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The Long Cross-Country Solo in a Cessna 152 By PhrogPhlyer The Long Cross-Country (XC) As you progress towards your Private Pilot Certificate, one of the most important tasks you will perform is your solo long cross-country flight. This task allows you to exercise all your skills and knowledge to travel on a course that will include three airports and at least 150 miles total distance. As a Sim Pilot, many of the tasks performed by real world pilots are overlooked or not clearly understood. We will approach this flight from a real-world perspective, with the flight portion being done in FSX. Gaining an understanding and appreciation for the efforts needed to obtain an FAA Pilots Certification will make you a better Sim aviator and allow you to experience your sim flights to their fullest, no matter what version of Flight Simulator you may use. For this cross-country flight I chose as the starting point my personal home field, Trenton-Robbinsville (N87) NJ. The first leg will take us to Aeroflex-Andover (12N) NJ, and then to Reading-Spaatz (KRDG) PA. I selected these airports so to land at both controlled and uncontrolled airports. Additionally, enroute to KRDG I will have to navigate through the Allentown Class C airspace surrounding Lehigh Valley Intl. Airport (KABE). My flight instructor has requested that I do not use the VOR or NDB for navigation. This is to build my skill at dead reckoning (flight by identifying ground references). Requirements U.S. Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 61.109(a)(5)(ii) requires that a student pilot make one solo cross-country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations. FAR 91.103 identifies specific information you must review. Each pilot in command (PIC) shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include runway lengths at airports of intended use, and takeoff and landing distance information relating to aircraft performance under expected values of airport elevation and runway slope, aircraft gross weight, and wind and temperature. The "all available information concerning that flight" statement in the FARs is basically a catch-all phrase that could allow the FAA to say a pilot acted in an unsafe and reckless manner for almost anything out of the ordinary. Declaring an emergency for low fuel even if you had the required destination + reserve amount, having to divert due to icing that was not forecast but the "conditions" could have been conducive to icing, and even maintenance issues or inactions that may have been identified with an in-depth review of the aircraft logbooks have all been used by the FAA to take certificate action against the PIC. Remember, even as a Student Pilot, when you solo you are the PIC. This is not intended to lead you to believe that the FAA is "out to get you" but rather it is highlighting that you must be diligent in your flight planning. Additionally, FAR 61.93(c)(1) requires that your flight instructor make an endorsement in your pilot's logbook for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown, and that endorsement remains current for solo flight privileges, provided an authorized instructor updates the student's logbook every 90 days thereafter. Reviewing my logbook, I find the following endorsement dated three days prior to the planned cross-country date: Prior To The Flight First, I collect all available and pertinent information for the aircraft, airspace, airports, and weather. Aircraft You must have the following documents in the aircraft during the flight. Aircraft Pilot Operating Handbook (POH)/Flight Manual Different aircraft manufacturers may refer to the POH as an Information Manual, Flight Manual. Operations Manual, Pilot Handbook, or similar naming. Within the POH for this Cessna 152, identified as an Information Manual on the cover, there is the statement "At the time of issuance, this Information Manual was an exact duplicate of the official Pilot's Operating Handbook and FAA approved Airplane Flight Manual." This document is the primary source of information for the safe operation of the aircraft. It should be for the same Make, Model, and Year as the aircraft you are going to fly. Also, updated information for performance or weight & balance may be available for the specific airframe. Weight and Balance for all three legs of the flight I will use the same weight and balance calculations for all three legs of the flight. I will get fuel at each of the stops. This is another technique used by my flight instructor to get the student to interact with personnel at unfamiliar locations. The actual steps for performing a weight and balance are not part of this discussion. Of note is that by placing the aircraft's weight and moment onto the Center of Gravity (CG) chart this flight starts with a forward CG. This is a very stable condition. However, if the CG is forward of the range, it would be nose heavy and could be difficult to pitch up (raise the nose). Airworthiness Certificate The airworthiness certificate is required to be in the aircraft. Also, make sure that you review the Aircraft Logbooks at the office/hangar. The aircraft logbooks are required equipment, and you must review them to determine if the aircraft's inspections are up to date. If a required inspection is missing or out of date, the aircraft is not airworthy. The aircraft should have multiple maintenance logbooks_there should be one dedicated to the airframe, one for the powerplant and propeller, and a book for the airworthiness directives. There is often a separate logbook for supplemental type certificates if any apply to the airplane. Depending on the age of the aircraft there may be multiple logbooks for each item. The most recent information is found in the back of the books, so the books are read back to front. You can find what you need in the logbooks using the acronym AAVIATE. Airworthiness directives Annual inspection (FAR 91.409) or progressive inspection VOR (if installed and used for IFR flight, it needs to be checked every 30 days per FAR 91.171), often this is done by a pilot and recorded in their logbook or reliable This does not require a mechanic's signature. I (actually a "1") for 100-hour inspection (FAR 91.409), if the aircraft is used for compensation or hire. Altimeter for the pitot-static system every 24 months (FAR 91.411) Transponder for every 24 months (FAR 91.413) Emergency locator transmitter (ELT), every 12 months (FAR 91.207) The details and items checked during inspections are listed under FAR Part 43. Signoffs for inspections should be noted in the logbooks, to include: when the work was done, the details of the work, and the name and certificate number of the mechanic who performed the work. Read the entries carefully as it is not uncommon for a mechanic to do other required inspections such as the transponder or pitot-static system at the same time as the annual inspection. These would be noted in the sign-off for the annual. For example, here is the endorsement for the annual