Been working on a book and I thought you guys might be interested in reading some of it so here goes! Can't post all today, but will add a little each day!
Corporate Pilot
Chapter 3
By ET37
(A days work in a Beech craft 200)
Darn that alarm! Oh, crap, its 4:30AM already and I have got a lot to do today. Takeoff at 8:30AM with 5 Passengers to Ronald Reagan National and return this evening and from what I have seen on the weather channel, going to be a lot of IFR today! A cup of coffee while I am talking to flight service to check the current weather along the route and at Reagan National.
Shower feels good this time of morning, wakes you up and lets you know you are alive, ready to take on the world with all its problems.
Weather doesn't look good according to Dave at FSS. Low Pressure area filling in just north of Pittsburg, which means it'll drag all that low crap south all the way to Memphis. I'll be OK on the way up,(maybe), but coming home tonight could be interesting.
Man, those pancakes at IHOP was good this morning, hate to wake the wife just for breakfast that early. One thing that is good about these early takeoffs, not much traffic on I-85 going south.(24 miles). Oh crap, a bunch of blue lights at "spaghetti" junction, (I-285 & I-85 interchange). Guess I'll have to go thru Doraville, but add only about 5 minutes, so I'll be OK, its just 7:15AM.
Flight plan filed, still 35 minutes for preflight and restock cokes and ice for the gang of accountants or what ever these "Tie" guys do during the day. Understand this trip is a lobbying trip, something about rest area's on the interstate system. If we get it, it will put a lot of people to work, so I hope it works out.
8:35: All on board, time to light the fires and leap off into the blue,(tops on this morning scud is 5500MSL.
8:39: Everything in green, enunciator panel all lit and OK, call Clearance delivery, 125.2 for my clearance. Not bad, Take off runway 20, with left turn to 065, climb and maintain 10,000 until 35 DME (editors note, DME is "Distance Measuring Equipment"), north, then intercept J-14, climb and maintain flight level 210.(thought I would fly up there with the big guys today, just for the hell of it).
Call the tower on 120.9, 5604 Poppa Mike ready for takeoff, number 1 in position. All lined up now, smooth power input, airspeed indicator coming to life, 50, 70, 85 knots, smooth back pressure on elevator, positive climb established, gear up, reduce to climb power, set RPM's, 1800 feet MSL ,smooth turn left to 065 degrees, standard rate, climbing at 2200 feet per minute, time to engage FD-109 and let it work, boost pumps off and contact departure 126.95. Damn thing gives me a complex, it can fly a hell of better than I can.(But, it can't think! the Collins FD109)
Well, so much for tops at 5500MSL, level at 10,000, still in the crap, but it getting very light so tops are close at hand. Climbing now to flight level 210, tops were at 11,500 and its nice and clear on top. I can see a lot of high Cirrus up North, so I guess the weather is going to be what they said it would, crappy coming home tonight.
Departure advises to contact Atlanta center 132.55, squawk 7150 on the transponder. (editors note, a transponder is a electronic devise which transmits a signal to the radar operator, which when he sees the signal, will positively I.D. you from other targets on his radar screen).
I've got to go over this clearance in my mind so that I don't have to do things in a hurry.
Now, lets see, J-14, FL210 to Spartanburg, J-14 to Greensboro, then intercept J-51 at CREWE intersection, (65DME North of Greensboro), to Flat Rock, then direct to Nottingham VOR, expect IRONS Four stars,(standard instrument arrival route), to Reagan National, contact approach control 119.85, ATIS, 132.65,(automatic terminal information service, which gives you local weather at that airport, the active runways for landing, wind direction and speed and altimeter setting). Oh, well, as long as this Collins FD-109 continues to work as advertised, should be ok. Gotta review missed approach procedures so I don't get any surprises.
Well, weather ahead that was not forecast! Big black area up ahead, maybe I can get a deviation around it. "Atlanta Center, King air 04 Poppa Mike, can we get a clearance around this stuff in front of us?
Roger, 04PM, turn left heading 010 degrees, then I will turn you back to J-14 past the weather ahead. Be advise, moderate turbulence being report by air carriers in and around the Washington area below 10,000MSL.
04Poppa Mike, Roger, thanks for the weather update.
OK, AVQ55, do your stuff and show me the way around this stuff. Hmm, storm king waking up, must be a good bit of lighting up ahead somewhere on my nose! Don't see much on the 300 mile range but a few specks, but that usually means something big if I can see it on the 300 range. (editors note, the AVQ55 radar will show targets 300 miles away, if they are thunderstorms with tops above 30,000 feet. The radar is actually picking up the ice and moisture in the tops of the storms, because of the curve of the earth
More tomorrow
