kwmoore
06-21-2008, 09:19 PM
I updated my logbook and found out that on my trip back from EQA I passed through 2000 hr total flight time.
It's almost exactly 20 years since I passed my PPL checkride!
Today I flew my 100th Angel Flight mission. My son Matthew came along for the occasion. We participated in the annual "Champ Camp" AF "airlift," taking kids who are survivors of burn injuries home from a week-long camp at Yosemite. We flew out of Fresno (FAT); on the way there I picked up Matt at Concord (CCR) then we took a sightseeing detour over Yosemite National Park. The view from 11,500 feet was magnificent, it was in the morning so afternoon CB's were nowhere to be seen. Waterfalls were in action and there was still snow at the higher elevations, suggesting that this certainly was not the driest winter the Sierras have experienced in recent years.
The weather was odd: at our cruising altitudes 11,500 and below it was hot but relatively stable, while higher up there was clearly a layer of moist unstable air as evidenced by altocumulus that built up to towering CBs by early afternoon. Between Fresno & Napa we crossed under a line of them that were painting some green on the 496 display, got just a trace of virga drops on the windscreen but no down- or updrafts. By 3:00 pm a couple (not all) of them had gone from green to yellow and red and there was some lightning. Not a factor (well to the east) but interesting to see on the return from CCR to PAO.
Didn't quite have my landing A game with me today, especially at Napa where we delivered our passenger. Rwys 18 were in use but on final down to about 100 agl there was a brisk wind out of the west: I was carrying a 10-15 degree crab to the right at 65 KIAS. Then at ~100 agl it sheared to 10 kt out of the south, and as you can imagine there was quite a bit of turbulence with lift and sink. The Katmai is great for this with its slow flight capabilities. I touched down twice but the 2nd one was for keeps. :rolleyes: After lunch Matt and I departed rwy 24 into a 15 kt headwind with only ~35 gallons of fuel and the plane lifted off like an elevator after well under 300 feet ground roll. Matt was laughing!
All in all a pretty good day, but beastly hot, near 100 at each airport.
It's almost exactly 20 years since I passed my PPL checkride!
Today I flew my 100th Angel Flight mission. My son Matthew came along for the occasion. We participated in the annual "Champ Camp" AF "airlift," taking kids who are survivors of burn injuries home from a week-long camp at Yosemite. We flew out of Fresno (FAT); on the way there I picked up Matt at Concord (CCR) then we took a sightseeing detour over Yosemite National Park. The view from 11,500 feet was magnificent, it was in the morning so afternoon CB's were nowhere to be seen. Waterfalls were in action and there was still snow at the higher elevations, suggesting that this certainly was not the driest winter the Sierras have experienced in recent years.
The weather was odd: at our cruising altitudes 11,500 and below it was hot but relatively stable, while higher up there was clearly a layer of moist unstable air as evidenced by altocumulus that built up to towering CBs by early afternoon. Between Fresno & Napa we crossed under a line of them that were painting some green on the 496 display, got just a trace of virga drops on the windscreen but no down- or updrafts. By 3:00 pm a couple (not all) of them had gone from green to yellow and red and there was some lightning. Not a factor (well to the east) but interesting to see on the return from CCR to PAO.
Didn't quite have my landing A game with me today, especially at Napa where we delivered our passenger. Rwys 18 were in use but on final down to about 100 agl there was a brisk wind out of the west: I was carrying a 10-15 degree crab to the right at 65 KIAS. Then at ~100 agl it sheared to 10 kt out of the south, and as you can imagine there was quite a bit of turbulence with lift and sink. The Katmai is great for this with its slow flight capabilities. I touched down twice but the 2nd one was for keeps. :rolleyes: After lunch Matt and I departed rwy 24 into a 15 kt headwind with only ~35 gallons of fuel and the plane lifted off like an elevator after well under 300 feet ground roll. Matt was laughing!
All in all a pretty good day, but beastly hot, near 100 at each airport.