Plane Conversations

09/24/10

It’s Friday Down Under - the last day of our General Aviation flying adventure.  The nearly one hour drive from mid-town Sydney to Bankstown Airport gave us plenty of time to discuss today’s mission.  Unlike other mornings, this day began with a crisp, blue sky and light winds.  And, with a high pressure system keeping all clouds away, we were really pumped up for the flight.

Tim chose to fly a reversal of our previous flight.  This time, we toured Sydney first, before heading off to the south for some low level (500 foot) coastal flying.  We finished up with a trip inland towards the Blue Mountains and the gorgeous views the ravine flying provided.

Today, Bankstown Airport seemed to be as busy as Atlanta’s Peachtree DeKalb Airport.  There are three parallel runways at Bankstown and all three were in use. We were number five for take-off on Runway 29 Right or just the “Right” as they say here.  We heard the new call from the tower of “Line Up and Wait” just as we called “ready” at the Holding Point, or the Hold Line, as we say in the States.  Almost immediately, we were cleared for take-off directly behind a older Cessna 172 which was lifting off.  The Cessna planned to depart in the same direction that we did; so, since the SR22 is quite a bit faster than the 172, Tim had to make allowances to keep clear of the aircraft before overtaking it.  Off the ground, we overtook the 172 even before exiting the Class D airspace and beginning to look for our visual ground reference points. 

Within ten minutes, we were over the Pacific at 1,500 feet awaiting our clearance into Sydney Harbor, which came right as planned.  (We had filed a VFR flight plan before departure to let them know we were coming.) Inbound on the Harbor Scenic One, we were advised to watch out for an Airbus 380 that had just departed towards our direction.  We picked it up visually at about ten miles - quite a distance, but at 747 big, the Airbus isn’t hard to see.

Making our two orbits over the harbor, we departed back towards the coast and were cleared for our low level coastal flying.  We flew down past Botany Bay and Jibbon Point before heading on to Seacliff Bridge.  This time we saw no whales, but the views were still magnificent.

Maintaining a listening watch on Sydney Radar 124.55 and with a right climbing turn, we now headed west towards Lake Burragorang that sits surrounded by the painted canyons of the Blue Mountains. We crossed the ridge on the south side of Lake Burragorang, then dropped below the ridge line and flew up the lake.  The only hazard we had to watch for was a power line draped over the north end.  We saw absolutely no one on the lake and no signs of any development at all.  Talk about getting away from it all…we were there!  We agreed that today was the best flying day of the trip.

Turning towards home, Bankstown, the pattern was just as busy as as it had been when we left an hour and a half earlier.  It sure was comforting to have the Cirrus Skywatch Traffic system alerting us to other aircraft. Tim used this to pick up the closest threats before slowing to blend in with the other approaching traffic.  We were number four for landing!

As we rolled out on final, the controller cleared us for the Center runway and that was that.  Tim greased the landing and taxied us back to Regal Air to say our good-byes and to give our our thanks to our new friends and to the aircraft that gave us such incredible views of Oz.

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09/22/10

Tim’s concert in Sydney was a smash hit with an overflow crowd.  After that incredible experience, he was able to make another flight around the beautiful Australian countryside.  With expert help from Regal Air and Peter Edwards, we planned a journey West via the Blue Mountains where there was some fantastic flying and scenery along the canyons.  We weren’t more than 20 minutes away from Sydney, but there was effectively no population at all.

Turning back to the east, we climbed up over the hills and made straight for the coastline in the hopes of catching a glimpse of whales again and to set up our arrival for the Harbor Scenic One flight around Sydney Harbor.  As we flew along the coast at 500 feet, one of Tim’s daughters spotted a whale.  Although, this one did not stay surfaced as long as the ones up north had, it didn’t matter.  The most important thing to her was that she saw a whale and that made her trip. 

Crossing the controlled airspace boundary to the north, I radioed in to get what, in Australia, is known as an “Airways Clearance” to fly the Harbor Scenic One.  That is just a clearance much like what we get in the United States to fly into controlled airspace.  The Australian version has very specific visual check points and a strict altitude of 1500 feet.  We orbited twice over a check point before receiving our proper transponder code and clearance.   I  hope that the video I shot of the route turns out well – the flight was beautiful.  This tour took us directly into Sydney Harbor approaching the famed Opera House and Sydney Bridge.  We made two, 360 degree turns to the left before departing to the northwest.  Once clear of the airspace, we dropped back down for some more coastal flying.

We navigated visually to the Brooklyn Bridge (they have one here too), which is the starting point for the visual arrivals into Bankstown.  We proceeded to Prospect Reservoir for the final check-in with the tower.

Tim had a 15 knot cross-wind on final and he greased the landing.  After a few photo ops, we were back in the car and headed back to the hotel with some happy passengers, as well as two happy pilots who are still amazed to be flying in Oz.

Cheers!

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09/20/10

G’Day!  We were supposed to fly into Melbourne, but as is the case in all flying, sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate.  Melbourne’s weather was gusty with cold winds and low ceilings; so, we chose to bypass that part of the journey and remain in Sydney…perhaps another time.  Sunday, we let the SR22 rest and I did some sight seeing with the family.  

But on Monday I went out to the Bankstown Airport.  I traveled via the train and bus system since a taxi would have cost more than $100 each way and would still taken 40-50 minutes. I had a multi-day rail/bus/water taxi pass for $54; so, I tried it out and with some help of the locals (remember I had passed the English proficiency exam).  The bus dropped me off just at the street’s edge of the airport with just a short walk to Regal Air.

Backpack loaded, I strolled into the hangar where I met Peter Edwards the owner and director.  Regal Air is a Cirrus Maintenance Facility and another first class organization with an extremely skilled staff.  Peter and I discussed the routing that would provide a great tour of the city and surrounding area.  There’s a special route that, with ATC permission, takes you almost overhead of the famed Opera House and Sydney Bridge.  To get this permission, we had to file a VFR flight plan requesting the Harbor Scenic 1.

Peter and I did a thorough pre-flight on our SR22 that now had 14 hours.  This was only the second Perspective equipped model he’d seen and I offered up the left seat.  I think that he can fly anything with wings!  After a brief training session on the Perspective (especially the radios), we were off climbing to 1000 feet within the Class D airspace then on to 2000 as we headed further north.  The clouds prevented us from climbing much higher.

Automatically, we switched our transponder from 3000 to 1200 and soon thereafter contacted Sydney Radar for clearance into the filed route.  We were given another visual checkpoint to report (I’ve never done so much reporting of visual checkpoints in all my years of flying, by the way).  Once there, we were cleared for the air tour.  We made two circuits inside the harbor before we departed back to the north for some serious coastal flying .

Flying coastal is just that….flying along the coast line.  Today we flew at 500 feet, past all the famous beaches and across the approach end of Sydney International.  The airport wasn’t busy at the time; so, no worries about traffic.

Coastal flying over, we flew again to a visual arrival route checkpoint for the trip back to the Bankstown Airport.

Peter gave me invaluable instruction and served as a superior tour guide while in the air.  All that should help when Tim and the rest arrive into Sydney and want to do some Cirrus flying. Tim and crew arrived today for his concert tonight.  After that I expect we’ll have some good stories to tell of his flying adventures.  Cheers!

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09/18/10

We departed Brisbane today -  Tim in his chartered jet, me and my family in the beautiful Cirrus.  Aircraft payloads are limited not only by weight, but also by mass.  And that was the one thing I forgot to plan on.  We have luggage for two weeks of travel – three of the bags are oversized.  But, as they say in Australia, “No worries.”  The SR22 rear seats fold down; so, with one seat folded, we were able to pack it all in and still have room for my daughter….she was pleased.

My days of study and preparation were put to the test as I filed my first Aussie IFR flight plan.  In Australia, the pilot has to contact the radar controller to get an IFR code prior to taxiing if you plan on departing in visual conditions and then getting your IFR clearance - sort of like a composite flight plan in the US.  We began the flight in visual conditions and activated our IFR portion about two hours later.  The controllers were most helpful all along the way.

As we departed Archerfield visually, I explained to Brisbane Radar that I wanted to first fly a coastal route north to look for whales and then turn south for a coastal routing past my third waypoint before picking up my IFR flight plan.  She merely said, “You can expect that.”

Off to the north we went at 1000 feet and, sure enough, we flew over more whales on their migration. We then turned south towards the Gold Coast and onwards.  The regional controllers advised us regarding traffic along the way, pretty much like they do in the US.  The further south we went, the more the wind picked up and the turbulent the air became (south westerly winds here are like the cold north westerly winds back home). At that point, I activated the IFR portion of our flight plan and climbed to 5000 feet.  After confirming our route, it was pretty routine flying except that in the US we get a full route clearance. In Australia, every controller I was handed off to on the radio confirmed only the routing within his/her sector.  I had to read that back each time.  

