A Scary but true story with a happy ending

And here is one from real life - I was a Chief Instructor on a cert. ride with the FAA and I'd had everything thrown at me including left and right engine failure while flying IFR under the hood. We were approaching McMinnville on the ILS with one engine reduced to idle thrust and I went to lower gear at the outer marker and it wouldn't go down so I said "look my situational awareness tells me to utilize all resources available in the cockpit, and you are one of them. Would you please undo whatever you just did to the gear?" And he responded, in a low voice, "I didn't do anything to the gear, the simulation just ended." And I took the hood off and we trouble-shot (electrical issue) and got the gear down working together.

Onwards & Upwards,

Rob Bremmer

New video spreads the word about flight!

When you look at the history of aviation and compare it to something like automobiles it's clear to anyone observing, autos got the lion's share of attention from marketing.

Autos are now integrated into every aspect of daily life, and planes are not. There is no comparative right of passage for flying such as getting your drivers license when you turn 16, unless you take extraordinary efforts to make it happen.

The reasons for this are many and clear, yet far beyond the scope of one blog post. What is certain is that any efforts made to correct the silly yet damaging myths which float about willy-nilly in society and are clung to as facts by the average non-pilot should be championed, and such is the case with "A Pilot's Story" being developed by Rico Sharqawi and Will Hawkins in Watsonville, CA.

Using a Piper Arrow, they travel, fly, interview pilots and create a script to show the wonders of flight and illustrate anyone with the knowledge of how to start and the will can do so. I'll look forward to following it's development and distribution!

You can read the full story by writer John Sammon, at this clickable link. If you want to help another learn about the pleasures of flight, make a small donation on this site to help take a child flying, or take one flying yourself and write to me about the expereince and I'll post your story on this blog.

Onwards & Upwards!

Rob Bremmer

Perspectives from a flight with a young child

Few things make me feel more philosophical when I fly then taking a young child, and watching their reactions, particularly as they explore their visual world and try their hand at the controls.

Low level flight, and by low level I mean under 5,000 feet, is where the action is – at least in terms of appreciating what you can see in the natural world outside the cockpit. A recent low level flight through the Willamette valley supported this idea quite well. A still morning with visibility under a quarter of a mile and ceilings under 100 feet. I knew on the way to the airport it would be both a wait and that it would clear; the fog had that cheery bright glow which only seems to occur right before the sun breaks through, and indeed it DID breakthrough, bathing the freeway and cars in sunlight and shadow beneath a blue sky before popping back into the fog again.
Sure enough, it did clear after about a 30 minute wait at the airport. First movement was a landing Baron off the ILS. Next a fellow Cessna pilot warming up, and us, waiting to lift off in a venerable Cessna 152. At takeoff the sky was scattered and visibility was about 10 miles below the clouds and unlimited above. We climbed out at Vy for practice and settled into maneuvers routine. By then the sky was clearer and the natural wonders began appearing . On the way to Mulino , a local area airport, the sun glistened off the river and over the green fields wet from the recent rain and still radiating wisps’ of fog in some areas. A few touch and goes and we were heading back, when we saw two hawks fighting, at our altitude and about three plane widths away. Both were red-tails, and one was on his back, talons up and wings outstretched, with the hawk on top flapping towards him, claws facing down. Their muscles rippled beneath the feathers, you could see the waves of energy flowing through them in their exertion; you could also see their flight feathers, the long feathers at the tips of their wings – flexing and twisting as they maintained their balance through their duel. The tail feathers on the hawk on the bottom were widespread like a fan. They twisted, to counteract the body roll induced by a defensive movement made with its wings.

All of this could be seen in a split second as we went by. Remember, we were flying too, and climbing at about 80 knots. The hawks could only remain in our view angle from about the 11 o’clock opposition to the 8 o’clock position and they were very close to our aircraft so they went by in less than a second, yet the image was so powerful it will remain in my memory, perhaps for a life time.
Like the late night commercials say, “But wait! There’s more!” A few minutes later, practicing short and soft fields into Lenhart, another Willamette valley airport famed for its small size and tree lined approach and departure, I’d just completed a soft field landing on the grass and now, having taxied back, was on soft field and short field (combined!) take off roll, which demands considerable focus at Lenhart; the soft field really is soft, and the trees at the end of the runway really are there. My focus was all attitude and airspeed until reaching Vx, whereupon I relaxed pitch and trimmed for Vy. Upon stabilizing at Vy I looked out to enjoy the view and the conifer treetop to my left was bent over at the top, under the weight of a bald eagle. These are really large birds; there is no mistaking it. He turned and cocked his head slowly towards the plane and I could see his eye move. The bird did not flinch feather or twitch one muscle. He was aware of our presence and our presence did not matter to him. Then we were past yet still reveling in the moment. Just another moment flying, the most spectacular activity possible on the planet, certainly in the view of many pilots.

Onwards & Upwards!
Rob Bremmer

Where to go for Antique Aircraft parts

What if there was a store where you could buy parts for your antique aircraft - you know, the one that went off the assembly line over 50 years ago?
Well, there is! and it is called Aircraft Spruce. I never knew they existed until I bought an Aeronca Chief (11AC) in the mid eighties, and decided to install compression tailwheel springs. There is something a little bit like being a kid at Christmas when your package arrives. You may not know this, but as an owner/operator of an official antique aircraft you can make arrangements for supervision with an A&P, which allows you to do the installation work of non-aerodynamic parts (such as tailwheel springs) and then he can certify the work and log the maintenance after he inspects it. It's a good way to really get to know your aircraft and the inspection process too.

Onwards & Upwards!
Rob Bremmer

Launching Student Award Fund!

Helping a struggling student obtain a goal, or helping someone awaken to their potential, is always a good thing! Here's how you can help.

I've set up a donation link. Donate anything, even a dollar. When a significant amount is reached, and I figure $1,000 is a reasonable threshold, I'll make a donation to help some student obtain a flying goal.

I am motivated when I think of how hard it was for me to obtain flight hours, equipment, books, training - every aspect of flying had a cost and it was not easy to do it. It took me a long time, and I had no assistance. There were people I met who could've have benefited even more than I, from assistance and I'd like to help some of those students. I'd also like to help awaken young people from difficult backgrounds to the wonders of flight, and the experience of learning to control an aircraft, and observing your world from a new perspective.

While the account is growing, I'll be looking for the best way to help a student or young person, and I am open to suggestions from you, the reader. I am particularly looking forward to reporting the results - how we have together actually made a difference. Let's see what type of a difference we can make!

Onwards & Upwards,
Rob Bremmer

Tailwheels! The Critical Link

Learning to fly tailwheel aircraft will make you a better pilot and be richly rewarding, but you must pay attention to the most critical part, the tailwheel assembly and the springs.

Flying a tailwheel aircraft is exactly the same as any other airplane - in the air! For takeoff, landing and taxiing however, it is exceptionally different, and it takes a refined set of skills to safely and comfortably operate one on every flight. But before we get to the skills, let's look at the components. From my experience owning and operating an Aeronca Chief for about 400 hours and teaching many others to safely operate their own tailwheel aircraft, there are several critical areas to examine.

First, look at the springs. The illustration shows compression springs installed, and typical tension springs not installed but next to the compression springs for comparison. You should use compression springs, for several reasons. Compression springs in their unactivated state, or when the rudder is neutral, are not applying any force on the tailwheel. They only apply force when the rudder is moved left or right, and then only on the side of desired movement. Tension springs, on the other hand, apply tension all the time, so if one breaks, (and tension springs are typically more inclined to occasionally break) the broken side whips free and the tension on the other side pulls the tailwheel to the side. Not good at critical points of a landing or while taxiing! Compression springs also give better handling. When you are taxiing with a tension spring, and you push rudder, it stretches the spring and the wheel thinks about moving then responds, in a springy sort of way. When you do the same with compression springs, the response is tight and immediate, which means as pilot and operator, you get immediate feedback as to whether you need more or less rudder input; you don't have to wait and see what will happen. Also, compression springs are typically thicker. Thicker metal outlasts thinner metal every time.

Next, the wheel must track straight and sit straight on the ground. A worn wheel where one side of the tire is angled and higher than the other, is a sure sign of a badly angled wheel, and while this can be compensated for with rudder pressure and brakes, why do that? It is like driving a car that's out of alignment. Most tailwheels on antique aircraft and some newer aircraft that I have seen have some misalignment and tracking problems. If you have any doubts about your tailwheels alignment and tracking, have your A&P check this out thoroughly. Since many older tailwheel aircraft have the same assembly they've had for 40 years or more, you probably should just buy a new tailwheel assembly. They are only a few hundred dollars, and the performance and peace-of-mind benefits are immediate and well worth the cost.

The next step is to examine and restore every component of the steering system. Those tailwheels are tiny, in comparison to the rest of the aircraft, yet they take the most beating. They are also the most exposed to weather and since the plane tilts 'downhill' towards the tailwheel, when they are sitting on the ground all condensation and rain runs down and drips on the components. When I say restore all parts of the steering system I mean start at the rudder pedals. Look at the bearing surfaces. Replace the rudder cables with new cables; I prefer stainless steel, since it is more corrosion resistant and part of the cables do run to the outside of most tailwheel aircraft. Check the cable guides along the entire path, they must be smooth and straight. Check the exit pat through the fuselage, there should be the smallest hole possible, it should not rub, and it is best if there is some type of shield to reduce the chance of bugs or moisture getting inside. Check the bearing and attachment points at the rudder horn, the entire system should be in good shape, not loose, no corrosion, and the bearings should be in good shape. Any bolts should be safety wired. The compression springs should be well attached to the rudder horn, and should have no slack and be equally taught going back to the rudder steering assembly. If you pay attention to all these areas, you will know your aircraft at a new level, and you will have a new sense of security and accomplishment as you operate your airplane.

It might be useful for you to know how I came to this position on tailwheels. In the late '80's I bought an Aeronca Chief. It had flown for years, successfully, yet the previous pilot just got used to the tailwheel quirks and foibles. One day I was looking closely at the clevis bolt connecting the rudder cable and there was a small spot of brown. I 'scritched' at it with the screwdriver in my hand, and instead of it cleaning off, like I expected, the clevis snapped in half! It was corroded nearly to the core and their was no sign of that on the exterior. This is what sent me down the path of straightening and replacing everything, and it was a fantastic decisions. For only a few hundred dollars and a weekend's worth of time, the steering immediately improved, tight turns were suddenly easier and did not need brake-assist, and the peace of-mind was very good.

If you came to me and asked me as an instructor to teach you tailwheel flying, (I am available, by-the-way) This is the first conversation we would have, as we looked closely at your tailwheel.

Onwards & Upwards!

Rob Bremmer

It's New Year's Eve!

Let's put down serious talk about flight, reminiscing and everything else and play a few games. I've embedded a fun little game gadget at the bottom of the blog, and here are a few links to other online flying games.

Airfox Squadron Angel A quick fun game of Helicopter, A site for Many free flying games A site to Demo games before purchase and this site is good for kids of all ages. Enjoy!

Onwards & Upwards!

Rob Bremmer

Flying and the Presidential Bullet-Proof Podium

The airshow, the DC-9, a ramp helper, the Secret Service and President Bush's bullet-proof podium - or how I helped save some Secret Service guy's job - or at least prevent a reprimand!

Not all stories of interest occur in the cockpit. I realize now, thinking back from the position of a pilot sitting at a computer in a 40-year snowstorm, to an interesting period of mini-history which occurred in a warm sunny place, about two decades ago.

You wouldn't expect all of these elements to come together in one place, yet in the late 80's in San Diego, it happened. The Soviet Union was over. It was the end of the Reagan era and President -to-be, Bush-the-first was campaigning. Some Admiral thought it would be great to have a huge airshow and to invite the world, and have it at Brown field in San Diego. And what a success it was! AN-124's, the Concorde, and a variety of other very unusual aircraft, all the subject of other stories yet to be told.

This story, as promised, is about one very heavy bullet proof podium. I know it was heavy because I helped lift it. The airshow was ending and one of the final speakers was the vice president and soon-to-be president, campaigning away with a typical entourage. I got into the airshow for free because I volunteered to help guide people and drive a golf cart, doing whatever was required. They used us lowly flight instructors because they knew at least we would have the common sense not to walk into a propeller and probably enough common sense to prevent the average attendee from doing the same.

