Just Average...

[Deleted]

The following is a true personal story. I wrote it up and it was published in the September 1995 issue of Private Pilot Magazine. 

The strobe reflection from the clouds was lighting up the cockpit, and I couldn't see the ground. I was a 70 hour private pilot building time for my commercial certificate. I suddenly alone, at night, in IFR conditions. 

I'd picked up the keys to the Cherokee during my lunch hour. This evening I was going to get in another hour of solo night flying. It was dusk when I took off from Sky Ranch, just east of Denver's old Stapleton Airport. The plane needed fuel so I made the short hop to Stapleton to tank up. By the time the tanks were topped off and I was ready to taxi it was dark. 

I felt somewhat important as I taxied past the 737s and DC10s on the ramp and made my way to runway 35L. As soon as I was airborne I made a left turn and followed Interstate 70 west. At 7,000 feet MSL (about 1500 feet AGL) I turned south and decided to go to Arapahoe County for a touch and go. I was cruising over south Denver at 8500 feet when the lights suddenly went out - not mine, but the city lights. I could see nothing. I was buried in cloud. 

The skies were clear earlier that evening, and in my haste to get airborne I neglected to check the weather. Now I was in IFR conditions and I didn't now what to do. I had a few sessions under the hood with my instructor, recovering from unusual attitudes and finding the VOR, but I certainly wasn't an instrument rated pilot. 

I continued flying for a few minutes, but no breaks appeared. I concentrated on the artificial horizon and maintaining altitude, but I was getting worried. Then I remembered something I'd done with my instructor a month ago. We were in the practice area and I was under the hood recovering from unusual attitudes. He picked up the mike and called Denver Approach Control. He asked for a practice GCA approach to the National Guard Base at Buckly. I flew that approach under the hood until we were about 100 feet over the runway. Then my instructor took the controls and broke off the approach. 

Finding myself stuck in the clouds, I picked up the mike. 

"Denver approach this is Cherokee 38D. Request a practice GCA approach to Buckley." 

"Cherokee 38D, say your position." 

"38D is about 10 miles south of Stapleton at 8500 feet." 

"38D make a left turn." I started a two minute left turn. 

Denver Approach came back. "38D turn to heading 095 and stand by." 

"38D turning 095." 

A few minutes later the controller came back on the air. "Cherokee 38D contact Buckley GCA." I acknowledged and switched the radio to the Buckley GCA frequency.

"Buckly GCA this is Cherokee 38D heading 095 at 8500 feet. Request a practice GCA approach." 

The GCA controller identified my aircraft and started to guide me in. As soon as he positioned me on the glide slope he started talking me own.

"Cherokee 38D do not acknowledge anymore commands. On glide slope. On course." 

I kept the wings level and bobbed up and down along the glideslope constantly adjusting the throttle and making slight course corrections as the controller talked to me. I really wasn't very good at this. The controller must have thought I was the sloppiest pilot in the world. I hoped I wouldn't have to land at Buckley; that might have cost me my license. "God," I thought, "please let the ceilng be above minimums." 

At 6500 feet I cam out of the clouds and saw that big runway ahead of me. To the west I could see the lights of Denver reflected from the bottom of the cloud layer. Sky Ranch was just a hop, skip, and jump from Buckley, I quickly thanked the controller and broke off the approach. 

A few minutes later I was on the ground at Sky Ranch. I parked the aircraft, shut it down and just sat there for a few minutes. I didn't know whether to be proud of myself for getting out of a potentially dangerous situation or ashamed of myself for not checking the weather before I took off. 

My instructor called it about right when I told him about the incident. " Not checking the weather was stupid. The practic GCA approach was pretty smart. I guess that averages out to just average."

Noel

[olderndirt]

Good one Noel - one teensy critique.  When you called approach to request the practice GCA you would have been issued a transponder code.  The identifying turn means you were a primary target (no transponder).  Either way, when he sees you, he's required to state "radar contact" before assigning a heading.  How well I remember the old GCA jargon - " Five miles from touchdown, begin descent.  Gear should be down.  Do not acknowledge further transmissions.  If no transmissions received for five seconds, execute a missed approach ............  On course, slightly above glide path, adjust rate of descent."  When Anchorage Aproach was still at Elmendorf we handled the GCA, often running both scopes - F4's three in trail - bingo fuel no screwups allowed - what fun.

[Deleted]

We didn't have transponders back then (at least in basic GA aircraft). We made identifying turns. I don't recall him saying he had radar contact. All I recall was the heading he gave me.  I called for practice GCA approaches every once in a while during my solos after that because they were fun.  I got better at it.

Noel

[Bushpounder]

I did this a couple of times during flight training at night with my flight instructor. We had a Xsponder in all our planes, and that was in the mid-70s.