I am very glad that I had studied the VFR arrival procedures into Bankstown.  They expect you to fly a visual approach if the weather is VMC and, unless you request an instrument approach well ahead of time, you might find yourself holding for a long time until you get an approach clearance.  Again, the Enroute Supplement was extremely valuable in describing the visual checkpoints, as was the Visual Terminal Chart for Sydney.  ATC likes for you to fly canned arrivals - no GPS direct stuff here!  So, I came in knowing the reporting points and was able to fly directly to Runway 11L. Oh and another thing, when they have parallel runways operating, they just tell you cleared to land on the left…no numbers.

The only things that I wish were better here are the taxiway markings.  For the most part they are non-existent.  When I landed at Bankstown and requested assistance finding the FBO here, the controller didn’t know how to instruct me to get there.  I had it marked on my airport diagram; but, since there were no taxiway markings, I was a bit unsure.  One of the security trucks was listening on the radio and he gave me some directions.  All in all it was a great flight with unbelievable coastal flying (sometimes as low as 500 feet!) followed by an uneventful IFR portion into Sydney. 

Monday, I head back to the airport to fly with some of the locals to get the best sight-seeing routes of the Sydney area.  Until then, Cheers!

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09/17/10

The day after Tim’s first-ever concert Down Under, we were able to get in the air to see the sight around Brisbane.  After the introductions to the local staff, it was all business as we conducted the preflight and pre-mission briefing.  Our flight was planned to take-off from Runway 28Right with a right turn out heading east towards the Pacific.

We climbed up to 1000 feet as specified in the Australian Enroute Supplement and changed our transponder without direction from Air Traffic Control.  This is not customary in the United States, I learned from my flight with Tom, that it’s the custom here in Oz.  We headed south towards the Gold Coast region. The day was overcast but the air was smooth and visibility excellent.

Turning north, we dropped down to 500 feet above the ocean as we hugged the shoreline.  Approaching Moreton Island (the largest sand island in the world) we saw some unusual traffic off our wing – some Humpback whales were breeching not far away; so, we practiced turns about a whale.  What a sight!.  It was difficult to focus a camera with such a spectacle below us; but, we did manage to get off a few photos.

We also saw some toothier sea creatures –sharks galore up and down the coast.  I really don’t know how big they were, but if they impressed me at 1000 feet, they were probably big enough.

Traveling further north, we turned overland towards the Glass House Mountains, snapped some more photos and then headed back to the visual landmarks required for smooth flow operations into Archerfield.

Tim ran all the descent and before landing checklists and slowed the SR22 to traffic speed of about 100 KIAS and made a graceful landing back on our original departure runway.

What a way to spend your lunch hour!  Well, okay, maybe two hours…….

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09/16/2010

Fly day!   Did I mention Tom (my instructor is never in a rush?)  My show time was 0800 and first thing Tom mentioned was breakfast. Well, I had skipped the morning meal to get into the air more quickly.  Tom suggested a breakfast place at Archerfield Airport…..so I ate.

Then after a bit more study, we started our flight from Brisbane’s historic Archerfield.  Our departure took us off to the west with a right turn out back to the east and initially leveling at 1000 feet.  Now, in Australia, they use a QNH altimeter setting. That means: when you set the local altimeter with QNH, it should read zero feet, not field elevation as it does in the US.

Did I mention that I’m flying a Cirrus SR22 with only seven hours on it?  This means we have to run the aircraft at about 80% power to properly break in the engine.  We climbed to 1,500 feet and headed south down towards the Gold Coast at 180 knots.  We got a great few of the pretty beaches and shiny buildings before making a U-turn, dropping down to 500 feet and flying back up the coast.   All this time, we kept a sharp eye out for planes, birds and whales.  Saw several of the former, but no whales this day.  Tom was an excellent tour guide and instructor.  We used our charts to navigate even though the Garmin Perspective in the Cirrus was operating in fine fashion.  We saw Captain Cook’s Deception Point, the Glass Mountains, etc. and more. 

The visual arrival was different than I’m accustomed to; but, all went well due to Tom’s teaching.  In Australia, when flying in Class D airspace (controlled by a Control Tower, just like in the US) everyone uses a transponder setting of 3000.  Once outside that airspace, they set the code to 1200.  No one directs you to do so, everyone just know to do it … it’s expected.  Our arrival required us to be at 1500 feet and to report over a specific landmark when approaching the airport from the northwest . With our code of 3000 set, we reported and were cleared for the visual for runway 28R.  With a mid-field downwind call, we were cleared to land and that was it.  The fun over for this morning.