Bush finished speaking, and was hustled off the podium into a waiting black limo, which immediately moved towards the row of idling aircraft, followed by a host of boxy black cars and vans. I watched from the back, enjoying the view from my golf cart seat, as one, then a second plane in the entourage took off, and a third began to taxi.

At that moment, several very distraught looking gentlemen, very fit, and running, with black jackets and ties and sunglasses came towards me. One flashed a badge. "We need your help!" he panted (I am not making this up - somewhere is a retired SS agent who might verify all this). He pointed to a box that looked like a funny shaped coffin. "That's the vice president's bullet proof podium, and it was supposed to be on the plane!"

"Which plane?" I asked.

"That one!" and he pointed to the second jet taking off, wheels going up into the wells and heading east. It needs to be there for his next appearance!"
Another agent spoke up, pointing to the taxiing third aircraft. "We need to get it on the press plane, he said. "Come on, let's go!"

A moment later, the agents had the encased podium on the back of the golf cart and two of us sat in the front, one on the back and one jogging along side, we headed towards the press plane on the taxi way.

"Hurry!" the one stated, but I did not have a radio to the tower or ground control.

"We can't just get too close to that plane, we have to contact the tower, I told them, and one of them spoke into some radio and about a minute later the DC-9 stopped, and the rear air stair dropped open and down came the first officer. And that is where it got really interesting, and a little surreal.

The agents told the first officer of the need to get the podium on board, and he pointed out they had no loading ramp, but he thought they could get it into a baggage space near the right engine nacelle. He opened that panel, and we tried lifting it in. I can tell you, one athletic CFI, and three agents struggled with that sucker, it was heavy. The helpful first officer suggested "someone skinny" climb into the baggage compartment and pull while the others pushed. I was the skinniest. All eyes turned to me.

We positioned the golf cart so I could stand on it and jump into the cargo bay, and there I was, jet engine whining over my head, pulling on the VP's bullet proof podium while the Secret Service pushed, and it dawned on me if this thing angled over and tipped onto me, there I'd be, trapped in the howling belly of a DC-9 while the press in the compartment overhead wondered about the delay.

Finally we got the box into position and I squirmed out. There was a quick round of hand-shakes and smiles, and I tell you, those Secret Service guys sure looked relieved. The first officer disappeared back into the plane, up went the stairs, and a minute or two later, they were wheels-up heading east, chasing the first two jets.

Since I never read anything about it I assume it all worked out well. I also assume that's not the regular way to load a bullet proof presidential podium onto a plane!

Onwards & Upwards!
Rob Bremmer

Environmentally Friendly Airplanes are Better than Cars!

Small aircraft can be greener, more eco-friendly and sustainable than cars! Here’s the argument for the case.
Just out of curiosity, why don’t more environmentalists support flying? Especially flying small general aviation planes. Think about it. A four seat aircraft weighs less than a four seat car and less materials are used. An aircraft going from point A to B will get there faster, therefore the engine and systems run for less time than a car over the same distance. While we are on point A and B, a car travels a squiggly circuitous route to get from A to B while a plane can fly relatively straight, so the plane travels less distance to get there. Airplanes travel in three dimensions while a car travels in two, so aircraft can distribute congestion over altitude. Let’s compare fuel consumption over the trip and see how that works out. We’ll compare and contrast a car and a plane over two distances, 100 miles and 1000 miles.
Plane:
Miles traveled : 100 1000
Speed: 120mph 120mph
Time traveled: 50min (.833h) 8h30min (8.5h)
Fuel consumption @ 6gph: 5gal 50 gal

Car:
Miles traveled : 100 1000
Speed: 65mph 65mph
Time traveled: 1h32min (1.53h) 15h20min (15.38h)
Fuel consumption @ 20mpg: 5gal 50 gal


As you can see, the fuel consumption is the same yet the time traveled is much less for the aircraft. There are other benefits too; including wear and tear on the two vehicles, which will be less for the aircraft over the same distance. There is just less friction in play to wear down the aircraft than there is friction wearing down the ground vehicle.
Now the naysayers can quibble over all this. Some will say the fuel consumption is off, and will create a scenario to prove that. Others will say the cost of production is off, or there are fewer landing places which is true, but this is more a factor of aircraft design and zoning rather than anything else. Yet any argument the naysayers construct will be dwarfed by the one, elephant-sized issue, always overlooked, which is in the favor of the aircraft; the car needs 1,000 miles of highway built and maintained while the airplane needs only 1 mile for the same 1,000 mile flight, with a half mile for take-off and a half mile for the landing.
Let’s just say, conservatively, that it costs $10,000 dollars per mile of runway or finished highway. So our mile of runway costs $10,000 while the highway would cost $10,000,000. And this does not even include the environmental destruction which occurs with those extra 999 miles of highway!

So why aren’t more people flying and saving time and the environment? That’s a good question! In today’s environment; costs, legal, cultural and bureaucratic blocks, thwart progress and growth, but the good news is none of these are insurmountable.
If you love aviation and you care about the environment, we ought to start advancing discussion on this and similar arguments. It is possible, with design enhancements within existing technology to make aircraft more flexible for use. Zoning changes can make airports more practical to build and maintain. Improved aircraft design using known technology and design can improve aircraft performance for airport operations. Training changes can make pilot proficiency better, marketing can increase the value of general aviation in the public eye and political strength can help fight for better utilization of general aviation. If you are interested, you can help start the dialog needed to begin making the changes.

onwards and upwards!
Rob Bremmer

How to make aerial photos from the window of an airliner even better

This is a response to the comments posted earlier. It seems there is a lot of interest in this subject! Besides setting a low ASA, (which reduces the graininess) you want to get the best f stop at the highest shutter speed. I find any shutter speed ove 250th of a second guarantees I'll get rid of any vibrations (higher speeds are better in turbulence) and then I set the f stop for the smallest aperture possible without driving the shutter speed lower. As for focus, my camera, a mid - level Canon digital SLR style camera, will usually work fine on auto focus, but if it does not I set it to manual and set it to infinity.Hopefully the sun angle is low, like you would get from sunrise to around 10 am or 3 pm to sunset. The lower the angle, the more dramatic the shot as their will be more color possibilities and better contrast from shadow detail. Alas, we cannot always choose our flight for the sun angle!Your goal is to get the target image in or near the center of the image, with no parts of the airplane in sight. Try to shoot through clear sections of class if your window is smudgy, and if it is smudgy on the inside, you may be able to clean it a bit with a blanket or cloth. Yet capturing the image i just half the story. Think of it as capturing the 'raw data.' When you bring the image up on you computer, it will typically have a bluish sheen from reflectivity and shooting through the Plexiglas. If the details on the ground are strong enough you can significantly or even completely 'tune out' this image problem by increasing the brightness and contrast in even the most basic photo editor. The Google Picasa editor (free download) can do this for you, or you can use the Microsoft Photo edit suite, which I also use. The three areas I usually use to tweak a photo and dial out the glare are contrast, brightness and color temperature. Sometimes I sharpen the image with focus, if necessary. I hope that helps! If anyone gets an interesting shot they would like to share, email me at rob.bremmer@gmail.com and I'll post your photo and give you photo credits.

