Richard
Final Approach
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2005
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- 9,076
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- West Coast Resistance
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Ack...city life
What do WST, WS, WA-S, WA-T, WA-Z, a PA-28, and me have in common? All were present on April 12th over the LA Basin.
I started the day by flying to Corona KAJO to purchase some stuff from Aircraft Spruce. The short ride from La Verne KPOC was indicative of what was to come. Not too bad though, just some slight-moderate bumps.
Weird, Chino KCNO, only 5 nm away from AJO, was reporting 29015G22 but my arrival at AJO was in smooth air. Usually, even the smallest amount of wind seems to make for a sporty ride into Corona yet here it is moderate winds and my landing was uneventful. I guess I'll never figure out the wind patterns in this area of SoCal.
Departing AJO was a different story. Less than one hour later the winds were 20019G28. Departing RWY 25. Whee! Sustained climbed of 1,000fpm, 250 lbs under gross I turned on course while still over the RWY. Talking to SoCal APP they restricted my climb to 060 for traffic.
I had lost visual of the ground due to immense clouds of blowing dust and I could barely read the CDI due to mod-severe turb I tried to stay on course for Banning Pass. At my alt the winds were out of the north so I was holding a WCA of 40*. SoCal asked my intentions since I was bouncing all over the sky. I looked over at the Pass and noticed what was blue sky only a few minutes ago was now a wall of black death. SoCal advised of mixed ice all the way to FL240 and asked my intentions. I didn't like wearing my headsets askew around my neck anymore than I had to and just the word, "ice" had my attention.
I had been eyeing wide open sky to the north so I keyed the mic and said I was climbing 11,500 over El Cajon Pass. Even though it was more direct to my destination, I originally didn't want to go that way because of much higher terrain, wind right on the nose, and that pass always seems pretty bad in high winds. Besides, after the pass was more blowing dust in clouds so large they rose above all but the tallest peaks. I thought it to be a less safe route.
I held my climb attitude the best I could but I also had to keep my airspeed in the upper end of the white arc because of the severe jostling. I barely made 9,500 by the time I was at the pass because often I would drop 400-800 fpm in a few seconds. I sat in amazement as I watched the ASI stand on the peg at 0, then bounce to 120-140. I stayed out of the pass as I made several 360s for altitude, keeping my bank angle to half std rate.
At 10,500 I resumed course and kept my climb going. Weird again, as soon as I "entered" the pass I encountered smooth air. I couldn't say I actually entered the pass for I was high above it. Finally out of the LA Basin and into the high desert to the north I was enjoying the smooth air so I warily throttled up. Sure as ****, I was in a wave. Except I was going down, down, down. I expected this would happen so I held my course and took what I got. Now I was at 9,000 looking at a wall of white CB in front of me and extending to the NW and SE as far as I could see. Above that were widespread cirriform.
For a couple minutes I thought of descending to drive underneath but ixnayed that idea. One, I didn't like all that blowing dust/sand; two, there is probably embedded TS in there; three, I didn't fancy riding in the bumps again; four, I didn't know how far I would have an OVC. The line of TS was unforecast; they simply popped up big and dark. When Hector VOR flagged I knew my gig was up. I needed that VOR to navigate the R-airspace.
Making a 180 is always a hard decision; too, there is always the sense of relief after having turned tail. I was rather upbeat when I told SoCal of my intentions to return to KPOC. And I didn't feel so bad; the 121 and 135 jocks were complaining about the ride too. Many were going missed at Ontario, Van Nuys, and Burbank.
I was still in a pickle because here I was at 9,000 at a place APP wants me to expedite blo 6,000. Unable, due to the certainty of severe downdrafts at lower alt off the lee of the big rocks north of KONT. I did give them 1,200 fpm descent. I pretty much paralleled a very long straight-in to KPOC.
POC ATIS was 24 minutes old as I arrived. 29014. That's not so bad. TWR insisted I take the right RWY. A bit of coaxing and he relinquished 26L. I wanted the longer RWY with the ILS. Besides, I was the only fool up there. On short final, TWR calls out winds 33028G35. Oh boy! My approach on final was nasty, I must've looked like a drunken farmer from the ground. Between 100 and 50 agl there were 2 uncommanded rolls to 60* but I won those battles. I was holding wing low in a crab so I was looking at the rwy out my side window, towards the back of the side window. Just before the fence I was blown off the centerline so far I was over the weeds and just about to go around when magically, mysteriously the plane found the line again. When the right main touched down the winds seemed to disappear. I looked at the sock and it was straight out, straight down the RWY. That's when it occurred to me I had been dancing on the pedals like I was in a tailwheel. Good training never hurts.
Total time: 1.6 after Corona. Distance: <50 nm Excitement: Priceless
Lesson Learned: Never ever relax whenever Michael is involved. The reason for my flight that day was to make it to Vegas to help Michael turn a page in his life. I kid you not, Michael has such bad luck with flying in wx.
