I recently flew a rental plane up and down California, doing a “test run” of our California Wine & Dine aviation tour.  This trip was challenging, incredibly fun, and generally awesome. For those of you who have asked for more than 140-character Tweets, well, here’s the whole story:

Day 1: Chicago to San Francisco. So worried about missing my extra-early (commercial) flight that I got no sleep at all. So when I finally got to West Valley Flying Club in Palo Alto, I was sleepy and not fit to fly. I spent the day completing their written exam (which managed to require the use of every performance chart in the Archer POH) and going over my planned route with instructor Don Styles. I rescheduled the flying portion of my checkout for Day 2, then headed into San Francisco for a restaurant site visit (but I won’t bore you with the details of my hand cut pasta with himalayan truffles, asparagus, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and lobster cream.)

My sparkly Archer.

Day 2:  Palo Alto (PAO) to Fortuna (FOT).  After a good night’s sleep at quirky (in a good way) Hotel Monaco near Union Square, I headed back to PAO and completed my checkout flight with instructor Cory Burns. The flight went well, but I discovered it would probably take me some time to get used to the steam gauge panel. Oh, how quickly we become spoiled by the glass!

San Francisco to my right.

On my own, I was nervous about departing through SFO airspace — my first solo Class B transition!  But, ATC offered excellent and friendly service, and soon I was flying just west of the gorgeous San Francisco bay, where I hear they have a Golden Gate Bridge (it was — as usual — shrouded by clouds).  I then proceeded up the coast at 10,500 feet, accompanied by Flight Following.

I picked up a rental car in Fortuna and spent the afternoon driving through the Avenue of the Giants, where the towering redwoods blocked out all light and I got a “Land of the Lost” feeling (although, for once, I DID NOT actually get lost).

Lingering clouds at FOT.

Day 3 : Fortuna (FOT) to Harris Ranch (3O8) to Palm Springs (PSP) My takeoff was slightly delayed as I waited for the morning fog to clear from the runway, then the Archer made a labored climb to 11,500 feet. Even at that altitude, far above everything I worried about terrain avoidance. I am not used to flying around mountains!

The 30-ft wide runway at Harris Ranch.

I was pretty excited about the 30-foot-wide runway at Harris Ranch — so excited I came in high and fast. After a go ’round I managed to successfully set down on the center line, thanking my lucky stars  there wasn’t a crosswind.

Harris Ranch is all about beef, and I am a vegetarian. But I managed to find a delicious spinach salad with my name on it. I then met with a manager to go over an impressive array of menu options for our tour, then I was off again off for Palm Springs. To avoid the scariest of the mountains, I opted for a non-direct 3O8 > PMD> SOGGI > PSP routing. Along the way, I had the Mojave to my left and mountains to my right. Incredible!

Palm Springs is in a valley, which I entered at 11,500 feet and thus had to make a rapid — very rapid — descent to a pattern altitude of 1,500 feet. My ears didn’t like this at all. But that was the only discomfort I felt during my time in Palm Springs. I feel in love with its gorgeous setting and sundress-climate — and felt pampered in my wonderful room at the Colony Palms. A phenomenal meal at Copley’s was just the final touch… I was about to start looking at real estate listings!

Flying through the Banning Pass

Day 4 : Palm Springs (PSP) to Santa Barbara (SBA). After a fidgety 7-hour wait in Palm Springs for the clouds in Santa Barbara to clear, I embarked on one of the more exciting flights of my life. There was an unforgettable climb-out through the Banning Pass — mountains, on both sides…WOW. ATC was busy, and I was kept on my toes with frequent traffic reports and hand-offs. There was low visibility (due to smog) in the LA basin to contend with, and … did I mention the mountains?! They were a persistent presence to my right the whole way. Upon arrival to SBA (which I couldn’t spot to save my life), I was vectored WAY out over the ocean, where I presumed there to be many big sharks waiting for me should I screw up. Since I still couldn’t spot the runway due to haze and glare, the darling man in the tower vectored me right into place. I finally found the runway — two miles out on final approach. Now that’s excitement!

3 seconds earlier there was a whale in the frame...

Day 5: Santa Barbara. No flying. Instead I spent a wondrous day kayaking around the Channel Islands, where I saw dolphins, whales, seals, and sea lions. What a treat.

Day 6: Santa Barbara. Another no fly day, this time unintended. I couldn’t depart Santa Barbara due to low clouds, so I spent the day at Atlantic Aviation, getting work done, watching Hulu, and wishing once again I had that instrument rating.

Day 7: Santa Barbara (SBA) to Palo Alto (PAO) to Napa. Not to be deterred by clouds another day, I arranged for my West Valley instructor, Cory Banks, to travel to SBA commercially in order to fly back with me in the Archer. Despite his busy schedule, he found the time to save me, and we had a great lesson enroute to PAO, which included nearly an hour of actual instrument flying for me. I even flew my first real instrument approach, although the word “precision” would probably not apply.

