I was flying home yesterday. The weather was severe clear (nothing but a few very high cirrus) all over the east coast yesterday. I popped over to HKY to get gas and then filed IFR home not because I needed it but because Margy was in the office and I'd set up FlightAware to message her my status.
I'm over Lynchburg listening to the XM and ATC calls and says they have a reroute and to advise when ready to copy. Really? Great, I get my pen out which took this time to decide to leak all over the place. Ok, ready to copy.
"Navion 5327K cleared to Culpeper direct CSN direct."
Great, I needed to write that down? (previous clearance was direct GVE direct).
I get up to about CHO and PCT asks if I have the weather at CJR. Hold, on. I dial up the AWOS:
CULPEPER AIRPORT 1755 Zulu weather. Wind 030 at 3. Visibility three quarters, Ceiling indefiniate 300 feet.
WTF? Tell approach what the AWOS is saying. They say they have an hour old METAR that says CLEAR and 7SM (which is what my XM is reporting as well). I tell them I find the AWOS hard to believe but I'll let them know when I get closer. They say sure, let us know if you need an approach.
Sure enough 40 miles out I can see the "golf balls," a set of RADOMES just south of the field (a good landmark to set up on for 45 entry to downwind for 22).
I get closer and report the airport in site and cancel IFR. The AWOS seems to have recovered now reporting the usual 10SM and CLEAR (best as it ever gets). Of course, the Airfest is this weekend and the pattern is full of T-6's and other guys practicing overhead breaks and other formation stuff. Then it occurs to me. Someone must have laid a blanket of smoke on the AWOS.
I'm over Lynchburg listening to the XM and ATC calls and says they have a reroute and to advise when ready to copy. Really? Great, I get my pen out which took this time to decide to leak all over the place. Ok, ready to copy.
"Navion 5327K cleared to Culpeper direct CSN direct."
Great, I needed to write that down? (previous clearance was direct GVE direct).
I get up to about CHO and PCT asks if I have the weather at CJR. Hold, on. I dial up the AWOS:
CULPEPER AIRPORT 1755 Zulu weather. Wind 030 at 3. Visibility three quarters, Ceiling indefiniate 300 feet.
WTF? Tell approach what the AWOS is saying. They say they have an hour old METAR that says CLEAR and 7SM (which is what my XM is reporting as well). I tell them I find the AWOS hard to believe but I'll let them know when I get closer. They say sure, let us know if you need an approach.
Sure enough 40 miles out I can see the "golf balls," a set of RADOMES just south of the field (a good landmark to set up on for 45 entry to downwind for 22).
I get closer and report the airport in site and cancel IFR. The AWOS seems to have recovered now reporting the usual 10SM and CLEAR (best as it ever gets). Of course, the Airfest is this weekend and the pattern is full of T-6's and other guys practicing overhead breaks and other formation stuff. Then it occurs to me. Someone must have laid a blanket of smoke on the AWOS.
