July 6 – Well today was a planned road trip down to my old jumping grounds at the Goshen Municipal Airport in Indiana. I started on my trip in the late morning and while driving down drove thru two heavy duty rain squalls which in my mind did not bode well for attending an airshow. With that said there can be a lot of different weather patterns in a straight line drive of 65 miles.
I arrived as the grounds were filling up with cars, trucks, horse drawn wagons and bicycles. The line of cars backed up to enter was starting to get long but I got in just before the major surge. It was a bit of a hike from the parking area to the event entry gate.
The clouds were getting dark and heavy but I had done a quick run through of the area to get my bearing before the rain squall hit. I had an umbrella with me but it was not going to be much help in this downpour but I was able to enter the airport terminal just as the rain and wind struck the airfield. It rained hard and fast for at least 20 minutes before letting up and the crowds returning from hiding under about a dozen very large tents.
They had lots of military aircraft coming in from World War II, from the Vietnam era there were the Sky Soldiers and their helicopters, and a good number of static aircraft displays to keep you occupied until the airshow started and many food vendors to keep you fed.
A highlight of the air show was the appearance of the United States Air Force F-22 Raptor which did a full 20-minute military combat demo.
It was estimated that over 30,000 of people watched the planes in action, cars and jet trucks racing to beat airplanes and helicopters, and skydivers floating in the skies above at this, the third annual America’s Freedom Fest.
I left right after the airshow and before the fireworks began in order to avoid the traffic going home. Here is a small sample of what you missed 🙂
Just before the rain!In the FBO looking at people sheltering under the C54Kids and PuddlesDarcy taking offDarcy putting Big Red thru the hoopsSky DemonThe Sky Demon using every one of its 450 horses.Sky Demon going thru its paces.SkyDiversSky DiversPT-17’s Buttoned up before the rainSky Soldiers Huey’s & CobraCobra – Mean Machine – Rides a bit salty at $400 – BUT what a ride!Jet Truck vs Sky DemonYep- you really wanted ear plugs around this oneFire fighting Helio taking on a loadWater drop – by this time the crowd would have appreciated the shower from a higher drop.Raptor fly by- belly shotRaptor just hanging in the sky on pure thrust.Food CourtSome of the crowdsLeaving the Parking Area
June 30: Today was a “Blue Sky” day, so for those that know me, that means its time to check the TFR’s, Notams, the weather and get the little bird out of the nest and get a little airtime. Most people also know that my favorite location to fly to is the Michigan City Airport (KMGC) because they usually have the least expensive self-service Avgas, the drop zone “Skydive Windy City”, and a local Hacienda.
Well today I did fly to Michigan City for all of the above, but it was also a good time to clean house and to drop off some used skydiving gear I was no longer using. I figured that Tom (my rigger) would find the stuff a good home. In addition though, I dropped off my jump rig which was overdue for an inspection and reserve parachute repack which is required every 6 months. With the reserve repacked I will be ready for the upcoming “Dink Dink Boogie” being held in August by the raw dogs in Grand Haven, MI. Boogie details can be found at rawdogscrw.com/dinkdinkboogie so give it a looksee!
Now that the para-gear was dropped off it was time to get my jump & flying buddy Dave and head out to Hacienda for chips, salsa and iced tea.
Upon our return we dropped by the DZ to see how busy they were. I was interested because I always like to take pictures of the tandem landings to show how much fun people are having and today was no exception.
I took some random pictures of two tandem loads then decided it was time to head home, so I stopped shooting and got the bird pre-flighted.
As I finished up, I noticed another tandem load had just taken off, so I decided to get in a few more pictures of their landings. As I was taking pictures Dave checked the radar weather and noticed a fast moving storm from coming across the lake from Chicago and suggested that I “kick the tires, light the fires, and get a move on back to Benton Harbor before the winds picked up.
Since its ALWAYS better to be on the ground wishing you were up there flying than being up there flying wishing you were on the ground, I took his council.
Had a smooth flight back home and even took a few shoreline pictures of the various beaches on the way home. A Good day, Good flying, and looking forward to the 4th and more good flying weather.
June 30: As I may have mentioned before, on my way back from Michigan City, Indiana (KMGC) and watching tandem skydivers landing, the air was smooth enough to take a few shore line pictures on the way back to Benton Harbor airport. As you can see the beaches of South West Michigan are the most popular places to be in the summer months.
It even looks like the intake water crids at the nuclear plant are smiling, or maybe that’s a fat fish?Weko Beach – Bridgman, MI.Saint Joseph Mi. – Silver BeachTiscornia Beach TodayJean Klock Park – Maytag Ironman 70.3 Steelhead Triathelon
2019-06-29: Saturday was a blue-sky morning that lasted all day. This was a very good thing as it was the biggest event day of the “July 4X4 Watervliet Independence Celebration & Carnival” that had been going. As part of the celebration there was a “Fly In” & “Steak Fry” at the Watervliet Airport (40C) which I attended.
With all the rain we have been having here in SW Michigan there were no war-birds showing up as the grass field was a bit on the wet mushy side and was only suitable for light aircraft like the Piper Cub or Cessna 150’s. As always “Fly In’s” are great meet and greet events, an opportunity to show off your plane, swap flying tales, and hopefully get some non-flyers interested in aviation.
