then taxied the plane over to the hangar where we put it away for the weekend. I then drove Julia over to her car, where we parted ways and called it a fun outing!

Pilot Life: Flight to Cottage Grove for Dinner with My Parents!

There's no better way to spend a Friday night than hopping in a private airplane and flying somewhere for dinner, and that's exactly what I did with my parents! We flew down to Cottage Grove and ate at the Village Inn restaurant, an area and place I'm well-acquainted with on this outing. But the biggest highlight for me personally has to be the fact that this flight was the first time I had my mother along as a passenger!

Flying my parents in N5174E!

After arriving at the hangar, I did my pre-flight before pulling the plane out of the hangar. We hopped in and I got the engine started before taxiing out to Runway 34. After doing run-ups, we got airborne and I flew us out of the Albany-area on the left-downwind. Because I had some "precious cargo" with me, I picked up VFR Flight Following from Cascade Approach. Other than that, it was a very routine and uneventful flight down to the hilly areas surrounding Cottage Grove. With the Cottage Grove area soon coming into view, I cancelled VFR Flight Following with Cascade Approach over Creswell and entered the right-downwind (because of terrain!) for Runway 33 and made a successful landing. After landing, I taxied over to the ramp area by the Oregon Aviation Historical Society museum and parked the plane. After post-flight and securing the plane, we walked a half-mile to the Vintage Inn restaurant and had an enjoyable, albeit longer-than-planned dinner.

My mother and I in Cottage Grove just after arriving with the last rays of light!
(Photo credit goes to my dad!)

After we were done with dinner, we walked back to the airport and got out of Cottage Grove; by then it was well-past sunset, which means I was logging night hours on this short cross-country leg! As usual, a quick but thorough pre-flight, engine-start, run-ups, and we were airborne off Runway 33 for a straight-out departure to the north. Once clear of the hills and with adequate altitude between us and the ground, I contacted Cascade Approach again and picked up VFR Flight Following. With ADS-B on my iPad and a clear night sky surrounding us, it was easy to keep an eye out for other traffic; in this case, the only traffic we saw were some regional airliner flights going into Eugene. After a quick hop, Albany came into view so I signed-off with Cascade Approach and made an uneventful straight-in landing on Runway 34.

Foregoing fuel, I taxied the plane straight back to the hangar and put the airplane away. After a quick post-flight, we drove home and called it a night. Outings like this are one of my favorite things to do in a General Aviation aircraft and I'm glad I got share this one with my parents!

Pilot Life: Solo Cross-Country to Cottage Grove and Back!

This week is forecasting some rather unprecedented sunny weather in October of all months and I'm going to jump at every opportunity I have! I was originally supposed to do an Instrument flight lesson with my instructor this morning, but we ended up cancelling due to morning fog that didn't burn off until the afternoon hours. So I decided to go up for a flight later in the day and made a quick round-robin cross-country out of it! And my destination: Cottage Grove, an airport I've flown to with my uncle on previous flights, albeit, not logged as I wasn't licensed at the time!

A solo cross-country to Cottage Grove in N5174E!

Following pre-flight and before-takeoff procedures, I departed Albany's Runway 34 and departed the pattern to the south. It was a fairly routine flight on my way down and back. I'm glad I picked up VFR Flight Following from Cascade Approach because I got quite a few traffic alerts from them around the Eugene-area, which was typical. I also utilized ADS-B through ForeFlight on my iPad as well, so this flight ended up being a perfect opportunity to practice my single-pilot resource management (SRM). I landed on Runway 15 in Cottage Grove, rolled out all the way to the end and exited before turning around and getting airborne off Runway 33.

From there, I made my way back up to Albany, keeping in radio contact with the Cascade Approach controller. I made an uneventful landing back on Runway 34 in Albany. After a quick taxi over to the fuel pumps, I topped off the fuel tanks, and then taxied the plane back to my uncle's hangar, where I put it away and called it a successful cross-country flight. The weather for flying this afternoon/evening was just perfect!

Pilot Life: Getting Back to Night Currency

Well, despite the setback I experienced on Thursday, I can still stay productive with my flying if I wanted to. The avionics problem is a work-in-progress thanks to my uncle with some arrangements made with one of the technicians who worked on the plane. After lousy weather all day yesterday and most of today kept me on the ground, I got a little break this evening and decided to go shoot some night landings to a full-stop to get night current again. Actually, my night currency was still good before this flight, but it would expire in a few days anyways so I decided to get it out of the way in order to cap off a rather lackluster week of flying!

