tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108951264089605712024-02-21T07:20:25.611-05:00N631SUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-89885279912575396722016-07-21T16:07:00.000-04:002016-07-21T16:07:08.146-04:00To every thing, there is a season...<p>Well, if anyone is still dropping by here, I have some news. After nearly 12 years and close to 1,400 hours in the air, N631S has moved on to a new home.<br />
<p>I sold our business in Connecticut back in June of last year. At that point, poor '31 Sierra lost its mission. Over the ensuing 12 months I only flew about 20 hours (in contrast with the previous six years or so, when I flew from 120 to 150 hours each year). This wasn't good for the airplane (machinery stays healthy when used) and it wasn't good for me (not enough hours to really maintain proficiency). So, the airplane went on the market, and now its been sold to someone who will fly it.<br />
<p>This blog will stay up for at least a while, as an historical curiosity.<br />
<p>Oh, and I'm thinking about seeking a glider rating.<br />
<p>Meanwhile, I wish tailwinds and blue skies to all the friends I met here.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-80063107560983806162013-11-04T19:00:00.000-05:002013-11-04T19:00:07.354-05:00Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You ShouldAs we move deeper into autumn, the atmosphere reaches into its bag of wintry tricks. The weather of last Friday provided an example of what Gordon Lightfoot called <a href="http://gordonlightfoot.com/WreckOfTheEdmundFitzgerald.shtml" target="_blank">"the witch of November"</a>.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGS6_x8ZKTjDr5zg7mPZdbd6wK_CFCeJnugPEgYfuSNdCHdMFDRm7DdgH41_-7pkHsAOzSJs__aRZqQnGIyMaNyTKiPpyIBi7vehbqJxmK2wY5LtDibUMF6h-NZ2gufUjwjjDhlBLPDk/s1600/11011318Zwx.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGS6_x8ZKTjDr5zg7mPZdbd6wK_CFCeJnugPEgYfuSNdCHdMFDRm7DdgH41_-7pkHsAOzSJs__aRZqQnGIyMaNyTKiPpyIBi7vehbqJxmK2wY5LtDibUMF6h-NZ2gufUjwjjDhlBLPDk/s240/11011318Zwx.gif" /></a></div>The driver was a deep low sited over northern Quebec that was wrapping up an impressive cyclonic flow. In the northeast and mid-Atlantic states a low level jet of air paralleled the associated cold front and furnished truly impressive winds aloft.<br />
<p>This wasn't an unforecasted surprise. The system could be watched for days as it crossed the continent and the meteorological models did an accurate job of predicting where all the pieces would be at the end of the week. Thus, I knew by mid-week that my usual trip from Connecticut to the DC area was seriously in doubt.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3880PKcb-8URmJZb2B6GCQ9q0dXttgmVIHFiJTMebUlx90EgaXEpxTCPyUR9G7394dAryeTHji3JzjovZfHFROP4QmfyzQlIkV7A1CWA_xZRU1JQnQ2HhFNKORRjkmfFs_ZPBvQeNCQ/s1600/11011320Zwsp800mb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3880PKcb-8URmJZb2B6GCQ9q0dXttgmVIHFiJTMebUlx90EgaXEpxTCPyUR9G7394dAryeTHji3JzjovZfHFROP4QmfyzQlIkV7A1CWA_xZRU1JQnQ2HhFNKORRjkmfFs_ZPBvQeNCQ/s240/11011320Zwsp800mb.JPG" /></a></div>At left, a depiction of the wind field at 6,000 feet for about 20Z on Friday afternoon. You can see that the wind from the southwest was predicted to be about 60 knots over southern New England, falling off to 50 knots over northern New Jersey and "only" 40 knots over eastern Pennsylvania. If I decided to fly at that time I could expect (based on a true airspeed of about 135 knots) to achieve about 75 knots over the ground for the early part of the trip, and maybe as much as 95 knots as I approached Reading. I didn't think that would be any fun.<br />
<p>For what is usually about a 2 hour and 20 minute trip, the very accurate algorithm at <a href="http://fltplan.com" target="_blank">FltPlan.com</a> was predicting an enroute time of over three hours:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yofGflPgfxFWBRjD4cb0L1nyksvmEX8lsjfXFybI7Lmzkfm5eBhKX7pxdRiz23Bv37KAQ7aLwIplT9d2q92N1gq8utVA-ptsfNEz62rYxb5yygRU_GBCHbAOi65bgMIZKEigz4jjUjU/s1600/FltPln11011318Zwest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yofGflPgfxFWBRjD4cb0L1nyksvmEX8lsjfXFybI7Lmzkfm5eBhKX7pxdRiz23Bv37KAQ7aLwIplT9d2q92N1gq8utVA-ptsfNEz62rYxb5yygRU_GBCHbAOi65bgMIZKEigz4jjUjU/s420/FltPln11011318Zwest.JPG" /></a></div>And just to complete the picture, the Friday morning Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) for Bridgeport was a bit sporty:<br />
<pre><span style="font-size: 0.9em;">KBDR 011143Z 0112/0212 21018G35KT 5SM -SHRA BR SCT010 BKN020
WS020/22060KT
TEMPO 0113/0115 23025G40KT 3SM SHRA
FM011600 <span style="color: red;">23014G25KT P6SM VCSH SCT020 SCT030 BKN080</span>
FM012000 24012KT P6SM SCT050
<span style="color: red;">FM020100 VRB05KT P6SM SCT050=</span></span></pre><p>For the time I'd consider departing, showers with gusty southwest winds would be on the menu, and the winds aloft would still be very strong. The good news: for the overnight period (after 01Z) there would be light, variable winds, good visibility and only a scattered cloud layer around 5,000 feet.<br />
<p>Hey, it's only wind. No convection in the forecast, freezing level up around 9,000 feet. I <i>could</i> make the flight. But as the wise adage says, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." I decided to opt for a "Dawn Patrol" departure early on Saturday morning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3knlQIvgDC-p3vOu0622J1rMPUe0pkFOMnlI8jdajd-cqnKA3Shg70_idUCaORZfUbdbFhGA4vu8ai6gBHS248giK8JPbjyjPh-8dq1usLR3Q-Sp5yPet-hh8pbUynXVTEv8CBPL940/s1600/11021312Zwx.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3knlQIvgDC-p3vOu0622J1rMPUe0pkFOMnlI8jdajd-cqnKA3Shg70_idUCaORZfUbdbFhGA4vu8ai6gBHS248giK8JPbjyjPh-8dq1usLR3Q-Sp5yPet-hh8pbUynXVTEv8CBPL940/s240/11021312Zwx.gif" /></a></div>The forecast for 12Z Saturday morning showed the deep low moved off to the north, the cold front with its associated weather offshore to the east and a weak secondary cold front approaching from the west. I filed for an 0930Z departure (5:30 AM local) and asked for routing over JFK and south across New Jersey.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNTlKnbceNkjHM7ktLwVbg2D7iX66d04KfDQj4Av3XGD68T5t2R0IMCcNI9ClZQN4e21zZHuSq6mlUN_VIBH1UKuyI-T3jjtf_RBhaZqPkf8lqKEgTiVhO4dXlt5rR6oBJZ32Qu1lmWg/s1600/11021312Zwsp800mb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNTlKnbceNkjHM7ktLwVbg2D7iX66d04KfDQj4Av3XGD68T5t2R0IMCcNI9ClZQN4e21zZHuSq6mlUN_VIBH1UKuyI-T3jjtf_RBhaZqPkf8lqKEgTiVhO4dXlt5rR6oBJZ32Qu1lmWg/s240/11021312Zwsp800mb.JPG" /></a></div><p>With the departure of the weather to the east and north, the winds aloft moderated quite a bit. From the depiction at left, the winds at 6,000 feet over New England and down to the mid-Atlantic were forecast to be mostly westerly at about 25 knots by 12Z. A lot better! So I set an early alarm and got myself to the airport by about 5:20 AM.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdFk3zppHeLvZq7YDm6xgiXoXSS_364w4Q8TdTdBGDqhRLlB1hdICUfqFav8VLpeymBedPf5dfzd9QPLmdvA3kvC5EJYHM3inQYZuPtWcUOS5emEd_5861oTwZSx15mfknruMJSbsqp8/s1600/FltPln11021310Zeast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdFk3zppHeLvZq7YDm6xgiXoXSS_364w4Q8TdTdBGDqhRLlB1hdICUfqFav8VLpeymBedPf5dfzd9QPLmdvA3kvC5EJYHM3inQYZuPtWcUOS5emEd_5861oTwZSx15mfknruMJSbsqp8/s420/FltPln11021310Zeast.JPG" /></a></div>Now, fltplan.com was anticipating a half-hour less time enroute than the previous afternoon. However, I was disappointed (but not particularly surprised) to learn, when I queried the system before going out to the airplane, that ATC had assigned the usual eastern PA routing rather than the coastal route I'd requested. That would probably add 10 or 15 minutes, and it would force me up to 8,000 feet where I'd have to be careful about icing in clouds.<br />
<p>I seemed to be completely alone on the field. The control tower was closed until 6:30 AM. I pre-flighted N631S in the dark, and checked the weather. The automated weather system was reporting this:<br />
<pre><span style="font-size: 0.9em;">KBDR 020952Z AUTO 02004KT 10SM BKN075 11/08 A2967=</span></pre>A light wind from the northeast, good visibility under a broken ceiling at 7,500 feet. I started the engine and taxied to the hold short line for Runway 6. From there, I called New York Approach: "November 631 Sierra, on the ground at Bridgeport, looking for my IFR clearance to Victor Kilo X-Ray."<br />
<p>The approach controller read my clearance, asked which runway I'd be using, and released me for departure. N631S's wheels were off of the runway at 0957Z. After takeoff, she had N631S and I climb to 6,000 feet and headed us west. Soon we were transferred to the next sector and that controller said, "Skylane 631 Sierra, climb and maintain 8,000 feet."<br />
<p>Thinking there was no harm in asking, I said, "New York, 631 Sierra wonders if there is any chance for 6,000 as a final altitude."<br />
<p>The controller replied, "No, that's an 8,000 foot route. I can let you stay at 6,000 for another 10 miles but then you'll have to climb to 8."<br />
<p>I responded, "Thanks for that. I originally filed for 6,000 on another route; I was thinking there's a bit less headwind at 6.'<br />
<p>There was a pause. Then, "31 Sierra, did you file for a DIXIE route?" I said "Yes" and she replied, "Let me see if I can work that out for you. Stand by."<br />
<p>In less than a minute, the controller came back with, "Skylane 31 Sierra, we're working on a route for you. For now turn left to heading 190, vector to Kennedy, and I'll have your new route for you in a couple minutes."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbY808VZlRicgezP5wfvO5YEaPdF8OBg3RU0uPi3otVfivVrhpeZw3MACHzg6sZccPYCudcREmlR9UBJhREHQXgzMTyy4uhvrXbgfsfxG0C6mfRzhzZtV8okJNmO9eNi7Kme_LSn4Wsc/s1600/1102131030Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbY808VZlRicgezP5wfvO5YEaPdF8OBg3RU0uPi3otVfivVrhpeZw3MACHzg6sZccPYCudcREmlR9UBJhREHQXgzMTyy4uhvrXbgfsfxG0C6mfRzhzZtV8okJNmO9eNi7Kme_LSn4Wsc/s240/1102131030Z.jpg" /></a></div>Have I mentioned that I love Air Traffic Controllers? I thanked the lady profusely, and by the time I was across Long Island Sound and over Queens, she had an excellent clearance for me: radar vectors to DIXIE V16 ENO V374 OTT thence direct to destination. Trust me...that's a good one. The next controller put N631S and I direct to JFK and then direct to DIXIE. South of JFK the ceiling lowered a bit so we were in clouds at 6,000 but the air temperature was well above freezing.<br />
<p>New York handed me off to McGuire approach and I requested a descent to 4,000 feet hoping for a bit less wind (and hence more ground speed) and a better view below the clouds. That all worked out nicely and our passage through Atlantic City and Dover airspace was uneventful. Soon I was talking to Potomac Approach. Almost home!<br />
<p>Potomac said, "Advise when you have the weather at VKX." I said, "Wilco" and tuned a radio to the frequency for the automated system at Potomac Airfield. Three clicks on the push-to-talk switch gets you the weather at the field. But to my dismay, the robotic voice reported "Visibility one-half mile." Rats! VKX is in a small valley, and sometimes the fog does linger there. Getting back to the approach controller, I advised him of the situation and said I'd like to go have a look, and if conditions really were prohibitive for landing I'd have to divert or go hold somewhere. He said, "You can expect that."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5KTJMsHW89vqMzJ101u3b5xrhbwIxfNgGfWFBArFo7fgxFSInpO1pGj9MXZYhUp0M_ZmooP0QM-t9XmW1a4lyuf6Iv3ek2kORuQYG7pl1S5JkBYjHyCAo0jz8rxBg6hzP_UfXLFAExA/s1600/2013-11-02_08-10-30_116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5KTJMsHW89vqMzJ101u3b5xrhbwIxfNgGfWFBArFo7fgxFSInpO1pGj9MXZYhUp0M_ZmooP0QM-t9XmW1a4lyuf6Iv3ek2kORuQYG7pl1S5JkBYjHyCAo0jz8rxBg6hzP_UfXLFAExA/s240/2013-11-02_08-10-30_116.jpg" /></a></div>Soon, I heard the Potomac controller say, to a pilot I couldn't hear, "Thanks for the pilot report." Then to me, "631 Sierra, did you hear that?" "Negative," I replied.<br />
<p>"A pilot who just departed from VKX said that it isn't nearly as bad as the automated system is saying." Great news! I said, "Thanks for that, I should be in good shape then." And I was. The photo at left was taken from the taxiway as I exited the runway after landing at 1210Z (2:13 enroute). As you see, there were just a few wisps of ground fog.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-89805143429823022572013-10-08T11:45:00.001-04:002013-10-08T13:58:56.863-04:00Book Review: "Understanding Air France 447" by Capt. Bill PalmerIn a recent radio interview, a doctor described a procedure followed in many hospitals when a patient dies. The attending physician stands before his peers and presents the case – what symptoms were seen, what actions were taken, what results were observed, what errors were made, what needed actions were omitted, what lessons were learned, what changes ought to be made. Discussion ensues. The process is, literally, deathly serious as the cost of the knowledge gained is someone's life. This learning process is called <a href="http://webmm.ahrq.gov/" target="_blank">"Morbidity & Mortality Rounds"</a>.<br />
<p>This process came very much to mind as I read Capt. Bill Palmer's excellent "Understanding Air France 447". In this case, aeronautical sins of commission and omission were committed. Fatal results ensued. 228 people died. Attention must be paid.<br />
<p>Perhaps in a more just world, the Chief Pilot at Air France would have come forward with a book that covers this ground. Of course, some combination of legal trepidation and organizational pride will preclude that from happening and so Capt. Palmer has stepped into the central role. By his deep expertise in the systems and behaviors of Airbus aircraft (and the A330 in particular), he is highly qualified to do so.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://understandingaf447.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w3bv5sGPMm_qitN_nTF5Oj2LnRd_FYb0pmRx-B8b996iOX_bVZ-_EzkbGt-f6mdlhg7C8nivtu84u5rWSp-4siPOMEwMxDYErnsJ_X6XeKDouQBIe_s678qU9lBFG4LDFeAu5JkvAqw/s240/AF447.jpg" /><br />
"Understanding Air France 447"<br />
by Bill Palmer, 206pp.<br />
©William Palmer, Jr., 2013</a></div>Although Capt. Palmer clearly cares deeply about safety, this is not a passionate book. It is, rather, a thorough, methodical and ordered presentation of the facts and circumstances with a minimum of inference. Conclusions are drawn when justified by evidence; possibilities are suggested only if supported by the record.<br />
<p>The author starts us off with an outline of the chronology of the event, the basic biographical data of the flight crew, and an overview of the operational environment that prevails on these long flights across the lonely South Atlantic. He reviews the adverse weather conditions that the flight encountered. We learn about the icing-related failure modes of the pitot-static system that in all likelihood caused a temporary loss of all airspeed data, precipitating the cascade of events leading to loss of the aircraft. A clear and helpful description of the Airbus' fly-by-wire system, its control laws and ancillary systems gives the reader a basis for understanding the events that follow with frightening speed.<br />
<p>At 02:10:05 UTC on 1 June 2009, due to absence of airspeed data, the autopilot on A330-200 aircraft F-GZCP disconnected, returning control to the Pilot Flying (PF). There was nothing else wrong with the aircraft. And yet, four minutes and 23 seconds later, the Airbus smashed into the unyielding surface of the ocean below. To aid in understanding how this could have happened, Capt. Palmer divides the period from autopilot disconnect to impact into four phases – three only seconds long, the fourth just a few minutes. He dissects each phase, examining crew actions and aircraft responses, slowly assembling a tragic picture of inadvertent error and ultimate futility.<br />