onwards and upwards!
Rob Bremmer

Aerial photos of an active Volcano

Aerials on a Friday afternoon in summer are good ~ Aerials of an active volcano are better!
Part of the fun of taking aerial photographs is introducing a friend to the fun of it. Recently I flew a friend around Mt. St. Helens. These photos were taken by Michael R, his first aerial photos, taken from a C-172 open window. The contrast was increased slightly and brightness decreased slightly in Photo edit suite.
The flight was an hour and a half round trip, with 25 minutes lingering on-station, circling the remnant mountain top. The most dramatic images were shooting towards the sun with the dark foreground and colorful background and shooting east, with the wall of the crater illuminated by the setting sun and revealing the mineral complexities on it's slope, along with some ash and sheets of ice. There was no turbulence during the flight, which made for a more stable shooting platform.

onwards and upwards!

Rob Bremmer

How to make aerial photos from the window of an airliner 'more better.'
This is a response to the comments posted earlier. It seems there is a lot of interest in this subject! Besides setting a low ASA, (which reduces the graininess) you want to get the best f stop at the highest shutter speed. I find any shutter speed over 250th of a second guarantees I'll get rid of any vibrations (higher speeds are better in turbulence) and then I set the f stop for the smallest aperture possible without driving the shutter speed lower. As for focus, my camera, a mid - level Canon digital SLR style camera, will usually work fine on auto focus, but if it does not I set it to manual and set it to infinity.Hopefully the sun angle is low, like you would get from sunrise to around 10 am or 3 pm to sunset. The lower the angle, the more dramatic the shot as their will be more color possibilities and better contrast from shadow detail. Alas, we cannot always choose our flight for the sun angle!Your goal is to get the target image in or near the center of the image, with no parts of the airplane in sight. Try to shoot through clear sections of class if your window is smudgy, and if it is smudgy on the inside, you may be able to clean it a bit with a blanket or cloth. Yet capturing the image i just half the story. Think of it as capturing the 'raw data.' When you bring the image up on you computer, it will typically have a bluish sheen from reflectivity and shooting through the Plexiglas. If the details on the ground are strong enough you can significantly or even completley 'tune out' this image problem by increasing the brightness and contrast in even the most basic photo editor. The Google Picasa editor (free download) can do this for you, or you can use the Microsoft Photo edit suite, which I also use. The three ares I usually use to tweak a photo and dial out the glare are contrast, brightness and color temperature. Sometimes I sharpen the image with focus, if necessary. I hope that helps! If anyone gets an interesting shot they would like to share, email me at rob.bremmer@gmail.com and I'll post your photo an give you photo credits. I hope ths helps those who are interested.
onwards and upwards!
Rob Bremmer

Crater Lake - Aerial photos from airliner window seat

You might think you need a small plane or a big budget to take interesting aerial photographs but that isn't true! Photos taken from the seat of any airliner, with a little planning, can yield spectacular results.
These photos of Crater Lake were taken from a right-side passenger window seat in front of the wing of a Horizon Air RJ Regional Jet on a flight from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest. It does require a little planning ahead to capture such shots, for example, having a window seat is very helpful, and a clean window is important too! You also want to sit in front of the wing, as far in front as possible to maximize opportunities to see the ground. Behind the wing can be interesting, but the wing will limit your view forward and if the aircraft has wing mounted engines the thrust and exhaust gases will distort the air, ruining a clean view of any object on the ground. Sitting over the wing renders ground shots useless, but interesting cloud shots can still be obtained!

Any digital camera will work, but the better ones allow you to set a lower ASA number and maximize the quality of the photo in terms of photo size which equates to more megabytes per image. A zoom lens is helpful but not necessary. Sometimes a wide angle will give more interesting shots encompassing sky and land, yet a telephoto, while allowing the appearance of closeups, can highlight haze in the atmosphere and is more inclined to pick up shaky vibrations which blur the shot.

Don't conserve shots! Shoot like crazy; it's digital, so after the opportunity has passed by the window, you can edit away the weaker images. Remember you are traveling at over 200 miles per hour so when you see look as far ahead of the plane as you can and when you see something that looks interesting get your camera ready and start taking pictures!

I could mention that while I was taking these images I was being served complimentary chilled northwest micro-brews, a unique and classy service on the last remaining civilized airline in the United States, but that would be an entirely different story!

onwards and upwards!

Rob Bremmer

Please take the SURVEY about flying

I've added a small survey to uncover the predominant reason people don't fly as much as they could.Please take the survey, and check back later for the results.

onward and upward!
~ rob bremmer

"I've looked at clouds from both sides now!"

As the old song suggests, the visual beauty of clouds may be appreciated from the top looking down as well as the more traditional bottom looking up. This post is in honor of John Day, a physicist who recently passed away, and spent his life studying clouds and promoting cloud watching. I feel certain he would have enjoyed flying, leaning out an open airplane window and taking photographs of clouds from the top to compliment the view from the ground.

I only just learned of Dr. Day and his work recently. He studied clouds, wrote about clouds and cloud physics, turned cloud photos into art and even got the US Postal service to put one of his cloud photos on a postage stamp.

Knowing this I am convinced I would have enjoyed talking to the man and I believe he would have enjoyed discussing and comparing images and stories about clouds. As a pilot, I've always watched clouds and whenever possible, taken photos from an airliner window as well as open cockpit and open window small planes. Clouds can be just as fascinating when viewed from the top looking down, as they can be from the bottom looking up!

