leaning...

along with just "getting better at everything" one area that i really need to work on is how to lean correctly (and more importantly safely). i have this fear of leaning too much at altitude (4,500 to 5,500 ft) and the engine suddenly stopping (a "bad" thing). i do watch the EGT to make sure it's not too cold/hot but i'm positive that leaning is something i need to do better.
i'm also going to get around to posting some pictures to my flickr gallery of the last couple of xc flights that i've done.

longer xc - JYO-LKU-JGG-RMN-JYO

i flew a longer xc (cross country) yesterday with another new(ish) pilot switching seats after each leg. we did:
JYO (leesburg) - LKU (louisa) - JGG ( williamsburg) - RMN (stafford) - JYO.
it was around 4.7 hours in the air. that was longer than necessary but we are trying to accumulate xc hours and wanted to keep clear of RIC (richmond) and a couple of MOAs (military operations areas) so we flew a somewhat circuitous route. the weather could not have been better. LKU/JGG/RMN were all new to us and we were a little uncomfortable about JGG (a shorter/narrower runway with an approach over water) but it turned out well.
the flight planning room at JGG left something to be desired (very small with a flickering light and a slow computer). stafford is a relatively newly airport with an excellent runway (5000x100) and large ramp. we need to pick up xc hours before starting instrument training (maybe late next month) but each flight gives us new experiences to learn from. also, for a change, my landings were ok (as opposed to my usual "carrier" landings). this was also the first time we've flown into active parachuting areas. i thought i'd be able to see them and get some pictures but were not able to see any. i think that both times they came down a few minutes ahead of us. we did hear the calls on the CTAF and were in communication with the jump plane twice though. that was another interesting aspect of the flight.

"Unmanned aircraft pose myriad problems to US airspace, GAO reports"

this is an interesting article (for those of us in the lower altitude range, and high altitudes for some aircraft):
"Unmanned aircraft pose myriad problems to US airspace, GAO reports"
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/27876

an interesting point is that the global hawk is actually autonomous (rather than remotely piloted).

i'm assuming that, with flight following, ATC would be able to see most/all unmanned aircraft and advise of potential conflict. i do wonder though, in a conflict situation, what action the other aircraft would take assuming it detects you.

"carrier" and bolters!

there's an excellent series on pbs now called "carrier". a film crew went out on the aircraft carrier nimitz for a long period and was given a great deal of exposure to the crew and operations. one of the episodes i just saw was on an approaching storm and the captain deciding to give the pilots some practice in rougher seas ("pitching deck" landings). it was an excellent episode and showed how difficult carrier landings can be. in this case, it was particularly tough. the ship began recovering planes (f-18s) and they had at least 15 bolters in a row i think (the plane misses the wires on the deck and does a go-around). when this happens there has to be a tanker up so that they can refuel any plane that is running low. one of the tanker pilots was somewhat concerned about being last guy back (which means there's no tanker up there for him). if you haven't seen the show (and you're interested in aviation) you should try to catch it. it also makes me realize what a weenie i am for being concerned about crosswind landings at KJYO...

weather terms

here's the current weather at KJYO and KIAD:

KJYO 121142Z AUTO 33015G22KT 10SM RA BKN020 OVC027 08/07 A2951 RMK AO2 P0006

KIAD 121152Z 34019G26KT 9SM -RA BKN015 OVC023 07/06 A2948 RMK AO2 PK WND 33029/1110 SLP981 P0007 60035 70411 T00720056 10094 20067 53029

in aviation terms, the above is described as "icky".

some landing practice

i left work a little early last friday (and hence am in the office now making up the time) to go out and do a few landings. the winds were 190@06G16 (from the direction 190 at 6 knots gusting to 16 knots). the active runway was 17 at KJYO so the crosswind component was not bad and i specifically wanted some work with a little wind. i did 5 landings/taxi backs (should have done T&Gs to save some time). the gusts were not bad (after i experienced the first one that is). lately, my landings have been more appropriate for aircraft carriers than for runways so i'm working on some improvements. as usual, i'm going to dedicate more time to technique improvements than i have been. other than that no flying this weekend.

METARs and acronyms?

i usually get weather info from aviationweather.gov. today, i checked OKV (winchester, va) and saw this:

METAR text: KOKV 021920Z AUTO 17009G15KT 10SM CLR 28/10 A2991 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N

the translated version does not explain 'LTG DSNT N' for some reason. i think it means distant lightning observed but i'm having a hard time finding that one. it seems like METARs have a very large number of somewhat obscure acronyms that you have to be prepared to encounter.