Two Pilots & an LSW: As Planned

The day actually went that way. As planned. Wow!

This morning Nathan and I took off in the Cheyenne and flew at FL330 up to Caldwell, NJ. It was IFR, so I had to do the approach in there, and they always give us the Localizer 22. The localizer doesn't have vertical guidance, so you have to do these step down fixes, unfamiliar airport and altitudes, etc. But they also have an RNAV 22, which DOES have a glideslope. So why they want everyone on the localizer is beyond me. But anyway. I decided I'd just plug in the RNAV anyway for the vertical guidance. It's the same track to the same waypoints on the same runway. Why not? They quashed that by making me intercept the localizer instead of sending me to a waypoint on the approach. Phoo. So I had a brilliant (if I may say so) idea. I plugged the localizer in the main display, and I plugged the RNAV approach on the secondary display, and I shot both approaches at the same time. Intercepted the localizer, then used the gldeslope on the RNAV to get down. I felt pretty proud of myself. :D

We picked up Kevin, who had just landed that morning at JFK, from an African safari with his daughter.

Nathan had brought sandwiches from Millers, and we were starving. So while we were still climbing out from Caldwell, you know, the busiest time of the flight, we got out the sandwiches. I held it in my left hand, which meant with my right hand I was doing everything else. I dialed in the radio frequencies, I hit the push to talk switch with the wrong hand, to talk, I dialed in the altitudes on autopilot preselect every 1000', and answered the radio every 1000', and hit the autopilot buttons every 1000', and dialed in GPS re-routes multiple times, all on my own and all with one hand, not wanting to drop my sandwich. It was funny and an interesting challenge, and I took small enough bites that if they called while I was chewing I could still talk and be understood. ;)

I had one weird thing happen. I got a call to switch frequencies later in the flight, like an hour in. I switched, and checked in. I'm cruising along listening to ATC, which is active and I can hear people talking. On a whim, I dial Com 2 into 121.5, which is the emergency frequency. I don't always listen to it because it's loud and distracting in busy airspace. It's quiet for about 10 seconds, and the first thing I hear on it is "Cheyenne 37KW, this is xxx Approach on Guard, if you can hear me, check in on 123.57" I'm like...what?! So I switch frequencies to that one and check in. Apparently the other frequency I was on wasn't the right one but they didn't catch it when I checked in, and didn't move me over, the correct frequency didn't know where to find me, and I didn't know anything was wrong because it wasn't a dead or silent frequency. That's never happened before, it was pretty weird, and the timing of me having an urge to dial in 121.5 out of the blue and the first thing that comes up is them looking for me? That's wild, man.

We landed at Kokomo, and I did a run up on BOB, which didn't go well. The right engine is having an oil pressure issue, and we verified today that the gauge is right, meaning the oil pressure really is too low. So that's not good.

Next up I had a student in the Champ. We had to leave Kokomo and go to Marion because the runways are closed, without 15 minute prior permission. So that's what we did, went over there and did a bunch of takeoffs and landings, which went well. Came back into Kokomo and they were supposed to be done at 5, but there were still workers on the crossing runway after 5. We called in and they moved and we landed and put it away, and that was the last flying for the day.

Steve and I drove over to Glenndale for Sam's birthday party. He's 75, and everyone gathered there to celebrate. Meanwhile, Dale also turned 90 today. He got in his C-150 and took it off, around the patch, and landed it, by himself. It's a birthday tradition he and his dad had. He says this will be the last one, though. A nice round number, is 90. Life goals.

I did get on someone on the radio today. Coming in to Kokomo in the Cheyenne, I called in 10 minutes out for 'permission'. I heard a 172 calling in on downwind for 23, and the guys on the ground were scrambling to try to get the runway clear. The 172 says in this snotty voice "Is there some confusion going on down there??" The airport guy came back all nice with they have a construction project but the runway will be cleared for him. The airplane guy's attitude got to me, so I said "Kokomo's runways are all NOTAM'd closed through the end of the month for construction, except with 15 minute prior permission." Basically informing him that we all know he didn't read his NOTAMs. He was silent, and then they got on and said they were going to another airport. Good plan, buddy. Later a line guy came out to me and said they all appreciated it in the office up there, and even laughed. They have to be nice, I don't. I would have been nice if he'd have asked nicely what was going on, but his tone of voice was so snarky I couldn't help myself. He didn't have the right to be snotty. He was the one who didn't do what he was supposed to do.

Well, tomorrow I have a hair appointment. We also have two people checked out in the BT-13 now. That's good, but nobody reached out to me to see if I could do it too while he was here. I couldn't today, but tomorrow morning I could have. I sent an email out to ask if he'd still be here. Haven't heard back yet.

And here's the day in photos.