<p>As each phase of the event progressed, recovery of control became more challenging and less likely. During the first phase, the airplane was climbing while being subjected to inappropriate control inputs, yet recovery to controlled level flight would have been fairly simple. In contrast, sometime during the final phase the airplane probably became unrecoverable. At any event, approach to recovery would by then have required extremely aggressive measures beyond the experience, training, and probably the imagination of the pilots. <br />
<p>The first eight chapters of the book are concerned with the laying out of facts and the explanation of relevant background. They are the foundation on which the last three chapters stand. These are titled, "The Human Element", "Lessons Learned" and "Going Forward". Here, the author delves into the "Why?" of AF447. He discusses fatigue issues, control mode confusion, mis-understanding of aerodynamics in the cruise environment, and gaps in training. As is usually the case, there is no single "smoking gun" behind this tragedy – each of these factors probably played a role.<br />
<p>In his discussion of "Lessons Learned", Capt. Palmer points to a range of issues:<br />
<ul><li>Better understanding of the mechanics of stalls at high-altitude is needed.<br />
<li>More refined understanding of the subtleties of degraded flight control laws is needed.<br />
<li>More time spent hand-flying in the cruise environment is needed.<br />
<li>Adoption of the 'Safe Harbor' concept (a fallback, fail-safe pitch-and-power configuration) is advisable.<br />
<li>The programmed behavior of the Flight Directors may have contributed to the accident and should be reviewed.<br />
</ul>At the end of his book, the author calls for improvements in the training of line pilots to address these and other lessons and shortcomings. He sums up the situation pithily, saying: <blockquote>"We must not allow mastery of the Flight Management System to be confused with airmanship."</blockquote>...and his last sentence seems to be addressed to everyone in the industry who is charged with preparing pilots to take responsibility for the lives of passengers: "We have been warned." <p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-51763464331835144862013-10-02T21:12:00.001-04:002013-10-03T09:05:17.524-04:00Today at KBDREarly this morning the bright sun was shining at Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR) and warming the old aluminum bones of some visiting veterans. The 2013 Wings of Freedom tour of WW II aircraft maintained and flown by the <a href="http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm" target="_blank">Collings Foundation</a> was again in town. The Boeing B-17G <i>Flying Fortress</i> "Nine O Nine", the Consolidated B-24J <i>Liberator</i> "Witchcraft", and the North American P-51C <i>Mustang</i> "Betty Jane" were waiting quietly on the ramp for the day's visitors and admirers.<br />
<p>We are fortunate that there are dedicated men and women who work very hard to keep these old birds flying, helping us to honor the memories of those who went to war in them. And so, a few words about each of these wonderful machines and about their old namesakes...<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9dbYrhC0I0KeQ1WojmOhaU3DzC01E2sPaKEkUdHnEOhCMd83_skx6Lc3jf0IqqAHA6ENPINcHwYoJ_6MFDQtMH_PBtO6MOFlq6HeCFCgW7Ruo_-YvpoI-poC6ZpnuyTz4DkFAWXbWJc/s1600/Nine-O-Nine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9dbYrhC0I0KeQ1WojmOhaU3DzC01E2sPaKEkUdHnEOhCMd83_skx6Lc3jf0IqqAHA6ENPINcHwYoJ_6MFDQtMH_PBtO6MOFlq6HeCFCgW7Ruo_-YvpoI-poC6ZpnuyTz4DkFAWXbWJc/s280/Nine-O-Nine.jpg" /></a></div>The original <a href="http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-17g.htm" target="_blank">"Nine-O-Nine"</a> was a 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Squadron aircraft that completed 140 missions in Europe without an abort or loss of a crewman.<br />
<p>Today's airplane, s/n 44-83575, was license-built by Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, CA and was accepted by the USAAF on 7 April 1945 – making her 68 years old. Born too late to see combat, she served as an air/sea rescue aircraft and as a transport. Sold into civilian life, she worked for two decades as a fire-fighting aircraft and then was restored to wartime configuration. A serious accident led to a second restoration, but since then she's logged over 1,200 tour stops. Since the unfortunate <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2011/06/fire-in-sky.html" target="_blank">loss of "Liberty Belle"</a> in 2011, "Nine O Nine" is one of only <a href="http://www.aerovintage.com/b17loc.htm" target="_blank">ten airworthy B-17's</a> in the world.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsVLJ7qE3rs9IZF4p2Vc02BVCQ43hCjrxyxiNC1t47TYQk5qL8juXJLkJ0o8oF10Xxgrl9JBU2BwtjDu9-YzqV45C2w39FXzSFATwpxejp-mETCpD_35izGDXNcbIjzt8q9PdXBv-pl8/s1600/Witchcraft+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsVLJ7qE3rs9IZF4p2Vc02BVCQ43hCjrxyxiNC1t47TYQk5qL8juXJLkJ0o8oF10Xxgrl9JBU2BwtjDu9-YzqV45C2w39FXzSFATwpxejp-mETCpD_35izGDXNcbIjzt8q9PdXBv-pl8/s280/Witchcraft+2013.jpg" /></a></div>The original <a href="http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-24j_hist.htm" target="_blank">“Witchcraft”</a> was a B-24H, built at Ford's Willow Run plant in Michigan in 1944. She began combat service on April 10th, 1944, flying the first combat mission of the 467th Bomb Group. Over the next year “Witchcraft” flew 130 combat missions, never turned back from a mission, and never had any crewmen injured or killed. Her last mission was flown on April 25th, 1945.<br />
<p>The airplane we see today is B-24J s/n 44-44052. She was delivered from the Consolidated Aircraft Company's Fort Worth, Texas plant in August 1944, 69 years ago. In October of 1944, she was transferred to the Royal Air Force and saw combat in the Pacific Theater. At war's end, the aircraft was abandoned in Khanpur, India, never expected to fly again. However, in 1948 the Indian Air Force succeeded in restoring 36 B-24's, including this one, to operational status – and <a href="http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Aircraft/Liberator.html" target="_blank">thereby hangs a tale.</a><br />
<p>These B-24's served the IAF until 1968 and then were abandoned. 44-44052 spent 13 years in derelict condition until she was discovered by a collector, shipped to England and ultimately acquired and restored by the Collings Foundation. Today she is the only airworthy B-24J and one of only two flying B-24's (the other is a B-24A).<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mO-CP8c1lHlFrNrk7rS11s4xWve4s4K1GzQPQd356q1LRIrrD6VnXJqpSSZKw0Qy0e1q9XIbhBtZvzA-7KDmtM1br8Hf4CCXJ_trpytFtTj0s7kKFXU7LVsnLo6PLQXFkJfEUaO0pmE/s1600/Betty+Jane+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mO-CP8c1lHlFrNrk7rS11s4xWve4s4K1GzQPQd356q1LRIrrD6VnXJqpSSZKw0Qy0e1q9XIbhBtZvzA-7KDmtM1br8Hf4CCXJ_trpytFtTj0s7kKFXU7LVsnLo6PLQXFkJfEUaO0pmE/s280/Betty+Jane+2013.jpg" /></a></div>The P-51C that carried s/n 42-103293 was built by North American at its Dallas plant in 1943. That aircraft went to England where it flew for the 370th Fighter Squadron, 359th Fighter Group. There, it suffered substantial damage in a training accident (search on the s/n <a href="http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/search.php?searchString=42-103293&Submit=Search" target="_blank">HERE</a>) in which Capt. Carey H. Brown, Jr. of Monroe, NY was killed. The aircraft was <a href="http://warbird-central.com/2011/12/42-103293-p-51c-1-nt-mustang-betty-jane/" target="_blank">written off on 3 May 1944</a> and sent to the scrap heap.<br />
<p>After many years, significant parts of the airframe were recovered by a professional aircraft restorer – including the data plate. This allowed the resurrection of 42-103293. When the aircraft was rebuilt in 2002 and 2003 it was completed as a 2 seat version, a TP-51C. This field modification added a second seat with flight controls and instrumentation for training purposes. (At least 5 TP-51Cs were built during WWII for training and VIP transport.)<br />
<p>This <i>Mustang</i> is painted as <a href="http://www.hickoryaviationmuseum.org/pages/veterans/charlesmccorkle.shtml" target="_blank">Col. Charles M. McCorkle's</a> "Betty Jane", that he flew as commander of the 31st Fighter Group in the Mediterranean Theater. Col. McCorkle had 11 confirmed kills, six in the <i>Mustang</i>. After the war, he rose to the rank of Major General, retiring in 1966. He went West in 2009.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hickoryaviationmuseum.org/pages/veterans/charlesmccorkle.shtml" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsvtNc3sB6kOi9oUiySweUD00Jsav93DRgxrF7PIulnH9ICr4uKPLNWqWKfoecYLwFP5d2o1cBPehpFABbuq_4OkncYkG1STuE9rxV_AnyusPsgnvPoDRN_YW2MzK48XfYEuQT03vps8/s420/McCorkleincockpit.jpg" /></a>Col. Charles M. "Sandy" McCorkle in the cockpit of his <i>Mustang</i></div><p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-71872522374679535772013-09-25T11:11:00.000-04:002013-09-25T14:06:18.413-04:00Book Review: "Blood on the Snow" by S.M. BelserAllow me a <i>mea culpa</i> in advance, for I am about to bend one of the "house rules" here and offer a review of what is really not an aviation-related book. (I say "bend" rather than "break", as there is an airplane in the book and it performs honorably!) And, to provide Full Disclosure: author S.M. Belser is the keeper of the blog <a href="n333c.blogspot.com" target="_blank">N333C</a>, (see the sidebar) wherein she occasionally posts about her adventures as curator of an old Stinson 108. I've not met Ms. Belser "in real life", but know her fairly well as an online presence and think of her as a friend<abbr title="We really need a word or phrase describing someone we've 'met' only on-line, but for whom we have warm feelings of friendship. Somehow 'e-friend' doesn't cut it.">[*]</abbr>.<br />
<p>So let me give you a two-sentence review:<br />
<blockquote><i>Blood on the Snow</i> is an enjoyable mystery novel. If you like the works of the late Robert B. Parker – especially his 'Sunny Randall' novels – I believe you will find this work very entertaining.</blockquote>So, now you can leave if you like. Do go over to Amazon, spring for the $1.99 and download <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-on-the-Snow-ebook/dp/B00EXWBTCY" target="_blank"><i>Blood on the Snow</i></a> to your Kindle or tablet. But if you want to stay with me a bit longer, I'll share some more detail on why I liked the book.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-on-the-Snow-ebook/dp/B00EXWBTCY" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtDEIvfwjyMx8a5xhYlXvF8n84GG53O6SHfhOGkNBSb1_eFdLC7CzZTkmS_z5w-GzLmLRA9u8RzV0SmZY_Q0cjXZGEL3ZclNPJPn3Rd-uwOfQ-EbwVd68ghgxso7FEuPXnTp8Js469Hs/s240/BotS.jpg" /><br />
"Blood on the Snow"<br />
by S.M. Belser, 301pp.<br />
Amazon Kindle Ed. 2013</a></div>Some authors, it seems to me, forget an important principle that applies to stories with strong central protagonists. That is, that the individual at the center of the tale has to be <i>likable</i>! I've read other independently published novels that were well written and cleverly plotted, but which dealt with an unpleasant main character. This makes it very hard to enjoy the book. (Note, please, that 'likable' is different from 'virtuous'. I actually found Hannibal Lecter to be rather likable.) In <i>Blood on the Snow</i>, Lena Smirnova is a thoroughly satisfactory central character.<br />
<p>Lena is a small-town attorney in independent private practice in the north central US just east of the Great Divide. There are mountains nearby, the winter is long and snow doesn't count unless it's measured in feet. She has some law enforcement experience on her CV and supplements her small town lawyering income with occasional investigations. She's smart and perceptive and persistent, and she moves comfortably through the independent and self-reliant ambiance of the American west. And she does not suffer fools gladly.<br />
<p>To move the plot along (and it moves quickly!) the author calls on Lena's skills as a pilot, a skilled user of firearms, and a former cop who hasn't forgotten anything. In this tale, a grieving couple engages her to look into the death of their son, classified as 'a hunting accident' by the authorities. They aren't buying it. Lena accepts the engagement, starts pulling on threads, and soon finds a much larger set of issues than one not-so-accidental shooting death. To the author's credit, Lena doesn't go into Superhero mode, but methodically involves some really competent law enforcement types, while staying involved to the climax of the case.<br />
<p>This is a well written book. The author has a great ear for the cadences of upper-midwest and mountain speech that gives authenticity to the dialog. Her exposition surrounding aviation, firearms, lawyering and police procedure is effortless and provides verisimilitude. I can vouch for the quality of the aviation stuff and so I trust her on the bullets and badges.<br />
<p>The characters in the 'supporting cast', both good guys and bad guys, are also well realized. Many of them are small-town salt-of-the-earth types, and the author's affection for them comes through clearly. She likes them so Lena likes them, and so, naturally, I liked them.<br />
<p>I mentioned above that I found this book reminiscent of Robert B. Parker's work. I've enjoyed his books for the competent plotting, the crisp dialog and the engaging characters. <i>Blood on the Snow</i> also has these virtues.<br />
<p>Let me say a word about editing. I'd estimate that there are perhaps half a dozen instances, scattered among 300 pages, where I said, "A good editor would've caught that." But on the other hand, I've read tomes that I'd paid $30 for, from major publishing houses, with much higher rates of editing fails. It's really, really hard to proofread and edit your own work, so the solitary independently publishing author is at a disadvantage. These few bumps detracted in no meaningful way from my enjoyment of the book.<br />
<p>I stayed up way too late last evening finishing <i>Blood on the Snow</i>. And I smiled when I noted that on the last page Ms. Belser set us up for a sequel. If Lena is coming back, I look forward to getting to know her better. I hope we don't have to wait too long.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-31353623253507812542013-09-21T17:05:00.000-04:002013-09-21T17:05:17.938-04:00"We'd like the visual..."Since the unfortunate landing short of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiana_Airlines_Flight_214">Asiana 214</a> at KSFO on July 6th, there has been much comment on the difficulty that some heavy iron drivers may have when confronted with a visual approach (as opposed to a coupled instrument approach where the automation does the heavy lifting). This would seem not, however, to be a universal preference as the following exchange heard last night near Joint Base Andrews at about 21Z illustrates:<br />
<p><ul><li>Air Force 1: "Potomac, Air Force One is 10 to the west at 10,000 on the FRDMM TWO arrival."<br />
<li>Potomac Approach: "Air Force One, descend and maintain 6,000 feet. Say approach requested.<br />
<li>Air Force 1: "Air Force One descending to 6,000...and we'd like the visual approach to 19 Right."<br />
</ul><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SnUKxNqxgBL12FrbW4SX3wTCBBWHifBQGY4bU8F6AuW1Asgvr_jWvdVcStNHaakd9lAkDDoXnD8hs99SVRj7j3p-wCcNrHcET-cdjZ0JFdKL5jawE-pYHzNfK7zjjm11fhRt3uMBV2M/s1600/air-force-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SnUKxNqxgBL12FrbW4SX3wTCBBWHifBQGY4bU8F6AuW1Asgvr_jWvdVcStNHaakd9lAkDDoXnD8hs99SVRj7j3p-wCcNrHcET-cdjZ0JFdKL5jawE-pYHzNfK7zjjm11fhRt3uMBV2M/s260/air-force-one.jpg" /></a></div>They had the boss on board, but with good Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) prevailing, I guess the crew of Air Force One felt confident about handling the visual approach at KADW.
<p>And may I add that I'm proud to share the airspace with them.
