Gulp. Flying to Lancaster this Saturday

woodstock

woodstock

Final Approach
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Another XC, coming right up!

I'm not terribly keen on towered airports (but CHO is great - no probs there) and my only experience flying into LNS so far wasn't great - it was crazy busy (granted, this was two years ago) and the controller had me set up for one runway and at the last second switched me to another one to avoid someone else incoming.

So I'm a little sweaty palmed just thinking about this one...

At any rate, I'll be there around lunch time if anyone local is reading this and would like to meet for lunch.
 
Don't sweat controlled airspace. If you have a chance, go take a tour of a local tower. Once you realize it's just a bunch of average Joe's like us, it makes talking to them much easier. Just tell them who you are, where you are, and what you want. Sure, there might be a bit of terminology that's not used in 'normal' conversations, but really you're just talking to someone like yourself on the other side of the mic.

Good luck and have fun!
 
Elizabeth, LNS tower is generally very helpful -- they've got a good crew of controllers there. I was flying a few miles outside of their airspace on thursday, and had a radio tuned to the tower. I heard the controller ask a student if they were certain that they were flying a downwind leg for runway 31. After the student wasn't sure, the controller told her that she should make sure her heading was 130, which she did and realized she was flying a downwind for 26. The controller was very mellow and patient, and there was no harm, no foul, no harsh words. They are there to help you, so make sure you ask for help if you need it. Don't be afraid to play the student pilot card either, if you need clarification or make a mistake.

Good luck!

When are you going?
 
Make sure you check in with "student pilot" that will hopefully let 'em know that you are new and they may take it easy on you. but get used to flying in controlled airspace. Getting comfortable with ATC will make you life so much better. And get a tower tour, if you can do it an LNS, call ahead to see if they can do it.
 
Oh...this was one of my PP XCs as well.

You'll do fine. Just rememeber that the controllers are you friends.
 
smigaldi said:
Make sure you check in with "student pilot"
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Scott is giving good advice. Those words will get you a load of help. That said KLNS tower controllers are super friendly folks very helpful and low pressure which is amazing cause they have all those rotor heads flying in from the east landing on the grass and all sorts of crazy places;)
 
smigaldi said:
Make sure you check in with "student pilot"
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IME, that's a key phrase to remember. (sidebar: I'd be curious to know if most male students wouldn't use that phrase, in the same way that some men won't ask for directions....)

Tower folks are usually quite helpful, especially at the quieter airports. Major hubs are a different matter, though my experience has been pretty good with major airports. Some of the tower controllers I met at Islip, LGA and EWR were pretty witty when not behind the mic.

Last night, arriving at Manassas, for example, I requested the longer runway even though I was parking on the west ramp. Gladly accomodated. Sometimes the tower folks will engage in a bit of conversation - like the guy at Columbus, Indiana who commented on the paint job of one of the clunker -er- Skyhawk trainers I learned on....
 
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AdamZ said:
That said KLNS tower controllers are super friendly folks very helpful and low pressure which is amazing cause they have all those rotor heads flying in from the east landing on the grass and all sorts of crazy places;)
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Ah, but they know the truth, Adam: "Runways are for Beauty Queens" :D
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Ah, but they know the truth, Adam: "Runways are for Beauty Queens" :D
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"Warning thread drift"

So, Bob, when I was ready to take off from Corinth yesterday one of your fellow rotorheads was practicing on the runway. I called for takeoff, he said that he'd just watch me from the grass on the side....
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Elizabeth, LNS tower is generally very helpful -- they've got a good crew of controllers there. I was flying a few miles outside of their airspace on thursday, and had a radio tuned to the tower. I heard the controller ask a student if they were certain that they were flying a downwind leg for runway 31. After the student wasn't sure, the controller told her that she should make sure her heading was 130, which she did and realized she was flying a downwind for 26. The controller was very mellow and patient, and there was no harm, no foul, no harsh words. They are there to help you, so make sure you ask for help if you need it. Don't be afraid to play the student pilot card either, if you need clarification or make a mistake.

Good luck!

When are you going?
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that's *exactly* what I'm afraid of. using the wrong runway or something else boneheaded and then when they ask me to kindly move I'll go into brain-vapor-lock or something.

I most likely will be there around 11, 1130 AM. As long as I'm wheels up again by 130, 2 PM I'll make it back in time.
 
ps. no problem with using "student pilot". after I landed at CHO y'day I told them it was my first long XC.

hey, it's a nice feeling to get congratulated afterwards and if I were ATC, I'd feel pretty good knowing someone who just landed was a newbie and I was part of their story they'd be telling for years.
 
woodstock said:
that's *exactly* what I'm afraid of. using the wrong runway or something else boneheaded and then when they ask me to kindly move I'll go into brain-vapor-lock or something.