My first solo night flight in N5174E!

After the usual pre-flight business and before-takeoff procedures, I got up in the air using Albany's Runway 34. Winds were calm and the air was smooth making tonight's little flight in the traffic pattern a cinch! I greased my three landings to a full-stop successfully, and uneventfully; since the runway was short to begin with, I made full-stop landings and cleared the runway each time before taxiing back and getting airborne on each run. I was sure as hell not going to take a chance on doing any stop-and-go's with a 3,000 foot long runway! Night vision wasn't too much of a problem either.

After making my third full-stop landing of the night, I taxied the plane back to the hangar, where I shut the engine down and put the airplane away. Now, I won't have to worry about my night currency again for another 90 days!

Back in the hangar for the night!

Pilot Life: An Instrument Flight Lesson Scrubbed...

Man! I am really disappointed and bummed about what went down today! After a long morning of dealing with family matters, I made my way down to Albany to get the airplane prepped and met with my Instrument Flight Instructor. However, once we got airborne and started making our way down to Corvallis, that's when we both realized that we would be unable to accomplish anything meaningful today.

A little disappointing day in N5174E today...

My instructor and I were planning to depart Albany via the obstacle departure procedure (ODP) and shoot some approaches into Corvallis and Albany. However, once airborne and en route to Corvallis using the VOR there, we realized that the Nav One CDI (synced from the Garmin GPS installed on the panel) was not working. We needed the localizer and glideslope needles to shoot ILS approaches, which we couldn't do! I suspect that the Nav One has somehow got disconnected from the GPS system since my uncle got this plane ADS-B compliant. So with no other alternative, it was best to return to Albany and try again at a later date after getting the issues sorted out. I landed the plane and taxied the plane back to the hangar. My instructor was even generous by not even charging me for the short time we were in the air together, which I really appreciated.

I stowed the plane back into the hangar and then gave my uncle a call to tell him what happened. My uncle told me he was going to get in touch with the avionics technician who worked on the plane because he told us to contact him if we had any further issues and we'll go from there; plus, the technician actually lives in Salem and was willing to come down to Albany on a day off should the need ever arise. This is a great example of how various players in the aviation community support each other! From the sound of it, it looks like my uncle's going to get the avionics technician to come down to the hangar in Albany to help us troubleshoot the problems I encountered today. I only hope we can get this fixed in an expeditious manner because I need to get some Instrument flying in and knock out a bunch of requirements!

Gallery Update: Ramp Shots in Independence

During a flight around the valley today, I decided to stop in for some lunch at the Starduster Cafe at Independence State Airport; I've been here several times, but this is my first time flying in! After lunch, I walked around the ramp to let my meal settle before hopping back in the airplane. While waiting, I checked out some of the aircraft that were parked on the ramp and talked with some fellow pilots!

Independence (7S5) 4

Preview:

Cessna 180H Skywagon (N51PH) on the ramp.

Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee (N6900Z) on the ramp. Based on all the gliders and sail-planes I saw on the ramp, it's a pretty good guess that this is the towing platform! 

ERCO 415-C Ercoupe (N93890) parked on the ramp.

Grumman (McKinnon) G-44 Super Widgeon (N45PV) undergoing maintenance on the ramp.

Let L-33 Solo (N290BA) on the ramp. The L-33 is Czech shoulder-wing, single-seat, glider, designed by Marian Meciar and Vaclav Zajic, and produced by Let Kunovice. First flown in 1992, the L-33 is supplied as a ready-to-fly aircraft with 94 airframes built as of 2011. 

Peterson J-4 Javelin (N101P) on the ramp. This is the first airframe of only eight ever built, making this a rare type! Six frames are still registered and flying as of 2011.

Schweizer SGS 1-23H-15 (N2405W) on the ramp. The H-15 model has a reduced wingspan compared to other models, making it convertible between certain glider competition classes.

Schweizer SGS 1-26C (N8612R) on the ramp. 

Schwizer SGS 2-33A (N1216S) on the ramp.