BP;)

[Deleted]

I find it interesting that no separate night rating (that I am aware of) was issued down there. Up here you are legally not allowed to fly after civil twilight without a night rating. The rating consisted of 5 hours of instrument time plus a couple of hours of touch and goes. It's a whole different world (as Kennedy found out one night!) and I too got caught on instruments for a bit, which also had the "added bonus" of icing up the airframe, especially the antennae. Fortunately a 180 and 5 minutes of flying got me out of it, but it was hairy for a while.

[Deleted]

I remember the Kennedy incident. We discussed it at length in the old Hangar Talk Forum at Flightsim.com. It almost morphed into a political discussion because a Kennedy was involved.

I wrote that what probably happened to Kennedy happened to many of us who were, or had been, pilots at one time or another. We got lucky and he didn't.

I recall getting lost over the myriad of canyons in southern Utah once and had three passenger with me. I was looking for Canyonlands Airport. I got the stomach knot for a few seconds or so before I triangulated my position with the Grand Junction and Hanksville VORS. As soon as I determined my position I noticed an aircraft below me heading for Canyonlands. I followed him in.

As for might flying there was no rating as such. I flew a couple hours at night with my instructor before he let me solo at night. I asked him once what do I do at night if my engine quits. He said establish a glide and hope you don't fly into the side of a barn.

I once flew a Mooney from Denver to some town in Wisconsin where my flight instructor wanted to pick up a car. We left at 3:00 AM hoping to get to Omaha for refueling just after sunup. I can't begin to tell how dark eastern Colorado is at night. I had to concentrate on the artificial horizon because my senses were telling me I was making a left turn until it got light enough to see the horizon (nautical twilight).

When we got to the airport at Wisconsin I was on my downwind leg and hit the gear switch. Nothing happened. I looked over toward my instructor and he was just staring out the side window. I noticed the breaker panel door was hanging open. I pushed in the gear breaker an heard the gear extend. My instructor didn't say a word. He just looked over at me and smiled.

Jeez! I miss those days!

Noel

[olderndirt]

Jul 27, 2016 0:30:58 GMT -5 @birdguy said:

We didn't have transponders back then (at least in basic GA aircraft). We made identifying turns. I don't recall him saying he had radar contact. All I recall was the heading he gave me.  I called for practice GCA approaches every once in a while during my solos after that because they were fun.  I got better at it.

Noel

All our phraseolgy was written by lawyers.  "For radar identification, turn left thirty degrees for thirty seconds then resume your present heading".  Until he said "Radar Contact" and your position, the controller could not issue a heading.  I recall summer at 'Charley West' (KCRW) and the gawdawful lines of thunderbumpers.  Pilots begging for vectors around or away.  We could see their beacons but had to turn down the radar's weather suppression circuitry to find any passable areas.  Even then it was "Suggested heading" only.  The 'after the event' thank yous were nice.

[olderndirt]

Jul 27, 2016 6:58:17 GMT -5 @bushpilot said:

I find it interesting that no separate night rating (that I am aware of) was issued down there. Up here you are legally not allowed to fly after civil twilight without a night rating. The rating consisted of 5 hours of instrument time plus a couple of hours of touch and goes. It's a whole different world (as Kennedy found out one night!) and I too got caught on instruments for a bit, which also had the "added bonus" of icing up the airframe, especially the antennae. Fortunately a 180 and 5 minutes of flying got me out of it, but it was hairy for a while.

Americans are well known for their cat-like vision making a separate night rating superfluous . 

[pivo11]

Everybody take note; the good old days are back again!   



 

[Bushpounder]

No. I believe when I was flying, it was more or less a checkout flight and then making 5 landings every so many days to stay current. Like I said the other day, that was a LONG time ago. Things may have changed by now.

BP;)

[Deleted]

"I recall getting lost over the myriad of canyons in southern Utah once and had three passenger with me. I was looking for Canyonlands Airport. I got the stomach knot for a few seconds or so before I triangulated my position with the Grand Junction and Hanksville VORS. As soon as I determined my position I noticed an aircraft below me heading for Canyonlands. I followed him in."

Lucky you . Most of the places I flew didn't have VOR's. Or NDB's. Didn't matter though - our airplanes didn't have them either for the most part. You got REEEEEEL good at finding out where you were by the shapes and sizes of lakes. Plus I got pretty good at DR. Saved my bacon a few times when vis was down to a mile or so .

[Deleted]

Jul 27, 2016 13:20:57 GMT -5 pivo11 said:

Everybody take note; the good old days are back again!   



 

Oh yeah. And their even "better" than the original stor... errr, "situations"

[penzoil3]

I remember walking to school in blizzard conditions. It was at least 5 miles uphill- both ways...
LOL
Sue

[olderndirt]

Jul 28, 2016 18:09:39 GMT -5 penzoil3 said:

I remember walking to school in blizzard conditions. It was at least 5 miles uphill- both ways...
LOL
Sue

Uphill, both ways - that's really difficult country  .

[penzoil3]

It averaged out...
LOL
Sue