inspection: Airspace and Airports Publications New York Section Chart Sectional Aeronautical Charts are the primary navigational reference medium used by the VFR pilot community. The 1:500,000 scale Sectional Aeronautical Chart Series is designed for visual navigation of slow to medium speed aircraft. The topographic information featured consists of the relief and a judicious selection of visual checkpoints used for flight under visual flight rules. The checkpoints include populated places, drainage patterns, roads, railroads, and other distinctive landmarks. The aeronautical information on Sectional Charts includes visual and radio aids to navigation, airports, controlled airspace, restricted areas, obstructions, and related data. These charts are updated every 56 days. For a low-time pilot, routes that cross boundaries between two charts can sometimes present a challenge. Be sure to review the route on the chart in detail before each flight. Chart Supplement Northeast U.S. (formerly the NE Airport and Facility Diagrams) The Chart Supplement publication is the FAA's official source of info for airports, heliports, seaplane bases, NAVAIDS, weather sources, communications data, and more. Published every 56 days, CSs contain the very latest information on such items as radio frequencies, telephone numbers, runway dimensions & layouts, fuel availability, lighting systems, and much, much more. They also highlight changes that have occurred since the most recent publication of various aeronautical charts (Sectionals, TACs, WACs, Helicopter Route Charts, etc.), as well as updates to instrument approach procedures. N87 Trento-Robbinsville Airport Runway length/width. 4275' x 75' Displaced thresholds due to trees. 100LL fuel is available. Noise abatement procedures. Numerous airport remarks (deer and birds, asphalt condition, wind indicator OTS, etc.) CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) 12N Aeroflex-Andover Airport Runway length/width. 1981' x 50' Tree obstructions. 100LL fuel is available. Noise abatement procedures. Airport remarks. Weather information and CTAF frequencies. KRDG Reading Regional Airport Runway length/width. 6350' x 150' and 5151' x 150' Note grooved asphalt. Numerous tree obstructions. LAHASO (see below) 100LL fuel is available. Info: PAPI unusable beyond 3 deg left of centerline, birds. Weather information and CTAF frequencies. Airspace either Class D or Class E based on times of noncontinuous tower operation. Land And Hold Short Operations (LAHSO) Pilots may accept a LAHSO clearance only if the PIC determines that the aircraft can safely land and stop within the available landing distance (ALD data are published in the CS special notices section.) Pilots unfamiliar with LAHSO and student pilots should not participate. Notice to Air Missions, previously referred to as Notice to Airmen or NOTAMS (Received from Flight Service Station FSS when getting a weather briefing) Flight Route Planning I called FSS the night prior for a standard weather briefing. Whenever you call the FSS you should provide the briefer with information to help them gather all appropriate data for your flight. You should tell the briefer: Your qualifications (for example, if you are a student, private, or commercial pilot and if you are instrument rated). Type of flight planned_visual flight rules (VFR) or instrument flight rules (IFR). Aircraft N-number or pilot's name. Aircraft type. Departure point. Estimated time of departure. Proposed flight altitude(s). Proposed route of flight, if other than direct; specify any landing points along the way. Destination. Estimated time enroute. Calling the FSS toll-free number: "Good evening, this is PhrogPlyer. I'm a student pilot. I'm planning to fly N161YR, a Cessna 152, on a VFR three leg cross country tomorrow morning. N87 direct 12N direct KRDG direct N87. Departing Robbinsville at 1000 local (1400Z). Cruising between 3500 and 6500ft. With stops at each airport, total round trip will be 6.5 hours." She asks me to hold while she develops the brief. And then after a few minutes she says. "Weather information is from the closest reporting stations; for Robbinsville, Trenton is forecasting, winds 320 at 8kt, visibility greater than 6sm and ceiling scattered at 12,000ft. For Aeroflex-Andover, Teterboro is forecasting winds variable at 3kt, visibility greater than 6sm, few clouds at 15.000ft and ceiling scattered at 25,000ft. And Reading-Spaatz is forecasting winds 310 at 7kt, visibility greater than 6sm, and ceiling scattered at 20,000ft. This forecast covers the complete planned route time. VFR is recommended. Do you have any questions?" "Thank you for the brief, I have no questions. I'll call back to file my flight plan." Note that should you look up this data on https://www.AviationWeather.gov you would see: KTTN 032320Z 0400/0424 VRB03KT P6SM BKN200 FM041400 32008KT P6SM SCT120 KTEB 032326Z 0400/0506 30006KT P6SM FEW060 SCT250 FM040200 VRB03KT P6SM FEW150 SCT250 KRDG 032320Z 0400/0424 VRB03KT P6SM BKN200 FM041400 31007KT P6SM SCT200 With a good VFR weather forecast and minimal winds, I now plan the courses and times for the three legs to the fight. This article is not intended to provide in-depth instruction on the use of the E6B flight computer for wind correction angle and wind adjusted ground speeds and times. Therefore, I will use some basic numbers: Cruise airspeed and groundspeed of 100kt (100nm/hour. 10nm/6min, 5nm/3min). Climb groundspeed will be planned at 60kt (60nm/hour, 6nm/6min, 3nm/3min). Time to climb (legs 1 5,500' MSL and 9-minute climb, leg 2 5,500 MSL and 8-minute climb, leg 3 6,500' MSL and 12-minute climb). Finding Magnetic Course (MC). We utilize a magnetic compass, often referred to as the wet compass, to navigate. To assist us we also utilize a gyroscopic heading direction indicator (HDI). As part of the aircraft checklists, we will verify that the HDI is aligned with the MC. To determine the heading we will use to keep us on course we must first identify the True Course (TC). True Course is the course line in reference to True North (the North Pole). Draw course lines on the sectional chart (center of departure airport to center of destination airport). Place plotter along the line. Slide plotter to place a line of Longitude through the center hole of plotter. Read TC from the plotter. To adjust TC to MC we use this formula: TC+Dev=MC Draw course lines. Place the plotter along the drawn course and measure distance. Be sure to use correct scale, nautical or statute mile based upon your airspeed indicator (kt or mph). Also note that this plotter only has a ruler for the World Aeronautical Charts (1:1,000,000). Since we are using a Sectional Chart (1:500,000) we use 1/2 of what the plotter ruler indicates (126 means 63). Next, slide the plotter along a course line to align with a Line of Longitude (vertical lines that go from North to South poles. Read the TC from the protractor (arc) of the plotter. Correct TC to MC (Dev = 12W) TC+Dev=MC 098+12=110 Remember that MC is read on the magnetic (or wet) compass. Do the same for all legs and the flight planning looks like this. ------------------------------Cruise-Climb----Climb----- --------Distance-------MC-----GS-----GS-------Time---ETE Leg 1---48nm----------005-----100----60-------0+09--0+33 Leg 2---68nm----------249-----100----60-------0+08--0+44 Leg 3---63nm----------110-----100----60-------0+12--0+42 Total--179nm----------------------------------------1+59 With the time for the flight determined I can complete the VFR flight plan. The Day Of The Flight It is finally time to put all the hard planning into action. I call the FSS and request an abbreviated weather briefing. And abbreviated brief will include only items that have changed from the time you received your standard briefing. Calling the FSS toll-free number: "Good morning, this is PhrogPlyer. I'm a student pilot. I'm flying N161YR, a Cessna 152. I received a standard briefing last night. Requesting an abbreviated weather briefing. And I'd like to file my VFR flight plan." "OK, there are no changes from last night. There is a NOTAM for hot-air balloons in the vicinity of Solberg up to 3000msl that is valid for the next four hours. VFR is still recommended. Call us on 122.2 after departure to open your flight plan. And please be sure to close your flight plan with Millville upon completion of this flight. Do you have any questions?" "No and thank you. [Read the flight plan box by box to the briefer.] I'll call to open after departing Robbinsville." As I walk to the airplane, I remind myself to be sure to use the POH checklists for each step of the flight from preflight to post landing. Preflight - A good preflight is your last chance to identify anything that may hinder you having a safe and successful flight. The POH lists the minimum required items that you must inspect. I will perform a preflight before departing at each of the stops today. Engine Start - After making one last check that the wing tie-downs and wheel chocks are removed, I follow the Engine Start checklist in the POH to ensure that I don't miss any required steps. "Clear" Taxi-out - Announce on the CTAF; "Robbinsville Traffic, Cessna 161YR taxiing to Runway 26 via Alpha." Even though Robbinsville only has one named taxiway (Alpha) it is a good habit to always state the taxiway you will be using. Part of the reason for a solo cross-country is to allow an opportunity to use and reinforce sound operating procedures. FIRST LEG - N87 to 12N During the planning for the flight, I marked some possible visual checkpoints that I hope will guide me along the route. During the actual flight, some of these may not be actually identified. Don't get frustrated as this happens on real flights. An aviation chart presents the basic areas of development, and geographical features. It does not have the level of detail as a satellite view you may be accustomed to using online mapping applications. After listening on the CTAF for any other aircraft radio calls, and visually verifying that the base and approach area is clear, I announce on CTAF; "Robbinsville traffic, Cessna 161YR is taking off Runway 26, departing to the North." The long cross country begins... Once safely airborne and turning onto course, I call Millville FSS; "Millville Radio, Cessna 161YR VFR to Aeroflex-Andover. Please open my VFR flight plan," I hear, "Roger 161YR, Millville has opened your flight plan at 1215 local." After the initial right turn onto the planned route, I see out my left side the first set of check points, a distinctively shaped lake, a large 989' tall antenna, and KTTN airport in the distance. This helps orient me correctly right from the beginning. The straight-line course is shown in magenta and the initial ground track is shown in green. Princeton Airport is the next checkpoint. Often a busy field, it is quiet today. Central Jersey Airport is easily identified next to a river, with a railroad track crossing my path. I couldn't miss identifying Solberg. Just as the NOTAM stated, there are hot air balloons flying today. Next, I come upon Somerset Airport and a large Interstate highway. Just as shown on the Sectional, high tension electrical lines are identified by their metal towers. Budd Lake and the town of Stanhope a verified by the numerous highways crisscrossing through the area. I now have 12N in sight. Time to tune the Comm radio to CTAF 122.8 and listen for other aircraft that might be in the pattern or airport area. After the initial CTAF call when I entered the landing pattern. I now announce, "Cessna 161YR turning downwind to base for Runway 21 Aeroflex-Andover." CTAF "Cessna 161YR on final for Runway 21 Aeroflex-Andover." Almost there. CTAF "Cessna 161YR cleared the runway." Taxiing towards the fuel pump. I must remember to ask the guy in the hangar to sign my logbook. This is a method used by many flight instructors to verify that the student has actually made the landings, not just flew around for a few hours. Second Leg - 12N to KRDG After the pre-flight and before starting the engine, I refamiliarize myself with the checkpoints for the next leg of the flight. After a pre-flight then engine start, I tune CTAF on 122.8 and announce, "Cessna 161YR taxying to Runway 21 Aeroflex-Andover." After listening on the CTAF for any other aircraft radio calls, and visually verifying that the base and approach area is clear, I announce on CTAF; "Aeroflex-Andover traffic, Cessna 161YR is taking off Runway 21, departing to the West." First check point, Weiss Farm private strip. A combination of Mathews private strip, towers and antennas next to a river, and high-tension poles tell me the I'm just about to be over Belvedere, approximately 20nm from Allentown. Per the note on the sectional chart, I call Allentown Approach on 124.45 due to the Class C airspace surrounding Lehigh Valley Intl. Airport. "Allentown Approach, Cessna 161YR, student pilot, 6,500' over Belvedere, transiting the area direct to Reading, squawking 1200." I hear "Cessna 161YR squawk 4225 and ident." I set the transponder/ADS-B to standby, set 4225, and set back to on. I immediately hear "Cessna 161YR you are in radar contact, continue your current course, contact me upon reaching Kutztown, maintain 6,500." I do as my instructor taught me and read back what I was told. Maintaining my course, I still look for my next visual checkpoints, Brandon Airpark and the town of Phillipsburg. There's Lehigh Valley Intl. directly below me. As I scan this busy piece of airspace, I take time to enjoy the lush green view with Lehigh Valley below me and Slatington Airport to my right. Over Kutztown I call "Allentown Approach, Cessna 161YR over Kutztown at 6,500." "Cessna 161YR, squawk 1200, good day." Responding, "Cessna 161YR, 1200, good day." At this point it is clear that all roads lead to Reading. I reviewed the airport diagram then tuned the radio to 127.1 and listen to the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) for Reading. ATIS allows the pilot to obtain information pertaining to the airport by listening to a recoded message that includes the following: Airport/facility name. Phonetic letter code. Time of the latest weather sequence (UTC). Weather information consisting of: Wind direction and velocity. Visibility. Obstructions to vision. Present weather consisting of: sky condition, temperature, dew point, altimeter, a density altitude advisory when appropriate, and other pertinent remarks included in the official weather observation. Always include weather observation remarks of lightning, cumulonimbus, and towering cumulus clouds. "Reading Regional Airport Information Foxtrot, 1630, Wind two five zero at eight. Visibility one zero. Ceiling eight thousand five hundred scattered. Temperature sic eight. Dew point four five. Altimeter three zero one zero. Departing Runway Three One. Advise on initial contact you have Information Foxtrot." Then switching the radio to 119.9. "Reading tower, Cessna 161YR, student pilot, eight miles East for landing with Information Foxtrot" "Cessna 161YR this is Reading Tower, you are cleared into the Reading airspace, plan for a two-mile final to runway 31 direct from your present position. Report three miles." "Roger, Cessna 161YR, runway 31, report three miles," "Cessna 161YR this is Reading Tower, you are cleared into the Reading airspace, plan for a two-mile final to runway 31 direct from your present position. Report three miles." "Roger, Cessna 161YR, runway 31, report three miles." "Reading Tower, Cessna 161YR three miles. Runway in sight." "Cessna 161YR is in sight, cleared to land runway 31." "161YR, cleared to land." Note that once the tower shortened the call sign by not stating "Cessna", at that point the pilot may also shorten the call sign. When safely on the ground I hear, "161YR say intentions." "Tower, 161YR would like to refuel and then park at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. I have no preference of FBO." FBOs, or Fixed Base Operators, are the businesses that provide aircraft services at the various airports. "161YR, continue taxi down the runway to taxiway Foxtrot, the third right from your present position. Contact ground on 121.9 when clear the active on Foxtrot." Letting me know exactly when to turn on Foxtrot was a great help. Don't ever be afraid to state that you are a Student Pilot. You will find that the aviation world is more than happy to assist you as you grow in this community. "Roger, right on Foxtrot, contact ground on 121.9 when clear. Thank you." "Reading Ground, 161YR on Foxtrot, request taxi to FBO closest to the Air Museum." "161YR, taxi to Reading Jet Center, you should see it to your right." "161YR is taxing to Reading Jet Center. Thank you." Parked at the Reading Jet Center waiting for the fuel truck. After refueling it's just a short taxi down the ramp to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. Time to stretch my legs and relax a bit. Third Leg - KRDG to N87 Planned checkpoints for leg three, After a couple hours walking around the air museum, and a brief lunch, I do another pre-flight and start the airplane. Rechecking the ATIS, it has not changed. "Reading Ground, Cessna 161YR Student Pilot with Information Foxtrot, at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum ramp, request taxi to Runway 31." "161YR, winds are now light and variable, you are cleared to taxi to Runway 18 via taxiway Gulf. Contact tower on 119.9." "Reading Tower, 161YR, ready for takeoff Runway 18 at Echo. Departing to the East" "161 YR, you are cleared to take off on Runway 18. After passing 1000 feet you are cleared to turn left onto course." "Roger tower, 161YR cleared to take off Runway 18, left turn after 1000 feet" Airborne again, last leg. The tower must be keeping an eye on this Student Pilot, as I hear, "Cessna 161YR, you are leaving Readings airspace to the East. Have a good day." "Roger Reading Tower, thank you for your assistance, good day." I remain on the Tower frequency for a while to listen for any possible arriving or departing aircraft that might be in the area. While climbing out, I see that this area is rather congested compared with Aeroflex-Andover and Robbinsville. Ensure that you initially fly the planned magnetic course and start looking for checkpoints. Remember to scan for other aircraft. High tension powerlines are visible by spotting the metal towers and the cleared trees. Parallel power lines and a major highway crossing this ridgeline match the sectional chat representation perfectly. This is definitely Pottstown to my right, with the power plant stacks and airport clearly identified. Green Lane Reservoir is clearly a good checkpoint. You can see the Visual Check Point flag on the Sectional Chart. Again, power lines and a major highway match the sectional chat representation perfectly. Something you don't get too often, three airports close together, clearly identified on the Sectional Chart and on the ground. The reservoir was an added verification bonus. Approaching the Delaware River at Trenton. Back in my local flying area I can quickly identify the Trenton Mercer Airport, and the roads/bridges crossing the river. I-95 to the North and Route 1 to the South. Robbinsville Airport is about seven miles ahead, start maneuvering to the downwind leg of the pattern. Over CTAF I announce, "Robbinsville traffic, Cessna 161YR entering the downwind for runway 29." I hear no response, but I still keep my eyes open and alert for possible traffic. Settling onto final from the base leg. VSI shows on glideslope. CTAF again. "Robbinsville traffic, Cessna 161YR on final for runway 29." This is not the time to get sloppy. Over the fence, clear the displaced threshold, then landing on the numbers. CTAF "Robbinsville traffic, "Cessna 161YR is clear the runway." Stop when clear of the runway and perform the after-landing checklist. Now to park, follow the shutdown checklist. Mumbling to self, don't forget to close my flight plan. What a day this has been, but there's no place like home (airport). Post Flight Review At this stage in flight training, this is a very mentally demanding flight. Three legs, two to unfamiliar airports with both controlled and uncontrolled fields. Taking a couple hours at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum was a needed break, even though it did make for a longer day. A brief refresher on the difference in communication between a controlled and uncontrolled airport. At an uncontrolled field you state what you are going to do "Airport traffic, Cessna 161YR is taxiing to Runway 18." At a controlled airport you request what you desire to do "Ground control, Cessna 161YR requests taxi to Runway 18." Not using any electronic navigation aids was quite a challenge but was also a great confidence builder. Although we did not focus on ground speed and timing to checkpoints, remember that with a steady wind there could make quite a difference. With a headwind or tailwind, and if it is from right or left of your course, there could be a significant difference in timing and magnetic heading to be able to maintain your course. Even though I was diligently searching, I did miss a few of the planned checkpoints. I expected this, but it still surprised me that it actually happened. Now, no matter what aircraft you choose or which flight sim you utilize, I challenge you to pick a couple of airports, review the routes on the sectional chart, pick out checkpoints, turn off all your nav equipment, and get out there and have fun.
