Flight Log Blog!

The Winds of Spring Are Blowing!

2011-04-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - gusty and variable winds every afternoon. Welcome to Spring!

Not much else makes a pilot as nervous as when they see the windsock extended fully and pointed perpendicular to the runway. When is the last time you did pattern work with a direct crosswind of 10 gusting 15 or more? If you are not feeling as proficient as you should be, it's time to grab your instructor and go look for some crosswind. Tackle it and make it a fun hour or two of recurrent training.

Do you remember this diagram from Private Pilot training? Proper taxi technique is essential in crosswind conditions. Remember to 'fly the airplane' until it is tied down!

Brush up on your strategy by reading this great AOPA article on crosswind training. Then, if you're a Bay Area pilot, give me a call and we'll go flying.

Cheers! -Greg www.gregwest.com

Another Cirrus IFR Video by Yours Truly

2011-04-06T23:25:00.001-07:00

FAA Safety Standdown 2011

2011-03-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'll be moderating discussions this weekend at the FAA Safety Stand Down 2011 Northern California event. Join us Saturday from 8am-12noon for four separate discussions on General Aviation safety. Check the West Valley Flying Club Listing for more information.

Hope to see you this Saturday at WVFC!

Why Angel Flight?

2011-02-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

If you ever wonder why pilots volunteer for Angel Flight, here's why. (5 minute video): Taylor's Story

Make More Money, and Faster

2010-10-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

That's one of the points in a recent blog about aviation on the Forbes website. The article, "Business Aviation Use Adds to Your Business Growth" talks about the dramatic effect that business aviation usage contributes to businesses.

Basically, they're saying that using business aviation helps you and your people make more money, and faster.

Check out the article, here.

Contact me to find out how you can learn to fly yourself to your business meetings and be home in time for dinner.

100,000 Flight Miles!

2010-09-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

No, it's not the balance in my United or American awards account. It's the miles I've flown in small airplanes! In five years I've flown over 100,000 miles (statute, converted from nautical). That's 4 times around planet earth. I'm pretty amazed and proud.

A fun little software package figured this out for me. I use Logbook Pro to mirror my paper logbook - it's great for a backup, to audit my (sometimes lacking) math skills, and to monitor the various flight 'currency' (recency) requirements of being a pilot. Logbook Pro's "route browser" addon shows you graphically where you have been, and, if you run the cumulative distance report, how far you've flown. Pretty darn neat.

My flights around the Western USA

It Feels Good To Fly Angel Flights

2010-08-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I proudly donated nearly 4 hours of flight time to charity. Sacramento Firefighters run the Firefighters Burn Institute which hosts an annual summer camp for children who are burn survivors. It's called Firefighters Kids Camp and it's a special one week program where children who have suffered a burn injury can experience challenges of the outdoors in an environment where they can just be kids instead of being singled out because they look different or have physical limitations.

My mission transported a little girl from Garberville (in Humboldt County) to Sacramento where she met up with a few other kids who had already arrived via Angel Flights. The Sac Firefighters greeted the kids, loaded them into vans, and off they went to camp. Their service is completely free to the kids.

Without the Angel Flight, she would not have been able to attend.

Angel Flight West arranges free air transportation in response to health care and other compelling human needs. Volunteer pilots donate their time, aircraft, fuel costs - there is no cost to the passenger or facility/organization. If you're a pilot, consider volunteering.

I would be happy to get you in touch with Angel Flight in the Bay Area. Visit my website to contact me and get more information: www.gregwest.com

Coast to Coast!

2010-08-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here's my 2010 "how I spent my summer vacation" essay...

One of my former Instrument students took a job in New York and asked me to accompany him across the continent to help move his Diamond Star DA40. What pilot or CFI could refuse such a request?! We began planning the trip about a month in advance, carefully watching weather patterns especially in the week prior to the proposed departure date.

Diamond Star DA40 ... from CA to NY!

We departed San Carlos (KSQL) at 6am one morning with an aggressive goal for the first flight leg: 4 hours to the Salt Lake City area. After an uneventful trip across the Sierras and Nevada desert, we were looking at the Great Salt Lake and deciding that we could make it farther. Fuel burn was better (less) than expected, winds were favorable, and our bladders could wait another hour - so, onward to Rock Springs, Wyoming (KRKS). Hobbs time 5.0.

