Newquay
When October draws to a close our clocks are wound back an hour from BST to GMT. This is the time of year when worsening weather and reduced daylight make flying anything other than local trips much more difficult and frankly, less enjoyable.
The time is adjusted on the last weekend of October and that is also the date of my great niece Isabel's christening. With that in mind, I chose Saturday October 16th as probably my last land away flying for this year. That is not to say I won't fly again this year, just that any flights will more likely be training on instruments and maybe re-familiarisation with the Cirrus and Cessna single engine aircraft available to me. Two weeks earlier I took the Twinstar to Swansea with Joel Tobias and did not complete my original plan
which was to visit Newquay, so that would be put right today.
Friday evening saw me checking notams (information on airports, navigation aids etc) and the weather situation for the country as a whole. I also filed both the outbound and inbound flight plans for the trip using AFPEX, an internet based facility. I studied the charts and planned my route and altitude and went to bed ready for the early drive up to Blackpool next morning.
First task on Saturday morning was to check my iphone for all the airport actuals and forecasts on the route. This showed that the weather should be acceptable and so I set off for the airfield. Just over an hour later I was preflighting G-GFDA, a Diamond DA42 Twinstar, and loading it with my various maps and flight equipment in readiness for departure. There were 40 gallons of fuel on board but that was a little short of my requirement as I was not going to refuel at Newquay. With all preparations completed I taxied to the fueling area and had the tanks topped to full with JET A1 fuel. That gave me 50 gallons of fuel with the auxiliary tanks empty.
Before starting the engines I reset the fuel totaliser which would then give me an acurate display of fuel used and remaining throughout the flights. I listened to the departure information on 127.20mhz and set the QNH (local sea level air pressure) on the main and standby altimeters and on the autopilot. I had already entered the flight route into the Garmin G1000 navigator which was EGNH (Blackpool) to ESTRY to MALUD to AMMAN then direct to EGHQ (Newquay). This route heads south west out of Blackpool to pass to the west of Liverpool and requires me to remain below 3500 feet to stay clear of an airway leading into or out of Liverpool. As I've said previously, these points are fictional and are defined by lat/long positions. The plan was to fly at 3000 feet until MALUD and then commence a climb to cruise at flight level eight zero (FL80).
Departure from Blackpool was to the east on runway 10 with a right turn to intercept the track to ESTRY climbing to maintain 3000 feet. The visibility was excellent and the cloud base was well above my level. It was clear that there would be a good tailwind on the trip south and this should give a total flight time of around 90 minutes for a distance of 218 nautical miles, or around 250 car miles! On reaching MALUD the autopilot turned the aircraft to a southerly track and I changed the main and autopilot pressuresettings to standard or 1013 millibars ready for the climb. I reset the target altitude to 8000 feet and set the vertical speed to 700 feet per minute climb and increased power on the engines. There were no clouds ahead on my track to fly through and the Twinstar ascended effortlessly over Wales to FL80.
Looking to the West over Wales FL80
In the cruise, the clouds below were broken and the ground could be seen as well as the west coast of Wales. I called London Military for a radar service who gave traffic information before eventually handing me over to Western Radar who provided a service on the leg to Newquay. Approaching Newquay I was handed over to their radar controller who asked what kind of approach I wanted. I replied with "vectors to the ILS". He gave me a transponder "squawk" and, when I was identified, a radar traffic service.
Having passed Lundy Island 8000 feet below, the controller requested a descent to FL50 and take up a radar heading of 215 degrees magnetic. This was followed by further descents to altitude 3000 feet and then
2000 feet before a turn to 150 degrees to intercept the localiser. This was an approach to runway 12 and, prior to this, I had reviewed the approach plate and missed approach procedure. All went well and I landed in a crosswind from the left of about 10kts after 87 minutes in the air.
I taxied to the General Aviation parking area where I was met by a lady in a van from Weston Aviation. I did not ride with her but did some paperwork in the aircraft before walking to Weston's offices and settling the landing fee.