I most likely will be there around 11, 1130 AM. As long as I'm wheels up again by 130, 2 PM I'll make it back in time.
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Don't sweat the mistakes. I lined up for the wrong runway at CLL one night after flying for 10 hours (and still didn't have enough fuel to make it back to San Antonio - da^ned 50 knot headwinds). Tower caught it and made sure I was set up right. Flying tired is a bad thing.

You'll make mistakes in your flying career - it's how you catch 'em & handle them that counts.
 
wsuffa said:
You'll make mistakes in your flying career - it's how you catch 'em & handle them that counts.
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The weekend before the last one I was supposed to load up the Cherokee and head to Indiana. I had just gotten home from Japan the day before and I was exhausted. The WX at departure was CAVU but it was 900OVC at KSMD and that meant an approach to almost mins. The next day's WX was still IMC too. I had flown that approach many times, several to mins, but I was just too tired to want to risk it. So I scrubbed the flight.

The purpose of the trip was to see my nieces as it was their birthdays. Sorry could not go. They were disappointed but understood. Their mom gave me the best compliment though. She told me that she let the girls fly with me because I put safety above all else.
 
wsuffa said:
Don't sweat the mistakes. I lined up for the wrong runway at CLL one night after flying for 10 hours (and still didn't have enough fuel to make it back to San Antonio - da^ned 50 knot headwinds). Tower caught it and made sure I was set up right. Flying tired is a bad thing.

You'll make mistakes in your flying career - it's how you catch 'em & handle them that counts.
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re-usable plane, that's my bottom line. glad they caught that before you took off, too.
 
woodstock said:
the controller had me set up for one runway and at the last second switched me to another one to avoid someone else incoming
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Don't forget that other key phrase (in addition to "student pilot") - "unable."

(Not to imply that this situation necessarily warranted it, but... you're in charge of your own safety. Last-second runway changes are common and don't usually pose a problem; but if things are piling up on you, remember you can break the chain.)
 
The next time they switch me to another one I think I'll say "what the vector, Victor."

I don't know if that would get me any sympathy though.
 
Elizabeth,

I learned to fly at LNS. The others are right, its no big deal and the tower is very good.
 
smigaldi said:
The weekend before the last one I was supposed to load up the Cherokee and head to Indiana. I had just gotten home from Japan the day before and I was exhausted. The WX at departure was CAVU but it was 900OVC at KSMD and that meant an approach to almost mins. The next day's WX was still IMC too. I had flown that approach many times, several to mins, but I was just too tired to want to risk it. So I scrubbed the flight.

The purpose of the trip was to see my nieces as it was their birthdays. Sorry could not go. They were disappointed but understood. Their mom gave me the best compliment though. She told me that she let the girls fly with me because I put safety above all else.
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good! glad you scrubbed it - that would have been too much.
 
woodstock said:
The next time they switch me to another one I think I'll say "what the vector, Victor."

I don't know if that would get me any sympathy though.
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Switching is no big deal until you're very close to the ground. I remember listening on the way into one airport where someone was switched twice and the tower controller apologized.

At San Antonio Intl, if you're flying practice approaches on the "big" runway, you'll often get switched to the "small" runway (12R to 12L) to allow air carrier traffic to come in. It's much preferable to get out of the way than to get run down... :hairraise:
 
woodstock said:
yup, that was it. and I was a back-seat PAX on that one so no sweaty palms for that one! :)
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LOL sitting back seat ( when I'm not at the controls) is actually when I get the sweaty plams.

You'll do fine enjoy the trip.
 
Excellent to see you flying again. When you get used to them, you may find towered airports are actually less work than non-towered ones.

BTW: Has anyone told you you look marvelous these days?
 
wsuffa said:
(sidebar: I'd be curious to know if most male students wouldn't use that phrase, in the same way that some men won't ask for directions....)
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I never had a problem using the phrase "Student Pilot", but had to give it up after I got the instrument rating. :D
 
Elizabeth,

As stated, LNS controllers are very good and use the "student pilot" call sign. Helps a lot.
 
Elizabeth,

Have fun! The folks at LNS always seem nice to deal with, even when we load up on them on the fly-in's :rolleyes:

If Mary and I were in town we would take the short hop to meet you. Instead we will be winging our way to Newport News tomorrow moring if the wx holds.
 
LNS is a great airport.

Dont miss the pilot shop AND the restaurant. :)
 
I am definitely hitting both.

Which is the preferred handheld radio these days? A few years ago I found one I really liked - I gotta go back and see which one it was now. But I'm sure there are newfangled ones out.
 
woodstock said:
IC-A24. is that still the one to get?
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Elizabeth, both Icom and Vertex Standard are great radios. I've used both in aviation as well as their amateur radio equipment. Features vary little between each of the two brands. The Vertex Standard is a tad smaller.