And afterward, if you wanted to cool off on this hot & muggy day, you could do so at Forrest Beach park. Though Big Paw Paw lake is getting to be very weedy and has rather heavy boat traffic towing water toys on holiday weekend like this, it was still a good day to get in a scuba dive.
Since I anticipated the heavy boat traffic I decided to stay in the shallows and do a bit of metal detecting. Now with that said, the water was warm and I kept my diving to less than 15 feet deep. Since the water in the shallows were warm there was no need to have a wet suit hood or gloves. Having garden gloves or something to protect the hands when grubbing thru the bottom muck is highly recommended though.
Finds for the day did not include any coins or rings but a lot of rusty can’s, nails, and a varied assortment of rusted metal junk including one old fashion plow tip. I was only out about an hour and by the time I finished my dive the park was packed, and the parking lot filled and spilling over.
Its summer people so get out there and enjoy it!
Watervliet Airport (40C) FBOA few of the light weight planes90 HP – Piper Cub60 HP – CubBoth cubs leaving at the same time.Forrest Beach Park just before the crowds enveloped it.
2019-06-01: Fly day to MGC (Michigan City Airport) yesterday and took a few pictures of the jumping at “Skydive windy City”. These young people really seemed to enjoy their tandem jumps.
Jumpers boarding the jump plane (PAC-750 XSTOL)Nervous (maybe) tandem jumper in the door just before closing the sliding door.
Jumpers on their wayJumper away at ~13,000 ftOn the way downJumper Landing – legs up and ready to slide
I think I had fun!Looking very good for landing – almost like sitting in your easy chair.Just about ready to land – jumper raise your legsLegs way up- ready to slide
Southwest Michigan Regional Airport (KBEH), located at 1123 Territorial Rd, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, is owned by the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph.
One member represents each of the six municipalities on the Airport Authority Board. The Authority Board meets monthly on the third Thursday and are held in the Airport Conference Room and are open to the public.
Authority Board – Airport Conference Room
As an alternate member for the Lincoln Charter Township I try to attend all the meeting to keep abreast of what is happening in the event the primary member is absent.
The view I had as I drove onto the airport this mid-morning sparked my flying topic for today. “O say can you see”
VFR vs IFR
Flashing rates at 24 to 30 per minute for beacons marking airports with a color combination of White and Green = Lighted land airport.These beacons are designed be visually effective from 1 to 10 degrees above the horizon but can be seen well above and below this peak spread especially at night
Visual Flight Rules vs Instrument Flight Rules
VFR (Visual Flight Rules) is straight forward. That is when in relatively clear weather conditions, you can fly a plane solely by reference to outside visual cues, such as the horizon to maintain orientation, nearby buildings and terrain features for navigation, and other aircraft to maintain separation.
This is known as operating the aircraft under VFR and is the most common mode of operation for small aircraft. However, it is safe to fly VFR only when these outside references can be clearly seen from a sufficient distance.
If flying through or above clouds, or in fog, rain, dust or similar low-level weather conditions, these references can be obscured. Thus, cloud ceiling and flight visibility are the most important variables for safe operations during all phases of flight.
Typical daytime VFR minimums for most airspace is 3statute miles of flight visibility and a distance from clouds of 500′ below, 1,000′ above, and 2,000′ feet horizontally. Flight conditions reported as equal to or greater than these VFR minimums are referred to as visual meteorological conditions (VMC).
IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) are established by the FAA to govern flight under conditions in which flight by outside visual reference is not safe. IFR flight depends upon flying by reference to instruments in the cockpit/ flight deck, and navigation is accomplished by reference to electronic signals.
The main purpose of IFR is the safe operation of aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Usually required when the weather is considered to be marginal under visual flight rules (MVFR) or when it does not meet the minimum requirements for visual meteorological conditions (VMC). To operate safely in IMC (“actual instrument conditions”), a pilot is controlling the aircraft by relying on flight instruments.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Only fly VFR when you can see!
As a side note, there was a poll taken in 2018 by “Pilots of America” that asked how many times did you fly VFR into IMC (VFR weather)?
Of the 116 responses, 56.6% said NEVER, 23.3% said only once, 9.5% said twice and 3.6 % said three times and 3.4% said 8 or more times.
At some stage in your flying you will encounter bad weather—unless you only fly on perfect weather days. Spatial disorientation is the big danger. And it can happen a lot faster than you might think.
In the 1990s by aviation researchers at the University of Illinois. They took 20 VFR pilots and got them to fly into IMC in specially programmed flight simulators.
All the pilots in the study went into graveyard spirals that would have ended in uncontrolled flight into terrain or rollercoaster-like oscillations that became so intense that they would have resulted in structural failure of the aircraft.
In repeated tests on the simulator the result was the same—all pilots lost control of the aircraft. The outcome differed only in the time required before control was lost which ranged from just 20 seconds to 480 seconds.
Always remember that flying into IMC is a top killer of pilots. Headwinds, wishful thinking and “Get Home-Itis” will get you killed.
The following videos are very informative and educational. Fly Safe!
