Phoenix

As the Prop Turns
Text and Photos courtesy of Summit Aviation

Yet another reason to be a pilot

Summit Aviation headed to PHX on the 18th of April. Fourteen pilots headed south for 2 days of this spring (which has obviously been more of an ongoing winter). A group of seven aircraft including three Diamond DA-20s, three Diamond DA-40s, and one Cessna left Gallatin field and headed for Driggs, ID for breakfast at the Warbirds Café. After filling up on peanuts and crackers (yeah right) due the Warbirds not being open, we headed for Vernal, UT. The Vernal FBO loaned us some crew transportation and we headed for what appeared to be a barn, but turned out to be the restaurant we had been told about at the airport. After lunch only one of the crew cars decided to run so we began ferrying pilots back to the airport four at a time. We used the community toothbrush at the Vernal FBO and headed for Page, AZ. Lake Powell showed us great sites along the route and made the exhausting autopilot flying seem less mentally taxing. Fuel in Page and back airborne for a corridor to take us over the Grand Canyon, an experience every pilot should be able to put in their logbook. Finally, cleared to land Runway 30L in Williams Gateway, AZ (just outside PHX) and with 10,000ft of runway, we figured landing assured.

85 to 90 degree heat in PHX seemed great the next few days. We golfed and found some great sushi and Mexican food, some of us got to see family and friends in the area.

The return home started with a morning flight to Sedona, AZ for breakfast. Awesome views of southwestern rock formations with bright colors made for a lot of photo opportunities. Another trip over the Grand Canyon and we then departed AZ and went on to Southern Utah. Good weather and a little tailwind to another fuel stop in Provo. Utah passed under us and into Idaho where the weather started to deteriorate. We stopped in Idaho Falls to look at the passes to get into Montana. Raynold’s pass south of Henry’s Lake proved socked in so the group went west to Monida Pass south of Dell, MT and was able to get through with no trouble. Over Dillon and a right turn at the north end of the Tobacco Root mountains and we were home free. We had a great trip, great flying, great food, and great time amongst pilots.

All Over the Glass

It is spring, isn't it? You wouldn't know it around here. Snow last week, and more tomorrow. But in between, it's been fairly nice. The winds pick up every day, so I keep an eye on those, and today seemed to be a good day to try out a new set of wings.

After a few weeks of reading up on the G1000 (the Garmin "Glass Cockpit"), I scheduled some time in the school's DA-40. This is the four-seat, bigger cousin of the DA-20 that I have flown up until now. Not only that, but it has a constant-speed propeller (yet another level of complexity). It is also an extra $50 an hour, but who's counting?

The idea behind the glass cockpit is taking out all of the dials and needles that you may be familiar with (basically any general aviation panel before Y2K) and replacing them with two large, flat-panel displays more like an airliner or fighter jet. All of the same information is there, albeit in vastly different forms. And there are plenty of new features, with literally several new "bells and whistles". Every time you disconnect the autopilot or deviate from a set altitude, the plane will ding, bong, and beep to let you know.

The biggest hurdle, especially after having an instrument scan burned into your brain during primary training, is looking at different parts of the panel and reading scrolling numbers rather than spinning dials. For me, this was a bit difficult, and I kept finding my eyes drawn to the points in space that I would expect to see an altimeter or airspeed indicator. Even some of the switches (especially the flaps) are in a different place, and it's a reach - with eyes inside the cockpit - to find the right spot.

The constant-speed prop is also a new idea for me. It means another lever to fiddle with during changes in the flight profile (climbing, leveling off, and descending). The trick is to know what power and prop settings will get you what you want, putting them there, and letting the plane settle into equilibrium - which takes a few extra seconds compared to the smaller craft.

The lesson today was the first to be checked out to solo this particular plane. We did some steep turns (which came out quite well, thank you), slow flight, and stalls. In all, this is a very smooth plane, and it responds very well to control inputs, both on the ground and in the air. I really enjoyed the flight, but it will take much more practice to be as comfortable with it as the DA-20.

As an added bonus, the light winds that had been the rule for the day decided to give way to a 20-knot surface crosswind that made takeoff interesting and landing impossible. I had an unfamiliar plane with unfamiliar handling, sight pictures, sounds, and feel - and I had left rudder to the floor during the roundout. It wasn't coming together, and I had to go around for a landing on the crosswind runway.

Not bad for the frequency of my flying lately.