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-58708117746401065522013-09-13T22:14:00.000-04:002013-09-17T12:54:35.960-04:00Was that you, Sarah?We (meaning N631S and I) had to deal with some weather on departure from Bridgeport (KBDR) this afternoon – which all went pretty well with the help of New York Approach. Thereafter the trip was routine, until we were south of Baltimore (KBWI). We were direct to Nottingham VOR (OTT), having been given a "heads-up" to depart OTT on a 250 heading and expect the visual approach at home plate (KVKX). We'd even been descended to 4,000 feet. Normal stuff.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfh9znnYIjD97xH-618lzXf_-gUqTbE_I8umzn-TuIdlxc4U8QHEIMosye_eURgCh_CBHsnPlDNrezyvF-0Xhi8KYVqvVcA9ITkktQgYTfV8giqAIJ7KJcmj_lyHjvyNa0pBuL8PMelY/s1600/KBDRKVKX0914313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfh9znnYIjD97xH-618lzXf_-gUqTbE_I8umzn-TuIdlxc4U8QHEIMosye_eURgCh_CBHsnPlDNrezyvF-0Xhi8KYVqvVcA9ITkktQgYTfV8giqAIJ7KJcmj_lyHjvyNa0pBuL8PMelY/s280/KBDRKVKX0914313.JPG" /></a></div><p>That's when the nice controller said, "November 631 Sierra, descend and maintain 2,000, turn right to heading 240." It <i>did</i> sound a bit like my friend Sarah, but I didn't get a cheery, "Hi, Frank" so I don't know.<br />
<p>But at any rate, I smiled. From present position that 240 heading would take me right over Joint Base Andrews (KADW) and onto final for runway 24 at Potomac Field (KVKX). (See the plot at left, courtesy of <a href="http://www.flightaware.com" target="_blank">FlightAware.com</a>.) The wind was fairly strong from the west and 24 was going to be favored, so the shortcut across Andrews easily saved me 10 to 15 minutes. How nice is that? I keyed the mike and said, "31 Sierra hopes you'll pass my thanks along to the folks at Andrews." And that got the response, "We will!"<br />
<p>Visibility was fine, and from over the arrival ends of KADW's runways 1R and 1L I could see KVKX clearly. I reported that, and was cleared for the visual approach and invited to cancel IFR if I chose – which I did. The landing was uneventful.<br />
<p>So...an example of <a href=http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/569.pdf" target="_blank">"safe, orderly and <u>expeditious</u>"</a> handling on the part of Air Traffic Control (ATC). Just think, though, about what ATC had to do to save me those 15 minutes. The controller had to "have the flick" to the extent that she recognized, while handling the ongoing flow of air carrier aircraft into Washington National (KDCA), that little N631S would need to wind up on runway 24 at KVKX. She took the time to coordinate with Andrews so that I could be cleared to cross the south end of their airspace. And all of that was entirely on the controller's initiative. She could have just followed the path of least resistance by letting me continue to OTT, turn me southwest for a while and then head me in toward KVKX with a quick, "Report the field in sight." But that's not how she works.<br />
<p>I've heard General Aviation pilots complain about getting second-class service relative to the airlines. In my experience it's just not the case. If you bring your "A" game, and show the controller that you can respond competently, you and your <a href="http://www.avweb.com/news/airman/184499-1.html?redirected=1" target=_blank">"FLIB"</a> will get professional service. Every time. <br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-13920860300890732512013-08-17T21:13:00.000-04:002013-08-17T21:13:35.231-04:00Why KESN?In my <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-starring-role-in-security-theater.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, I described a bit of a kerfuffle that resulted when the system misplaced my authorization to land at my home airfield, KVKX, lying as it does within the DC Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ). This required that I divert to an alternate airfield outside of the FRZ and I chose Easton, MD (KESN) as my safe harbor. In a comment to the post describing all of this, my friend <a href="http://babesinopen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Comrade Misfit</a> asked, "Why Easton? Wouldn't it have been rather inconvenient to get home from the Eastern Shore if you couldn't have gotten the mess ironed out?"<br />
<p>I saw Miss Fit's comment a few hours ago and since, I've been reflecting on that decision. Why KESN, indeed? I think that the decision involved both conscious and sub-conscious factors that were focused, in the end, on ensuring that the pilot (i.e., me) did not wind up well behind the airplane.<br />
<p>N631S and I have been flying to and fro between the DC area and Connecticut for about five years. In that time, I've diverted at the south end to Manassas (KHEF) twice that I recall, and once to Easton (KESN). At the north end I've had two diversions to Bradley International (KBDL), one to Hartford-Brainerd (KHFD), two to Waterbury-Oxford (KOXC) and one to New Haven (KHVN). In every one of these cases, the diversion was due to weather. Each time I had at least 45 minutes, often an hour or more, to think over what was going to happen. Sure, I flew the ILS Runway 6 at KBDR, but I knew that the probability of making a landing was low, and I had 'Plan B' ready. Last Friday was a wholly different kettle of fish.<br />
<p>Friday afternoon, I was presented with a situation ("We're not going to be able to let you into the FRZ") that required a very short term resolution ("Say intentions"). There was no opportunity for an extended period of reflection and evaluation. It was all about, "OK, Frank, where are you gonna put the airplane?"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLlN0B1pqXMjUQqnwquc8aC78r2oxHx2xtTC4J0guKYj4ptWlhJcqpwUKWY4cOnxZbSJGqcb-by3iG9ZuBa23jGEAvCkWCqGrS_S_JF27j1RSMoZDrKMFmVfJnsk3ZPlIYLEXgkpp9D0/s1600/KBDR_KVKX_081613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLlN0B1pqXMjUQqnwquc8aC78r2oxHx2xtTC4J0guKYj4ptWlhJcqpwUKWY4cOnxZbSJGqcb-by3iG9ZuBa23jGEAvCkWCqGrS_S_JF27j1RSMoZDrKMFmVfJnsk3ZPlIYLEXgkpp9D0/s240/KBDR_KVKX_081613.JPG" /></a></div>The first criterion was to divert to a field outside the FRZ that I was very familiar with. That reduced down to Manassas, Gaithersburg and Easton. Perhaps I could have made Freeway work, but I've never landed there and I'd have only minutes to familiarize myself with it's location and characteristics.<br />
<p>Of the fields I was familiar with, I immediately felt that Easton was the most attractive. From present position, just south of Baltimore, Easton was less than 15 minutes away. I was confident that the problem was some sort of foul-up in getting the right "secret code" in the remarks field of my flight plan, and a new flight plan would resolve the issue. If that was the case the diversion, with the need to file a new flight plan, would cost me an hour. Manassas was, on the other hand, a good 30 minutes away and probably represented at least a 90 minute delay. Gaithersburg would be worse.<br />
<p>What if the problem was something completely different? What if the system had "forgotten" me, and there was no way I was going to fly into the FRZ on this evening? Well, I knew I could rent a car at either Easton or Manassas. The FBO's at both fields are superbly helpful. The drive home to Alexandria from Manassas would be a bit over an hour. From Easton, about an hour and a half. I knew...I've done both.<br />
<p>Given my confidence that a new flight plan entered into the system would resolve the issue, and given that the drive from KESN was only a little longer than the drive from KHEF (if that proved necessary)...then KESN was the right choice for the divert. And that's what I told Potomac Approach I wanted to do.<br />
<p>All of that decision making occurred in about two minutes. Some of it happened at a sub-conscious level. I never really thought about any field that I was not already familiar with. Freeway (W00) and it's ilk were rejected without conscious reflection. I thought of KGAI and quickly passed on it. Manassas (KHEF) got 30 seconds of attention, and didn't compare well with Easton. And that was the end of the story. Easton it would be.<br />
<p>When I told the PCT controller that I wanted to divert to Easton, he was ready immediately with a vector. The GPS told me that N631S and I would arrive at KESN in about 12 minutes. But before half of that time had elapsed, I got the welcome news that the problem had been resolved and I could proceed into the FRZ and on to KVKX.<br />
<p>After I landed and put N631S away in the hangar, and talked to Potomac Approach, I felt fairly good about the whole exercise. I'd had to deal with an unexpected diversion, sort out the options and select a diversion field, prepare for an arrival at an unplanned destination, and then switch back to the originally planned terminus – all in a compressed time-frame. Throughout, I had good help from ATC, but I felt pretty good about my ability to keep all of the balls in the air.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-42918456992932746452013-08-16T22:15:00.000-04:002013-08-21T13:31:12.002-04:00A Starring Role in "Security Theater"Home Plate for N631S and myself in the DC area is Potomac Airfield (KVKX). It's one of the "Maryland 3" airports (along with College Park (KCGS) and Hyde Field (W32)) that reside within the <a href="http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Air-Traffic-Services-,-a-,-Technology/Air-Traffic-Services-Brief-Washington-D-C-Flight-Restricted-Zone-DC-3-Airports" target="_blank">Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ)</a>, a circle (more or less) of airspace with a 14 nautical mile radius surrounding the DCA VOR. (See chart at left, below.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUYsXrucDKQNLc33eXj8FnZvpHMhvfx22FV1fo5DfxDtMdhn5dQPnS1tlzfHaHzEJ0O40hqYRKTxa2w_AtthA82X8L7sfG9Bwc8vtl3_TA6Oa4SBNyIiwYREbqrY8LQdZsPLN-gpmrv0/s1600/frz.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUYsXrucDKQNLc33eXj8FnZvpHMhvfx22FV1fo5DfxDtMdhn5dQPnS1tlzfHaHzEJ0O40hqYRKTxa2w_AtthA82X8L7sfG9Bwc8vtl3_TA6Oa4SBNyIiwYREbqrY8LQdZsPLN-gpmrv0/s240/frz.gif" /></a></div><p>I fly from KVKX because it is very convenient to my home in Alexandria, VA. Gaining authorization to fly in and out of KVKX (and the FRZ) required a certain amount of jumping through hoops but once that was accomplished the whole program has been, as they say, transparent to the user. Until tonight.<br />
<br />
<p>Here's how it works (and I'm going to confine this discussion to IFR operations. VFR has its own idiosyncrasies.) Whether outbound or inbound, I file an ordinary IFR flight plan by telephone through the <a href="https://www.afss.com/index.cfm" target="_blank">Lockheed-Martin Flight Service Station (FSS)</a> in Leesburg, using a toll-free number dedicated to FRZ operations. Sometimes the FSS Specialist that answers the telephone is in Raleigh, but that makes no difference.<br />
<p>I go through the normal IFR Flight Plan sequence with the Specialist and then he/she asks me, "Are you familiar with the procedures governing operations in the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area and the Flight Restricted Zone?" I then say, "Yes, I am!" The next question is, "What is your PIN?"<br />
<p>All pilots that have been "vetted" to operate into and out of the FRZ and the "Maryland 3" airports have been issued a Personal Identification Number (PIN). When I give my PIN to the FSS Specialist, he/she verifies it against a master list, and if it agrees with his/her list then he/she will (one fervently hopes) enter certain appropriate remarks into the "Remarks" field of my IFR flight plan. Then, when ATC pulls up the Flight Plan as I approach the FRZ (in the inbound case), the remarks make it clear that I am authorized to enter the FRZ and land at KVKX. It all works very nicely. Except when the remarks aren't there.<br />
<p>Which brings us to tonight, over Baltimore. It had been an uneventful flight down from Connecticut, and I was looking forward, as I crossed over the top of KBWI, to getting home. Then, I got a radio call:<br />
<ul><li>PCT: "N631 Sierra, Potomac?"<br />
<li>Me: "631 Sierra."<br />
<li>PCT: "Uh...just to let you know, there's some sort of problem with the remarks in your flight plan and we're trying to work it out...but we may not be able to let you into the FRZ...so you may want to start thinking about an alternate. For now, continue on your heading and maintain 6,000."<br />
<li>Me: "...OK...present heading, maintain 6,000, 631 Sierra."<br />
</ul><p>I continued southbound toward the Nottingham VOR (OTT), and thought about options. Easton, MD (KESN) was the best choice if I had to land outside the FRZ. From there I could call FSS and sort out the problem and then it would be a short flight back home. Then: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLlN0B1pqXMjUQqnwquc8aC78r2oxHx2xtTC4J0guKYj4ptWlhJcqpwUKWY4cOnxZbSJGqcb-by3iG9ZuBa23jGEAvCkWCqGrS_S_JF27j1RSMoZDrKMFmVfJnsk3ZPlIYLEXgkpp9D0/s1600/KBDR_KVKX_081613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLlN0B1pqXMjUQqnwquc8aC78r2oxHx2xtTC4J0guKYj4ptWlhJcqpwUKWY4cOnxZbSJGqcb-by3iG9ZuBa23jGEAvCkWCqGrS_S_JF27j1RSMoZDrKMFmVfJnsk3ZPlIYLEXgkpp9D0/s240/KBDR_KVKX_081613.JPG" /></a></div><ul><li>PCT: "631 Sierra, we're not going to be able to let you into the FRZ. Say intentions?"<br />
<li>Me: "I'd like to divert to Easton."<br />
<li>PCT: "Skylane 31 Sierra, fly heading 160, direct Easton when able."<br />
</ul><p>I turned to the east and started to gather up frequencies and such for an arrival at KESN (see track above, courtesy of FlightAware.com). Just as I had all of that more or less squared away, the controller came back to me: <ul><li>PCT: "631S, we've got it worked out! Turn right to heading 250, descend to 2,000, vectors for KVKX. And for what it's worth from my end, I apologize for all this."<br />
<li>Me: "31 Sierra, right turn to 250, down to 2,000, and no apology needed. I really appreciate you folks going the extra mile to get this cleared up."<br />
</ul><p>The remaining 15 minutes of the flight were uneventful. N631S and I landed at KVKX; I put the airplane to bed in the hangar and on the way out I stopped to give Potomac Approach a call. <ul><li>PCT: "Mount Vernon approach."<br />
<li>Me: "Hi, I'm the pilot of N631S; there was some confusion about the remarks for FRZ entry on my IFR flight plan and I'm wondering what went wrong."<br />
<li>PCT: "It was an FSS mistake. I pulled up your strip and the remarks weren't there. I know you come down every Friday, so I called NCRC (National Capital Region Coordination) and said 'Where are his remarks'? They didn't have the remarks. I got the supervisor involved and I guess he checked the tapes and he called back and said, 'he's OK, he should have the remarks.'<br />
<li>Me: "I guess they went back and listened to the tapes from this morning when I filed."<br />
<li>PCT: "Yeah, you filed at 12:08(Z), right? That's what they did. Again, I'm really sorry about all this."<br />
<li>Me: "And again, I really thank you folks for taking the trouble to get this squared away."<br />
</ul><p>Have I mentioned that I love Air Traffic Controllers? Tomorrow I'm going to give LockMart FSS a call to see if they have any ideas for avoiding a recurrence of the problem. <p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-52490257185305245572013-07-27T14:39:00.001-04:002013-07-27T14:39:11.912-04:00Unflappable!When N631S and I departed KVKX last Monday for the trip north to Connecticut, Bridgeport (KBDR) was reporting a 900 foot overcast that was forecast to improve to 1,500 broken around 9AM local time. There were no NOTAM's related to the ILS, so it looked like a good situation.<br />
<p>By the time we were abeam Atlantic City the overcast at KBDR had dropped to 700 feet and by the time we were over the top of JFK it was down to 300 – which is the Decision Altitude for the ILS Runway 6 approach. But there we were, so we flew the approach to have a look. At 300 feet there was nothing but gray in the windshield and we proceeded to fly the missed approach. Checking back on with New York, we heard the expected, "Say intentions." My reply was "Skylane 31 Sierra would like to divert to Oxford." Oxford was reporting a 900 foot overcast.<br />
<p>The controller said, "Maintain 3,000 feet, fly heading 250, vectors for the ILS 36 approach at Oxford." Which will bring us to the point of the story.<br />
<p>New York vectored us onto the final approach course for the ILS Runway 36 approach and handed us off to Oxford Tower. I checked in outside the Final Approach Fix (FAF) and was cleared to land. As usual, I was flying the ILS with 10° of flaps and about 14 inches manifold pressure. This nicely results in about 95 knots and a 600 to 700 feet per minute descent.<br />
<p>We broke out of the schmoo at about 800 feet; there was the runway. At about 500 feet I pitched the nose up a bit to slow N631S and reached over to move the flap control to the fully down position. And...<i>nothing happened.</i> To my surprise, with the flap control fully down, there was no additional flap deployment at all. The flaps just sat there at about 10° extension.<br />
<p>Oxford (KOXC) has about 7,000 feet of runway and landing with 10° flaps is a non-event. In fact, the landing was excellent...a "greaser" (more on that in a bit). I taxied over to the FBO and tried cycling the flaps. Nothing I did would produce more than 10° of movement. So I waited for the ceiling to lift in Bridgeport (which took about an hour), and flew back down there – executing another non-full-flaps landing on arrival. Which led to the next surprise.<br />
<p>The landing at KBDR was not as pretty as the one in Oxford had been; in fact it was a bit of an 'arrival'. With 10° of flaps deployed and the flap control lever in the fully lowered position, the main gear contacted the runway with a hefty 'thump'...and the rest of the flaps deployed very nicely as I rolled down the runway.<br />
<p>Taxiing to the tiedown, I cycled the flaps up and down and got nothing but 'ops normal'. Lever up, flaps up; lever fully down, flaps fully down. All working the way it's supposed to. Drat! I secured N631S and found Tony the Mechanic in the maintenance hangar. He listened to my story and agreed that there was nothing to be done until the failure showed up again.<br />
<p>So...on Wednesday morning, I went back to the airport, opened up N631S, turned the Master Switch ON, and moved the flap control all the way down. The motor began to run, the flaps deployed to 10° – and stopped! Yay! I promptly secured the airplane and went to find Tony.<br />
<p>"Hey, Tony," I called, "Good news – the flaps aren't working!" This drew a strange look from a couple of other people, and a smile from Tony who said, "Good...we'll pull it in here gently, and look for the problem." I guess that it's only in the world of maintenance that the recurrence of a problem is a good thing and its absence is a bad thing. Pilots and mechanics know perfectly well that the problem WILL return...probably when you really don't need it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9oykOLhm09t3WiBAC5bX5NgG25YQk_9t6BEDbaAbfrjcPaIR-ecY-NGuYtneqYZLdNPxayxpj7fpCVQbaCd_uMHyQFt6LZYqzTyweBvfT8QN84gzF4qh4HzNwTzcbw6nrdUlAzdGCdA/s1600/flap+control.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9oykOLhm09t3WiBAC5bX5NgG25YQk_9t6BEDbaAbfrjcPaIR-ecY-NGuYtneqYZLdNPxayxpj7fpCVQbaCd_uMHyQFt6LZYqzTyweBvfT8QN84gzF4qh4HzNwTzcbw6nrdUlAzdGCdA/s240/flap+control.jpg" /></a></div><p>The next morning, Tony reported that the problem was fixed. "I turned the master on, and reached up under the panel and moved some wires and the motor started and lowered the flaps. Aha! Pulled the seat out and got under there. A wire to one of the switches was almost broken but not quite – that's why it was intermittent."<br />
<p>Have a look at the picture. When you lower the flap control, it moves the cam and that closes the 'flap down' switch (green in the picture). As the flaps go down, the follower mechanism rotates the switch mount arm and the position indicator until the switch opens and the flaps stop moving – at the ordered position. (It was a wire to this switch that had failed.) When you're done with the flaps, the cam moves the other way, closes the 'flap up' switch, and the process runs in the opposite direction. They've got clever designers out in Wichita!<br />
<p>So N631S is completely healthy again, I get to land with all the flaps I want, and the fix was easy and fairly painless. One of the joys of curating a 36 year old aircraft, I suppose.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-35162923225812516572013-07-01T17:30:00.000-04:002013-07-02T13:45:07.857-04:00Book Review: "QF32" by Capt. Richard de CrespignyOn last Thursday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released the <a href="http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2010/aair/ao-2010-089.aspx" target="_blank">final report</a> from its investigation into the causes and consequences of the uncontained catastrophic failure of a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine that occurred 4 November 2010. The engine in question was at the time occupying the number 2 position on the wing of a Qantas A380 climbing out from Singapore.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://qf32.aero/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHTh8rmsgFBTSJgPR9jIfPBevoY89F3ORLUF7KHhnn_GqbaM6IVKseGiebF_sbhK4okLV-7HkYH1m_TOREi4tx63pkkhw9F5av6sgVVYEonseV8pSqnrmTdOkN00M7VpuQAeOEW53aLQ/s240/deCrespigny.jpg" /><br />
"QF32"<br />
by Richard de Crespigny<br />
355pp; Macmillan, 2012</a></div>The ATSB report is a fascinating engineering document. It covers thoroughly the reasons for the engine's detonation, the nature and extent of the resulting collateral damage, and the very fortunate absence of any significant airframe fire. It does not, however, dwell at any length on the actions and performance of the flight crew during the event and its aftermath. That side of the story is told well by the pilot-in-command, Capt. Richard C. de Crespigny, in his excellent book, <i>QF32</i>. (The title is the Qantas flight number on which the incident occurred.) Capt. de Crespigny provides the reader with both a gripping narrative and a satisfying explication of technical detail. In addition to being a master aviator, the Captain proves to be a gifted explainer.<br />
<p>The author allots roughly the first 40% of the book to telling us about his journey from his youth through his introduction to flying, his training and assignments in the RAAF, his progression through increasingly challenging – and rewarding – flying jobs at Qantas, and (I think, importantly) his founding and nurturing of a <a href="http://www.aeronaut.biz/ecommerce/" target="_blank">successful computer software business</a>. It was a journey that brought him, on that November morning in 2010, to the left seat of an Airbus A380 named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Bird_Walton" target="_blank"><i>Nancy-Bird Walton</i></a> and to the moment when, four minutes after takeoff and passing through 7,400 feet, he heard a double "Boom!...BOOM!"<br />
<p>Thus began an incredibly intense one hour and 45 minutes of managing a dauntingly complex systems troubleshooting process while nursing a crippled airplane that had sustained an unknown level of damage. If you wanted to specify the perfect aviator to put in charge of these tasks you would design Richard Champion de Crespigny. From the perspective of stick-and-rudder aviating, his experience flying deHavilland <i>Caribou</i> STOL transports and <i>Iroquois</i> helicopters gave him familiarity with taking machines to the edges of their aerodynamic limits. And his intimate knowledge of software design and behavior not only gave him the motivation to understand the Airbus computer protocols at a deep level, but also a well-honed feeling for the ways that software systems respond to degradation and damage.<br />
<p>As fortune would have it there were five pilots on the A380's flight deck that morning – the normal crew of two plus a relief Second Officer, a Check Captain and a Supervising Check Captain. When the Trent 900 'grenaded', taking with it numerous ancillary systems, the resulting flood of messages from the airplane's computers, some logical and some not, kept all hands busy. The author admits to reaching task saturation in the midst of this chaos until (as he puts it), "..I had my epiphany. My mind switched."<br />
<blockquote>"I inverted the logic. I remembered what Gene Kranz, NASA's Flight Director, said during the Apollo 13 mission: 'Hold it! I don't care about what went wrong. I need to know what is still working...' We went back to basics and it became easy..."</blockquote><p>From that point, the crew focused on assuring themselves that they had a controllable airplane with minimally functional systems that could safely be landed within the constraints of Singapore's main runway. As they made configuration changes for landing, Capt. de Crespigny disengaged the autopilot and performed 'control checks', a military technique for verifying controllability of an aircraft that has suffered battle-damage. This isn't found in any Airbus manual, but it assured the crew that the airplane would be stable down to the runway.<br />
<p>Runway 20C at Singapore is 4,000 meters long. The author's colleagues on board had calculated that in its damaged condition the A380 would need 3,900 meters to stop if the Pilot Flying executed a perfect touchdown. At the end of a long straight-in approach, Capt. de Crespigny did just that and got the airplane stopped 150 meters short of the runway's end. And that was the end of the beginning.<br />
<p>The big Airbus now sat at the end of the runway, surrounded by emergency equipment. Flammable jet fuel gushed from the perforated left wing. The brakes glowed, nearly white-hot at over 900°C. And the Number 1 engine refused to shut down. The flight was ended, but not the danger.<br />
<p>The decision was taken to <u>not</u> deploy the escape slides for evacuation. The environment outside the aircraft was more hazardous than the inside. So the cabin crew stood by at the armed doors and stairs and ground transport for the passengers were called for. About an hour after touchdown, the first passenger walked down the stairs and to the first bus; the last passenger debarked about an hour later. At last, the tension subsided. It was three hours and 39 minutes since the Number 2 engine had exploded.<br />
<p>In the days and weeks that followed, Capt. de Crespigny and the rest of the flight and cabin crews of QF32 were justly celebrated. Honors and awards were the order of the day. But the author candidly and generously shares his experience with post-crisis psychological reactions to the stressful experience. He sought and received professional help with Post-Crisis Management, and after a couple of months returned to the left-seat on the A380 flight deck.<br />
<p>It's very interesting to compare Richard de Crespigny's experience on QF32 with that of 'Sully' Sullenberger, who famously landed Cactus 1549 in the Hudson River (as described in his book <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-reviews-highest-duty-by-capt.html" target="_blank"><i>Highest Duty</i></a>) after losing both engines as a result of bird strikes. To the best of my knowledge, Capt. Sullenberger has never mentioned any post-crisis effects, but his crisis was over within about 15 minutes. Capt. de Crespigny had to operate under extreme stress for over three hours. Soaking in adrenalin for that long has got to have some side-effects.<br />
<p>There are numerous lessons to be taken from the QF32 story. One stands out for me, and it is this: When it all goes pear-shaped, only the attention of highly skilled, highly trained, highly proficient professional aviators stands between the passengers and disaster. Richard de Crespigny and his colleagues proved this. 'Sully' Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles proved this. And sadly, the crew of Air France 447 seem to have proven the converse. <br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhfQOEn1SeDS6DqZrhNAUShe3DVmzOA5eHBKHGQGAzyY2zQSHh6bPNwKh1AaRtERGNcCfd2DHGUrmfDquNY6FZlY5gvTjJNtEYrM6r1tdsfMtr_U_Jo56HpG1iWd6U4n0qHoeSQIb-6g/s1600/2012+05+May+QF2+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhfQOEn1SeDS6DqZrhNAUShe3DVmzOA5eHBKHGQGAzyY2zQSHh6bPNwKh1AaRtERGNcCfd2DHGUrmfDquNY6FZlY5gvTjJNtEYrM6r1tdsfMtr_U_Jo56HpG1iWd6U4n0qHoeSQIb-6g/s420/2012+05+May+QF2+038.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 0.8em;">"The Office" of an A380 at FL330 over France on a quiet evening. (Photo courtesy Capt. R. Ch. de Crespigny)</span><br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-79227183460604059582013-06-29T16:15:00.001-04:002013-06-30T14:05:08.065-04:00Summer FunYesterday's trip from Connecticut down to the DC area was sufficiently entertaining to warrant a post here. Also, it gives me an opportunity to again express appreciation for the amazing skill and willing team-effort on the part of the controllers who shepard N631S and me along our route and keep us out of trouble. In this instance, particular kudos go to the folks at Harrisburg Approach and Potomac Consolidated TRACON (PCT).<br />
<p>I'd been watching the weather map for several days and the synoptic picture forecast for Friday afternoon wasn't very nice. A cold front associated with a deep trough was approaching from the West and was forecast to stall along the coast on Friday. Conditions would be ripe for lots of convective activity. Thus, the Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) for Washington's National Airport (KDCA) was unsurprising:<br />
<pre><span style="font-size: 0.9em;">TAF AMD KDCA 281852Z 2819/2918 19010KT 5SM TSRA BKN050CB
<span style="color: red;">TEMPO 2819/2820 VRB30KT 2SM +TSRA OVC030CB
FM282200 25007KT P6SM VCTS BKN050CB</span>
FM290000 27005KT P6SM VCTS BKN050CB
FM290100 27005KT P6SM BKN050
FM290400 VRB03KT P6SM SCT130
FM291600 21007KT P6SM BKN050=</span></pre>I was planning a departure at about 1930Z, so the period of heavy thundershowers (+TSRA) was expected to be over well before my arrival, but the prevailing weather for the whole evening was calling for thundershowers in the vicinity. The TAF's for intermediate locations enroute looked pretty much the same.<br />
<p>I decided to depart anyway, watch the weather carefully, and if necessary, land before things got boisterous and wait it out – overnight if necessary. Despite the highly convective environment, this was "air-mass" weather, not frontal activity. The organized lines of storms accompanying a front defy penetration, while the more scattered weather in store in this case often offers a way through if approached with an abundance of caution, lots of information and plenty of fuel.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUN2RaEtpiCc68oHzweZcR6sVs0KYlalHDDgKvkjKJY95DCZgPlzUTD-F6CAFgg-OxogwHioMejlnUB49JClnsbCtb9KR5IN7FT81fPEeoSlSdoSk9SKfIrpvuN9oHwwqbfX5hnUDQxs/s1600/2013-06-28_16-23-32_836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUN2RaEtpiCc68oHzweZcR6sVs0KYlalHDDgKvkjKJY95DCZgPlzUTD-F6CAFgg-OxogwHioMejlnUB49JClnsbCtb9KR5IN7FT81fPEeoSlSdoSk9SKfIrpvuN9oHwwqbfX5hnUDQxs/s240/2013-06-28_16-23-32_836.jpg" /></a></div>Everything was peaceful for the first hour or so, but westbound, passing Allentown (KABE) and approaching the turn to the south onto V39 toward Lancaster VOR (LRP), the NEXRAD display showed that things would soon become interesting. Allentown Approach handed us off to Harrisburg Approach a few miles east of FLOAT intersection. Checking in with Harrisburg, after the normal dialog involving altimeter settings, I asked, "Harrisburg, Skylane 31 Sierra is wondering what weather you're painting along Victor 39 to Lancaster and then south towards Baltimore?"<br />
<p>The controller's reply was, "Everything looks good as far as Lancaster, then there's a band of precipitation, heavy to extreme, from south of Lancaster and to the northeast about 50 miles."<br />
<p>I then asked, "Have you got a work-around for that band? I don't want to go and paint myself into a corner down there."<br />
<p>This drew a "Skylane 31 Sierra, stand by," which meant that I had him thinking about the problem. After a pause of about a minute, the controller came back to me with, "Skylane 31 Sierra, it looks like after Lancaster, Victor 143 down toward the BRINS intersection will keep you clear of the weather. Then you can go direct Baltimore." It was my turn to say, "Stand by." I grabbed the Low Altitude chart from the seat next to me, quickly flipped it open to the panel depicting Lancaster, found V143 (which departs LRP on about a 248 heading) and traced it to the Southwest, and located BRINS. I compared that with the NEXRAD depiction and then pressed the Push-to-Talk switch. "Harrisburg, 31 Sierra likes the looks of Victor 143 after Lancaster. I think that's a plan."<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLLkrzRN3sWRAlueCCrzWgwvRs5aEUKWngar0J8nkT5ADbHojTaZLrEfZbmxVrsGOZqIWha6tBW8Q3nJd4HdYeNyZAJd5dBLD4PxFdDkYRVO3yrPNHLAdJob9KZfFN18W_UaKqubJdTU/s1600/2013-06-28_16-49-23_269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLLkrzRN3sWRAlueCCrzWgwvRs5aEUKWngar0J8nkT5ADbHojTaZLrEfZbmxVrsGOZqIWha6tBW8Q3nJd4HdYeNyZAJd5dBLD4PxFdDkYRVO3yrPNHLAdJob9KZfFN18W_UaKqubJdTU/s240/2013-06-28_16-49-23_269.jpg" /></a></div>After another minute or two I heard, "Skylane 31 Sierra, you are cleared present position direct to Lancaster, Victor 143 to HYPER intersection, then direct to Baltimore, direct to destination. HYPER is a little further, you'll probably be able to turn toward Baltimore before you get there." I read that clearance back, ending with a sincere "Thanks very much." Looking at the weather depiction and noting that the storm cells were moving to the East, it appeared that I'd be in the clear all the way down V143 – and that indeed proved to be the case.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDjdPYK2HJQnL6IvProbG-6nLu8awZ5_szGmtiw27tF31MSXApfozDmfIyzv-DoaMco4xRqFOB01uWs_Xw86SBUCAW6KXSMpdtIGcY6yYe_Wvl2cy6bbS6S_udxORNkC9hU9pPEBzlAQ/s1600/2013-06-28_17-09-31_81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDjdPYK2HJQnL6IvProbG-6nLu8awZ5_szGmtiw27tF31MSXApfozDmfIyzv-DoaMco4xRqFOB01uWs_Xw86SBUCAW6KXSMpdtIGcY6yYe_Wvl2cy6bbS6S_udxORNkC9hU9pPEBzlAQ/s240/2013-06-28_17-09-31_81.jpg" /></a></div>Harrisburg handed us off to Potomac Approach and N631S and I motored along Victor 143, skirting the Northwest edge of the weather. The Potomac controller gave me the customary amendment to my routing, "After Baltimore, direct Nottingham then direct destination," and about ten miles short of BRINS he gave me a 220 heading, adding, "Turn east direct Baltimore when able. Just let me know when you make the turn." It looked to me like it would be about 20 miles before that would be a fine idea.<br />
<p>I turned N631S toward Baltimore, still in the clear and keeping the weather well off to our left. About 25 miles West of Baltimore, the PCT controller said, "Skylane 31 Sierra, there's some weather moving in to the South of Baltimore; that direct Nottingham route may not work. I'd suggest you tell the next controller you'll need to deviate to the East to stay clear of that weather." I acknowledged that with thanks, and got "Contact Potomac on 119.85."<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5r34XBis-eqHlleKPa03BwqIG_NDCLOJ5ZvzZMFhwkUBoI7BXfd0mm85Jp4TjjMgjhJJFEttrAWOifjaRKlBAznZlvcWFPi4k5BnVomuBaFzExd_qyXPBZHc5mY7Uaji90t74CaX87OA/s1600/2013-06-28_17-30-58_158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5r34XBis-eqHlleKPa03BwqIG_NDCLOJ5ZvzZMFhwkUBoI7BXfd0mm85Jp4TjjMgjhJJFEttrAWOifjaRKlBAznZlvcWFPi4k5BnVomuBaFzExd_qyXPBZHc5mY7Uaji90t74CaX87OA/s240/2013-06-28_17-30-58_158.jpg" /></a></div>After checking in with the next sector I requested a left-of-course deviation for weather avoidance. She replied with, "31 Sierra, do you have weather radar on board?" I said, "31 Sierra has a NEXRAD weather display."<br />
<p>The controller then said, "Go ahead and navigate around the weather to the east. Just let me know what turns you're making." I said, "31 Sierra is going to go from present position on a 160 heading for a while, then I'll go direct Nottingham when able." This drew, "31 Sierra, that's approved."<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_FBmX-O6qRIurIuBESqGsPfTz1bL54Ksra6ZhMYsig_FplW4ZICmGnKN-BgXboArz_vjWfhu8TB446Q0c0aEnwiYCoFPC5ue89iA1zwLmeLIQxy6ltAi9jhpTtwMxWvAYTKuID2SXXQ/s1600/2013-06-28_17-40-53_17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_FBmX-O6qRIurIuBESqGsPfTz1bL54Ksra6ZhMYsig_FplW4ZICmGnKN-BgXboArz_vjWfhu8TB446Q0c0aEnwiYCoFPC5ue89iA1zwLmeLIQxy6ltAi9jhpTtwMxWvAYTKuID2SXXQ/s240/2013-06-28_17-40-53_17.jpg" /></a></div>I kept N631S on the 160 heading for 12 or 15 miles, descending first to 4,000 feet and then to 3,000. When I could see past the weather to my right I turned toward Nottingham and said (in response to the controller's query) that I'd like the visual approach to Runway 6 at KVKX. <br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBYxh3h15QlIpLDcSU0W8AYmjp8Eq8Z1J0x0t-uY9uhY_F6pMKrd17bTtteu3FXP_8FEStio6Qf01MWRS4ok183JAy-Z8VG52P-f_Uztu3HBI1IGfn7p3Okm1rsyCb2hjw3axKYa8TTA/s1600/2013-06-28_17-41-00_305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBYxh3h15QlIpLDcSU0W8AYmjp8Eq8Z1J0x0t-uY9uhY_F6pMKrd17bTtteu3FXP_8FEStio6Qf01MWRS4ok183JAy-Z8VG52P-f_Uztu3HBI1IGfn7p3Okm1rsyCb2hjw3axKYa8TTA/s240/2013-06-28_17-41-00_305.jpg" /></a></div>As you can see from the picture at left, that was a fairly enthusiastic patch of weather off N631S's right wing. The overhanging cloud shelf was pretty dramatic as well. <br />
<p>And here's a half-minute of video recorded in about the same spot:<br />
<iframe width="440" height="245" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Dadb5Se08IE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<p>A few miles to the south, the way was clear for a turn toward home plate and the landing at Potomac Airfield was uneventful. It took about a half-hour to get N631S put to bed in the hangar, and as I was driving off of the airfield the heavens opened and gave forth an impressive deluge, leaving me thinking that timing is everything.<br />
<p>All things considered, the conditions for this flight were pretty challenging. Good on-board weather awareness (i.e., NEXRAD) was a 'no-go' item but the real essentials were a creative and savvy controller at Harrisburg approach who quickly developed a workable re-route, and a couple of smart, and above all <i>flexible</i> controllers at PCT who made it possible for me to complete the trip safely. My profound thanks to all.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-35687735583152299002013-06-08T14:57:00.000-04:002013-06-08T15:25:13.906-04:00Sidebar!One of the most enjoyable parts of blog-keeping hereabouts is the curating of the sidebar. That stuff over there on the right, adjacent to the primary content column. The process is fun and it leads to places.<br />
<p>For example...<a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-gyro-life-and-times-of.html" target="_blank">my recent review</a> (rant?) of the biography of Lawrence B. Sperry started out down there in the depths of the sidebar. I had decided to "enhance" the entries on my favorite designers with an appropriate quotation from each, revealed on mouse-over using the HTML <i>abbr</i> tag. A significant amount of Google-aided research failed to provide me with anything memorable from young Mr. Sperry, so I decided to obtain his biography where a nice quote was found. And if you've read the review you know the rest of the story.<br />
<p>I add things now and then. A recent inclusion is the panel showing five recent tweets (or retweets) sourced from my Twitter account. (If you feel like following, that'd be most welcomed.)<br />
<p>So, you're invited to slide on over to the right and poke around the sidebar. If you're moved to offer any comments or suggestions I'd appreciate hearing them (perhaps in a comment on this post). And as always, thanks for stopping by.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-36525156930407236242013-06-05T16:39:00.000-04:002013-06-05T16:39:52.167-04:00Book Review: "Gyro! The Life and Times of Lawrence Sperry" by William W. DavenportIt has been my practice to confine book review posts to books that I would recommend to a friend as being enjoyable or instructive – or, preferably, both. In that light, the book I'm about to discuss, William Wyatt Davenport's <i>Gyro! The Life and Times of Lawrence Sperry</i>, is troubling. It does indeed present an enjoyable story. And, reading it does prove instructive...but not in the way one usually hopes. The lesson of the book is that some biographies may be works of fiction clad in a thin layer of verisimilitude, and that a healthy skepticism is a useful tool for the reader of history.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gyro-life-times-Lawrence-Sperry/dp/0684157934/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369947050&sr=1-2&keywords=Gyro%21" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="274" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadOkAywi57HNH6ixmjU3TgGZAsJOSxqiCjV-EsEascJAg0dI6YrG62JZvh5k3Zo1aWrXf-JzRsTcHvgVqpcOgAOZd61bXK3GEUvqsvMtKgXwXyGQiQOkJ4qYpxDBgJmOvpEocXRbJlCU/s320/gyro.jpg" /><br />
"Gyro! The Life and Times<br />
of Lawrence Sperry"<br />
by William Wyatt Davenport<br />