Departed KRKS with another ambitious goal of Omaha, Nebraska. No thunderstorms were building so it was entirely possible (although a long day of flying). Well, somewhere over Nebraska we again decided to press onward - beyond KOMA all the way to Des Moines, IA (KDSM). Another 5.2 hobbs logged, in uncharacteristically clear, calm midwest afternoon skies. A quick dinner and early lights out after a long day.

Downtown Chicago - Lakefront Tour

Day 2: Des Moines to Chicago where we overflew Midway (KMDW) and then up and down the lakefront a few times, on a picture-perfect day in the midwest. Then eastward over Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. All the while- smooth air, no clouds. We lucked out. We ended this day by circling Niagara Falls (KIAG) and crossing the border into Toronto, Canada (CYTZ) after exercising our knowledge of the now-required eAPIS border crossing requirements (fun stuff!). This day was about 8 hobbs hours, made possible only by amazingly good weather and two pilots sharing the workload.

Day 3: Toronto to Buffalo (KBUF) to clear US Customs, and then just a couple hours more to New York City! One word: WOW. We flew the published Hudson River corridor on one of the most spectacular weather days I have ever seen on the east coast. Not only up and down the Hudson, but with a Class B clearance from LaGuardia tower, right over central park @ 2000' and down the East River and around to the Statue of Liberty! Just. Completely. Amazing.

Midtown Manhattan @ 1500'

After NYC we took the plane to it's new home at Danbury, CT (KDXR) and called it a day. The next day we did some sightseeing over Connecticut and Massachusetts (Martha's Vineyard, lunch in Nantucket). Then I stayed in NYC for the spectacular July 4 fireworks show. Flew home on JetBlue and their main attraction (the DirecTVs) weren't even working for the entire flight. Boooo.

This was an amazing few days of flying and an extremely rewarding experience. Look for a bunch more photos on my website at www.gregwest.com very soon.

Let's go fly! If you live in the SF Bay Area, contact me for your flight instruction needs - from beginner to advanced. I specialize in instrument instruction in glass cockpits (Garmin, Avidyne) and in high-performance aircraft (Cirrus SR22).

Great Day Trip to Vegas!

2010-07-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here’s a perfect “small airplane” story: it’s possible to get from San Jose to Las Vegas – and be walking the convention hall floor – in less than three hours. How? No “big airport” parking. No “laptop-out, shoes-off” security line. No late or delayed airline flight. Just you, your instructor, and a Cirrus SR22 – landing at Las Vegas McCarran International, parking the airplane alongside the high-roller business jets, and being whisked from the executive terminal to your destination immediately upon your arrival.

Time is money, so if you don’t like wasting time, then “small airplanes” are definitely for you. Why not learn to fly? General Aviation enables you to go places for business or pleasure (and you can learn to fly with an instructor along while enroute), and often times arrive at your destination just as fast as you might have on the big airlines.

I'd like to be your flight instructor. Check out my website for training information: http://www.gregwest.com/

Fantastic IFR XC

2010-03-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

How about these airports for your long IFR cross country: Catalina (Avalon), Palm Springs, and Santa Monica! That's exactly what I got to do yesterday, on a picture-perfect spring day. With a 50kt tailwind, we made it from South County (E16) to KAVX in just 1h 30m. The aircraft- 2009 Cirrus SR22-G3 Perspective- performed flawlessly. The photo is KAVX as seen on the right downwind leg RWY 22 (we broke off the VOR/DME approach early to fly the pattern, per the UNICOM instructions). After a quick break (and disappointed that the grill had closed 30 minutes prior to our arrival) we set out for Palm Springs.

With a 45kt tailwind and approaching the high terrain surrounding KPSP, we knew that there would be turbulence and possibly updrafts/downdrafts/wave on the leeward side. All were confirmed! My student was amazed at the strange nose down attitude required to stay level during a 2000fpm updraft. Just as that was happening we were instructed to decend 5000 feet - again pointing the nose down more than usual and not decending at all. Very eye opening experience for the student and just prior to flying an unfamiliar approach to an unfamiliar airport.