The three photos here are my favorite cloud images recently shot. The orange mammatus cloud shapes were at Sunriver after a thunderstorm. The striation lines of clouds cast interesting shadows over the Bitterroot mountain range while flying east, and Mount Hood makes an early summer roadblock for a mid-level line of stratus, forced to curve around the shape of the mountain.

You can view Dr. Day's images and read more about him and his work on his website, at www.cloudman.com.

onwards and upwards,

Rob Bremmer

An American Pilot flying on the 4th of July

7-4-08
America is unique in many ways and certainly one of the most special and precious is the freedom to fly. As I think back over the years of flying aircraft I can recall a few flights taken on the 4th of July and I can recall the surge of feeling which arises when flying and seeing fireworks displays. One memory stands clearer than all the others.
It was the mid 1980’s and I was flying from San Diego north through the LA basin. The plane was a Grumman Tiger, an AA-5B, an aircraft with exceptional visibility through the bubble windscreen and the side windows, despite the low wing which often can block a view. The day was warm and the departure from Gillespie field was just after sunset, which put us inside the Los Angeles basin well after dark. We were flying low and wide, to skirt the Class B Airspace (A TCA to those of you who flew with the older designations). Flying under the shoulder of a controlled airspace is best accomplished by charting a distant landmark and a nearer landmark that create a line clear of the controlled area, So that you can keep your eyes outside the cockpit and just concentrate on holding your altitude and enjoying the view as you stay on track on your courseline.
This technique frees you to keep a maximum lookout for other traffic, which is easier to see at night than in the daytime since you need only look for anti-collision, landing, and navigational lights. This also means your eyes are drawn quickly to assess moving lights, and on this evening, with clear nighttime air, fireworks displays popped out in stark contrast to the black hills to the east of the valley.
The effect of seeing the displays all around us, in front, to the rear quadrants and to the sides both near and far was inspirational. My passenger and I were Americans, flying an aircraft on our own, in free and clear skies and seeing the celebration of that national freedom surrounding us with dazzling and sparkling displays of lights, bursting and shimmering like rapidly blooming and fading flowers of brilliant light.
Soon we were through the valley and on into the darkness of the terrain enroute to San Luis Obispo. The radio chatter was nearly gone and the sights to look at were nearly non-existent, so much so we were using the instruments as much as outside reference to aid our VFR flight into the black night. Above us the stars filled the sky and my only thought for a while was the good fortune I held as pilot controlling an aircraft in flight.
The instrument panel glowed with a warm red light and the white wings caught the alternating flash of the anti-collision light from the top of the vertical stabilizer. A deep breath in and a long gentle exhale while I soaked in the scene around me. My wish was that others might be able to feel the sense of incredible satisfaction, joy and a calm resolute peace which comes at such a moment, a moment I am certain occurs more often for pilots than anyone else on earth.

onward & upwards!

r. bremmer

SunRiver - Flying and Nature

What could be better than a Jet, a Biplane, a Soarplane and a river with a blue canoe, all one summer day? (Summer 2007)

We are in a canoe, a blue canoe, and paddling slowly down the Deschutes, along the right bank, following the current. We are in a natural areas of astonishing beauty. Riders on horseback kick up puffs of dust along a riverside trail. Overhead, a red and white Travelair, with “Bi-plane Rides” stenciled beneath the bottom wing purrs along the river, the unmistakable sound of the rotary engine thock-thocking into the distance. A few lazy paddle strokes and we watch the now-distant biplane enter a steep bank and turn back, descending for a landing, the site seeing flight over. The Bi-plane disappears behind the low trees towards the airport. A few more lazy paddle strokes and a Cessna Citation, approaching from the north on a descent for the airport whistle –hums along, quietly for a jet, and very very smooth. It’s fuselage glistens and the sun catches the shining leading edge of the wing. It too disappears behind the trees. We stop and admire a flowering plant along the marshline, purple and white on a thick stalk. The sky is cobalt blue and the river is clear and translucent, a blue so dark it is nearly black. A dragonfly zips by. I angle the canoe away from the eddy and push towards the main current flowing around the bend.
Overhead a high performance soarplane appears, white long winged and slender, whistling through the wind. The soarplane is low, very low yet also very fast. They are playing with energy, storing it in airspeed for a conversion into altitude. They whistle over the footbridge, so close you could touch them, you think, though they are probably over 100 feet above us. We in our slow moving canoe, they in their speeding soarplane, a contrast in vehicles and ways to move. They hit an invisible marker at the tall pine tree and pull up steeply, slowing, airspeed dwindling while altitude gains. They tip back to level by dropping the nose and they are suddenly at pattern altitude, lazily floating along at 50 mile per hour, a thousand feet higher overhead. The high performance craft seems alive, shimmering with energy from the wind and the sun, dancing a balance between gravity, lift, thrust and drag. Approaching the pattern entry point, the soarplane abruptly pulls up, converting airspeed energy into altitude energy. Now at pattern altitude, perhaps 300 feet higher and significantly slower, the soarplane meanders out of site behind the treeline, established on downwind for their pattern and landing.
I take another paddle stroke, realigning the canoe with the Deschutes current and marvel at how aviation and a wilderness river area can fit so well together. At SunRiver, the airport is a harmonious and integrated component. It provides an open area where in winter coyotes hunt mice beneath the snow in the fields around the airport and in summer deer and horses roam the same fields. The airport provides an alternative transportation source to the area, an income source for some businesses directly and indirectly, if customers who land then spend money off the airport at a restaurant or other establishment.
Soon the airport and pattern area disappear from sight, and my mind drifts with the current and the canoe, and the simple joys of a river on a sunny summer day. Today it is the slow route on the river, discovering what may be around the next bend. It’s not too different from flights taken where the discoveries are beyond the next ridgeline or over the mountain range on the horizon.
Our natural environment is awe inspiring, and SunRiver is one of those rare places where different ways to explore and come to understand our environment all come together in one location. Nature attracted me to flying, the opportunity to be immersed in the environment enjoy it moment by moment. Some of my best inspiration arose while flying and SunRiver is the type of place where pilots and those who simply love to fly and experience the outdoors can spend time relaxing and remembering why they became involved in flying and exploring the great outdoors.

onwards & upwards!
r bremmer

rob.bremmer@gmail.com

50 years ago we had a VTOL airliner!

Rotodyne - What an amazing aircraft!