348pp; Scribners, 1978</a></div>I wanted to learn more about Lawrence Sperry, as the stories commonly told about his brief and colorful life consistently rendered him as a fascinating character. What better approach, thought I, than to lay hands on a copy of his biography? This was readily accomplished with the aid of a used book vendor, facilitated by the good folks at Amazon.com. But very soon after opening the book I encountered a warning sign. What does one make of a biographer who, in the Acknowledgements at the front of the work, says this:<blockquote>"As in every life that has been lived to the hilt, there are hiatuses, documents that have been lost or suppressed, the ambiguities of reality, questions that have not been answered, problems that have not been solved. In such cases, in my attempt to gather up the radiance of a dynamic personality, I <i>have been authorized to indulge in some judicious speculation and have occasionally asserted poetic truths where actual facts were missing.</i>" (<i>emphasis</i> added)</blockquote><p>I had to read that twice. It took a while for the realization to solidify that the author was saying, "When I didn't have solid evidence to tell the subject's story, I just made stuff up." Really? At this point I went directly to the back of the volume where I found no list of sources and no end notes...just a somewhat sparse index. The conclusion became obvious: nothing in this book can be trusted. Any assertion made by the author is just as likely to be a "poetic truth" as an "actual fact".<br />
<p>Lawrence Burst Sperry deserved better than this.<br />
<p>Some examples illustrate the scope of the problem. The book tells a tale (one can't say "<i>the</i> tale") of the development of the gyro-stabilizer (precursor of the autopilot) for use in aircraft. It would have you believe that Lawrence, with minimal involvement of his father, the noted engineer Elmer A. Sperry, designed, developed and demonstrated the apparatus completely on his own. His native genius is depicted as a perfect substitute for the engineering education he regarded as unnecessary. But other sources cast doubt on this charming narrative.<br />
<p>A <a href="http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/Sperry_Elmer.pdf" target="_blank">biographical memoir</a> on Elmer A. Sperry by J.C. Hunsaker (published in 1954 by the National Academy of Sciences) has this to say:<blockquote>"As <i>(Elmer)</i> Sperry was tied up with...other activities, he called in his friend Hannibal C. Ford, an extremely clever designer of intricate apparatus. Ford and Sperry together started on the design of a gyro compass... As a sideline they designed a small gyro stabilizer for an airplane..."</blockquote>This was in 1910. Hunsaker goes on to say:<blockquote>"In 1913 conditions seemed ripe for resuming the airplane<br />
stabilizer work started but discontinued in 1910. Sperry knew Glenn Curtiss at the Aero Club in New York, got in touch<br />
with him, and arranged to send his son Lawrence to Curtiss's shop at Hammondsport. Lawrence Sperry had already built<br />
and flown his own airplane and later was awarded F.A.I. Pilot's License No. 11.<br />
<p>The Aero Club of France announced an international competition for a safe airplane with a prize of 50,000 francs to be awarded to the winner. Curtiss, in whose flying boat the gyro stabilizer had been tested, persuaded Sperry to send Lawrence to Paris to compete for the prize. The demonstration flight was made in June 1914.<br />
<p>As the plane flew low past the judges' stand the mechanic climbed out on the wing and Lawrence stood up in the open<br />
cockpit raising both hands above his head. This was indeed convincing; nothing like it had ever been seen before. He won the prize."</blockquote>The patent application for the airplane stabilizer was filed on 17 July 1914 and led to the issuance of <a href="http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=01368226&SectionNum=1&IDKey=F3D0514FA632&HomeUrl=http://pimg-piw.uspto.gov/" target="_blank">US patent 1,368,226</a>. The sole inventor named on the patent is Elmer A. Sperry. In addition, the work to develop the airplane stabilizer was honored with the award of the prestigious Collier Trophy for 1914. One name is <a href="http://airandspace.si.edu/images/collections/media/full/A19520061000.jpg" target="_blank">engraved on the trophy</a> for that year – that of Elmer A. Sperry.<br />
<p>Was Lawrence involved in, and important to, the project? Most certainly. Was he the driving force behind it? It would seem not.<br />
<p>Another example revolves around the origins of the aircraft type most often associated with Lawrence Sperry – and the one that eventually took his life. Known most commonly as the Sperry <i>Messenger</i>, it got its start in life, according to the author, when:<blockquote>"Billy Mitchell...wanted an inexpensive, maneuverable little single-seat plane that the Army could use as a training ship for pursuit aviation. This coincided precisely with Lawrence's desire for a single-seater sports plane. <i>He went to his drawing board and designed a small biplane</i> whose lower wing was almost unnoticeable. Delighted with the design, Billy Mitchell ordered three of the planes, the first sports plane in American aviation, for the War Department. This plane was the famous Sperry Messenger; it was Billy Mitchell who gave it it's name." (<i>Emphasis</i> added.)</blockquote>But other sources tell a different tale. For example, K.O. Eckland's authoritative <a href="http://www.aerofiles.com" target="_blank">Aerofiles</a> site says:<blockquote><b>"M-1 Messenger, M-1A, MAT</b> (Verville-Sperry) 1920 = Army liaison and utility. Designed at McCook Field by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_V._Verville" target="_blank">Alfred Verville</a>; aka Engineering Division M-1. Ailerons on all wings. POP: 22 as military M-1 and 20 as M-1A, plus 1 civil sport version that failed to spark any public interest, and the idea was never pursued."</blockquote>Did Lawrence Sperry go "to his drawing board" and give birth to the <i>Messenger</i>? He absolutely did not. The talented Alfred Verville, working for the Army, designed the airplane and the Lawrence B. Sperry Airplane Co. was then hired to build it. (The Smithsonian, by the way, <a href="http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19580040000" target="_blank">agrees</a>.)<br />
<p>There are other statements at variance with accepted facts throughout the book. The text includes many instances of direct quotes from conversations where only two people were present and no record could have been made. More of those "poetic truths", I suppose.<br />
<p>The question I'm left with is, "Why?" To what end does the author steal the glory of Elmer Sperry, Alfred Verville and others and assign it to Lawrence Sperry? He had plenty of his own glory as the legitimate inventor of the life-saving gyroscopic turn-and-bank indicator (see US 1,433,102), as developer of major improvements in pack parachutes for pilots, as a central part of the project that developed the first "cruise missile", as a renowned aviator and proselytizer for flying in its early days. And yes, even as the spiritual founder of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_high_club" target="_blank">Mile High Club</a> (with essential assistance from Mrs. Waldo Polk). Why would the author risk his credibility, with all of this to work with?<br />
<p>Perhaps the clue lies in the use (seen above, in the quoted segment about "speculation" and "poetic truths") of the word <i>authorized</i>. I'd suggest that the author was not free to write his own book. Someone else had to be considered and satisfied. The story that was told had to be, at the end of the day, the <i>authorized</i> version. What a shame.<br />
<p>If you want to learn about Lawrence B. Sperry, go ahead and read this book. Then verify anything of particular interest through other credible sources. That's the only way you'll sieve out the "actual facts" and leave behind the "poetic truths."<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-32605755333485478072013-05-27T15:01:00.000-04:002013-05-27T15:01:35.885-04:005,000 Flags of RemembranceThe <a href="http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/alexandriava.asp" target="_blank">Alexandria National Cemetery</a> is just a couple of blocks west of my home in Virginia. This morning it was, as it usually is, peaceful and serene. There are about 5,000 gravesites there; it has long been filled to capacity. But while the rituals of commemoration have shifted to Arlington, remembrance continues. This morning's sun rose on 5,000 flags, one placed at each marker to say to those that rest here (and to those that love them), "We <i>WILL NOT</i> forget!'<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCYEqkMr7xU-yw1V6LiF7iy9n8JwtrcAIqZGBFwzYLfdWS_MunY5kuOvXTsHCz-8QmgDEQAtW36b5gEo_h4zllxI5Kd9pEXxERQIGAenmBD6LhWQ_exr-xYJz4HEOb8AOVckgcm86lFM/s1600/Nat'l+Cemetery+Alex+VA+052713.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" height="300" width="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCYEqkMr7xU-yw1V6LiF7iy9n8JwtrcAIqZGBFwzYLfdWS_MunY5kuOvXTsHCz-8QmgDEQAtW36b5gEo_h4zllxI5Kd9pEXxERQIGAenmBD6LhWQ_exr-xYJz4HEOb8AOVckgcm86lFM/s320/Nat'l+Cemetery+Alex+VA+052713.jpg" /></a><br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75ewsAO4FJx_dMGJr6z8zWaqNePAcwLANfxP7bHzCCRGK8zzJK6TMbz4eyWhdKgjsWu5WdwzmDxKwVvhBLaR0mpeu0Q57Y6AUJZFyK4sfy-BR9cVDfjmlIVp4StlHnLQWk1xVfAIukjM/s1600/EdPeters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75ewsAO4FJx_dMGJr6z8zWaqNePAcwLANfxP7bHzCCRGK8zzJK6TMbz4eyWhdKgjsWu5WdwzmDxKwVvhBLaR0mpeu0Q57Y6AUJZFyK4sfy-BR9cVDfjmlIVp4StlHnLQWk1xVfAIukjM/s320/EdPeters.jpg" /></a><br>As always on Memorial Day, my thoughts turn to my uncle, Tec 4 Edmund J. Peters, Jr., 188th Glider Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division, who fell on 17 February 1945 in the assault on Fort McKinley and rests at the American Military Cemetery in Manila. May he rest in peace.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-66403392929874421252013-04-30T16:22:00.000-04:002013-05-01T08:52:48.032-04:002013 Annual Inspection (ii)This year's Annual Inspection, now completed, was an unusual one. And I mean that in a good way. There was very little "emergent" work resulting from the inspection and most of the work effort was focused on items properly classifiable as "maintenance". Even the one major cost item, the inspection and resealing of the propeller (first discussed <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2013/04/2013-annual-inspection-i.html" target="_blank"><i>here</i></a>) was not the result of a "squawk". The prop was turning just fine when removed from the airframe.<br />
<p>If you wonder what happens when the propeller shop is told to "IRAN & Reseal" rather than overhaul, the log entry for the propeller work is instructive:<br />
<blockquote>"Propeller disassembled, cleaned and visually inspected for red dye oil leak. Replaced all seals and gaskets. Reassembled, set angles, track and balanced. Propeller filled with red dyed oil and pressure tested."</blockquote><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenebhVFHKRTfKK5upFIu3DU6_x5-EL7td2nOt1arP6o-x-0IMce5O6kr0bGb1FJrjrjuoWWeD0yZ_WuXDNb0lzIBtH-iOQ22u-VWpo3bcWBAlW00hICxhsgPO-yuaXACQWhFHPJICtXg/s1600/631S+Compressions+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenebhVFHKRTfKK5upFIu3DU6_x5-EL7td2nOt1arP6o-x-0IMce5O6kr0bGb1FJrjrjuoWWeD0yZ_WuXDNb0lzIBtH-iOQ22u-VWpo3bcWBAlW00hICxhsgPO-yuaXACQWhFHPJICtXg/s320/631S+Compressions+2013.JPG" /></a></div>The engine, at 1749.3 hours Since Major Overhaul (SMOH), seems to be holding up very nicely. The pressure drop data is perfectly acceptable (see the chart at left for seven years of data), the filter media were free of metal particles and there were no worrisome indications found by borescope. An oil sample has been sent off for spectrometric analysis but I don't anticipate any bad news from that quarter.<br />
<p>I flew the airplane for a 1/2 hour local test flight last Thursday evening with the only squawk being that the landing lights (both of which were replaced) were inop. As it happens, there is an in-line connector in the wire harness that supplies power to the landing lights and it has to be unmade to remove the lower cowling. In this case, it didn't get re-made when the cowl was re-installed. That minor glitch was remedied the next day and on Friday I flew N631S down to the DC area for the first time in three weeks. Then we flew back, mostly in rain and clouds, yesterday morning. No new problems showed up so I'm ready to call it done.<br />
<p>The only leftover item – which is an expected issue – is the need to adjust the <a href="http://www.shadin.com/products/fuelflow/miniflo.html" target="_blank">Shadin Miniflo-L</a> fuel computer to correctly interpret the output of the replaced fuel flow transducer. Every transducer is tested by the manufacturer to determine the number of electrical impulses it emits per gallon of flow passing through and that "K-factor" is supplied with the sensor. For this unit, the K-factor is 19.8, meaning 19,800 pulses per gallon. Right now, the computer is reading about 10% high. To correct the condition it has to be removed from the panel and reprogrammed with the new K-factor. Naturally, this can't be accomplished <i>in situ</i>, as that would be far too easy. So sometime soon my friends at <a href="http://threewing.com/" target="_blank">Three Wing Aviation Group</a> (check out their spiffy new web site!) will make the adjustment and all will be well.<br />
<p>I anticipate one more post about this year's Annual wherein I'll analyze the final invoice.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-61538616927687586312013-04-10T07:26:00.000-04:002013-04-10T07:26:10.630-04:00Eternal Father, Strong to Save...On 10 April 1963, fifty years ago today at 9:18AM EST, the Sea enveloped in her cold embrace the 129 men aboard the <a href="http://www.thresherbase.org/uss-thresher.html" target="_blank"><i>USS Thresher</i></a> and took them away from their loved ones forever. It is important that we remember.<br />
<p>I remember. I was 14 at the time and in the habit of listening to <a href="http://www.flicklives.com/" target="_blank">Jean Shepard's</a> program on WOR radio from New York before going off to sleep. There was a news bulletin. The Navy was reporting one of its submarines as overdue at Portsmouth Navy Yard. A search was underway. I had no understanding of abyssal deeps and vast pressures, and so I went to sleep with hope. As I'd understand in future years, my hope was unjustified.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Death-USS-Thresher-Deadliest/dp/1592283926/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365290797&sr=8-1&keywords=USS+Thresher" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ_wTMY28-VBClTbp7SyKvzm9GTQWUiP1KglWJQTyNdqdOc7e3OBfOqGALllWAaya-ffrR8j0_0gi-oQahuvpEuSPl1k4Al2qzK3xL8k_9dOPA1bS-oGFOdcKYw_1diDHf2YUAKLW8ds/s320/SSN593.jpg" /></a></div>Of course, a day or so later, the finality of the loss was made clear. She was gone and her people were gone. The convening of Boards of Inquiry was announced. It was the first loss of a nuclear powered submarine, and in fact the lead ship of a new class, so naturally much was made of the disaster. But little information was forthcoming and of course the events of November of that year drove everything else from the front pages.<br />
<p>I really didn't think very much about <i>Thresher</i> until eight years later, in the summer of 1971 when I went to work as a design engineer at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation. Immediately, I was plunged into the design effort to incorporate modifications known collectively as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SUBSAFE" target="_blank">SUBSAFE</a> on the forthcoming second overhaul of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_class_submarine" target="_blank"><i>Lafayette</i> class</a> of ballistic missile submarines. The work embodied in the SUBSAFE program was the direct result of the loss of <i>Thresher</i>.<br />
<p>There are two aspects to SUBSAFE. One is an intensive quality assurance regime encompassing both materials traceability and rigid process controls. The other involves improvements in systems design to ensure that the casualties that are inferred to have led to the loss of <i>Thresher</i> can never again have similar consequences.<br />
<p>Based on the painfully limited evidence, those investigating the ship's loss <a href="http://www.navalhistory.org/2013/04/01/uss-thresher-ssn-593-3-august-1961-10-april-1963" target="_blank">concluded</a> that the precipitating casualty was the failure of a seawater pipe joint in one of the ship's machinery spaces. The crew was unable to secure the inflow of seawater from this failure. The intense spray, driven by the pressure of the sea at or near <i>Thresher's</i> design depth, would have penetrated electrical control panels and caused the loss of propulsion. (NB: Recently a <a href="https://www.designed4submariners.com/uploads/Thresher_Report.pdf" target="_blank">countervailing theory</a> has emerged which posits that the seawater piping failure is neither likely nor necessary to account for the loss of the ship. The sinking, it holds, could have followed from loss of propulsion due to an electrical casualty compounded by a failure of the ballast tank blow system.)<br />
<p>At the time, the design and operation of the nuclear propulsion plant was governed by a philosophy that focused on saving the reactor at any cost. So any disruption of control circuitry would cause an immediate reactor plant shutdown. But this deprived the ship of the ability to use hydrodynamic forces against the effects of the flooding casualty. Would a few more minutes of propulsion have made a difference? We'll never know.<br />
<p>The last hope would have been use of the ship's high pressure air banks to blow the main ballast tanks on an emergency basis. Testing later showed that the rapid flow of air through the system would have caused plummeting temperatures and formation of ice that would block the piping and prevent the air from reaching the tanks. With no way to deballast, no propulsion, and no way to secure the flooding, <i>Thresher</i> was doomed.<br />
<p>With the adoption of this scenario as "probable cause", the SUBSAFE program set out to address each stage of the cascade of casualties. The quality assurance aspects sought to ensure that all seawater piping systems could always withstand the pressures of the deep. But if that failed, hydraulic remote valve actuation systems were installed (that was the piece of the puzzle I worked on) to ensure that hull and backup seawater valves could be shut to secure flooding. And last, the Emergency Main Ballast Tank Blow system was completely redesigned to ensure that it would be effective under all circumstances.<br />
<p>Outside of the bounds of SUBSAFE, the design and operating philosophies of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program were modified to allow ships to maintain propulsion as long as possible in the event of a casualty even if damage to the reactor is a possibility.<br />
<p>Did SUBSAFE accomplish its mission? The evidence says that it did. From 1915 until the loss of the <i>Thresher</i> sixteen US Navy submarines were lost to non-combat causes. Afterward, the only such loss was that of <i>Scorpion</i> in 1968. That ship was not yet SUBSAFE certified.<br />
<p>I am proud to have been involved in a modest way in the implementation of SUBSAFE. And I hope that the surviving relatives and friends of those lost aboard <i>Thresher</i> 50 years ago can find solace in the fact that their loss led directly to a profound reduction in the risk of submarine operations.<br />
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BRFHuxdk53bjBLYZfEIR-YLzb7CY9PiEQjMTS-L_9vuHcdLuCSVbUJsJcUVpkMnNNXQgSVpdCR99MGNBBz1A3F_I8cXpHT6OalSlIdtVvd4MCB_LFO0qpCL1q-d_hDjmO0j9Gjk4mCs/s1600/portland-press-herald_3734058.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" height="550" width="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BRFHuxdk53bjBLYZfEIR-YLzb7CY9PiEQjMTS-L_9vuHcdLuCSVbUJsJcUVpkMnNNXQgSVpdCR99MGNBBz1A3F_I8cXpHT6OalSlIdtVvd4MCB_LFO0qpCL1q-d_hDjmO0j9Gjk4mCs/s320/portland-press-herald_3734058.jpg" /></a><br />
<blockquote><i>Eternal Father, Strong to save,<br />
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,<br />
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep<br />
Its own appointed limits keep;<br />
O hear us when we cry to thee,<br />