After refueling at Palm Springs (and inspecting the crew lounge and swimming pool!) the winds were howling on the ground too- which made for an interesting climbout. We crossed the Los Angeles basin and did a night landing at Santa Monica.

I think the IFR student got his money's worth that day. (I flew home commercially out of LAX since he needed the airplane at SMO for the weekend.)

Child Directing Air Traffic at JFK

2010-03-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

Funny article about some controller's kid clearing planes for departure at JFK. So the Dad let his kid say a few things. No lapse in safety but I can see why the FAA needs to make an example out of the guy and can him... That's really too bad...
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/child_directing_air_traffic_at_jfk_N60YzKqhndUh60iSFrxCjL

Planning for SoCal

2010-02-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

It's always good to start watching the weather a few days before the day you'd like to fly. In this case, today is Tuesday and I'd like to take a trip to Santa Monica and Santa Barbara on Sunday. Right now the weekend is looking grey and rainy. Of course this forecast can change daily, and even if it's rainy I could still make the trip - assuming no other show-stoppers like ice below 8000.

I'll watch the forecast evolve every day and make a preliminary decision on Friday or Saturday, with a final go/no-go decision at 7am Sunday morning. As I learned early in my training: if you absolutely "have to" be somewhere, drive. Luckily this week's trip is optional and easily rescheduled.

Wicked Weather Week

2010-01-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

We had five days and five winter storms come through the Bay Area this week. No midweek flying. Luckily by Saturday morning, we could fly an instrument lesson (yes it was still raining, but no problems!). Flew a few approaches in an SR22-G3 Turbo with Garmin Perspective avionics. It doesn't get any better than that! Flew 5 approaches, lunch in Sacramento, and a couple more approaches on the way home. My student was pretty tired after that workout. A great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Growth of Aviation Jobs

2010-01-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

With all the sobering news about job losses in aviation ... here's some hope.

Space pilot jobs set to take off
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8458969.stm

So my aviation career path should hit the following milestones:
2010-2012: continue building multiengine time
2012-2030: fly for airlines and charter operations
2030-retirement: spaceships

Happy weekend!

A Real Missed Approach at Hawthorne

2010-01-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

I was headed down to Santa Monica (KSMO) to meet a friend for dinner before proceeding to French Valley (F70) to stay with my sister for the night. Clear skies leaving NorCal and a 50kt tailwind at 10,000 feet, giving me a 215kt ground speed (nice!). I knew the weather was rainy in SoCal and I was ready for the Santa Monica GPS approach in IMC.

On the short trip down I was checking the XM WX and the the weather at KSMO was much worse than forecast...below minimums for this approach. When I was handed off to SoCal they told me that an aircraft had gone missed about 30 minutes prior. So I didn't want to try that in IMC. Hawthorne was closer to where my friend lives, and the reported weather was better there, so I figured I'd divert and get picked up there. SoCal vectored me to the KHHR localizer and I commenced the approach in IMC (not too comfortable having never done this approach in actual IMC before). Well the weather did not cooperate here either, and I had to declare a real missed approach! First time for me. As I was climbing away I saw a glimpse of the runway for a half-second...but way too late to land.

Now what? I was starting to get concerned about fuel (1 hour remaining). Having been weathered out of two airports, I decided I should go inland to French Valley and either skip the dinner, or refuel and try again in an hour. Once on the ground and with full tanks of fuel, and METARS showing that the weather had improved at the coast, I decided to go back to Santa Monica and have the dinner as planned. So I filed and lifted back into IMC for the short flight to KSMO, where I got another actual approach and was able to land this time.

Dinner in Santa Monica (italian, on the 3rd Street Prominade) was great, as was the night flight back to F70.

Lessons: WX is often better than forecast, but sometimes it's so far worse than forecast that you can't land. Remain flexible and ready to cancel. Stay sharp on instruments! I didn't like doing the KHHR Localizer in IMC when I had not done that approach in VMC before.

Welcome, 2010

2010-01-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

The new year brings a renewed interest in working on my flight instruction website. It's time to get on board with "Web 2.0" including social media and blogging. So I'll beef up my Facebook profile... I joined Twitter today.... and here's my first-ever blog post! Happy New Year!