Twinstar Parked at Newquay on General Aviation Parking Area
The return to Blackpool some hours later followed the same route as the trip down apart from a cruising level of FL70 to comply with the quadrantal rule for IFR flight outside controlled airspace. After engine start and listening to the ATIS broadcast I taxied to C1 where I completed my checks and called ready for departure. Runway 30 was now in use and I started the take off from Charlie which still gave over 1500 metres of runway. A climb on runway heading to 1000 feet was followed by a right climbing turn up to FL70. I was
informed that Western Radar was now closed so chose to once again speak to London Military who provided their customary good service.
Lundy Island from FL70 on the way back to Blackpool
The aircraft was clear of clouds at this point but, after routing to the west of Swansea to avoid any conflicts with parachutists, I could see the clouds merging into an overcast to fully obscure the ground over the track
I was following. The tops of the clouds were around FL55 so the only consideration was the descent through them before reaching MALUD, where the base of controlled airspace is FL45. On the way out there was a tailwind which was now a headwind and slowed me down to around 130kts. My true airspeed was showing as 152kts and I had a headwind that varied between 15 and 25kts as I progressed up Wales. Snowdon was not visible as the clouds were still solid beneath me but a descent had to be initiated to remain clear of the class A controlled airspace where I am not allowed access.
In order to safely descend through the clouds I wanted two independent position fixes as Wales is well known for its high and unforgiving ground. My GPS showed my position as 25 miles south of MALUD and the fix from the Wallasey VOR/DME station confirmed this. I reduced power to 50% on each engine and commenced a descent at around 500 feet per minute. I could see the cloud tops getting closer so I transferred to instruments and hand flew the aircraft as I entered the clouds. It only took around two minutes before clearing the cloud bases and becoming visual with the ground again. I left the autopilot off for the rest of the flight.
I said goodbye to London Military and switched to Blackpool Approach who were expecting me. Following some confusuion amongst several light aircraft, when a Boeing 737 arrived and landed at Blackpool, I stayed out of the way to avoid the mayhem and was delayed around ten minutes. Another crosswind landing on runway 10 completed the flight. I taxied in and had a coffee at Flight Acadamy and reflected on a very enjoyable outing.
So that looks like it will be the last good flyout of the year. However, Joel has decided to get his multi ticket and Steve has indicated he wants to renew his. This could be good news as it may open up more trips in the new year which will be more sociable for me as I will have someone to share the flying with.
And the cost!
Back at Blackpool
The time is adjusted on the last weekend of October and that is also the date of my great niece Isabel's christening. With that in mind, I chose Saturday October 16th as probably my last land away flying for this year. That is not to say I won't fly again this year, just that any flights will more likely be training on instruments and maybe re-familiarisation with the Cirrus and Cessna single engine aircraft available to me. Two weeks earlier I took the Twinstar to Swansea with Joel Tobias and did not complete my original plan
which was to visit Newquay, so that would be put right today.
Friday evening saw me checking notams (information on airports, navigation aids etc) and the weather situation for the country as a whole. I also filed both the outbound and inbound flight plans for the trip using AFPEX, an internet based facility. I studied the charts and planned my route and altitude and went to bed ready for the early drive up to Blackpool next morning.
First task on Saturday morning was to check my iphone for all the airport actuals and forecasts on the route. This showed that the weather should be acceptable and so I set off for the airfield. Just over an hour later I was preflighting G-GFDA, a Diamond DA42 Twinstar, and loading it with my various maps and flight equipment in readiness for departure. There were 40 gallons of fuel on board but that was a little short of my requirement as I was not going to refuel at Newquay. With all preparations completed I taxied to the fueling area and had the tanks topped to full with JET A1 fuel. That gave me 50 gallons of fuel with the auxiliary tanks empty.
Before starting the engines I reset the fuel totaliser which would then give me an acurate display of fuel used and remaining throughout the flights. I listened to the departure information on 127.20mhz and set the QNH (local sea level air pressure) on the main and standby altimeters and on the autopilot. I had already entered the flight route into the Garmin G1000 navigator which was EGNH (Blackpool) to ESTRY to MALUD to AMMAN then direct to EGHQ (Newquay). This route heads south west out of Blackpool to pass to the west of Liverpool and requires me to remain below 3500 feet to stay clear of an airway leading into or out of Liverpool. As I've said previously, these points are fictional and are defined by lat/long positions. The plan was to fly at 3000 feet until MALUD and then commence a climb to cruise at flight level eight zero (FL80).