for those in peril on the sea.</i></blockquote><p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-74058860863983909202013-04-02T20:44:00.000-04:002013-04-02T20:44:20.755-04:002013 Annual Inspection (i)Yesterday was the first day of N631S's Annual Inspection availability for 2013. My friends at <a href="http://websmart66.net/cgi-bin/p/w66p-home.cgi?d=three-wing-fuel" target="_blank">Three Wing Aviation Group</a> will be doing the inspection and associated work package and this year Tony diNuzzo is the IA on the case. I've known and respected Tony for a long time now, and am looking forward to working with him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2zAdruz6ZBtVBHbWf2uBjUBfnZA9woDKceFtNITX5va7367tU7sADwFEwzT3E-cyTCZtCHOt9obwGfFI6tChybQDqLGaqKdPIKxrfAE158Cy6kd5oEqyLVncbjO_eMeqFHFmEquDjXE/s1600/2013-04-02_07-22-28_385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2zAdruz6ZBtVBHbWf2uBjUBfnZA9woDKceFtNITX5va7367tU7sADwFEwzT3E-cyTCZtCHOt9obwGfFI6tChybQDqLGaqKdPIKxrfAE158Cy6kd5oEqyLVncbjO_eMeqFHFmEquDjXE/s320/2013-04-02_07-22-28_385.jpg" /></a></div>Our last flight up from the DC area had been uneventful and I had very few "squawks" to report. The taxi light bulb had burned out a couple of months ago, and the landing light joined it about a month back, so both of those bulbs will require replacement. And the performance of the <a href="http://www.shadin.com/products/fuelflow/miniflo.html" target="_blank">Shadin Miniflo-L</a> fuel totalizer has been increasingly erratic, so we'll take this opportunity to replace its transducer with a spare that I acquired a year or so ago.<br />
<p>Beyond those tasks, the most notable work-item planned for this year is an inspection of the McCauley constant speed propeller. The prop was overhauled in conjunction with the 2005 Annual Inspection – the first year N631S spent with us – and so it now has about 1,200 hours and eight years SPOH. McCauley holds that the recommended TBO (Time Between Overhauls) is 2,000 hours or seven years, whichever first elapses.<br />
<p>I feel no compulsion to overhaul components at some arbitrarily selected calendar time or time-in-service, as I'm a firm believer in maintenance "on condition". N631S's Continental O-470U engine has a recommended TBO of 2,000 hours or 12 years. The latter mark has long passed and I will cheerfully let the former pass unremarked as well, so long as the engine is talking to me and saying, "I'm fine, boss...let's go fly." And it will do so through spectroscopic analyses of the oil, visual inspections of the filter media and borescope inspections of the cylinders and valves. Ah, but the propeller presents a different problem.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTV7ocpzfM5n4At4omBuOiiePr54WldQT_sNAcLmE-nX8gUNA_ouvyiN_7fhcveXMsa_R6vY8i3bKIQg4vTeM2Zs51vCTsGHcBubXKE26SfhdRLsi9-hoZQ_zkXRe-zV3kfcDfbAzGdk/s1600/2013-04-02_07-21-25_322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTV7ocpzfM5n4At4omBuOiiePr54WldQT_sNAcLmE-nX8gUNA_ouvyiN_7fhcveXMsa_R6vY8i3bKIQg4vTeM2Zs51vCTsGHcBubXKE26SfhdRLsi9-hoZQ_zkXRe-zV3kfcDfbAzGdk/s320/2013-04-02_07-21-25_322.jpg" /></a></div>The propeller is a "black box". It doesn't speak to you and there is no way to know that it is sick until something Very Bad happens. Recently, blogger Ron Rapp did a post (which I endorse in its entirety) on <a href="http://www.rapp.org/archives/2013/03/propeller/" target="_blank">Constant Speed Propeller Maintenance</a>, where he describes some of the Very Bad Things that can happen to a sick propeller with terrifying suddenness. I take these things to heart and view propeller maintenance as something you neglect at your mortal peril.<br />
<p>That said, I don't want to "overhaul" the propeller. In the world of aviation, the word "overhaul" has a very specific (and expensive) meaning. It means that you drag out the manufacturer's overhaul manual and do <i>everything</i> that it says to do. But N631S's prop was overhauled back in 2005 and since then has accumulated about 60% of the <u>hours</u> McCauley assigns for TBO. It's just nicely broken in, from the perspective of hours in service, and I'd argue that an overhaul would be premature. My concern is directed more toward the notion that non-metallic parts wear and rubbery things deteriorate more in step with the calendar than with the Hobbs meter. So I've asked Three Wing to take the prop off and send it to New England Propeller (who did the overhaul in '05) with instructions to "IRAN and Reseal". That means, "Inspect and Repair As Needed (to serviceable condition) and renew all fluid seals". Once that is done, I'll happily run the prop for another 1,000 hours before sending it off for "Overhaul".<br />
<p>I stopped at Three Wing this morning and spoke with Tony. He'd done the maintenance run-up and found nothing noteworthy. The cylinder leakdown test had gone satisfactorily. Cylinder #2 was a bit weak at 59 psi (on a day where the minimum acceptable result was 46 psi). Tony will continue and I'll be visiting N631S every day for a while.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-89316556065655378522013-03-29T13:49:00.000-04:002013-03-29T13:56:00.530-04:00"Contact the Tower..."The Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at my more northerly "home 'drome", Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR), is scheduled to close on or about the 5th of May due to the funding cut-off known as "sequestration". The closure seems to be for an indeterminate period. After Cinco de Mayo, KBDR will become a non-towered field.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Oioa3K3na4yvNlu_hE1EgUm-B2pf2Qv4NaO_N-VJUFmsBJV8izdlzTbKwRMisfGeuIOJBbX2XtZ58X7dft_HOKZ6H_foNj35vEN-72EzZNVYBlEJHhg3GsCpGF7Vwk3Az-jd6CtqhbY/s1600/bpt+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Oioa3K3na4yvNlu_hE1EgUm-B2pf2Qv4NaO_N-VJUFmsBJV8izdlzTbKwRMisfGeuIOJBbX2XtZ58X7dft_HOKZ6H_foNj35vEN-72EzZNVYBlEJHhg3GsCpGF7Vwk3Az-jd6CtqhbY/s320/bpt+tower.jpg" /><br />
<i>photo: Connecticut Post</i></a></div>The tower at KBDR is one of well over 100 "contract towers" that the FAA is standing down to save money. Arguably, some towers that are to be closed are in fact busier than some FAA-staffed towers that will remain open. But the plug can be pulled on the contractor operations with far less bureaucratic fallout than would ensue if the jobs of Federal employees were affected. The half-dozen or so controllers at KBDR, employees of <a href="http://www.atctower.com/" target="_blank">Midwest Air Traffic Control Service, Inc.</a> who I hold in high regard, will be out of work.<br />
<p>It has been quite interesting to attend to the comments from various parts of the aviation community as the tower closures went from rumored to probable to inevitable. Many voices have been raised (some informed, some less so) to decry a predicted reduction in "safety" with the closing of these facilities. But a substantial part of the community is adopting a "Keep Calm and Carry On" attitude. In truth, pilots have always known how to operate around non-towered fields without undue risk and I am quite confident that operations will continue without a sudden epidemic of bent aluminum.<br />
<p>There are, however, two issues raised by the sequestration-related tower closures that have not been widely discussed. One is short term and operational in nature, the other is long term and can change the nature of the system in which we fly.<br />
<p>The tower at an airport like Sikorsky Memorial has two main functions that affect me in my comings and goings. The first and most important is to "control" local traffic, both on the ground and airborne, so as to maintain safe, orderly and expeditious use of the available runways. Traffic at a fairly low-volume field like KBDR, operating under non-towered field procedures, will no doubt become somewhat less expeditious, slightly less orderly, and (I contend) just about as safe. Pilots arriving and departing VFR (i.e., under Visual Flight Rules) should hardly notice the difference. But there may be a significant impact on pilots operating IFR (under Instrument Flight Rules) as N631S and I usually do, absent the tower's other normal function.<br />
<p>The control tower provides a link between the departing or arriving IFR pilot and Approach Control. The tower controller delivers your IFR clearance, obtains your release and sends you on your way. On arrival, it's the tower that cancels your IFR flight plan. Now, IFR pilots will need to interface directly with the TRACON to accomplish these things.<br />
<p>There is no reason that any of this needs to be a big deal. I do it routinely, interacting with Potomac Consolidated TRACON when departing or arriving at KVKX in the DC area. But – the TRACON's are going to be having some sequestration effects of their own. It's reported that controllers will be getting an unpaid day off per payroll period and that translates into fewer controllers on station and higher workloads for the ones on duty. So I expect that departing KBDR on a busy Friday afternoon in the summer when convective weather is rumbling around the area could become difficult. Problems picking up clearances and long waits for release may become the norm. I hope that a few weeks will suffice for development of "work-arounds" and for all the players to adapt.<br />
<p>The second issue that needs some discussion concerns the length of the tower shutdown. There is, I believe, a very significant probability that for many of the closing towers – and I think KBDR is one – the closure may be permanent. Here's the problem:<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1s4CyTtvZiujq_N3mkybtqxHfpYjlXBY8vNb2H56sO4ucujnxEFWP_1WBZy0MWdkB5w8a0tM18YX21Hx2L7eKtqNpHQihE5EJWctOjIb8nXpYf0WV5yeNbrkqZWZBDHmvJ5-7CzOtmx0/s1600/KBDR+Operations.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1s4CyTtvZiujq_N3mkybtqxHfpYjlXBY8vNb2H56sO4ucujnxEFWP_1WBZy0MWdkB5w8a0tM18YX21Hx2L7eKtqNpHQihE5EJWctOjIb8nXpYf0WV5yeNbrkqZWZBDHmvJ5-7CzOtmx0/s320/KBDR+Operations.JPG" /></a></div>The chart above (you can click on it to make it readable) depicts annual airport operations at KBDR from 1994 (the year I got my Private Pilot's license) through 2012 with a trend line extending out another five years. The data is from the FAA's <a href="http://aspm.faa.gov/opsnet/sys/Tower.asp" target="_blank">Air Traffic Activity System</a>. In 1995 the field had 114,247 operations. Last year it had 61,911, a decline of 45.8%, and the trend line suggests a further drop to about 45,000 by 2017. There is some variability in the data but the long term trend is unmistakable...traffic at KBDR is going away.<br />
<p>I remember a sunny Sunday afternoon in 1995, when I was flying a Cessna 172N (N6583D, I believe) rented from the old Bridgeport Air Center. I'd departed KBDR, flown around for a while just enjoying the delightful day, done a couple of touch & go's at Oxford, then returned to Bridgeport. Arriving there, I found myself one of eight airplanes in the traffic pattern, a number of them students in closed traffic exhibiting shaky pattern discipline (not that I was so great at that point). The tower controller was holding on by his fingernails – but he <u>was</u> hanging on. Making right traffic for Runway 29, I was asked for a left 270 for spacing. An airplane arriving after me was told, "Remain clear of the Class Delta". I soon got my turn at the runway and was grateful for it.<br />
<p>That's the kind of day when you need a tower. Those kinds of days don't happen any more. In 1994 there were three active flight schools at KBDR. Today there is one (plus a few independent instructors). I really don't recall the last time there were more than two airplanes in the pattern while I was flying. The bottom line is that even after the budgetary kerfuffle that led to sequestration is over, it may be very difficult to justify re-opening the tower at KBDR given current traffic levels. And many more of the towers being closed this spring are likely to be in a similar situation. As a result, the once ubiquitous Class D tower may become a rarity.<br />
<p>After my next arrival at KBDR, N631S is going in for this year's Annual Inspection, which will take a couple of weeks. So it's quite possible that the next time I hear New York TRACON say, "Bridgeport is at your 12 o'clock, seven miles. Radar service terminated, contact Bridgeport tower on 120.9"...it will be the last time.<br />
<p><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-via="frankvanhaste" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-7387998141302018132013-02-23T15:55:00.003-05:002013-02-23T20:51:55.941-05:00Book Review: "The Dog Stars" by Peter HellerThe <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalyptic_and_post-apocalyptic_fiction" target="_blank">post-apocalyptic novel</a> has been with us at least since Mary Shelley published <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Man" target="_blank"><i>The Last Man</i></a> in 1826. The basic model is familiar – the author invokes some catastrophe to kill off the vast majority of humanity and then follows the lone (or few) protagonist(s) through the effort to survive and build a new future in a hostile world.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Stars-Peter-Heller/dp/0307959945/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361637414&sr=1-1&keywords=the+dog+stars" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="274" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU2A0kxEDUen7QFhtETOQieREIkp9ZpfdRL2C0hILdYZK0y2doP7nyv4tUFHcgsZNOTVCJdTVvBLXWSiPEhiN_SJUJFjeRHiLI6-ZmdNE6udqbPCTLqHfRjmnwYvSE2r1bW2OBwHJbHg/s320/heller.jpeg" /><br />
"The Dog Stars"<br />
by Peter Heller<br />
320pp; Alfred A. Knopf, 2012</a></div>The nature of the precipitating catastrophe is rather beside the point. Writers have called upon plague, astronomical disaster, alien invasion and thermonuclear holocaust (recently, zombies have been popular). The point is what happens afterward.<br />
<p>For most of the latter half of the last century, nuclear war was the preferred disaster (see Nevil Shute's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BEACH-Nevil-Shute/dp/B0000CJPKU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361648978&sr=1-1&keywords=On+the+Beach" target="_blank"><i>On the Beach</i></a>, Pat Frank's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alas-Babylon-Pat-Frank/dp/B005ROJ8NO/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361649064&sr=1-3&keywords=alas%2C+babylon" target="_blank"><i>Alas, Babylon</i></a>, and Walter M. Miller, Jr.'s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canticle-Leibowitz-Walter-Jr-Miller/dp/B001D9M7P8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361649132&sr=1-2&keywords=canticle+for+leibowitz" target="_blank"><i>A Canticle for Leibowitz</i></a>). Of late, however, the pendulum seems to have swung back to favor pestilence. Which brings us to Peter Heller's recent work, <i>The Dog Stars</i>.<br />
<p>Fine, you say, ...but what has this got to do with aviation? Well, the connection involves one of the important supporting characters in the story. In this tale, a virulent strain of influenza has carried off almost all of the population. The protagonist, a survivor who goes by the name Hig, lives at an airfield. He has a friend, and a dog, and an airplane. That would be the Beast.<br />
<blockquote>"I hand pump the 100 low lead aviation gas out of the old airport tank when the sun is not shining and I have the truck too that was making the fuel delivery. More fuel than the Beast can burn in my lifetime if I keep my sorties local, which I plan to, I have to. She's a small plane, a 1956 Cessna 182, really a beaut. Cream and blue. I'm figuring I'm dead before the Beast gives up the final ghost."</blockquote><p>The friend is the aptly named Bangley, who is testy and a bit of an odd duck, but who has the redeeming virtue of being a crack shot and well equipped with automatic weapons and things that go boom. Hig and the Beast patrol their perimeter from the air and Bangley sees to security. Hig's other job is to go up to the hills with his dog Jasper and bring back the occasional deer or some carp (the trout being gone since the streams warmed up).<br />
<p>Hig's life is pretty stable, but his focus is on the things that are gone. The things of Before. He holds on tenaciously to the connections with Before.<br />
<p>But of course, the connections break and Hig comes adrift. He has to go off in search of new moorings. It's the Beast that enables him to do this, taking him to unexpected places where unforeseeable events turn him away from the past and toward the future. And when he has to get himself (and newly met others) out of a tight spot he achieves his goal using his own skill and the Beast's reliability and horsepower. (Incidentally, this occurs in one of the best accounts of a back-country short field takeoff that you'd ever care to read. I couldn't breathe 'til they cleared the trees!)<br />
<p>At the end of the tale, Hig still has a precarious existence, albeit with a couple more people to be close to. But he's shed his longing for the past and found reasons to hope for a better future. And he's still flying.<br />
<p><i>The Dog Stars</i> would be a fine read even without the airplane. Peter Heller writes vividly and packs a great deal of meaning into few words. The reader comes to know Hig quite well and to care what happens to him. And for a pilot, the aviation related scenes are icing on the cake. The author presents them using correct terminology but never lapsing into jargon that might put off the groundling reader. And very few errors crept in during the editing process (though I did wince when an oil change involved a case of "50 straight weight Arrowshell").<br />
<p>We learn that the Beast wears registration N6333A which, by coincidence, is also the N-number of a '56 <i>Skylane</i> owned by Peter C. Heller of Denver, CO. So Hig comes by his love of flight legitimately. I recommend Mr. Heller's book to you, and I hope he and '33 Alpha enjoy many years of flying together.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-60158465638636314212013-02-21T18:15:00.000-05:002013-02-21T18:15:46.033-05:00My '709 DriveThose of you that visit here regularly will recall that early in January I was involved in an incident wherein N631S struck and slightly damaged another aircraft (described in <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-fairly-bad-week-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">this post</a>). At the time I had a cordial conversation with Dean, the assigned FAA Inspector who was opening a file on the incident.<br />
<br />
A couple of weeks later, I received a letter from the FAA, sent via Certified Mail, inviting me to participate in a re-examination of my qualifications to hold a pilot's certificate. The re-examination would focus (logically enough) on taxiing and ground operations. I had 10 days to get back to them to schedule the event.<br />
<br />
This sort of re-examination is conducted under authority granted to the Administrator by 49 USC 44709(a), which says:<br />
<blockquote><i>Reinspection and Reexamination</i> — The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may reinspect at any time a civil aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, design organization, production certificate holder, air navigation facility, or air agency, <u>or reexamine an airman holding a certificate issued under section 44703 of this title</u>.</blockquote><br />
The re-examination is usually referred to as <a href="http://www.faa-ground-school.com/library/709-ride.htm" target="_blank">"a '709 ride"</a> (from the referenced USC section). In my case, since we would only be dealing with ground operations, it would be more like a '709 drive.<br />
<br />
I called Dean at his office at the Windsor Locks Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), located at Bradley International Airport (KBDL). After a couple of false starts related to our conflicting schedules we agreed that N631S and I would meet him today at the Hartford-Brainard airport (KHFD). We'd talk for a while, then I'd taxi around a bit while he watched. He'd be evaluating my competence based on the relevant sections of the <a href="http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/airmen/test_standards/pilot/media/FAA-S-8081-14B.pdf" target="_blank">Practical Test Standard for Private Pilots</a>.<br />
<br />
The morning dawned clear but quite breezy. I took a look at the winds at Brainard and was less than thrilled with what I saw:<br />
<pre><span style="font-size: 0.9em;">
KHFD 211353Z <span style="color: red;">29013G23KT</span> 10SM CLR M02/M13 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP131 T10221128</span></pre>The runway at KHFD is oriented 2 - 20, so a wind from 290 is a direct crosswind. At 13 knots gusting to 23 it was fairly sporty already and I suspected that it could easily get more intense as the day went on. I sent Dean an e-mail saying I looked forward to meeting him and commenting on the winds. Very shortly, he called me and asked if I'd like to meet instead at <a href="http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1302/00460AD.PDF" target="_blank">Bradley (KBDL)</a>. Bradley has a Runway 33 that would make the wind perfectly manageable so I accepted immediately.<br />
