X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from va3outboundpool.messaging.microsoft.com ([216.32.180.16] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 6.0.4) with ESMTPS id 6237096 for lml@lancaironline.net; Wed, 01 May 2013 10:19:57 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=216.32.180.16; envelope-from=rpastusek@htii.com Received: from mail70-va3-R.bigfish.com (10.7.14.248) by VA3EHSOBE005.bigfish.com (10.7.40.25) with Microsoft SMTP Server id 14.1.225.23; Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:20 +0000 Received: from mail70-va3 (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mail70-va3-R.bigfish.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id D120D4A0199 for ; Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:20 +0000 (UTC) X-Forefront-Antispam-Report: CIP:157.56.245.5;KIP:(null);UIP:(null);IPV:NLI;H:CH1PRD0710HT004.namprd07.prod.outlook.com;RD:none;EFVD:NLI X-SpamScore: -1 X-BigFish: PS-1(zz9371Ic85fhzz1f42h1fc6h1ee6h1de0h1fdah1202h1e76h1d1ah1d2ahzz17326ah18c673h8275bh8275dh8275chz2fh2a8h668h839hd25hf0ah1288h12a5h12bdh137ah1441h1504h1537h153bh15d0h162dh1631h1758h18e1h1946h19b5h19ceh1ad9h1b0ah1bceh1d07h1d0ch1d2eh1155h) Received-SPF: pass (mail70-va3: domain of htii.com designates 157.56.245.5 as permitted sender) client-ip=157.56.245.5; envelope-from=rpastusek@htii.com; helo=CH1PRD0710HT004.namprd07.prod.outlook.com ;.outlook.com ; Received: from mail70-va3 (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by mail70-va3 (MessageSwitch) id 1367417957172271_25197; Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:17 +0000 (UTC) Received: from VA3EHSMHS026.bigfish.com (unknown [10.7.14.225]) by mail70-va3.bigfish.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1CD59340098 for ; Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:17 +0000 (UTC) Received: from CH1PRD0710HT004.namprd07.prod.outlook.com (157.56.245.5) by VA3EHSMHS026.bigfish.com (10.7.99.36) with Microsoft SMTP Server (TLS) id 14.1.225.23; Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:16 +0000 Received: from CH1PRD0710MB367.namprd07.prod.outlook.com ([169.254.11.77]) by CH1PRD0710HT004.namprd07.prod.outlook.com ([10.255.152.39]) with mapi id 14.16.0305.001; Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:16 +0000 From: Robert R Pastusek To: Lancair Mailing List Subject: RE: [LML] challenging flight with the LNC2 yesterday Thread-Topic: [LML] challenging flight with the LNC2 yesterday Thread-Index: AQHORf6K/Gya0m2aY0GuR31QRUXYIZjwT6Lw Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 14:19:16 +0000 Message-ID: <41361035E6613244A377D5AC3BF5EFDD58321C00@CH1PRD0710MB367.namprd07.prod.outlook.com> References: In-Reply-To: Accept-Language: en-US Content-Language: en-US X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: x-originating-ip: [70.192.210.193] Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="_000_41361035E6613244A377D5AC3BF5EFDD58321C00CH1PRD0710MB367_" MIME-Version: 1.0 Return-Path: rpastusek@htii.com X-OriginatorOrg: htii.com --_000_41361035E6613244A377D5AC3BF5EFDD58321C00CH1PRD0710MB367_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Keith, Very nice report. Did you notice that with the weather conditions you exper= ienced, you normally pick up ice at/very near the cloud tops? I've noticed = this to be true over a rather surprising range of OATs... Lesson for me has= been, don't dawdle in and out of the tops... Bob From: Lancair Mailing List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Keit= h Smith Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 7:58 PM To: lml@lancaironline.net Subject: [LML] challenging flight with the LNC2 yesterday Flew the LNC2 to Kentucky today for the condition inspection. This was a tr= icky flight. I briefed the weather in some detail the night before to get a= feel for tops (9-12k along the route of flight), convective activity (none= ), likelihood of icing (possible above 9k), winds (hairy at 30kt headwind i= nitially, then 5-10kt later on). Verified the weather this morning, then set off from N07-K24. Cleared route= was "upon entering controlled airspace, direct Chatham NDB, vectors LANNA = V30 ETX V39 MRB ESL V4 HVQ AZQ LOZ, direct." Picked up the clearance via phone, told the controller I could depart VFR, = he was happy to hear it, so off I went. This complicated things slightly as= I now needed to talk to Caldwell tower (KCDW) immediately after departure = since my route of flight would take me through their airspace. The challeng= e would be to talk to them and get a freq change to NY Approach before butt= ing up against the next Delta, which was Morristown (KMMU). Caldwell cut me= loose as I was passing abeam the tower, so I checked in with NY Approach w= ho quickly identified me, got me onto a 180 heading and climbed me to 7000.