I filled the afternoon going to the zoo and petting koalas and kangaroos.  They were both really neat creatures.  That evening was Tim’s first concert in country and he was very well received.  Tim and I are scheduled to fly on Friday; so, I’ll keep you posted  on that.

G’Day!

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9-14-10

We arrived in Brisbane as very tired humans and enjoyed a restful night at our hotel.  The following morning, after a hearty breakfast at the hotel, Steve Maltby (owner of Sunland Aviation) and I began the arduous task of working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in trying to complete my temporary license to fly in Australia.  In the US, we may sometimes complain about our own FAA.  From my experience, the FAA is far and away much easier to work with than CASA is here.

I began the application process in July, but arrived here with it still imcomplete.  The big hang up for CASA was that my US license  was endorsed “English Proficient.”   That requirement was supposedly put in place to make us pilots in the United States compliant with international standards, since English is the international language for aviation operations.  Guess what—the endorsement doesn’t mean beans to CASA without an official English language test.  And from what I hear, the US will soon be administering such tests to all of us as well.

I spent most of my day on the phone, on hold, searching for someone to officially administer an English language test.  Steve came through like a superman!   While working on his own issues of paying bills, collections, and managing a 30-member team, he found someone to administer my test…Peter Franks. 

In the United States, Peter would be considered to be a Designated Examiner.  He invited us to his home and began to administer an official CASA English test in which I had to listen to numerous air traffic conversations with controllers speaking English but with a variety of country-specific dialects….sort of like someone from the south trying to communicate with someone in Brooklyn.  I had to copy clearances and explain what I heard to Peter.  I passed and now have an Australian English proficiency level of “Expert.”   Good thing I was in South Australia!  This process took ten frustrating hours to complete and it could not have been done if not for Steve getting through to a CASA team chief and getting them to realize that they had dropped the ball on this in a big way.

We emailed all the results (rather, Steve did) first thing the next morning in hopes that my license would soon follow.

9-15-10

The day began with good news! CASA promised to expedite my two-month-old paperwork and indeed they did—the license came in by 12 noon.  This day winds were holding up to 40 knots ( that’s pretty brisk for you non pilots); so, we remained on the ground and did some serious chart and flight planning study.  The Australian international flight plan forms are a bit different from the ones I’m used to; but, seem to work very well.  One big difference I learned is that your filed plan does not get you an entire route clearance as it does in the US.  Can’t wait for my first flight tomorrow!

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So, last time we spoke, I was in the international terminal at LAX awaiting my over 14 hour flight to Sydney.  The flight on the Airbus was long but the aircraft was amazing…at least to me as a pilot and Middle Tennessean it was.  Some components of the newest jumbo from Airbus, the A380, are built right here in Nashville and the aircraft is nothing short of a technological marvel with plentiful on-board amenities.  

Our experience began by feeling like being on a cruise ship with our flight attendants Kayleen and Jane offering fresh juices or champagne.  They made us feel quite comfortable in our home for the next 14+ hours. We departed Los Angeles at a little before 11PM Pacific Time.

We were presented with menus from which we chose a white fish supper, which was served on real linen table cloths with real linen napkins and, get this, real silverware.  Guess you can tell I don’t get out much on the jumbo jet scene sitting in upgraded seats, which were listed as premium economy.

After that dinner, it was time to snooze for a few hours.  Deep vein thrombosis is a concern on flights this long; so, after a snooze, I did some stretching to keep the circulation in order.  Afterwards, I watched a movie and took some time to do some much overdue reading before enjoying a nice, hot breakfast.

We landed at Sydney, gathered our things and prepared to depart the aircraft.  However, before we deplaned, the captain remained behind to give me a cockpit tour.  Incredible!

It took about an hour and a half to clear customs, which gave us just enough time to make our local flight to Brisbane.   We arrived there tired but excited, and to our delight there was a driver there waiting to take us to our hotel—The Stamford .

Traveling that distance, there are a multiple of opportunities for misconnects, lost luggage, poor service and other irritations.  I’m pleased to say that the most frustrating thing thus far was the inability to get my Verizon BlackBerry to function properly.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.

Next task:  getting my 90-day Australian license…….

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As a quick background, I am a very blessed guy, husband to a wonderful wife, father to two beautiful daughters. After serving in the United States Air Force for 20 years, then running a technology company, I had to figure a way to make a good living doing what I love – working around and flying airplanes.

So, armed with a lot of enthusiasm, I bought a flight school and partnered with Corporate Flight Management (CFM) in the process. Not long after that, I started a charter and aircraft management business, Harmony Air.