I started the day by flying to Corona KAJO to purchase some stuff from Aircraft Spruce. The short ride from La Verne KPOC was indicative of what was to come. Not too bad though, just some slight-moderate bumps.
Weird, Chino KCNO, only 5 nm away from AJO, was reporting 29015G22 but my arrival at AJO was in smooth air. Usually, even the smallest amount of wind seems to make for a sporty ride into Corona yet here it is moderate winds and my landing was uneventful. I guess I'll never figure out the wind patterns in this area of SoCal.
Departing AJO was a different story. Less than one hour later the winds were 20019G28. Departing RWY 25. Whee! Sustained climbed of 1,000fpm, 250 lbs under gross I turned on course while still over the RWY. Talking to SoCal APP they restricted my climb to 060 for traffic.
I had lost visual of the ground due to immense clouds of blowing dust and I could barely read the CDI due to mod-severe turb I tried to stay on course for Banning Pass. At my alt the winds were out of the north so I was holding a WCA of 40*. SoCal asked my intentions since I was bouncing all over the sky. I looked over at the Pass and noticed what was blue sky only a few minutes ago was now a wall of black death. SoCal advised of mixed ice all the way to FL240 and asked my intentions. I didn't like wearing my headsets askew around my neck anymore than I had to and just the word, "ice" had my attention.
I had been eyeing wide open sky to the north so I keyed the mic and said I was climbing 11,500 over El Cajon Pass. Even though it was more direct to my destination, I originally didn't want to go that way because of much higher terrain, wind right on the nose, and that pass always seems pretty bad in high winds. Besides, after the pass was more blowing dust in clouds so large they rose above all but the tallest peaks. I thought it to be a less safe route.
I held my climb attitude the best I could but I also had to keep my airspeed in the upper end of the white arc because of the severe jostling. I barely made 9,500 by the time I was at the pass because often I would drop 400-800 fpm in a few seconds. I sat in amazement as I watched the ASI stand on the peg at 0, then bounce to 120-140. I stayed out of the pass as I made several 360s for altitude, keeping my bank angle to half std rate.
At 10,500 I resumed course and kept my climb going. Weird again, as soon as I "entered" the pass I encountered smooth air. I couldn't say I actually entered the pass for I was high above it. Finally out of the LA Basin and into the high desert to the north I was enjoying the smooth air so I warily throttled up. Sure as ****, I was in a wave. Except I was going down, down, down. I expected this would happen so I held my course and took what I got. Now I was at 9,000 looking at a wall of white CB in front of me and extending to the NW and SE as far as I could see. Above that were widespread cirriform.
For a couple minutes I thought of descending to drive underneath but ixnayed that idea. One, I didn't like all that blowing dust/sand; two, there is probably embedded TS in there; three, I didn't fancy riding in the bumps again; four, I didn't know how far I would have an OVC. The line of TS was unforecast; they simply popped up big and dark. When Hector VOR flagged I knew my gig was up. I needed that VOR to navigate the R-airspace.
Making a 180 is always a hard decision; too, there is always the sense of relief after having turned tail. I was rather upbeat when I told SoCal of my intentions to return to KPOC. And I didn't feel so bad; the 121 and 135 jocks were complaining about the ride too. Many were going missed at Ontario, Van Nuys, and Burbank.
I was still in a pickle because here I was at 9,000 at a place APP wants me to expedite blo 6,000. Unable, due to the certainty of severe downdrafts at lower alt off the lee of the big rocks north of KONT. I did give them 1,200 fpm descent. I pretty much paralleled a very long straight-in to KPOC.
POC ATIS was 24 minutes old as I arrived. 29014. That's not so bad. TWR insisted I take the right RWY. A bit of coaxing and he relinquished 26L. I wanted the longer RWY with the ILS. Besides, I was the only fool up there. On short final, TWR calls out winds 33028G35. Oh boy! My approach on final was nasty, I must've looked like a drunken farmer from the ground. Between 100 and 50 agl there were 2 uncommanded rolls to 60* but I won those battles. I was holding wing low in a crab so I was looking at the rwy out my side window, towards the back of the side window. Just before the fence I was blown off the centerline so far I was over the weeds and just about to go around when magically, mysteriously the plane found the line again. When the right main touched down the winds seemed to disappear. I looked at the sock and it was straight out, straight down the RWY. That's when it occurred to me I had been dancing on the pedals like I was in a tailwheel. Good training never hurts.
Total time: 1.6 after Corona. Distance: <50 nm Excitement: Priceless
Lesson Learned: Never ever relax whenever Michael is involved. The reason for my flight that day was to make it to Vegas to help Michael turn a page in his life. I kid you not, Michael has such bad luck with flying in wx.