= Once they had me above the Newark arrival stream, they turned me west towa= rds SBJ (not on the original plan, but easily added to the flight plan and = backed up with the VOR receiver a few seconds after that). I spent the next 2 hours or so not being able to see a darned thing, which = is pretty tiring when you're hand flying. The workload was absolutely relen= tless between wind shifts, updrafts and downdrafts, monitoring outside air = temps, turning the ram air on and off when going in and out of precip, and = monitoring inlet air temperature (carb temp), employing carb heat, etc. I c= annot stress the importance of having a carb temp gauge in non-fuel injecte= d aircraft that flies IFR. The first 2/3 of the flight generally took place at around 8000ft, almost e= ntirely in stratus clouds with light to moderate precip and a smooth ride. = It's hard to explain or recall the sights and sounds of the trip, but here = are the 3 most memorable parts: 1) Keeping close track of temps at 8k, 9k and then 10k, eventually hitting = ice at 10k, dropping back down to 9k and watching the ice go "buh bye"....t= wice. 2) Getting tired of being in IMC and in and out of performance-robbing clou= ds, I had a pretty good feeling that if I could get on top, life would be a= lot better. I was able to get the climb from 8-10k but the controller said= it would be a few moments before he could get me higher. The OAT was dropp= ing, and I knew I had a very, very narrow window to get this climb done, or= I was going to have to drop back down and try again later, or not at all).= Just as the first crystals of ice start forming on the canopy, I receive t= he climb to 11k. By then, the speed has wound up a bit, and I have the abil= ity to trade it for a quick zoom to 11k where I can sense by the change in = lighting that I should pretty much be on top. Sure enough, at about 10,800,= with 115kias (ie, just about out of gas in the zoom), I pop out on top, th= e OAT immediately shoots up to +6C and the ice quickly disappears. I have n= othing but blue skies above, and every cloud I can see out to the horizon i= s below me. Success. I let the speed wind up, carb heat off, ram air on and= off we go in 'go fast' mode at last, free of the shackles of IMC. It was a= calculated risk, and it paid off. My workload went down to near 0 for the = next hour as I enjoyed the view. As it happens, the tops eventually dropped= down to around 7k, but I stayed at 11k as the fuel burn was lower in any c= ase and the winds were pretty light by that point. 3) best descent phase I think I've ever had...continuous descent from 11k d= own to 3600ft for the IAF, except for one level off at 6k to bleed off some= speed prior to entering the tops again, in case the ride wasn't as smooth.= Shot RNAV RWY 17 approach at around 180kias because I knew it would be VMC= below 3k and I was planning on doing a low approach to greet my friend at = the field anyway. Broke out, got 500ft below the clouds while remaining on = the approach, canceled IFR. Spotted what I thought was the field, but the a= ngle didn't quite right. It was close, but not quite. I was on the final ap= proach course, but the airport looked slightly off center and the runway wa= s about 20 degrees off. I double checked the plate to see how the final app= roach course related to the runway orientation and noted it was straight in= . I looked more closely outside and noticed the airport dead ahead, about 1= .5nm away. I left the power where it was, pitched down a little more and sa= vored the 215kias low approach that followed. Slow pullup at the end (actua= lly, at that speed, it was more a case of releasing some of the pressure on= the stick, allowing the plane to do what it wanted to do which was climb).= 700ft into the climb (a few seconds later), start the crosswind turn, powe= r to 12" and set myself the challenge of not touching that again since the = winds were practically dead, making for a very predictable pattern. Gear...= flaps, base, more flaps, what an amazing view. Turned a 1/4 mile final (tig= ht pattern today), one more GUMP check and a nice touchdown to end a truly = interesting flight. What struck me after landing was that this was a really challenging flight,= not because of stick & rudder, but because of the thought process and deci= sion making a long the way. I could've absolutely stayed at 4-6k the whole = way, been miserable, flown slowly and gotten there in one piece, but took a= calculated risk to get on top and then reaped the rewards with a much redu= ced workload. It also occurred to me that flying by reference to instruments for 2 hours = straight was tiring, but not especially difficult. I can definitely credit = the simulator with having helped with that task. I fly a couple of times a = week (enroute and approaches) and never feel rusty when getting in the airp= lane, even if I haven't flown in IMC for 4-5 months. If you're thinking about getting an instrument rating but haven't done it..= .you're missing out on whole new world of sights, sounds, utility, challeng= es and fun. Do it! Keith Smith --_000_41361035E6613244A377D5AC3BF5EFDD58321C00CH1PRD0710MB367_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Keith,
Very nice report. Did you notice that with the weather conditions you exper= ienced, you normally pick up ice at/very near the cloud tops? I’ve no= ticed this to be true over a rather surprising range of OATs… Lesson = for me has been, don’t dawdle in and out of the tops…