You have to see this to believe it. If you know why it never achieved production, please tell us. If you think it should be resurrected, tell us that, too.

Click on the link, or cut and paste, to watch the video and listen to the narrator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9633v6U0wo

Onwards and Upwards ~ rfb

In the business world, there are so many TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms) it is hard to keep them straight. But in aviation they are an important part of your ADM (Aeronautical Decision Making) and fit into your CRM (Cockpit Resource Management). I've even invented a few. Here is one of my favorites!

Instrument flying, especially solo IFR, can be a handful. Every technique that reduces your workload and helps you maintain procedures is a good technique. From the IAF (Initial Approach Fix) inbound to a landing or a go around from an instrument approach, there are some specific elements which must occur every time. The acronym HALFDARTS (think of half a dart flying to the airport) can help you when entering your approach phase. They are in he order I like to pay attention to them. I find in practice this flows well.

H -
Heading. Heading is certainly the most critical; if you are not heading towards the next fix, or the OM (Outer Marker) everything else is a mot point and you may be rapidly flying into danger. Remember that heading is not course. Heading takes into consideration any WCA (Wind Correction Angle) necessary to maintain your desired courseline, which only becomes more critical as you approach your landing zone. Take a moment to think about what headings you'll use, maybe dial a heading into your VOR/OBS; double check the Heading on your Heading Indicator, and look over any headings you'll need through the rest of the approach and the missed approach too.

A -
Altitude. Just as with heading errors, altitude errors can get you quickly into trouble, though at least you'll be on the right heading, right? Set your altimeter to the airport altimeter setting, and commit to memory the altitudes for each phase of the approach, including MDA (Minimum Descent Altitude) or DH (Decision Height) if it is a precision approach, and be sure to include your missed approach altitudes as well.

L -
Lighting. Why worry about lighting now? Because at this stage of the approach you have the mental bandwidth to set up the cockpit lighting the way you'll have best visibility during the approach and still be able to see outside for approach lights at breakout, You'll have the time to think about and set landing lights, nav and recognition lights, and think about whether you want strobes on or not, since they can be disorientating in clouds. While you are thinking about lighting, what is your emergency lighting plan? A lighting emergency on final approach won't be so bad if you can quickly put your hand on your flashlight.

F -
Frequencies. Run through and set your frequencies. If you pre-set frequencies, do so. I like to have approach and tower on the number one comm radio and ATIS / ASOS and ground control on the number two comm, but that's just my preference. I also like to use all nav equipment I have on an actual approach, so each receiver will be turned in to an appropriate frequency. If I have a number two nav not in use I'll set i to the ILS or approach course as a back-up, and I'll pay attention to the audio, testing and setting each with appropriate squelch levels, and leaving he audio on the primary approach navaid up just loud enough to hear the morse code identifier during the approach. No audible identifier, no reliable signal! If I have GPS I have it set up WAY before needing it and back it up with standard instruments as well.

D -
Distance. How far to the next fix? To the runway threshold? Down the ILS? To the Middle Marker? What's the distance from the runway to the missed approach fix?

A -
Airspeed. Memorize them, from initial approach to holding pattern entry and approach speed. What airspeed will you use climbing out on a missed approach? Airspeed is not groundspeed. Is the win helping or hurting you?

R -
Runway and Runway environment. Which runway will you land on? If parallels, Left, or Right? You did read your NOTAMS for runway conditions before takeoff, right? Take a second and look at the runway environment depicted on your approach plate an think about where the buildings are, the width and any slope of the runway, and how it might look on breakout (building to left or right?) to help with your pattern recognition on landing.

T -
Time. Needless to say,everything has a time and a place, and the place for timing is knowing by heart EXACTLY how much time each step down to MDA or DH will require. Keeping track of time can also help if you suffer any equipment failure during the approach.

S -
Safety. Never forge safety. Everything else is done, so apply your ADM skills and have your descent and landing checklist handy, and think through any other aspect of the flight which might have a safety component. Extra low ceilings or visibility, cockpit occupant safety (don't forget yourself!) and the safety aspects of the plane; carb heat, de-icing, and perhaps the biggest one of all; is the landing gear down?

HALFDARTS. A useful acronym I've used for years. I hope you like it! Please use it freely and post any comments back here if you felt it worked well or have suggestions for improvement.

Onwards and Upwards! Rob Bremmer

Mentor - Complex fuel systems in light twins

All planes have fuel drains. Some have more. The Cessna 320 I was flying had ten.

The Cessna 320 I flew for a student, who happened to be both my student pilot and a practicing psychologist, was an amazingly wonderful plane. Twin turbocharged Lycoming 6 cylinder engines. Able to do 295 mph true airspeed. An absolute joy to fly and getting used to the speed after slower planes was always a bit of an eye-opener. The plane was co-owned, actually, by a psychologist who liked to go fast and a Tuna boat captain who thought high speed was 10 knots. It made for some interesting conversations on trips!

The most interesting aspect was without a doubt the fuel system. Each wing had a wingtip tank able to hold 50 gallons, and an inboard reserve tank of about 15 gallons, as I recall. The inboards had a unique characteristic; they could pump fuel out twice as fast as the engine could burn it. That meant you had to manage the fuel in a certain way.

On take off, both engines would burn from the mains. the rate of consumption on the fuel gauges was about what you would expect from those fuel injected turbocharged engines, but it was twice what you would expect when you switched over to the auxiliary tanks! To keep from porting fuel overboard, you would need to burn down your mains at least 10 gallons a side, then switch to auxiliaries and run them nearly dry. While you were doing this, your auxiliary fuel gauges would be dropping as though you had a hole in the bottom of each tank, and at the same time the main fuel gauges would be showing the tanks filling up!

For such an interesting fuel system, you would not be disappointed when you went underneath to work the system drains. A drain on each main. One on each auxillary. One on each engine. That's 6 so far. One on each cross-feed bringing the total to 8 and two in the system feeding fuel to the heater in the nose, for a total of 10 fuel drains to check before each flight!

All in all, flying that plane was worth it. It hummed and sang and flew straight and true. There were a few other idiosyncrasies, but I'll save those for another day.

onward & upward! ~ rfb

FLYOSOPHY - Are you still there?

FLYOSOPHY - How do you know for sure? Will there be a midair or not? When is the radar right and when is it not?