Departure from Blackpool was to the east on runway 10 with a right turn to intercept the track to ESTRY climbing to maintain 3000 feet. The visibility was excellent and the cloud base was well above my level. It was clear that there would be a good tailwind on the trip south and this should give a total flight time of around 90 minutes for a distance of 218 nautical miles, or around 250 car miles! On reaching MALUD the autopilot turned the aircraft to a southerly track and I changed the main and autopilot pressuresettings to standard or 1013 millibars ready for the climb. I reset the target altitude to 8000 feet and set the vertical speed to 700 feet per minute climb and increased power on the engines. There were no clouds ahead on my track to fly through and the Twinstar ascended effortlessly over Wales to FL80.
Looking to the West over Wales FL80
In the cruise, the clouds below were broken and the ground could be seen as well as the west coast of Wales. I called London Military for a radar service who gave traffic information before eventually handing me over to Western Radar who provided a service on the leg to Newquay. Approaching Newquay I was handed over to their radar controller who asked what kind of approach I wanted. I replied with "vectors to the ILS". He gave me a transponder "squawk" and, when I was identified, a radar traffic service.
Having passed Lundy Island 8000 feet below, the controller requested a descent to FL50 and take up a radar heading of 215 degrees magnetic. This was followed by further descents to altitude 3000 feet and then
2000 feet before a turn to 150 degrees to intercept the localiser. This was an approach to runway 12 and, prior to this, I had reviewed the approach plate and missed approach procedure. All went well and I landed in a crosswind from the left of about 10kts after 87 minutes in the air.
I taxied to the General Aviation parking area where I was met by a lady in a van from Weston Aviation. I did not ride with her but did some paperwork in the aircraft before walking to Weston's offices and settling the landing fee.
The return to Blackpool some hours later followed the same route as the trip down apart from a cruising level of FL70 to comply with the quadrantal rule for IFR flight outside controlled airspace. After engine start and listening to the ATIS broadcast I taxied to C1 where I completed my checks and called ready for departure. Runway 30 was now in use and I started the take off from Charlie which still gave over 1500 metres of runway. A climb on runway heading to 1000 feet was followed by a right climbing turn up to FL70. I was
informed that Western Radar was now closed so chose to once again speak to London Military who provided their customary good service.
The aircraft was clear of clouds at this point but, after routing to the west of Swansea to avoid any conflicts with parachutists, I could see the clouds merging into an overcast to fully obscure the ground over the track
I was following. The tops of the clouds were around FL55 so the only consideration was the descent through them before reaching MALUD, where the base of controlled airspace is FL45. On the way out there was a tailwind which was now a headwind and slowed me down to around 130kts. My true airspeed was showing as 152kts and I had a headwind that varied between 15 and 25kts as I progressed up Wales. Snowdon was not visible as the clouds were still solid beneath me but a descent had to be initiated to remain clear of the class A controlled airspace where I am not allowed access.
In order to safely descend through the clouds I wanted two independent position fixes as Wales is well known for its high and unforgiving ground. My GPS showed my position as 25 miles south of MALUD and the fix from the Wallasey VOR/DME station confirmed this. I reduced power to 50% on each engine and commenced a descent at around 500 feet per minute. I could see the cloud tops getting closer so I transferred to instruments and hand flew the aircraft as I entered the clouds. It only took around two minutes before clearing the cloud bases and becoming visual with the ground again. I left the autopilot off for the rest of the flight.
I said goodbye to London Military and switched to Blackpool Approach who were expecting me. Following some confusuion amongst several light aircraft, when a Boeing 737 arrived and landed at Blackpool, I stayed out of the way to avoid the mayhem and was delayed around ten minutes. Another crosswind landing on runway 10 completed the flight. I taxied in and had a coffee at Flight Acadamy and reflected on a very enjoyable outing.
So that looks like it will be the last good flyout of the year. However, Joel has decided to get his multi ticket and Steve has indicated he wants to renew his. This could be good news as it may open up more trips in the new year which will be more sociable for me as I will have someone to share the flying with.
And the cost!
posted by David M at 9:13 PM
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