<br />
N631S and I departed Sikorsky Memorial (KBDR) at about noon and had a bumpy forty minute flight up to KBDL. Bradley Approach sequenced us into Runway 33 behind a Delta MD-80. The wind was 31020G26KT, and did not present any problem.<br />
<br />
I parked on the ramp at the FSDO and announced myself. Dean came down to collect me and escorted me to a conference room. We sat and talked about my incident and about risk-management in ground operations (a subject to which I have given considerable thought of late). He focused strongly on avoidance of runway incursions – still clearly an FAA 'hot button'. While this was going on, one of Dean's colleagues went out and ramp-checked N631S. He joined us and said the only question he had concerned the cable connecting the portable Garmin gps396 with the panel-mounted GNS-530W. It supplies both 5.0v power and flight-plan data to the portable and he wants to see the log entry supporting the installation. Of course, the airplane's logs are home in Virginia so I am on the hook to dig out the pertinent page and send it to Dean.<br />
<br />
After about 45 minutes, Dean said, "OK, let's go out and taxi around."<br />
<br />
We went out to N631S, started the engine, and taxied over to the <a href="http://tacair.com/jet-a-at-tac-air-bdl/" target="_blank">Tac-Air FBO</a> ramp. There, we went through the motions of parking. Dean indicated a few spots and said "Would you park there?" or "Could you pull straight in to that spot", or "How could we best get to that spot over there?". I said 'Yes' or 'No' or 'NO WAY!' in what seem to have been all the right places and after about 15 minutes we taxied back to the FSDO ramp. Dean said he'd send me a letter next week attesting to my competence and continued qualification to hold a Private Pilot's Certificate and I was free to go. N631S and I had a somewhat bumpy but really quick flight back to Bridgeport and it was done.<br />
<br />
I can't say it was a pleasure, but the experience was minimally painful. Dean, the FAA Inspector, was cordial and totally professional at every turn. I know all of the jokes about the FAA but none of them applied here. I drew one of the "good guys". <br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-75913753489212913412013-02-06T21:35:00.000-05:002013-02-09T10:29:34.660-05:00Book Review: "A Higher Call" by Adam MakosCharlie Brown was perfectly clear about the situation. When the young journalist, having "heard a story", sought him out for an interview, he said, "If you really want to learn the whole story, learn about Franz Stigler first...in this story, I'm just a character – <i>Franz Stigler is the real hero</i>."<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Higher-Call-Incredible-Chivalry-War-Torn/dp/0425252868/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360274803&sr=1-1&keywords=a+higher+call" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="274" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpiPtBhavZA5O7aa-ZP3vAUk9b4p4kZ02d-aKvdayvezDP_O3ON-RYEtwjomyIeEKb1tSIX7_w2nlc77eExD3_WHJ8GnSjZnX5TniNtgC3ZfTFWZP8zfLdXrJBXHBS8nHs7QIEx5Ock8/s320/1-a_higher_call.jpg" /><br />
"A Higher Call"<br />
by Adam Makos<br />
with Larry Alexander<br />
392pp; Berkley, 2013</a></div>Author Adam Makos had no choice but to seek out Franz Stigler, living in pleasant retirement in the Vancouver area, to learn what happened on 20 December 1943, in the skies near Bremen. There, the life arcs of two warrior-aviators intersected for about 10 minutes. If someone had described to their earlier selves what transpired during that brief encounter, they would each have reacted with disbelief. But as they moved on along separate paths – destined to intersect again nearly 50 years later – they knew their lives had changed forever.<br />
<p>On that morning over Germany, Charlie Brown was the 21 year-old pilot of a terribly damaged <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress" target="_blank">B-17</a>. He was embarked on a first combat mission that had become deadly and terrifying. Franz Stigler was, at 28 years of age, an elite <i>Luftwaffe</i> veteran of hundreds of missions in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109" target="_blank">Bf 109</a>. He was fighting to defend his homeland and his countrymen from the onslaught of the American bombers. Both of them had already on that day displayed heroism in battle. But when they met, there was nothing left for Charlie to do. Keeping his crew alive and his airplane aloft to that point had exhausted his resources. He could only watch and wait.<br />
<p>As he approached the straggling bomber, it fell to Franz Stigler to make a choice. The action required by the call of duty was clear. He should attack and destroy the wounded B-17. But perhaps there was a higher call, requiring forbearance. Perhaps honor and humanity required staying the hand of destruction. It was time to decide. Act, in answer to the call of duty...or act not, in answer to the higher call. The sum of all his experiences led to the choice that few would have predicted and few would understand. <i>"This will be no victory for me,</i> Franz decided. <i>I will not have this on my conscience for the rest of my life."</i><br />
<p>How did an elite warrior, the product of a proud martial tradition, come to make this choice? This is perhaps the most fascinating question raised by the episode and the author sets out to answer it. This requires a thorough study of Franz Stigler's life, and Makos provides it. We learn where Franz came from, how his love affair with the sky originated, how his sense of honor evolved.<br />
<p>We're taken back to Bavaria in the late 1920's where young Franz begins to fly, under the auspices of a local glider club sponsored by his father, the elder Franz (who had been a scout pilot in the Great War) and Father Josef, a local Catholic priest who had been a fighter pilot in that war. Following in the footsteps of his elder brother August, Franz flew a simple <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C3%B6gling" target="_blank"><i>Zögling</i></a> ("Pupil") glider that was launched using a bungee cord, from the side of a hill. It was said that, "[b]ecause training was conducted solely by solo flight the aircraft had to be very easy to fly and also easy to repair." This principal was demonstrated by young Franz, who pranged the club's glider on his first flight, but soon became proficient.<br />
<p>Franz was urged by his devoutly Catholic mother to enter the Seminary, but Father Josef, the fighter pilot, glider club sponsor and family friend, urged him to follow his dream of flying. He took advantage of government training programs and found himself, in the late 1930's, flying Ju 52's for <i>Lufthansa</i>. In due course, he was transferred to the newly emerging <i>Luftwaffe</i> and set to work as an instructor. One of the students he found himself responsible for was his elder brother August.<br />
<p>While Franz continued to instruct, August went on to serve as a night fighter-bomber pilot flying Ju 88's from France against England. It was late in 1940 that Franz learned that August had been killed in an accident at night, on takeoff. The loss of his brother moved Franz to seek a transfer to fighters. There followed 18 months of preparation and training, until in the spring of 1942 Franz Stigler arrived in North Africa to serve as a fighter pilot in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdgeschwader_27" target="_blank"><i>Jagdgeschwader 27</i> (JG 27)</a>.<br />
<p>JG 27 was a famous unit, the home of the great ace, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Joachim_Marseille" target="_blank">Hans-Joachim Marseille</a>. Franz was in good company. He was assigned to the squadron of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_R%C3%B6del" target="_blank">Leutnant Gustav Rödel</a>. His new commander quickly gave him a lesson that would have a profound influence on him:<br />
<blockquote>"Every single time you go up, you'll be outnumbered. Those odds may make a man want to fight dirty to survive. But let what I'm about to say to you act as a warning. <i>Honor is everything here.</i> What will you do, Stigler, for instance, if you find your enemy floating in a parachute?"<br />
<p>"I guess I've never thought that far ahead yet," Franz said.<br />
<p>"If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute," Rödel said, "I will shoot you down myself. You follow the rules of war for <i>you</i>, not for your enemy. <i>You fight by the rules to keep your humanity."</i> <br />
</blockquote><p>As the author recounts in some detail, Franz flew and fought under Rödel's leadership in Africa for five months. His unit was then transferred to Sicily, where he continued to fly and fight for another ten months. During this period he met <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Galland" target="_blank">Adolf "Dolfo" Galland</a>, the famous General of the Fighters. He managed to impress Galland with his views on tactics for effective attacks on heavy bombers. This relationship would be important to Franz' future more than once in the coming years.<br />
<p>In mid-1943 the strategic bombing campaigns of the Allied Air Forces were beginning to have real effects on the German homeland. Fighter units, including JG 27, were transferred back to Germany to engage in homeland defense. The stage was being set for an epic confrontation.<br />
<p>Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and his crew were readying themselves to join the fight. By the fall of 1943 they had joined the <a href="http://www.379thbga.org/" target="_blank">379th Bomb Group</a> of the mighty 8th Air Force at RAF Kimbolton. They'd been assigned a veteran <nobr>B-17F</nobr> named <i>Ye Olde Pub</i>. <br />
<p>On 20 December the 379th took off for a raid on Bremen. <i>Ye Olde Pub</i>, with a rookie crew, was assigned the trailing position, known as "Purple Heart Corner". The slot would soon once again earn its name.<br />
<p>On the approach to Bremen, before reaching the point where its load of bombs would be dropped, <i>Ye Olde Pub</i> was hit by flak. The Number 2 engine was knocked out, and the bomber's Plexiglas nose was shattered. Charlie pressed on. Another burst of flak damaged the Number 4 engine just before the bombardier released <i>Ye Olde Pub</i>'s deadly load. As the group turned away from the target, <i>Ye Olde Pub</i> with one engine out, one producing partial power, and drag increased by the damage to the nose slowed and began to fall behind the formation. Soon, a group of eight <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_190" target="_blank">Fw 190</a> fighters focused their undivided attention on <i>Ye Olde Pub</i>.<br />
<p>The author's chapter describing the fight between the B-17 and the Focke-Wulf's is intense and thrilling. It describes Charlie's desperate maneuvers, the crew's efforts to fight back, and the horrific damage inflicted by the fighters. In the end, the bomber rolled into an inverted spin when the pilots, their oxygen system disabled, blacked out. The Fw 190's – either out of ammunition or certain that their job was done – moved on.<br />
<p>About 10,000 feet above ground, Charlie awoke. He started to try to recover the airplane from its spin, and barely succeeded in regaining level flight below 2,000 feet.<br />
<p>The damage and casualty reports were frightening. The tail gunner, Sgt. Hugh 'Ecky' Eckenrode, was dead. Two other crew members were badly wounded. The airplane was riddled with holes and many systems were destroyed or compromised. They were staggering toward the coast, at low altitude, on 2½ engines.<br />
<p>Just then, Franz Stigler was on the ground at a nearby field while the ground crew rearmed and refueled his '109. He heard an approaching aircraft and looked up in amazement as a damaged B-17 flew westbound, almost directly over the field. Franz wasted no time in taking off to give chase.<br />
<p>Charlie struggled to get <i>Ye Olde Pub</i> to climb to 2,000 feet. He passed the word that anyone who wanted to bail out had his permission. No one took him up on it. And behind them, a Bf 109 piloted by one of the <i>Luftwaffe's</i> best pilots was closing in.<br />
<p>Franz closed on the B-17's tail, knowing that he needed to get close to be sure his attack would be effective. But when he closed in, he saw the damage to the bomber's tail section. He saw that the tail-gunner's weapons were disabled. He got close enough to to see the wind-driven streams of 'Ecky' Eckenrode's blood.<br />
<p>Franz slid his '109 to the right and moved forward along the right side of the B-17. Through a gaping hole in the fuselage he saw crew-members, not at their stations, but huddled together and caring for the wounded. <br />
<p>Franz decided then, that <i>on this day he was not going to kill these men</i>. He pulled even with the cockpit and slid over to the bomber's left side. He pointed to the north, repeatedly and mouthed "Sweden...Sweden", in an effort to get Charlie to turn toward the nearest haven. He was certain that if the B-17 tried to cross the North Sea and reach England it would crash and all aboard would be killed. Charlie Brown had no idea what he was saying.<br />
<p>Finally, over the sea, Franz gave up, saluted Charlie, and peeled away to return to Germany. Only then did he consider that if anyone had seen what he had done he'd certainly be court martialed.<br />
<p><i>Ye Olde Pub</i> staggered across the North Sea at minimum altitude. The crew jettisoned everything they could to lighten the aircraft, but the B-17 was having difficulty maintaining altitude. Soon, their height above the sea was measured in hundreds, rather than thousands of feet.<br />
<p>As they approached the English coast a pair of P-47 <i>Thunderbolt</i> fighters joined them. They exchanged hand signals (the radios were out) and raced ahead. Charlie followed. As <i>Ye Olde Pub</i> crossed the English coastline, Charlie searched for a farmer's field to use as a landing site of last resort. Then he saw the two P-47's ahead, circling at 1,000 feet. He turned toward them and soon saw the runway they had found for him.<br />
<p>Minutes later, Charlie Brown settled <i>Ye Olde Pub</i> onto the runway at RAF Seething, home to the 448th Bomb Group. One of his crewmen was dead; two were injured severely enough that they would probably not have survived a bailout. The airplane would not go to war again.<br />
<p>The intelligence officers debriefed Charlie and he told them the whole story, including the odd behavior of the Bf 109 that had escorted them off the coast. The word came down to forget that had happened. Never mention it to anyone. It was unacceptable to say that a 'Nazi' had behaved with honor and chivalry.<br />
<p>Franz Stigler never experienced any repercussions from the incident with the B-17. He fought on with JG 27 through the first 10 months of 1944, in Germany and Jugoslavia. Then on 26 October 1944 a B-17 gunner's .50 cal. round, having spent nearly all of its energy passing through the canopy of Franz' Bf 109, struck him in the forehead. Amazingly, he lived. Not so amazingly, he suffered symptoms of brain trauma and was grounded by the flight surgeon. Franz was, for the time being, out of the war.<br />
<p>After a brief stay at a R & R facility, Franz pestered his group commander, still Gustav Rödel, for something useful to do, and Rödel was able to get him a slot at the jet school near the Messerschmitt factory in Augsburg. There he took to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262" target="_blank">Me 262</a> like a duck to water. He was kept on as an instructor, but ran afoul of a political officer and found himself released with no new assignment. That's when he remembered 'Dolfo' Galland.<br />
<p>The word was around. Galland had run badly afoul of Reichsmarschall Herman Goering and been sacked as General of the Fighters. But Goering had allowed him to form a new fighter group, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdverband_44" target="_blank"><i>Jagdverband 44</i> (JV 44)</a>, flying Me 262's. It was said that Goering couldn't arrest the famous and popular Galland but could, perhaps, arrange for him to die in combat. Franz called Galland and asked if he could join JV 44.<br />
<p>Galland told Franz that he'd be glad to have him as long as he brought a jet with him. So Franz went to the factory, stole a jet (details, quite entertainingly, in the book) and reported to Galland's group.<br />
<p>JV 44 may have been the most amazing unit in the history of air warfare. All of the pilots were considered <i>experten</i>. Nearly all were there because they had somehow run afoul of the Nazi political system. All of them were committed to defending the German homeland. <br />
<p>None of these men were found culpable for the crimes of the Nazi regime. Many of them would later serve with great distinction in the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany. But in 1945, they were still the enemy, fighting on for honor in a lost cause.<br />
<p>And of course, the war ended. Franz struggled to survive in the economic disaster that was post-war Germany. In 1953 he emigrated to Vancouver, Canada and became successful in business. Charlie Brown went to college, rejoined the Air Force and retired in 1965, then worked for the State Department before retiring for good in the early 1970's. But 20 December 1943 always stayed with him. At the urging of friends, he tried to place a query in a newsletter distributed to veteran <i>Luftwaffe</i> pilots. The editor turned him down, so he appealed to Dolfo Galland...who used his influence to ensure that the query was published.<br />
<p>In January 1990, in Vancouver, Franz Stigler collected his mail including the <i>Jagerblatt</i> newsletter. Minutes later, he was calling for his wife to come and see what he'd read. And he quickly wrote a letter.<br />
<p>Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler soon met and became the closest of friends. They referred to each other as 'brothers', and for many years they enjoyed a close relationship based on a bond that no one else could fully understand. Franz and Charlie both "went West" in 2008, six months apart. Franz' obituary said that he was survived by his brother, Charles Brown.<br />
<p>In this book, Adam Makos does a good job of describing the experiences that brought Franz and Charlie to their fateful encounter near Bremen. We're left with complete understanding of <i>what happened</i>. But I found myself wishing that the author had addressed "the elephant in the room". What are we to make of this story? Actions have consequences – what were the consequences of Franz Stigler's actions on that day in 1943? By choosing not to attack Charlie Brown's B-17, Franz made it possible for him to return to England with his crew. Charlie flew another 27 bombing missions with that crew (plus replacements) and dropped over 50 tons of bombs on German targets. Viewed in accordance with the cold calculus of war, it seems clear that Franz failed, on that day, to do his duty, and thus put his country in jeopardy. The author does not seriously address this issue.<br />
<p>The book's only allusion to the moral ambiguity surrounding Stigler's actions is in a mention of 'Dolfo' Galland's reaction. Stigler had kept in touch with Galland after the war, and he reported that the old General of the Fighters had mixed feelings about his story. He regarded Franz' actions on that day in '43 as a dereliction of duty – and also the right thing to do.<br />
<p>It's left to the reader to ask whether "the cold calculus of war" is decisive. What about the calculus of humanity? Remember what Gustav Rödel said to Franz Stigler: <i>You fight by the rules to keep your humanity.</i> When the war is over, do we want to welcome back into our midst warriors whose every choice was guided solely by the cold calculus of war? Or do we want to embrace warriors who have fought bravely and well, and yet have retained their humanity and can say that their honor is intact?<br />