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Hi All, I'm nearing the end of my private pilot training and wanted to share my second solo cross country flight from KPYM Plymouth Municipal to KGON Groton New London Connecticut. Enjoy Eric
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Feature: Solo Cross Country Worries By Michael McCracken And Ron Blehm (January 31, 2012) The solo-cross country flight is always memorable for pilots that are pursuing their private pilot's license. For some, it isn't the feeling of accomplishment that they remember, but the decisions that they were forced to make to ensure a safe flight. I happen to fall into that category. On my second solo-cross country flight, I was fulfilling the FAA requirements of at least 3 airports, and 3 solo landings at a tower controlled field. To make this flight, I flew from my home airport of KLHZ, Triangle North Executive (formerly Franklin Co), to KVUJ, Stanly County, then up to KTDF, Person Co, and finally back home to KLHZ. So I arrived at LHZ at around 9am, filed the flight plan, did the preflight inspection of the C172, N12902, and taxied out to runway 23. During the run-up, everything looked good, so I pulled out onto the runway, gave it full power and went off into the blue. (The scenery is still in progress, so please excuse the terrible ground.) I turned right to a heading of 250 and climbed to 4500. I contacted Raleigh Approach on 125.3 and got flight following to Stanly County. The weather wasn't too bad, winds aloft were only about 10 knots, however it was quite hazy, even though it was only 9:30AM. My flight plan, which was originally directly to Stanly County, took me directly over Raleigh-Durham International; however, the controller vectored me around the airport. I received the instruction from the controller, when all of a sudden my attitude indicator bit the dust! I knew there were only two different options: 1) Turn around and go back to LHZ, or 2) complete the flight without a working attitude indicator. While following one of the two rules that my uncle always told me to follow while flying, DON'T PANIC, I realized that with a working altimeter, vertical speed indicator, and turn coordinator, I would be able to use these instruments to tell me exactly what the attitude indicator would've indicated. Equipped with these instruments, I decided to continue the flight. Everything was smooth sailing as I approached Stanly County and entered the pattern. Coming in to land was a bit different without an attitude indicator to use to aide my approach for runway 4R. Even though I didn't have that working instrument, the landing was delightfully smooth. I made three stop-n-go's because the FAA requires that the landings be to a complete stop. After making the third landing, I departed the pattern back to the north. I contacted Charlotte Approach to get flight following to Person County. Because of the hectic Charlotte airspace, I got put to the side and was told to stand by. Stanly County, however, is nearly 50 miles to the northeast of Charlotte! So I'm flying along, waiting for the controller to get to me on her list, but I was flying with a ground speed of nearly 120 to the northeast! The distance, along with the hazy conditions, resulted in a loss of radio contact! As a student pilot, the only solution I could think of was to turn around and try to make contact again. So that's exactly what I did. I had to fly almost all the way back to Stanly County to reach radio range again! I finally got in touch with Charlotte Approach again and she immediately handed me off to Greensboro Approach. Wouldn't it have been much simpler to have done that about 15 minutes before? So anyhow, I was off to Roxboro. I flew all the way to Person County without any trouble, entered the pattern, and did a quick stop-n-go and was on my way home! The flight back to KLHZ was really nice and smooth. Did I mention that it was nearly 90°F outside? I know that the thermometer inside FSX says 72°F even though I set the temperature within the weather dialog box inside Flight Sim X... Over three hours later in real time, I was back on the ramp at Triangle North, counting my blessings. The owner of the flight school seemed amused by the trials that I encountered within my flight, but he said that I made all of the right choices and I went "above and beyond!" So, now that you've heard my real-life story and seen the re-creation of the flight in Flight Simulator, tell your story ... GET REAL! Michael McCracken Authors note: I am a 17 year old rising high school senior. I've been taking flying lessons since January of 2010 and almost have my PPL. I have 43 hours of real life flying time. -
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Learning To Fly -- Cross Country By Joe Zuzul Larry has cleared me for cross-country. After some weather delays (wind-snow-wind) we finally got to go up this morning. We hit the highlights, including both left and right turns around a point. (Of all things, my right hand turns around a point I consider my weak point). Afterward we went back to his home office and started to talk about cross country. We'll be going to two Class C airports. The idea is for me to get the most benefit going to the busiest nearby airports while Larry is with me. I now have a real slide-rule/dial flight computer and a real plotter (ruler with protractor). I'm starting to get the hang of the flight computer after several days. I'm amazed by all the things that can be done with it. Some of my new toys-- hey, what's that low-altitude en route chart doing in there! I had to do sort of a checkride to be cleared for cross-country. Larry said that the cross-country phase of flight training would put a whammy on my technical flying skills and he wanted to be sure I had things like turns around a point, the stalls, and the precision take-offs and landings down fairly well before he turned me loose cross-country. At his office, he'd shown me how to use the plotter and the flight computer. He called that a "Prayer Wheel." He showed me how to make a flight plan, gave me a primer on selecting checkpoints, the whole nine yards. He did the leg to the first Class C airport and sent me off with homework, to do the other two legs. It was so cool to have a real flight computer that I took it out and used it to compute time and distance a few days later while driving down the highway. Larry pointed out that might not be a good idea; in flight one can deviate off course a few degrees while doing calculations without running off the road. He said he didn't want to read in the paper that one of his students was found in a heap on the side of the road clutching a Prayer Wheel. A