 

Bob

 

From: Lancair Mailing List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Keith Smit= h
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 7:58 PM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] challenging flight with the LNC2 yesterday=

 

Flew the LNC2 to Kent= ucky today for the condition inspection. This was a tricky flight. I briefe= d the weather in some detail the night before to get a feel for tops (9-12k= along the route of flight), convective activity (none), likelihood of icing (possible above 9k), winds (hairy at = 30kt headwind initially, then 5-10kt later on).

Verified the weather this morning, then set off from N07-K24. Cleared route= was "upon entering controlled airspace, direct Chatham NDB, vectors L= ANNA V30 ETX V39 MRB ESL V4 HVQ AZQ LOZ, direct."

Picked up the clearance via phone, told the controller I could depart VFR, = he was happy to hear it, so off I went. This complicated things slightly as= I now needed to talk to Caldwell tower (KCDW) immediately after departure = since my route of flight would take me through their airspace. The challenge would be to talk to them and get = a freq change to NY Approach before butting up against the next Delta, whic= h was Morristown (KMMU). Caldwell cut me loose as I was passing abeam the t= ower, so I checked in with NY Approach who quickly identified me, got me onto a 180 heading and climbed me to 700= 0. Once they had me above the Newark arrival stream, they turned me west to= wards SBJ (not on the original plan, but easily added to the flight plan an= d backed up with the VOR receiver a few seconds after that).

I spent the next 2 hours or so not being able to see a darned thing, which = is pretty tiring when you're hand flying. The workload was absolutely relen= tless between wind shifts, updrafts and downdrafts, monitoring outside air = temps, turning the ram air on and off when going in and out of precip, and monitoring inlet air temperature = (carb temp), employing carb heat, etc. I cannot stress the importance of ha= ving a carb temp gauge in non-fuel injected aircraft that flies IFR.

The first 2/3 of the flight generally took place at around 8000ft, almost e= ntirely in stratus clouds with light to moderate precip and a smooth ride. = It's hard to explain or recall the sights and sounds of the trip, but here = are the 3 most memorable parts:
1) Keeping close track of temps at 8k, 9k and then 10k, eventually hitting = ice at 10k, dropping back down to 9k and watching the ice go "buh bye&= quot;....twice.

2) Getting tired of being in IMC and in and out of performance-robbing clou= ds, I had a pretty good feeling that if I could get on top, life would be a= lot better. I was able to get the climb from 8-10k but the controller said= it would be a few moments before he could get me higher. The OAT was dropping, and I knew I had a very, ver= y narrow window to get this climb done, or I was going to have to drop back= down and try again later, or not at all). Just as the first crystals of ic= e start forming on the canopy, I receive the climb to 11k. By then, the speed has wound up a bit, and I hav= e the ability to trade it for a quick zoom to 11k where I can sense by the = change in lighting that I should pretty much be on top. Sure enough, at abo= ut 10,800, with 115kias (ie, just about out of gas in the zoom), I pop out on top, the OAT immediately shoot= s up to +6C and the ice quickly disappears. I have nothing but blue ski= es above, and every cloud I can see out to the horizon is below me. Success= . I let the speed wind up, carb heat off, ram air on and off we go in 'go fast' mode at last, free of the shack= les of IMC. It was a calculated risk, and it paid off. My workload went dow= n to near 0 for the next hour as I enjoyed the view. As it happens, the top= s eventually dropped down to around 7k, but I stayed at 11k as the fuel burn was lower in any case and the win= ds were pretty light by that point.

3) best descent phase I think I've ever had...continuous descent from 11k d= own to 3600ft for the IAF, except for one level off at 6k to bleed off some= speed prior to entering the tops again, in case the ride wasn't as smooth.= Shot RNAV RWY 17 approach at around 180kias because I knew it would be VMC below 3k and I was planning on doin= g a low approach to greet my friend at the field anyway. Broke out, got 500= ft below the clouds while remaining on the approach, canceled IFR. Spotted = what I thought was the field, but the angle didn't quite right. It was close, but not quite. I was on the fi= nal approach course, but the airport looked slightly off center and the run= way was about 20 degrees off. I double checked the plate to see how the fin= al approach course related to the runway orientation and noted it was straight in. I looked more closely out= side and noticed the airport dead ahead, about 1.5nm away. I left the power= where it was, pitched down a little more and savored the 215kias low appro= ach that followed. Slow pullup at the end (actually, at that speed, it was more a case of releasing some of = the pressure on the stick, allowing the plane to do what it wanted to do wh= ich was climb). 700ft into the climb (a few seconds later), start the cross= wind turn, power to 12" and set myself the challenge of not touching that again since the winds were pract= ically dead, making for a very predictable pattern. Gear...flaps, base, mor= e flaps, what an amazing view. Turned a 1/4 mile final (tight pattern today= ), one more GUMP check and a nice touchdown to end a truly interesting flight.

What struck me after landing was that this was a really challenging flight,= not because of stick & rudder, but because of the thought process and = decision making a long the way. I could've absolutely stayed at 4-6k the wh= ole way, been miserable, flown slowly and gotten there in one piece, but took a calculated risk to get on top an= d then reaped the rewards with a much reduced workload.

It also occurred to me that flying by reference to instruments for 2 hours = straight was tiring, but not especially difficult. I can definitely credit = the simulator with having helped with that task. I fly a couple of times a = week (enroute and approaches) and never feel rusty when getting in the airplane, even if I haven't flown in = IMC for 4-5 months.

If you're thinking about getting an instrument rating but haven't done it..= .you're missing out on whole new world of sights, sounds, utility, challeng= es and fun. Do it!

Keith Smith

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