<p>Today's wars are harder. The choices, never easy, are even tougher. But I know that I want men like Franz Stigler making those choices for our side.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-35795399742871930772013-01-28T11:37:00.001-05:002013-01-28T11:37:49.899-05:00A Fairly Bad Week (Part 2 of 2)As mentioned at the end of the <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-fairly-bad-week-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, the forecast on Friday morning foretold a large ridge of warm air arriving in the East, bringing rain but no risk of icing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaeSD16PfOaI3fhRqvh5nbz_cI_SM2MZE-_8QmG7HYzPPZJnKn3MITpK6-TLS16mlYIUKT7Q6UZnTQAnglqDddrMDDrsqAJx5sJyl-_-FTR9lYfS4C2dknSJBxoGJVdq9wvMP2T3ViNs/s1600/2013011112Zsfcplot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="171" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaeSD16PfOaI3fhRqvh5nbz_cI_SM2MZE-_8QmG7HYzPPZJnKn3MITpK6-TLS16mlYIUKT7Q6UZnTQAnglqDddrMDDrsqAJx5sJyl-_-FTR9lYfS4C2dknSJBxoGJVdq9wvMP2T3ViNs/s320/2013011112Zsfcplot.gif" /></a></div>The low centered over Chicago at 12Z (left) was headed eastward with it's associated occluded front at roughly the speed of a runaway freight train. I could expect a long, hard slog against stiff headwinds for the westbound portions of my trip and anticipated that ceilings and visibilities would deteriorate some time after 00Z, making an early departure advisable. The computer was telling me to anticipate about 2:40 enroute so I planned on a 20Z departure to be in the DC area well before 23Z. The relevant Terminal Forecasts (TAF's) reflected these expectations:<br />
<pre><span style="font-size: 0.9em;">
TAF AMD KDCA 111844Z 1119/1218 21005KT P6SM -RA OVC028
<span style="color: red;">FM112200 16006KT 3SM -RA OVC015
FM120000 17006KT 2SM BR OVC008</span>
FM120600 00000KT 1/2SM FG OVC003
FM121500 11003KT 5SM BR BKN015 OVC035=
TAF AMD KADW 1120/1223 <span style="color: red;">16009KT 9000 -SHRA SCT010 OVC014 WS020/21042KT QNH3004INS
TEMPO 1121/1202 3200 -SHRA OVC009</span>
BECMG 1205/1206 23006KT 3200 BR SCT010 BKN020 QNH3004INS
BECMG 1208/1209 27005KT 1600 BR FEW020 QNH3008INS
BECMG 1210/1211 28005KT 0800 FG FEW100 QNH3008INS
BECMG 1215/1216 30009KT 4800 BR FEW180 QNH3008INS
BECMG 1216/1217 32009KT 9999 NSW FEW180 QNH3008INS T17/1219Z T05/1211Z
AMD 112023 LIMITED METWATCH 1201 TIL 1211=
</span></pre>The KDCA forecast issued just before my departure was calling for good visibility in light rain and light southerly winds under a 1500 foot overcast on arrival – no problem for the RNAV Rwy 6 approach into KVKX. Even if the conditions forecast to prevail after 00Z were to arrive early I'd be looking at two miles visibility under an 800 foot overcast – still acceptable. The weather wasn't forecast to get really bad until 06Z.<br />
<p>As a cross-check, I looked at the forecast prepared by the Air Force met watch for Andrews AFB. They were advertising the same light southerly winds, with a couple of miles visibility under a 1400 foot ceiling through 05Z with brief periods of 1/2 mile visibility and 900 foot ceiling. Also not too bad. One notable feature for the Andrews forecast was the "WS020/21042KT" group. That's a wind shear warning projecting wind at 2000 feet from 210 degrees at 42 knots. Not in itself a problem but worthy of note.<br />
<p>N631S and I were off the ground within minutes of 20Z and on our way. The clearance routed us from KBDR westward to Sparta VOR (SAX) then south to Solberg (SBJ), west again to East Texas (ETX) then south via Lancaster (LRP) and Baltimore (BAL) toward home. As expected, progress to the west was very slow with ground speeds between 85 and 95 knots (while true airspeed was about 140 knots). This implied a headwind component of about 45 to 50 knots.<br />
<p>About an hour into the flight I checked the weather at Washington National and didn't like what I saw:<br />
<br />
SPECI KDCA 112116Z 22003KT <span style="color: red;">1 3/4SM -DZ BR OVC008</span> 06/05 A3020 RMK AO2 P0000=<br />
<br />
That 800 foot ceiling was three hours early and that suggested conditions in the DC area were deteriorating more quickly than forecast. This was not good. If the trend continued I might be unable to land at KVKX and have to divert to an alternate. My filed alternate was Manassas (KHEF), which had been legal when I filed. But Manassas was to the west, "up-weather", and if DCA was going down the tubes HEF would probably be at least as bad.<br />
<p>There was nothing for it but to press on and see what I'd have to deal with in the destination area. And as expected, N631S and I passed Baltimore and were heading south to the Nottingham VOR (OTT) at about 2140Z. That's about when the Potomac Approach controller asked, "Skylane 31 Sierra, what are your intentions?" At that point the weather looked grim:<br />
<br />
SPECI KDCA 112142Z 20003KT 1SM R01/P6000FT -RA BR OVC006<br />
07/05 A3018 RMK AO2 DZE39RAB39 P0000=<br />
<br />
SPECI KADW 112151Z AUTO 00000KT 1SM R01L/P6000FT -DZ BR VV007<br />
06/05 A3016 RMK AO2 DZB2145 SLP216<br />
<br />
METAR KHEF 112155Z 17003KT 3/4SM BR OVC003 06/06 A3015=<br />
<br />
The reports for DCA and ADW implied marginal conditions at best for VKX. The minima for the <a href="http://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/1301/09027R6.PDF" target="_blank">RNAV Rwy 6</a> approach at VKX are 680-1 (i.e., the approach requires 1 statute mile flight visibility and the Decision Height is 680 feet AGL). The METARs for DCA and ADW were not encouraging and my filed alternate (HEF) was looking none too good, even for an ILS approach.<br />
<p>I responded to the controller's query with: "I guess 31 Sierra's intentions are to try the RNAV 6 approach at VKX."<br />
<p>He replied, "A Pilatus just tried it and missed and he diverted to Easton. There's a Colombia 350 inbound for the approach. He'll get there before you; I'll keep you informed on how he makes out."<br />
<p>I thanked the controller and continued to motor on – slowly – toward OTT. Before too long, the controller was back. He told me, "31 Sierra, that Colombia missed at VKX and has diverted to Manassas. What do you want to do?"<br />
<p>I thought about it for a few seconds. First, two aircraft had missed at VKX, and the weather wasn't going to get better. I saw absolutely no point in trying to get in there. But where to go? I asked the controller, "Approach, 31 Sierra, can you say the weather at Manassas?"<br />
<p>He answered quickly, "300 and 3/4 in mist, wind 170 at 3."<br />
<p>That was doable but not great – especially if the trend was worsening. I asked, "Approach, 31 Sierra, could you say current conditions at Easton?"<br />
<p>The reply, after a few seconds, was, "Easton is reporting 7 miles, 1300 overcast, wind calm."<br />
<p>Sold! I said, "Approach, 31 Sierra would like to divert to Easton."<br />
<p>The immediate reply was, "November 631 Sierra is cleared to the Easton airport via radar vectors. Turn left to 050 and maintain 3,000 feet." A moment later, "31 Sierra, you can expect the ILS for Runway 4 at Easton."<br />
<p>I'd already descended to 3,000 feet on the way south from Baltimore, so I turned to the northeast and bid VKX farewell for the evening. As I rolled out on the 050 heading my groundspeed went from the low 90's to 173 knots. Remember that wind shear group in the Andrews TAF? A 40+ knot tailwind at 2,000 feet was going to make for a sporty ILS approach.<br />
<p>In what seemed like no time at all the controller said, "Skylane 31 Sierra, turn right to 080, descend and maintain 2,000 until intercepting the localizer. Cleared ILS 4 approach at Easton."<br />
<p>I acknowledged the approach clearance and got down to 2,000 feet as the localizer needle centered. I configured 631S for the ILS...manifold pressure 15", 10 flaps, indicated airspeed 90 or 100 knots, pitch for about 500 feet per minute descent...and watched as the glideslope indicator plunged toward the bottom of the instrument. With the tailwind, my ground speed was still 135 knots. I reduced the power further and pitched for 1,000 fpm descent and the glideslope began to creep back up.<br />
<p>I was still a couple dots high on the glide slope when we broke out at about 1,000 feet. There was that beautiful long runway at KESN, just where it belonged. I pitched up to slow to full flap extension speed and deployed all of the flaps and then did one of those "helicopter" descents that the 182 is so good at. We flared and touched down on the 1,000 foot touchdown zone markings. The tower asked where I was parking and I told them I needed an FBO and was unfamiliar. They advised me to turn left at the end of the runway onto <a href="http://www.mdair.com/aboutus.html" target="_blank">Maryland Air's</a> ramp.<br />
<p>I found the ramp, shut down, and walked over to the FBO – which proved to be locked up tight. So I returned to '31S and called the tower controller on the radio. Did he know of anyone that could help a poor wandering pilot on a dismal night? He said he'd call the Maryland Air after-hours number and see if they could help. Very soon he came back and told me they'd said to stand by, someone would be there soon.<br />
<p>In about 15 minutes, Bob from Maryland Air showed up to rescue me. He'd interrupted his Friday evening to open up the FBO and issue me a rental car for the hour-and-a-half drive home. And so I was on my way, soon to be done with a long and trying week.<br />
<p>My friend Sarah, who's a controller at Potomac TRACON, said in a comment to the last post that, "I was working approach that day and worked the first guy into (and right back out of) VKX. I almost got to say hi to you, but then watched you fly off my scope. Good call! That weather was no joke. Can't wait to hear how it all ended... :)" <br />
<p>Well, Sarah, there you have it.<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-52141339503196797742013-01-13T15:34:00.000-05:002013-01-13T15:34:53.727-05:00A Fairly Bad Week (Part 1 of 2)Last week began and ended with flights that I will not cherish as warm and glowing memories of my aviation experience. And the first is going to be rather painful to discuss here.<br />
<p>Monday began with a disarmingly uneventful flight from the DC area up to Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR) in Connecticut. The weather was clear and dry at about 0915 local time, when N631S and I landed on Runway 29 and were cleared to taxi to parking via taxiways Hotel and Alpha.<br />
<p>Approaching the tie-down area I took note that a rather large aircraft, a Piper <i>Navajo</i>, was parked in the last space of the row behind my assigned spot. That space is usually occupied by an <i>Archer</i> and so I thought that as I maneuvered N631S into its tie-down I'd have to be very careful to avoid the big Piper's wing.<br />
<p>Well, I succeeded after a fashion. As I turned 45 degrees to the right exiting the taxiway I carefully monitored the position of my wingtip relative to the Piper. Once sure that it was clear, I started to swing the nose to the left to align with the tie-down centerline. That's when I heard the sound of aluminum striking aluminum and felt '31S decelerate (from 3 or 4 mph) and yaw a bit to the right.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnfTM15IENvLDqKI3vovVoM1GVJNY9_ANNsoPYPDFyaTTU62-CAgrrv7gro0srb2fjA5EiXZAQEcSnGHdcWADFCAX8-txhJs2XnYW8rYEVPMQd44lVf0JfDpNev2SZc1hf3JzDNXP7I0/s1600/2013-01-07_09-32-35_171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnfTM15IENvLDqKI3vovVoM1GVJNY9_ANNsoPYPDFyaTTU62-CAgrrv7gro0srb2fjA5EiXZAQEcSnGHdcWADFCAX8-txhJs2XnYW8rYEVPMQd44lVf0JfDpNev2SZc1hf3JzDNXP7I0/s320/2013-01-07_09-32-35_171.jpg" /></a></div>What I saw when I looked to the right was dismaying. I had completely disregarded the Piper's high, wide-span tailplane and my wingtip had struck and damaged the larger plane's elevator. Sick at heart, I shut down and got out to examine the extent of the damage. Pretty quickly, I had company.<br />
<p>Tony came out from <a href="http://threewing.com/" target="_blank">Three Wing's</a> maintenance hangar, looked up at the sad sight, and called the folks that own the <i>Navajo</i>. Meanwhile, I was calling Dan Schrager, of <a href="http://planeinsurance.com/" target="_blank">The Aviation Insurance Agency</a>. He asked the basic questions and said he'd get back to me soon.<br />
<p>It appeared that N631S had come through the incident in pretty good shape. I couldn't see any significant damage to the wing. The Piper had been less lucky. The right elevator was clearly toast, and worse, the outer third of the horizontal stabilizer was bent down at a significant angle. It looked like I'd made a rather costly mistake.<br />
<p>Tony said they'd wait for the Piper's owners before separating the aircraft so I went to my office, having said I'd return if and when I was needed. That happened about two hours later when I received a call saying that the FAA was headed to the airport and had asked that I be there. So I hustled back.<br />
<p>The Piper <i>Navajo</i> that I'd damaged was in Part 135 service for an air charter operator, <a href="http://www.flythewhale.com/" target="_blank">'Fly the Whale'</a>. As a "for hire" operator, they had to report the incident to the FAA and the FAA had to do an investigation. If the Piper had been a Part 91 aircraft like N631S, no FAA involvement would have been required.<br />
<p>While waiting, I met Andy, the CEO of 'Fly the Whale'. I apologized for the inconvenience I'd caused and he was extremely understanding and a perfect gentleman about it. He was the first, but not nearly the last, to tell me that, "Hey, things happen in life, nobody got hurt, it's OK." (No...it is not OK.)<br />
<p>The FAA inspector arrived, surveyed the scene, and asked if we could talk. A brief, cordial and professional interview ensued. I told him exactly what had happened. He asked a few relevant questions. I gave him my contact information for follow up and he joined the growing group saying to me, "Hey, things happen in life, nobody got hurt, it's OK." (No...it is not OK.)<br />
<p>And, yes, I've filed my <a href="http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">NASA ASRS form</a>.<br />
<p>I also heard from the insurance company, <a href="https://www.usau.com/" target="_blank">USAIG</a>. Rob, the adjuster on the case, had been informed of the incident by Dan, my agent. Rob said he'd e-mail me a 'Report of Hull Loss' form to get the claim started and asked me for contact information for the shop and the other involved parties. Starting then and throughout, the service provided by Rob and USAIG has been impeccable!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPZflJDXJErgObXlbfFWzZAizlxpH1_6cWyJSL_RukhCnTsX7WZHnGJq9wmTfJkSqt2v-EQQQdgqMXfJ5kzJdrJgDpQZmN4fvkRfly_0A7w0Yi50e-hwG_4ZBQe0wEieme-9Ok4BsRo4/s1600/2013-01-08_07-41-56_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="120" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPZflJDXJErgObXlbfFWzZAizlxpH1_6cWyJSL_RukhCnTsX7WZHnGJq9wmTfJkSqt2v-EQQQdgqMXfJ5kzJdrJgDpQZmN4fvkRfly_0A7w0Yi50e-hwG_4ZBQe0wEieme-9Ok4BsRo4/s320/2013-01-08_07-41-56_2.jpg" /></a></div>The next day I returned to Three Wing, where both aircraft had been moved into the maintenance hangar. The news was better than I'd expected. N631S's right wingtip had been removed and the interior of the wing structure inspected. The shallow dimple in the leading edge was nicely between ribs and purely cosmetic. The remedy would be an application of <a href="http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/dentfiller.php" target="_blank">aerodynamic filler</a>, i.e., "Bond-O" at the next annual. N631S was, meanwhile, airworthy.<br />
<p>The right elevator of the <i>Navajo</i> would, as expected, need to be replaced along with the plastic tip of the stabilizer. But the apparent bend in the outer portion of the stabilizer that had worried us proved to be entirely elastic in nature. When the load imposed by N631S was removed the stabilizer "unsprung" back into its normal configuration. A thorough inspection revealed no consequential damage. The repairs would still be rather costly (elevators for big twins aren't cheap) but not nearly as bad as had been feared. And the time out of service for the airplane would be fairly brief.<br />
<p>So I felt much better. Not good...but better. You see, I had hoped to get to the time when I hang up my headset for the last time without having bent an airplane. I can no longer achieve that goal. I can't dismiss the loss of situational awareness that I had on Monday – which led to the incident – as one of those "hey, stuff happens" things. I've been committing aviation for 18 years now and have logged 1,500+ hours as Pilot-in-Command...and now I have a clear understanding of an area where I need to get better.<br />
<p>At least N631S was good to go for Friday. The forecast was telling me that a large ridge of warm air would be arriving in the East on Friday bringing rain but no risk of icing. I could plan for a wet IFR trip home to the DC area. Which was how I got to the second part of my Fairly Bad Week (to be covered in the next post).<br />
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510895126408960571.post-65934476312297883512012-12-31T10:24:00.000-05:002012-12-31T10:24:49.722-05:00Happy New Year (With a Look Back)This is the fourth year that I've used this post title on 31 December. A year ago, I looked back on 2011 in <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-new-year-with-look-back.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, and a year earlier I reviewed 2010 in <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-with-look-back.html" target="_blank">this one</a>. The retrospective for 2009 was <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-new-year-with-look-back.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<p>N631S finished 2012 with 4,391.8 hours on the tach, having flown 184.5 hours in 2012. That's just a bit more than the 2011 total of 175.8 hours. I made the round trip from KVKX in Maryland to KBDR in Connecticut and back 32 times this year, two fewer than last year.<br />
<p>I logged 10.1 hours in actual IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) this year, compared with 2011's 10.0 hours. This year's total of 16 instrument approaches flown in actual conditions is up from last year by six. Time logged as night this year was 9.3 hours, not very different from last year's 10.2.<br />
<p>Once again this year, N631S has been a remarkably reliable machine. Beyond the normally expected maintenance items, the things needing repair have been rather minor:<br />
<ul><li>During the Annual Inspection in March, one of the <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-annual-inspection-vii.html" target="_blank">aft roller assemblies on the pilot's side seat</a> had to be replaced.<br />
<li>Also at Annual, the <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-annual-inspection-iii.html" target="_blank">muffler was replaced</a> with an overhauled unit.<br />
<li>To clean up a bit of 'hangar rash', the <a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-annual-inspection-iii.html" target="_blank">right stabilizer and elevator plastic tips were replaced</a>. We used the opportunity to accomplish a Service Bulletin replacing some rivets in the outboard stabilizer rib with larger ones.<br />
<li><a href="http://n631s.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-annual-inspection-iv.html" target="_blank">Both magnetos were serviced</a>, and each needed some fairly significant parts renewal.<br />
<li>The baggage door latch failed and was replaced with an overhauled assembly.<br />
<li>The left wing strut upper and lower fairings, badly cracked, had to be replaced. (The ones on the right side will get done at the next annual.)<br />
<li>And finally, two steel brackets in the upper cowling (that mate with the lower cowl at the crankshaft opening) failed due to fatigue cracking and had to be replaced.<br />
</ul><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr4kJ_MqOex5ngfZWbwKqT61D1BSnqvsNP3ICpUm3YhbgvuS2watDR7Oq2MVEPOScygz6RhTiiGS4hnvGdx_Dsv_lXRjNDrh6G9LBZtomQvzTCBRbdRppoPoe9USFOXrYDJTtnqkf5Zs/s1600/2012-12-28_15-39-23_527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr4kJ_MqOex5ngfZWbwKqT61D1BSnqvsNP3ICpUm3YhbgvuS2watDR7Oq2MVEPOScygz6RhTiiGS4hnvGdx_Dsv_lXRjNDrh6G9LBZtomQvzTCBRbdRppoPoe9USFOXrYDJTtnqkf5Zs/s320/2012-12-28_15-39-23_527.jpg" /><br><i>28 December, crossing the Hudson,<br>'Clear and a Million!'</i></a></div>This is the 43rd post on this blog for 2012. That compares with 70 in 2011, 100 in 2010 and 128 in 2009. This obvious decline in my productivity here is the result of two things: first, my non-aviation life has gotten somewhat busier, and second, some experiences that would have been "bloggable" in the past now feel repetitive. Perhaps that's a hazard to be expected in this sort of venue. Maybe 2013 will be more <i>interesting</i>, but I have mixed feelings about whether that would be a Good Thing.
<p>In closing, I wish all who may visit here a healthy, prosperous and <u>safe</u> 2013.
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="From http://n631s.blogspot.com :" data-count="none" data-via="frankvanhaste">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5