Controllers in San Diego were understandably cautious in the late 1980's in the San Diego area for good reason; a midair HAD occurred between an airliner and a Cesnna 172. So when I flew from Gillespie field towards the Mission Bay VOR, the following exchange really occurred between me and the controller monitoring my transit on this beautiful CAVU day.

"Cessna 14 Romeo, be advised traffic at 12 oclock, 3 miles, unknown altitude."

"14 Romeo, Looking."

"Cessna 14 Romeo, traffic 12 oclock and two miles."

"14 Romeo looking."

(Now, visibility was perfect, and there appeared to be NOTHING in front of me, but the controller was seeing SOMETHING and even though it was probably substantially higher and maybe lower, I was starting to get concerned).

The controller's voice became a little tighter.

"Cessna 14 Romeo, traffic 12 oclock, 1 mile, advise in sight."

I was really straining my neck now and rocking the wings, still, nothing.

"14 Romeo, looking, no traffic." was all I could say.

The moment of the possible collision came and went. The controllers next words, somewhat hesitantly -

"Cessna 14 Romeo, you there?"

Even if your eyes see nothing a radar screen will make you think twice. I never did see the other aircraft, which proceeded merrily eastbound, off frequency, unaware of any issue.

onward & upward! ~ rfb

MENTOR - Aerobatics: Hammerhead Turns

I think the Hammerhead turn is the best aerobatic maneuver. It has it all; diving zooming, acceleration, deceleration, near weightlessness, slow flight, turns, sky and good views of the ground!

Start at altitude, of course! Push over briskly for a smooth quick dive. Maybe take your G load down to +.5g on the pushover and stabilize into your descent. Don’t forget left rudder, enough for the Look out to maintain positioning and ground-track, you have a moment before needing to look at the airspeed indicator again, since it takes a moment to build to 145 or so, your hammerhead turn entry speed. At your entry speed, start a smooth quick steady pullback. Maybe about +1.5 to +2.0g. Remember your rudders; just as a steep dive or pitch down requires left rudder, you’ll need right rudder when pitching up! As you pitch above the horizon and keep going up, switch your primary view 90 degrees left or right.

You are watching for the wing to get to 90 degrees perpendicular to the horizon. Perpendicular wings to the horizon mean you are going straight up, which is the goal. This is where it gets a little tricky and needs a little practice. You want to get to straight up before you run out of airspeed, and I don’t mean airspeed dropping so low you might stall, I mean airspeed dropping so low you don’t have enough ruder authority to make a crisp pivot turn at the top. The dangers here are mushing out the bottom of the turn and falling into a sloppy spiral, or a spin entry, or a tailside, which while fun and exhilarating can be damaging to your otherwise sturdy aerobatic steed when the tail slide slams the elevators back against their hinges. But we are not here to talk about the dangers, we are here to talk about how fun it is when you do it right!

As you near the top, it gets quiet. The whoosh of air slows and the controls get softer, just like they do when you slow down when landing. You are almost ready for the turn! JUST before too little airspeed remains, kick full rudder, either direction. The remaining momentum will putt-putt you over the top, and ideally you’ll reach the apex of the turn with one wing straight down and the other straight up just as you peak at your highest altitude for the maneuver. You can’t forget aileron! The plane will generate more lift on the up-wing, and so will need more countering aileron. If you pivot the turn to the right, you’ll need right aileron, making the top left aileron go ‘down’ holding the wing straight in the turn. If you forget aileron going over the top you’ll definitely come out on an un-intended heading, and possibly end up flipping over on your back which quickly turns into a dive recovery.

As soon as that top wing passes straight up and the nose starts dropping below the horizon things are going to speed up quickly! Controls will start getting that solid feel back, and you’ll need to back off the aileron towards neutral and start coming in with left rudder for your dive. If all went nicely, you’ll be on the reciprocal heading you had when you entered the maneuver, and you’ll be in a nice clean dive. You only have one thing to decide; throttle back and ease back into level flight, or leave it at full throttle and do it all over again! It’s nice to have such choices.

onward & upward! ~ rfb

LogBlog - Learning to Fly IFR in Fire and Ice

LOGBLOG
An IFR business trip goes way past merely interesting when encountering an embedded thunderstorm, complete with hail, visible cloud-to-cloud lightning, and moderate to extreme turbulence, and to cap off the experience, St. Elmo's fire.

8/11/1982 - San Diego to Farmington New Mexico and return; one day business trip.

PA-28RT-201. N2057M. SDM - FDM - SDM. 7.9 total hours. (Night3.9, IFR 4.6) 2 VOR approaches.

I think it was the philosopher Nietzsche who said 'That which does not kill me makes me stronger." Words that fit for this flight! I knew we would have IFR on a business trip going to Farmington New Mexico. I worked as a computer salesperson for a small computer firm, and was taking our lead programmer over to our latest client, to complete an installation session.

We departed Brown Field near San Diego filing IFR from the start, and sure enough, we were in and out of clouds within the first 30 minutes, but it was early in the day, and they had not grown into anything menacing, yet. My plan was to wait until later in the evening for our return, knowing the forecast was for activity to die down after sunset. We were flying a Turbo Arrow III, a beautiful cross country aircraft. I noted on the way over that the AI made louder whining noises on start-up but quickly behaved normally after take off.

We stayed later than anticipated, with a programming problem, and left after 8pm for our return flight. It was dark and nearly solid cloud cover was expected for our return flight. I was concerned about remnant thunderstorms, so my plan was to monitor the other traffic, noticing who else was flying in our size range, and judge from that if I should continue or divert. Soon after contacting approach I heard several other small aircraft on frequency, one ahead of us, and the air was acceptable to them so I pressed on. We wre flying in the St. Johns area.

About 30 minutes after departure, level at cruise and in solid cloud, the controller asked if we would take a vector around a section in front of us he reported as showing 'heavy activity.' Gratefully I accepted and made the heading change. Within three minutes we hit our first 'whump' of turbulence, and it just kept getting worse. I recalled an older pilot telling me it's often better to push straight ahead under control than to lose control in a turn trying to avoid rough air,' so I pressed ahead.

The turbulence increased, then came the hail. Not just little bitty hail; hail so hard and loud I was terrified and in awe that the windscreen did not crack. Not that I had much time to look out, as I was very busy with my hands and eyes. I was making nearly full control deflections in all directions and up to 75% throttle adjustments, and just managing to keep airspeed in the green and altitude within 500 feet of of assigned. This was truly 'attitude flying' I remember thinking.