If you want a Comm only handheld, you'd want:

Icom A6, or the
Vertex Standard VXA-220

If you want to have the VOR receiver as well, those would be the:

Icom A24, or the
Vertex Standard VXA-300

Vertex Standard also has the VXA-710 that has a business band receiver. It's really an unnecessary joke. It was produced to replace the VXA-700 which was dual aviation and two-meter ham band. It was discontinued after the FAA cried foul.

I used to sell them but got away from it because the competition was just too much for the volume I was doing and I was staying too busy in training. Later, I'll get back to selling stuff when I begin doing instruction.

But, I still get a number of responses to my listing on Vertex Standard so I refer folks to Skygeek.com. I've looked around and they truly have the best pricing on the web.

Their direct radio page is: http://www.skygeek.com/handheldradios.html

Of the things I recommend are get the overlays used on a PDA and cut one to cover the display bezel on the radio. That will help it hold up to potential scratches. The other is pull it out of the bag at least once a month and recharge it. The batteries are (should be!) all lithium ion so memory shouldn't be a problem.

None come with a case but the cases usually make the radio too bulky for the holders in a flight bag. They definitely should have the headset adapter. It's standard in all the boxes.

I hope that helps.
 
IMHO, I'd skip the NAV receiver and stick with COM only. The only place it might come in handy would be listening to HIWAS or weather broadcast over a VOR. It just wouldn't be practical to use it for true navigation, especially to shoot an approach.
 
A couple of notes... Both the radios mentioned above are very good for getting clearances, calling for fuel, listening in at airports and airshows, and for calling for help after an off-airport landing. I have a 8 year old ICOM A-22 that's now on it's third niCd battery but otherwise works just fine.

They are both USELESS for talking to ATC in flight unless they are connected to an airplane antenna somehow (at least in Cessna's and Mooneys and Bonanzas - I haven't tried them in the plastic airplanes but don't expect better results). You can often receive OK, but transmitting is generally not very good. With the external antenna, they are great.

I had an alternator failure once (VFR at night in class B east of BWI), used the ships radio on batteries to tell ATC that I had the problem, and would be listening on the handheld radio and would fire up the ship radio if we NEEDED to communicate, but otherwise I'd be NORDO from that point on and wanted to turn off my transponder too. ATC said OK, gave me a vector to fly, and kept everybody out of my way as I flew through and out of the bravo. I shut down the avionics and listened on the handheld. When I was clear, he told me I was clear, gave me the traffic between myself and FDK, and said goodbye. I landed with plenty of battery power to operate the flaps and the landing light.

So, never Never NEVER drop the airplane (stop flying it) to fiddle with a handheld radio. And when you own your own airplane, have your avionix guy either put in an adapter to an existing com antenna or have him install an extra one with a BNC connector on the panel.
 
I, fortunately, have an external antenna on the plane for a handheld.

Either radio will serve you well. I have an Icom with the VOR function. While it would be difficult to navigate with it, the fact of the matter is that in many places FSS can only communicate through the VOR frequency. And in one or two places I've been, the local weather is available on the VOR (just like the weather is available on an NDB in a few places).

I chose to spend the extra few bucks to cover the possibility that I'll need those features. Unlikely as it may be.
 
KennyFlys said:
Vertex Standard also has the VXA-710 that has a business band receiver. It's really an unnecessary joke. It was produced to replace the VXA-700 which was dual aviation and two-meter ham band. It was discontinued after the FAA cried foul.
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I have the VXA-700 and love it. I am also a ham. Why did the FAA have an issue with it? Seems to me that they would not care. I love using the ham band when I fly, it is a blast talking to guys as you fly around.
 
smigaldi said:
I have the VXA-700 and love it. I am also a ham. Why did the FAA have an issue with it? Seems to me that they would not care. I love using the ham band when I fly, it is a blast talking to guys as you fly around.
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I've never been able to get anything official on it. The story was the FAA didn't like us renegade ham operators having quick access to transmit on aviation frequencies. Perhaps some FAA moron equated hams to the twits on eleven meters.

The couple times I flew with a handheld, I didn't hear a soul on simplex and I couldn't break in on any repeaters although I heard them fine. I scanned mostly the sub-band and didn't try .94 for obvious reasons. But, over Kentucky I was able to let a friend know where I was en-route and ETA. He and his dad own and maintain the .521 machine in St. Louis.

I thought the 700 was a great idea. A couple times a week, I see a vehicle with both ham plates and an AOPA sticker. There must be a LOT of renegade hams who also fly. :)
 
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