From here, I left the airplane and picked up a rental car. This would allow me to save money and avoid further flight delays since an enormous storm was on its way to Northern California. I spent a whirlwind two days visiting an impressive array of wineries, restaurants, and hotels as I finalized the sites for our tour.

When I got SFO it was raining sideways and I was happy to leave the flying to the professionals. 4-1/2 hours home to Chicago on United, and California was but a memory.

Categories: aerial tours, cross country

My brother earned his pilot’s license years ago, but for whatever reason (mostly distance – he lives on the east coast) I’d never flown with him. As a non-pilot I’d been itching to do a twilight flightseeing tour and thought what better companion (and pilot) for the adventure than Brendan, who turned up in Chicago for a visit last weekend.

Out on the runway at Midway

Accustomed to the tiny airports of southern Maryland, he was positively giddy upon arrival at Midway. We stepped inside Atlantic Aviation (the “nicest FBO he’s ever set foot in”) and met our instructor Gale. We were in the air shortly before 6 pm, Brendan in the left seat.

Same city, new view

We climbed out, overflying the United Center, Soldier Field, Obama’s house and Millennium Park before turning at the lake, looping up over the water and around downtown. Views were sprawling, stunning. We were bird’s eye with the skyscrapers just as the sun began to fade, resulting in some postcard-quality photos. As a native Chicagoan, I thought I’d already seen every shade of beautiful cityscape – most certainly not the case.

Brendan later told me the highlight of the evening for him was the descent into Midway, right alongside the gigantic commercial jets. Just a bit more exciting than the usual flight. (Nothing against southern Maryland, of course.)

Brendan piloting

Categories: aerial tours

Pilots N Paws is a group of pilots and animal rescue workers who coordinate their efforts to save animals from bad situations. I have been wanting to participate in a dog-rescue flight since I first learned of the organization at Airventure, and I finally got my big chance on September 27. Since I was vexed in my efforts to line up the rental plane for this flight, I enlisted the help of pilot Rene Rivero and his Cessna 310.

Wally was found and fed by workers at Walmart.

There was plenty of room in Rene’s twin-engine gas guzzler for several dogs, but we picked up just one deserving pup: Wally, a “boxer mix” (euphemism for “mutt,” by the way).  Wally was found abandoned at a Louisville Walmart (hence his name), where he was cared for by employees there. A new home in Minnesota was found, and rescue workers on the ground proceeded to coordinate three pilots, plus transport on either end, to get Wally to his new home. An amazing amount of work went into this, especially by coordinator Cheryl Anderson in Minneapolis. The pilots have the easy (and fun) part of the job, frankly.

Ready for departure: Rene, Anne Marie, and Charlene with Wally

Rene, Anne Marie (Aviation Vacations’ tour planner, along for the ride) and I  killed time in Gary — think smokestacks, chain link, and Dairy Queen — until it was time to meet Wally. When he finally arrived from Louisville in Jay Wetzel’s Cessna 210, I was happy to see a friendly and happy dog… even if he did have a tendency to drool excessively when he was nervous (upon landing, for example). He was the perfect passenger and seemed to enjoy his “first class” accommodations in the back of the 310.

Wally and James in Middleton

After a quick and easy flight to Middleton (near Madison), we left Wally with pilot James Blystone for the last leg to Anoka, MN. As they taxied off, Wally peeked out the side window and did his best to look cute… and succeeded admirably. I later learned the flight went well, and Wally is now safe and happy in his new home. If I do more Pilots N Paws missions (and I will, for sure), I may end up with a houseful of “Wallies” myself!

Bye bye!

Categories: cross country, pets and aviation, pilots R awesome

My dog Cosmo has nearly as many flight hours as I do. Here are a few cool (and not-so-cool) products I have found over the years for pilots who like to fly with their pets. Please comment if you have more recommendations!

Mutt Muffs - honestly, these are more cute than they are functional. I bought a set long ago, and it was fun to put them on Cosmo for his walk through the FBO (lots of “aaaaws”), but realistically he just wouldn’t abide with wearing them on a three-hour flight. (Cosmo is nearly 100% deaf now, which I suppose could be attributed to his time in the cockpit. I now wish I had pressed the issue with him!).

Poor Woody.

“Homemade” Mutt Muffs –  John Kounis of Pilot Getaways magazine has fashioned his own version of Mutt Muffs out of knee pads, foam, and Velcro for his dog Woody. The photo really says it all. (More photos of Woody by Jessica Ambats can be found here: http://bit.ly/eTrgN).

Dogs need O2, too!

Oxygen Hood for Dogs (by 4Paws) – I ran into this at this year’s Airventure in Oshkosh. Great idea, I guess… I wonder how many they have sold?

Dog blanket – you gotta have this to protect the seat from accidents (and drool.) Here’s a cute one from Oh My Dog Supplies.

Good dog!

Categories: pets and aviation

Struggling to find the perfect birthday gift?  Special anniversary coming up?  Share an experience you’ll neither soon forget.