computer (like the one you're in front of now) is a great tool for planning cross country flights, especially if one has Flight Simulator. One day Larry commented to some other pilots during some "hangar talk" that I had an advantage because I could do my flights in flightsim first. But apart from using flightsim, just being able to go online was a great help. For example, there's a ton of information www.airnav.com about individual airports. I would get info from there and have it printed out, making sure to double check the information with valid charts, etc., before sticking the pages in my clipboard. Unsure about whether the little town on the sectional is more than just a couple crossroads? Check it out with Terraserver at http://terraserver-usa.com. You just have to be careful and realize some of these aerial photos can be somewhat dated. I found that mines and quarries and golf courses make pretty good visual checkpoints, and these could also be viewed with Terraserver. I used Mapquest and my Streets program to supplement highway maps. It's hard to find a better checkpoint than a golf course set between a major highway and a railroad track. Once I had my flight plan done i flew the flights in flightsim. The low-level detail of flightsim is amazing. If you read my other articles, you know I was flying a Cessna 150, so these flights were not going to be made at any great altitude. I think the highest I ever flew on any of the cross-country flights was 5500 feet. Not surprisingly, the airports in flightsim are where they are on the sectional. But most of even the little roads and creeks are about where they are supposed to be. So are the bodies of water and the radio towers. All but the biggest radio towers make lousy checkpoints for real day VFR flying. These are great checkpoints in flightsim, but in reality they are usually too narrow to be seen from any appreciable distance. On the other hand, flightsim doesn't do a very good job of depicting many little towns that can be used as checkpoints in reality. So, in flightsim, I traded off and used a radio tower for a checkpoint if it was near a little town that flightsim didn't depict. A quarry by a lake is good, too. We climbed to 4500 feet as we crossed the local VOR and turned to 210°. The block of clouds that had covered the horizon in that direction had completely gone. Later, we determined the visibility to be over 40 nm. Larry was a little disappointed by this. He said it was going to be too easy for me. 'You can see the checkpoints 20 miles away.' I had to crab slightly to the right to stay on course. Once the power was set and the plane was trimmed it was stable and I could basically fly the plane with my feet. I had a lapful. There was my clipboard with the flight plan, the sectional, folded to our present area, and the E6B computer. He had me calculate the time to the checkpoints and write in the ETA (in minutes after the hour) in a little box for that on the plan. After a couple of these we were able to determine our groundspeed. If we were a little early, he'd have me calculate the next checkpoint with a slightly faster groundspeed until our actual time agreed with the estimated. Larry had told me that the controllers at the second airport were a little full of themselves, probably because they were newer. It had only recently achieved Class C status. We were ID'ed a little ways out to another plane as possible traffic. Then when we got closer and contacted approach, the controller asked us if we had the transponder on (it was). Leroy said the guy knew we had our transponder on because of the prior traffic call. This controller immediately instructed us to contact the control tower even though we were still 16 nm out. The first thing that controller did was ask us if we'd already contacted approach. "That's an affirmative." We were handed off to a female controller who was a little busy but much more pleasant. We got a straight-in clearance. A C-130 was taking off, which we were able to see in the distance, a student doing touch and goes was re-routed to another runway, and another GA plane was coming in just a little before us. Larry had me land quite a bit down the runway so we wouldn't have to taxi a long way. When we were back and all done Larry asked for my certificate and endorsed me for solo cross country. I can't recall now if it was there or back at one of the stops where he said something about my earning his trust. I guess he trusts me enough to let me go up and away on my own. We talked a little more and then he had to get going. Frankly, I didn't want to leave. I could have flown another four hours I think. I stuck around a few minutes and bird-dogged the runway for Darryl, the FBO, who was in the back trying to get the runway lights to come on. "No, they're still not working," I'd call back to him. He gave up and went over to his trailer to call FSS to report the requisite NOTAM. So there I was, alone in the office. I gathered up my stuff and headed for home. We actually made three stops that day. A realtor in a town between that second airport and our home base needed Larry to take him up for some aerial pictures of some ranch that was for sale. It was a long day; we covered about 360 nm in a Cessna 150. It should also be noted that in flightsim there are no Darryls trying to get runway lights to work. I was still pumped after we were on the ground for good, but on the drive home fatigue began to set in. I slept like a baby that night. The solo cross country would be short relative to the dual we'd completed and I'd be over familiar terrain. In fact, my first stop would be at the airport of my home town just 30 or so miles from Larry's home base. But the wind was a bear that day. Larry even went up with me for a quick run around the pattern to make sure I could handle the crosswind. Then he turned me loose on the world (or at least a small part of it). What, me worry? You bet. My approach into my hometown airport was a total mess. I haven't yet developed a keen eye for spotting airports from a distance. I was nearly on top of it and was still above pattern altitude. This airport also has a little-used, very narrow and short runway that is not kept up too well. Larry had told me he thought it was still in use and to ask UNICOM if it were available. My first lesson of the day was to make sure the radio volume is turned up. I never heard any reply to my question, so I got onto downwind for runway 2, but mistakenly announced I was on downwind for runway 20. I was too high and too fast coming into final and decided to go around. While back in the pattern, I turned up the volume to hear UNICOM suggest the small runway, 31. So I left the pattern and re-entered on a downwind for 31. I don't know the width of this runway, but I bet in my younger days with a good run-up I could have jumped across it. I made a respectable landing and taxied in. After chatting with the FBO a bit, I was on my way with a nice short-field take-off, lifting off before this little runway crossed the main one. My house is south of town, which put it close to the course for the next leg. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out I'd flown right over it until I was about a quarter mile past it. I decided to stay under the clouds. I didn't want to be on top if they started to close up. There was some crosswind at the destination, but it wasn't so bad. The real problem was figuring out how to taxi to the FBO. There are no taxiways on this airport except for real close to the office. After looking at my notes for the airport, I announced I would back-taxi on runway 10. After chatting with the guys in there, having one sign my logbook, and taking a few pictures, it was time to go. Up ahead, the sky was darkening. It was getting later in the afternoon, and I couldn't tell if the clouds ahead only appeared scattered or broken, or if they were really a solid mass. To my left I could see a nearby airport was clear in case I needed to head there. It also seemed to be clear back east towards my hometown airport. The puffy clouds were becoming more frequent, and they were only slightly above now, so I dropped down away from them. These clouds were also a concern. As it turns out, they were only scattered. I could see the home base when I was still 20-25 nm out. I would be there well within my estimated time. After I announced position, someone radioed back that runway 36 was still in use, and that there was still a decent crosswind. As I entered downwind, another plane was just taking off. It turned out the other person who'd radioed me, though, was a pilot on the ground I'd met before leaving, with a hand-held radio. I came in well, good speed and slope, left wing down, right rudder, good flare, and touched down softly. 'Cessna 4-Sierra-Juliet, EXCELLENT landing.' Yee-haw! It never hurts to have an appreciative audience when things go well. It turned out that I had an attentive audience earlier when things weren't going so well. Mark, the pilot with the radio, said that he and Larry had listened on the hand-held to my little adventure over my hometown airport. Mark told me I'd done fine; I'd run up against some problems but I'd stuck with it, kept a clear head, and gotten the job done." The following day I took the written test. I had to drive an hour to take it at a nearby regional airport. Right before I arrived there was a special news bulletin on the radio about the Space Shuttle braking up over Texas. When I asked the people at the counter if they'd heard the news, they directed me to the pilot's lounge where a TV was tuned to CNN. I watched for a while in stunned silence, and then forced myself to leave and to try to block it from my mind for a couple hours if I could. I scored an 88 and passed the test, then returned home still stunned by tragedy. Larry tightened the screws a little with the next cross-country assignment. The first leg would be to a smaller airport with a VOR nearby, but on the second leg I would have to transition through Class D airspace to get to yet another Class D airport just beyond. It would be my first solo into ATC controlled airspace. "Columbia Radio, Cessna . . . Sierra Juliet, listening on 1-2-2 point 4." And listening, and listening. Nothing. I was trying to hail Flight Service to open my flight plan to the first airport. I couldn't hear any traffic when I switched to 122.8. Nor was any to be heard on 122.9, another common traffic advisory frequency. Do I turn around? Squawk 7600 for radio failure? I decided not to turn around, but maybe land at an airport not too far ahead I was using as a checkpoint. I checked to make sure the radio was set to speaker instead of headphone, and that the mike was plugged in. I tried hailing another FSS. Still nothing. Finally I heard traffic, and tried transmitting again. Again, nothing. I reminded myself to fly the plane first, and to keep aware of where I was and to look for traffic. OK, I thought, radio failures are built into 'the system.' But I was beginning to imagine Flight Service calling Larry to tell him they'd had no contact with me. I flicked the headphone/speaker switch back and forth. I reached under the dash and wiggled the mike jack and pressed it upward forcefully. And then there was that distinctive 'click' a jack makes when fully inserted. Someone who had used headphones in the plane had tried to replace the mike jack, close but no cigar. I mentally kicked myself. This has happened to me before. I once was in the air before realizing the speakers were off and the jack wasn't in, so I'd made this the first thing I checked when I first stuck my head into the cockpit on pre-flight. The jack had felt secure then, but obviously hadn't been. I opened my flight plan, breathed a sigh of relief, and began to enjoy the flight and the beautiful day. It was such a beautiful day that soon after departing the first airport, the buildings of the bigger town to the north that was home to the two Class D's were in view upon reaching 3000 feet. The checkpoints zoomed under me and it was time to call the first of the "twin towers." "I was cleared at or above 3000 feet. I could tell by watching and listening that it was busy there today. The controller had his hands full. I saw a Cheyenne arc around the airport, and some large cargo hauler or airliner making final. I descended to 3000 feet because I knew I wouldn't have much time to get down to pattern altitude for my destination once I cleared the airspace directly before me. Though I hadn't been requested to, I reported crossing the runway 13/31 centerline, a common practice through there, just to remind the controller I was still there. I was right over the end of runway 13. Just as I crossed, an Air National Guard KC-135 took off right under me! It was as gray as sharkskin, ambling into the air to my left and behind me as I passed safely above. I will never forgive myself for not thinking to grab my camera at that second! As Larry had warned, it soon was apparent I'd been forgotten, so I requested and received permission for a frequency change. I quickly dialed the next tower, as I was probably already in their airspace. I was cleared to land and given a choice of right or left patterns for runway 18, and further instructed to report midfield on downwind. By then the airport was somewhat to my left so I advised I'd make a lefty approach, turned in, began a quick descent to 1600 feet and reported as instructed. I saw that 18 had a considerable amount of displaced approach and cut the power at the end of downwind accordingly, coming around to make a decent landing." One of the twin towers. Right about here there ought to be a photo of the topside of a KC-135. That camera was just lying there in the right seat ready to shoot. Maybe I'll think of it next time! Upon my return Larry and I discussed the next cross country trip. This would be the one with the required leg of over 100 nm. He gave choices in each compass direction. The choice to the north would entail circumventing the Class B airspace around a major airport. As some of you know, a solo student pilot may