Yesterday was really the first good day of flying that I have had so far this year. My flying time has been very limited this year due to the interior/panel upgrades of the plane, cruddy weather, rough scheduling, etc. With the spring like weather and the large high pressure system that came to the east coast this weekend I was able to take the day Saturday and go flying with David.
Saturday morning brought with it a beautifully clear sky with visibility better than 20 miles. The plan was to fly east out of Frederick through the ADIZ and right through the heart of the Baltimore Class B airspace to a nifty airport in Sussex County DE (KGED). They have recently rebuilt the FBO and put in a new restaurant with great food. It had been a while since I had been there and as such was looking forward to the trip. It is also a great chance to fly out over the shore and see some good scenery. There is something pretty slick about flying over the Atlantic Ocean with nothing to see but water off to one side and the surf crashing into the shore on the other. Dave and I threw together a flight plan and then I called a briefer to get his opinion on the weather and to file the necessary flight plans to keep the F-16's and Blackhawks at bay. You have to be careful out here in this neck of the woods otherwise you can loose your ticket quickly. The briefer took care of the flight plans in quick order and confirmed that the weather was going to be beautiful. The only "interesting" part of the briefing was a slight admonishing about the surface winds that could be expected near our destination. No worries though, we had 5 hours of fuel and plenty of options if we couldn't land at GED.
Once off of the ground and activating our S&R flight plan, we called up Approach control and picked up both our Class B clearance and our ADIZ code. After that we leveled off at 5500 MSL and headed east to see the sights.
As we continued east towards the Chesapeake bay we spotted BWI which was expected. There is something pretty cool about flying by and over such a large airport. Here you can see it right in the middle of the picture with the Bay near the horizon.
Here you can see a picture of Baltimore taken off the left side of the airplane. In it you can see both the Raven's stadium as well as Camden Yards (where the major highway near the bottom, I-95, has an offshoot turning left into the city.) If you look off to the right of the picture you can see a small finger of water going into the heart of the city, that's Baltimore's Harbor.
Now, the neat thing about flying around here is that when you are going in the same general direction that we were going, that is Southeast, you can generally expect to be routed right over top of the airport. I mean, smack dab over top. It makes sense as traffic is decending into and climbing out of BAL. For us to transition the area they have us fly right through the middle of that arrival/departure 'v'. As such we get to see some cool things like this.
Not too many people get to see a Southwest jet like this.
Once past the airport we made our way over the bay and towards the coast.
20 minutes later we were descending into GED and entering the downwind for runway 04. Luckily for us the winds weren't that bad. They only were being called at 08017G28. *uggh* Figuring that there was no harm in making a pass we continued the pattern and lined up for the runway, which considering the wind, made for an interesting turn to base and final. Other than getting beat around a bit we got down without any real issue and without any moans from the plane. That was just about the most challenging landing that I have done to date though. Thanx to my instructor where ever he is now! There is something too cool about landing on the upwind wheel first and turning the plane into a unicycle that is just too cool.
By the way, if you ever go to GED for food, make sure you get the crab soup. It is quite good!
One more thing. If any of you ever transition the Baltimore / Washington area or come out this way to do some flying, please, please, please read the NOTAMS and study the latest charts very carefully. If you are unsure about the vaidity of doing something dont do it and if you dont know positively what a needed answer is land and find a local or an instructor to help you. Many people have had their tickets revoked and or suspended for busting the airspace around here and many of them are locals who have been flying here for years. While the procedures around here can be a pain and sometimes frustrating I have not found them to be difficult to handle, especially if you are at all comfortable with controlled airspace. While flying Saturday here is a series of transmissions that grabbed our attention while monitoring guard...
<transmission that we missed>
Controller: "Didn't you see the F-16 flying next to you?"
Pilot: "Yes but I didn't know he was for me"
Controller: "You didnt know he was for you?"
Pilot: "No, he was here for just a bit and then he turned and went away."
Controller: <missed transmission>
Controller: "Where are you headed sir"
Pilot: "Lakeland Floriday, I'm headed to Sun 'N Fun"
Controller: "Say again, where are you headed?"
Pilot: "Uh, Sun 'N Fun in Florida"
....
...
Obviously this was a pilot who was unfamiliar with the area, was transitioning to the south, and busted the airspace. I dont know if he ever made it to SNF. Please be careful if you guys come down here and make sure you dot your I's and cross the T's. It's not too difficult to stay out of trouble if you follow the procedures and watch the airspace.
-- John
A day of therapy ... part 1
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- Chief Rivet Banger
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A day of therapy ... part 1
http://www.rivetbangers.com - Now integrating web and mail!
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
- captain_john
- Sparky
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- Chief Rivet Banger
- Posts: 4013
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:40 pm
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Contact:
The trip is over We did it in a single day (3.7 hrs xcountry). I am just taking my time posting the pictures. Got so many of them to go through ya know
-- John
-- John
http://www.rivetbangers.com - Now integrating web and mail!
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl