Gotta call FSS and change my alternate landing site in case I can't get into Reagan.
Greensboro flight service, this is 5904PM, I need to change my alternate from Dulles to Richmond. Have 6 souls on board and will have fuel for alternate plus 45 minutes.
5904PM, stand by for clearance approval.
Roger, 04PM.
5904PM, clearance amended as requested, say your altitude.
04PM level at flight level 210.
Mild chop now, I need to get down lower, maybe find some smooth air lower. Washington Center, 5604PM requesting 16,000 if possible, getting to be quite a bit of chop up here.
Roger, 04PM, descend at pilots request of 16,000, report level and pilot report on ride please.
Roger, starting descent now, will give you a call. Need to set up 500 FPM rate and slow up a little to 220 IAS, might be a little smoother at that speed.
Washington center, 04PM level 16,000, tops of clouds 18,500, just an occasional bump every once in a while. Anything new on the Reagan weather you can share with me?
Hold on 04PM, be right back with you.
5604PM, be advised if you want to stay out of the heavy stuff, I need to turn you to 070 degrees for about 15 minutes, then North to Pax Naval Air station, then direct to Nottingham VOR.
04PM, roger, thats ok by me, turn now to 070 degrees?
Roger 04PM, turn now to 070, maintain 16,000, and I will turn you to Pax Naval Air, then descend to 10,000, contact approach control 119.85 for further clearance.
Roger, 04PM Pax Naval Air, by radar vectors, then direct Nottingham VOR, descend to 10,000 by Nottingham, contact approach on 119.85, thank you sir!
Darn, storm king is now showing 3 different bad storms off my left wing, hope they don't turn me into that crap.
Washington approach, 5604 Poppa Mike with you, out of 16,000 for 10,000, squawking 7166 on the box
04 Poppa Mike, squawk ident......roger, radar contact, expect hold at Nottingham, 270 degree radial, 1 minute legs, will be about a 10 minute hold, descend to and maintain 8,000.
04 Poppa Mike, descending to 8,000, will hold on the 270 degree radial, 1 minute legs, expect 10 minute delay in approach.
04 Poppa Mike, squawk ident......roger, radar contact, expect hold at Nottingham, 270 degree radial, 1 minute legs, will be about a 10 minute hold, descend to and maintain 8,000.
04 Poppa Mike, descending to 8,000, will hold on the 270 degree radial, 1 minute legs, expect 10 minute delay in approach.
Going through 12,500, need to slow up a little more to 200 knots IAS, 500 FPM,(feet per minute), to 8,000 and its starting to get choppier the lower I get, guess its going to be a "hockey packer" approach. Turn up all the instrument lights to full up, in case of lighting near by, then won't blind me for a few seconds. Although its day time, with all this low stuff full of rain, its about as black as night outside. Need to tell my passengers to tighten up seat belts and explain what is going on. Not been a lot of conservation since we started seeing all the black stuff to the left. Storm king useless now, turn it off, 55 is full of red stuff from 8 to 11 O'clock to me. So much for the STAR arrival procedures! All this weather is really screwing things up.
There's Nottingham VOR, left turn to 240 degrees to intercept 270 degree radial. Rotate the OBS,(Omni Bearing Selector, which you use to select the radial off the radio station that you want to follow), to 270, Ah, here it comes, right turn now to 270. Heavy bumps now, disco FD109, Strong up draft here, gotta get off the power, nose down, try to hold altitude, whoa, that was quick, now down draft, add power, get the nose up, hold altitude and heading!
Wow, must be a good wind out of the NW, going to have to fly 280 heading to hold this 270 radial. 1 Minute, time to turn left, standard rate to 080 degrees to compensate for the NW wind. Looks good on my guess. Bumpier as heck now, so this is not going to be much fun I don't think.
5604 Poppa Mike, Washington approach, expect ILS Runway 33, intercept 284 degree radial to Janiv, right turn to 332 degrees to Croft, cross Janiv at 2100MSL, (editors note, MSL is altitude above sea level), descend to 1400 by Croft.
Roger, 04 Poppa Mike, intercept 284 radial to Janiv, right turn to 332 degrees to Croft, cross Janiv at 2100MSL, descend to 1400MSL by Croft.
I've got a few minutes, review the ILS chart and missed approach procedures. Nothing bad there, 3 degree glide slope, (editors note, glide slopes, terrain permitting, are usually 2.5 degrees). missed approach fly 325 degrees, climb to 4,000MSL to Georgetown, hold Northwest. Gosh, hard to hold altitude and heading now its so bumpy! I'll slow on down to 180 knots IAS, maybe won't be so bumpy on the guys in back.
Level now at 1400MSL, there is Croft, localizer coming in, glide slope bottomed out right now, but starting to come up. Got them "nailed" right now in the donut, glad I am not having to fight a cross wind.
Reagan tower, 04 Poppa Mike by the outer marker.
Roger Poppa Mike, continue approach, report the middle marker or runway in sight.
04 Poppa Mike, REIL in sight. (editors note, REIL means runway end identifier lights, sometimes referred to as the "rabbit", it is high intensity strobe lights running towards the end of the runway).
04 Poppa Mike, cleared to land runway 33, keep your speed up as much as possible, have TWA heavy 4.5 miles behind you.
Poppa Mike, will do, plan on touch-down mid point of runway.
OK, Poppa Mike, plan taxi way Echo to ramp please.
Poppa Mike, will do.
Well, the "Ties" are off to the halls of Congress to watermelon Chat with all the big wigs in Washington, so I guess I'll take a little nap in the ready room at this FBO,(editors note, FBO is short for "fixed base operator", which services general aviation aircraft with fuel and etc.).
6:30PM The "Ties" are back and its time to light the fires, leap into the murky sky and try to get home. This is not going to be a good flight home, I am afraid, because that cold front has not passed Atlanta yet. PDK is reporting 600 broken, 1200 overcast, moderate to heavy rain and thunder in all quadrants. United flight reporting heavy rime ice 50 DME NW of Atlanta airport, gotta remember that. I'll check the boots on start up to make sure they are inflating. Noticed the right engine was running about 18 degrees centigrade higher than the left side, have to watch that.
Reagan clearance, 5604 Poppa Mike, "B" ramp, ready for clearance.
04 Poppa Mike, direct Casanova, cross Juno below 10,000, then cleared to flight level 200, J48to Montebello, J22 to Pulaski, J22 to Volunteer, J22 to Choo Choo, intercept J89 to Wudee, direct to PDK, contact ground 121.9 for taxi.
Roger, 121.9 for ground, direct to Casanova, 10,000 by Juno, then cleared to flight level 200, J48 to Montebello, J22 to Pulaski, J22 to Volunteer, J22 to Choo Choo, intercept J89 to Wudee, direct to PDK, thank you and good day sir!
Wheels in the well, set up cruise climb, gotta go direct Casanova, I'll set that up on Nav 1, then J22 on #2 nav, should be a good flight to Chattanooga area, few broken stuff around 5,000, but I routed us the long way back because of all that weather that went through here today. Should be on the back side of that front, first one of the year. 1985 has been a good year for me so far, turned 51 and health still good, eyes not as good as used to be, but nothing else is the same either.
Wow, these broken clouds full of rime ice, going to have watch it, get my heat on the inlets, wings should be OK for now, still 1 and 1/2 hours of daylight left, almost on top at 10,000.
