Pilot's logbook

9/24 C-152 N69011 LOU-BAK-LOU Radar Service, pilotage, Dead reckoning, navigation, flight planning, flight plan filing
Cross-Country to Columbus, IN with Todd.

Last night I updated and re-did the planning for a Columbus flight.

(I have enough trouble with them, that I think I need to just make a blank copy less winds and weather, photocopy it half-done, and practice filling out the "fast" part that you do the next morning or en-route.)

Notes I made:

Then I flew the course on X-plane. Talk about difficult! Flying, recording time, watching, everything at once! I'm really glad I did it. (Altimeter at 5,500.) What's more, I was THRILLED when I looked up from the Seymour checkpoint and noticed that beautiful twinkle of the VASI light in the distance.

8 am I met Todd at AC1. I re-checked weather and winds aloft and filled in the course, distances and asked all my questions.

We left at 9:30, asked for Flight Following, which took us east to 12-mi island. Then we went back NW a little to get back on course.

One of the hardest parts, actually, was using the paper with the plan. I'm not good enough at picking out the pertinent numbers.

Summary here:

Choosing checkpoints: if it's right under you, even a whole town, you might very well not see it, so choose points to left and right. Also, if a town, note shape of roads, shape of town, or some other identifying feature.

Biscuits and gravy at the restaurant were AMPLE and then some. 1/2 order would have been a lot. Frank will like it here.

To file a flight plan, call WX-BRIEF on the phone. Read them the stuff on the back of the plan page in order.

Back at AC1, Zach was in. We three talked a little. Todd suggested that I should do the next cross-country with Zach, which is a relief, because it's been a little awkward. So, that's that. We talked about Zach's new dual headset bag that he ordered (one side for the headset, the other for all the stuff), and how &when to lean the mixture. (Screw the gizmo out smoothly until there is a definite drop in RPM and pitch. Then, screw it BACK to the point before the pitch changed and a little more for margin). Also, on runup, when checking the magnetos, if one of them is not sounding good, turn back to "both," lean it out just like above, and run it that way for about 20 seconds to burn out the carbon. Recheck the mags. If it's not fixed, go back in.

Instrument flying with Zach was on the books for the afternoon.

9/24 C-152 N89933 Lou Lou Basic altitude instrument flying, level flight, level turns, climb, and descents, climbing and descending turns, IFR Radio procedures.