There are many, many great CFIs (Certified Flight Instructors) and pilots out there; but, sometimes location, hard work and fate help things along. That’s part of this story.  You see, I happened to teach Tim McGraw’s business manager to fly some years ago and sure enough not long after, I began teaching Tim to fly in a Cirrus SR22 , which I provided at our Cirrus Training Center at the John C. Tune Airport in Nashville. Like every, pilot he’s still learning but he does have his Private Pilot License and, between movies, albums, concerts, being a dad and husband, is working on his instrument flying.

Tim and I have flown to some pretty interesting places.  I was fascinated to be able to fly to the NFL Kickoff in New Orleans and to see the game from a suite. Trust me, this is not the typical CFI gig.  Now we are embarking on a really great adventure, Tim’s concert schedule has him touring in Australia and, you guessed it, I’m on my way there right now. And I am fortunate that my wife and youngest daughter are with me. My oldest daughter is in nursing school and could not miss a day, much less two weeks.

It has been a really long time since I’ve flown on a commercial flight; but, so far, American Airlines has treated us very well.  But, $10 for a sandwich?!  Really?!  As I write this, we’re sitting at the International Terminal at LAX awaiting our 16+ hour flight to Sydney and then on to Brisbane. It’s in Brisbane where I’ll get my SR22 check-out at the only Cirrus Training Center in Australia.  I’m looking forward to meeting Steve Maltby, the owner there.

A word of advice, before you go to Australia to rent a plane, do your homework. I began mine two months ago and there are still some issues I’m counting on Steve to help me resolve for my 90-day license to fly.  I plan on using that license to fly between concert venues in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.

Stay tuned for more news, pics and video……

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Randy Harmon is Owner of Wings of Eagles Flight School, in Nashville, Tennessee.  He is a Certificated Flight Instructor CFII, CSIP, AGI, a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the United States Air Force and former Nashville Future 50 business owner. 

Here Randy tells us about the beginnings of flight training:

The phone call or the office visit goes like this:

New customer: “I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to fly, but just as I was about to begin lessons, I moved away/got a job/began a family, etc, now I still don’t have much time.  My children have moved out or I’m just tired of all the hassles of flying commercially and I still want to see if flying is something I can do.”

Two questions that everyone asks are: “How much does it cost?” and “How long does it take?”

Having trained pilots in the Nashville, Tennessee, area since 1997, and having flown both as a civilian and Air Force aviator since 1977, I can say with confidence that, in our market, it costs anywhere from $7,500 to over $19,000.  Those costs depend on two things: 1. the type of airplane you chose to train in, and 2. the time each week you chose to train.   I offer a spreadsheet that breaks down all the costs of training, including some that are often overlooked, such as the purchase price of a headset, kneeboard, and the cost of not only the flight examiner, but also the aircraft rental time for the check ride.

As for how long it takes, I tell new customers that if they train (both ground and flight) for six hours each week, then they can get their private pilot’s license in four to five months.  If they devote nine hours each week to training, then they can have it in less than three months.  If they train five days a week, they can have it within 30 days.  And, as with learning any new skill, it requires consistency.

The next questions usually revolve around scheduling, training materials, and instructor-customer relationships.  Any flight school or Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) should emphasize safety and customer-centered scheduling.  Training should follow a written syllabus and every lesson should end with an assignment for the next lesson.  Your instructor should ask you, the customer, how you learn best.  Some people need to read and study via a text book, some rely upon computer-based applications, and others need the “tell me, show me” approach.  We all learn differently and a good instructor should adapt to your style.

Most instructors I’ve dealt with are very dedicated, but even then, sometimes personalities clash.  If you are in a flight school environment, you should let your instructor or the chief instructor know that you’d like to experience another training style.  Your training should be enjoyable, after all, it is your money.  Most of my personal students have flown with almost all of the instructors at my flight school.  Each instructor brings a different teaching style to training, but we all teach to the same standards.  It then just becomes a matter of what techniques best fit your learning style.  At our school we share techniques frequently and formally at monthly CFI meetings.

For your next step, call a local flight school and schedule your introductory flight lesson.  A great resource for finding one is www.aopa.org.   Or you can contact us at www.jwnwings.comand we’d be glad to share the experience of flight with you and answer any questions you may have.

In my next post, we will discuss aircraft purchase or rental…..what’s right for you?

Lt Col Randy Harmon, USAF (Ret)

www.jwnwings.com

www.harmonyaircharter.com

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