not enter Class B airspace without prior dual instruction therein and an endorsement, which I did not have. The prospect of going around Class B airspace was intriguing, but I had another idea. One of my favorite airports in flightsim lie within the penumbra of that Class B airspace, its Class D crimping into the southeast edge of the Class B circle. It was the downtown GA airport servicing the same city as the Class B's "International." I'd seen it before from downtown buildings and had driven by it. And I'd flown in and out of it a zillion times in flightsim--it was one of my virtual home bases. Needless to say, I really wanted to really fly in there. Larry and I talked about how I might get in there. The idea was that I'd go first to the airport way up north on the far side of the Class B, the 100 nm leg, and then come back around south and east, staying under the outer ring of the Class B, and then pivoting back southwest to the Class D of the downtown airport. Larry said this would be unusual, but he thought I could do it. He told me to plan it and submit it to him. If he approved it, I could go. Here's another example of how a computer came in handy. I worked out the plan with the sectional and then opened flightsim and in turn FSNav. I lined out the plan in FSNav, took a screen shot, opened that in Paint and added some more information, and then emailed that to Larry along with an explanation. He replied with an approval, and I was going to an airport I'd longed dreamed of flying into. Not the FSNav shot I sent Larry, but it gives the general idea. The lady who gave me my so-called weather briefing was a bitch. I'd asked for an abbreviated briefing. She asked me what I wanted. I said information on precip, clouds, and wind. She said tersely, and I quote, "There isn't any." Leroy explained some weather specialists get upset when you ask for an abbreviated briefing, because they know you've gotten the weather from DUATS, and they're afraid automation may put them out of a job. I suppose being a bitch doesn't help one's job security either, though. There were no clouds or precip, but there was wind. There was a stiff northerly breeze and it was cold, damned cold. The engine barely started on the first crank. I took off and climbed quickly. I leveled off at 3500 feet even though I'd planned for 5500, because the air was clean. I saw a band of haze at what looked to be 4000-5000 and thought I'd stay under that. But then I recalled what Larry had said the day before about there being a temperature inversion and decided to climb on up. There was an inversion. The heating in this 150 is not the best in the world. It barely keeps up at 20°. At 5500 I could still see, could see even farther. A glance at the gauge showed the outside temp in the 40's, and it was comfortable inside the plane now." I reached the northern airport just fine. It was even colder up there. I stepped out of the airplane with my camera and, hands nearly shaking, tried to take some pictures of a line of C-130's in the Air Guard section of the airport. Nothing happened when I clicked the button. I went inside and bought some batteries. It still wouldn't work. I hit the "mode" button. Still nothing. Then I hit the button under the mode button, and listened in horror to the whir of the thing auto-rewinding half a roll of film. So, right about here there ought to be some pictures of a row of C-130's and a close-up aerial of some really tall (to me) buildings. "Larry had advised not to file a plan, but instead call the Class B approach control and advise them of my intentions, essentially to get flight following. I had to pick a pause in the action to call in. I was cleared through the Class B Airspace (which, being a student, I had no intention of entering) and told to squawk 0435. This guy was a real pro, and it was a real treat to listen to him juggling both airliners and GA planes buzzing around the busy airspace. He was quick, but willing to give info as requested. There seems to be a blur at the line between the formalistic side of radio talk and normal conversation. I'm starting to get the hang of that, too. At my pivot-point I turned southeast to southwest and began descending to 2500. The downtown area of the city lies on the south bank of a river. The airport is just across the river. As I drew nearer, the approach controller terminated radar service and had me contact my destination's tower. I was cleared for a right-hand pattern to runway 1. The tower soon came back on and told me to make that a wide pattern. There was some traffic she was spacing. "Four-Sierra-Juliet, I'll make it a wide one." Not exactly out of the flight manual, but enough to let her know I'd gotten it. The airport and buildings are fairly well depicted in flightsim. A right-hand pattern to runway 1 points you right at the heart of the downtown district. A wide right-hand pattern takes you clear around it. I got back on and asked the controller if she intended for me to go east and south of downtown. She wouldn't be able to see me too well back there, so I figured I better ask. She did. Oh, how I wanted a working camera there and then. This city doesn't have what I would call skyscrapers, but there's a stand of buildings in the 30-50 story range. As I circled around "behind" them, it seemed that I could reach out and touch one. As I turned to my extended base, I saw another plane on short final, and was cleared to land after that one. I glided over the river and touched down. There was a jet behind me and the controller had me step on it to get up to the taxiway and off the runway." From the 28th floor looking north towards downtown. Imagine a Cessna 150 flying a wide base leg from your right to left above and between here and those buildings. The airport is on the other side of the buildings on the left side of the picture. Landing at this airport was simply a dream come true. I couldn't believe my fantastic luck at being cleared around behind the big downtown buildings. I was elated. It was one of those moments one wants frozen in time. This was on a Sunday, so these buildings were all but empty. I tried to imagine flying such a pattern during a weekday, when there would have been an audience of sorts, and remembered myself gazing out of the windows of one those buildings wishing to someday fly into that downtown airport. Back home Larry listened patiently to the recounting of the day's flying. Eventually, as always, he shifted the focus to what lay ahead, what still needed to be done. We discussed the night flying requirements. I still needed to complete my simulated instrument flying under the hood. And then we would begin the end of the training, preparing for the checkride itself. These were things we needed to be talking about, but the shift in focus was short lived, for after we bid adieu and I was driving down the highway, in my mind I was still up in the air over the city, and still wondering what I'd done to that darned camera. Joe Zuzul jzzl@earthlink.net -
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