The hail grew louder. I was completely focused and time seemed to alternate between very fast and slower than normal. If the controller had tried to talk to me I don't think at that moment I would have acknowledged. Then everything got worse a notch, and I saw lightning flash to port of the aircraft and slightly behind. That was when I felt a cold sweat for the first time in the episode. Immediately after the lightning, the avionics began generating a strange clicking and humming, and the needles started to jump erratically and time seemed to slow down. In front of me, unbelievably, the tips of the propeller began to glow, describing a green arc, which intensified, and began moving down the propeller arc and started to flicker across the top of the cowling.

At that moment, for the first time, I was not sure of what I was seeing. Later I learned it was classic St. Elmo's fire, and the next incident was a stroke of true luck; we popped out of a wall of clouds into the most beautiful clear and calm night sky you could imagine, with a million stars twinkling over the desert sands down below. A moment later the controller came on the quiet frequency " Five Seven Mike, how is your flight?" "We're okay." I reported back, but it was pretty intense back there. "Glad I could steer you around the heavy stuff." he replied.

Twenty more minutes into the flight, the AI rolled over and died. I covered it with a piece of paper, told the controller, and we continued homeward, under mostly VFR conditions. The IFR approach through the thin marine layer at Brown field was anti-climactic even with the failed AI, after what we had been through.

The next day, examining the aircraft, all was fine except for the broken AI, and the paint on the leading edges of the wing in about a 1 inch wide stripe, was stripped to shiny aluminum. The rest of the plane was astonishingly clean, however.

Looking back, I can't believe I flew that IFR trip without onboard radar! In retrospect, on the plus side, I learned my training was good; it all worked for me that night. My judgement? In hindsight I would have picked up a motel room and left the next morning at sunrise under dewy clean sunlit morning skies.

The best advice I can offer: don't fly into embedded T-cells, period, even if you think they won't be a factor. The second best advice? If you do, just fly the attitude. Focus on keeping the wings level and the airspeed within reason and if you take care of these two issues, you'll stand a chance.

I know this sounds like a tall story, but somewhere out there, perhaps reading this and remembering, are a programmer who will never forget how nature displayed her use of charged electric particles, and a controller who probably still feels good about being able to help out a pilot just trying to fly home.

Onward & Upward! ~ rfb

REVIEW - Catalina Island, Excitement off the Southern California Coast

REVIEW
'Catalina Island is the place to be', as the old song says. Fun for pilots, fun for passengers, for a day, a hike, a swim, or an overnight adventure in Avalon.

Living in Southern California, Catalina was one of my favorite destinations. Once owned by Mr. Wrigley, of chewing gum fame, the airport was a private strip created by flattening the top of a mountain. Now it is a paved strip with an attendant, unicom, a restaurant and transportation into the town of Avalon down by the sea, and open to all.

Pilot challenges abound. First, you have to decide what altitude to use, which is dependant on whether you angle out to sea from the south coast or from the north prior to reaching the Los Angeles area, or choose instead to fly lower with less water to cross but having to communicate with LAX controlled airspace and watching out for large volumes of traffic coming from every direction.

It's a right-hand pattern when the typical runway 22 is used as the winds are blowing from the west, but here's where the real fun begins. The airport is at the top of a mountain, and on all sides terrain rapidly falls away towards the sea. Your turn to base and final are out over the ocean, over a thousand feet higher from a ground reference than you are used to at that point. It feels like making a turn in space, but remember, you are working not off sea level below you but the top of the mountain, which you are turning back to meet. This makes judging pattern and altitude tricky, yet it can be accomplished best by keeping a close watch on your altimeter and the VASI on final. The fun is not over yet, though. The wind blowing over the top of the mountain often creates strong laminar flow with a downturn - you guessed it - right before the landing touchdown zone, which means you have to be ready for a healthy addition of power on final to hold your glide path.

But wait, there is more! The runway has a slight rise, with a subtle peak in the middle. This means just as you touch down, you look down the runway and see the apparent length diminishing very rapidly. There are a LOT of brake skid marks from prior pilots who thought they were going over the edge on the far side, but just like you, they successfully crest the middle of the runway to realize they still have a half runway left. Turn off to the left, and find a parking space and register your plane inside the building.

Now the ground fun starts! For lunch, have a buffalo burger, at the restaurant with a spectacular view out to sea. The buffalo are from the island. They are rumored left over from a movie shoot early last century and are regularly harvested and served. I found it better than any hamburger I've had before.

You can sign up for a ride down the bumpy hill to the town of Avalon, which in all ways is a sleepy beach town with a great history. Visit the beautiful casino building at the end of the promenade. Tour the Wrigley mansion. Skin dive or S.C.U.B.A. dive and swim with orange Garibaldi, the California state fish; among one of many species you will see. Get a room for the night or a weekend. Rent a boat. Swim, or hike to the other side of the island on a week-long backpacking trip.

When you are ready to leave, there is one last treat the island airport offers. As you take off, when you would be typically 200 feet above the ground, the end of the runway drops away over a cliff and the zoom effect is stunning, you feel for all the world like you are in a rocket climbing to space.

I've flown many aircraft to Catalina; a Kachina Varga, Aeronca 11AC, Stinson Voyager, many Cessna's and Pipers, and a Cessna 320. The fun never ended and each aircraft allowed me an opportunity to explore the challenges - and rewards - one more time. Someone once flew a glider from the mainland, with photos on the walls to prove it, however they did need a tow back to the mainland.

Here are a few useful links:

http://www.catalina.com/airport.html - About getting to Catalina Island and contact information.
http://airports.pilotage.com/avx/ - Specific airport info with a good aerial photo of the airport.
http://www.micheloud.com/FXM/Flying/Catalina.htm - An interesting site with many images and tips.
http://www.catalinachamber.com/ - Chamber of Commerce, official Catalina Island website.

This is one destination worth traveling to as you head up or down the coast, or as an end destination unto itself. Enjoy your flight!

Onward & Upward! ~ rfb


(the image shown is a computer generated image in Microsoft Flight Simulator accurately reflecting the approach to Runway 22 at Catalina. I applied digital filters to the image to make it more artistic and interesting).