A twilight skyline tour of Chicago is the perfect way to dazzle your loved one.  Together you’ll embark on a journey to three thousand feet, where you’ll see a sunset over the Windy City like you’ve never seen before.

The evening doesn’t end when you touch down at Midway.  You’re off to Little Italy for a multi-course meal at Francesca’s on Taylor.  And from now until October 30, take advantage of our special offer; treat yourselves to a glass of wine on us.

Flightseeing package includes airplane rental, flight instructor and dinner for two.

http://aviationvacations.us/flightseeing

Offer ends 10/30/09.

Categories: aerial tours

I recently joined the 99s – an international organization of women pilots that was started back in 1929 — and last weekend I found myself at my first get-together with the group: the Chicago Area Chapter 61st Annual Air Meet. (Yes, you read that right: they’ve been doing this air meet for SIXTY-ONE years. Some of the ladies in the chapter are celebrating 50 years in the organization!)

It’s kind of pathetic to DRIVE to a fly-in (I couldn’t get a plane), but at least the roads were smooth sailing from Chicago to Dekalb.  When I got to the airport, several pilots were busy planning their flights for the air derby, a three-leg cross country trek that has nothing to do with speed and everything to do with accuracy… to win, the pilot must accurately plan and predict fuel usage and time en route. Congrats to Joan Kerwin and her son for their first place finish (”They always win,” I was told).

(Almost) on the line.

I volunteered to judge the Spot Landing contest, which, ahem, is evidently harder than it looks. No one actually hit the line, but the winner, Maggie Donovan, was within 66 feet — and it was a pretty landing at that. Congrats!

Even though I was “grounded,”  a day spent at a beautiful airport on a beautiful day is always a good time, and I had a great day with some very, very nice people.  To learn more about this organization –which sponsors scholarships and provides a network for woman in aviation —  check out their website at www.ninety-nines.org.

Categories: cool events, pilots R awesome

Today I am celebrating, because yesterday I signed an order for a 2006 Cirrus SR22 (yippee!). It’s my first aircraft purchase, although I started looking for a Cirrus back in 2007 (before the bottom dropped out of the market… I’m sure glad I waited!).

Now is an excellent time to buy (if you happen to still have a job and some financial stability, that is). There is a good supply of used aircraft, including repossessed high-end planes, like the one I got from Cirrus.

This isn’t a full checklist for aircraft ownership (check out AOPA for that), but just a few tips and observations from my own experience. I am sure I will have more to share on this topic later, when we actually GET the airplane (October 21).

1. Partner wisely and communicate: Partnerships allow you to get into an airplane you couldn’t otherwise afford. And if one pilot plans to be a weekend flyer and the other flies for business, it’s really an ideal situation… but what if all partners want the plane for weekend trips? Be sure to talk about things like scheduling and maintenance philosophies in advance.

2. Leave no stone unturned: Don’t just browse Controller.com in your search. Be proactive in talking to dealers, so that you can be the first to learn of new planes on the market. Also check out the repossessed airplanes on the market at sites like www.irggroup.com. Many of those planes have spotty logbooks which scared me away, but someone with a more mechanical mindset might find the perfect project airplane there.

3. Be flexible: I have two partners in my plane. In any partnership, each member is likely to have different priorities. Choose what’s important to you, and be flexible in the areas that are less important. It also helps if your partners share that same attitude (mine do, which is why the deal finally got done).

4. Be persistent: Buying an airplane is really hard, especially when one of your criteria is to get a ridiculously good deal. Good deals take work. You may lose a couple of planes in the process, but don’t get hung up on one particular airplane. There are many fish in the sea — be willing to keep looking for the best one at your price point.

This is where I would like to insert a photo of my new airplane, but truth be told, I don’t have one. I haven’t even seen the airplane yet. I do know it was an air taxi and needs a little TLC before it’s ready for its happy new owners. It’s going to get new paint and graphics, new Avidyne screens, a WAAS upgrade, and a whole new engine. It will be ready in October. That leads to my last tip… be patient.

Categories: cool events

We’ve added a new aviation tour to the line up: California Wine & Dine. This May 2010 excursion will cover the coast of California and offers guests a taste of all things California, from the wineries in Napa, to the Redwoods of the north, to the spas of Palm Springs.

I will be test flying this route  in October. That entails visiting various properties, tasting delicious food and wine, and also nailing down the overall logistics of the many flight legs. Yes, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

Categories: aerial tours, cross country

The flying car.

A sense of hope and expectation for the flying car  is embedded in the American psyche. The Jetsons did it to us. For many years, we’ve all been sorely disappointed, but we remain optimistic.

At the Oshkosh Airventure show this year, I found the elusive flying car. Oh sure, the folks at Terrafuggia are careful to call their odd little creature a “roadable aircraft.”  But I know a flying car when I see one.  It flies. Then its wings fold up and it drives. You can fill it up at a regular gas station.

The prototype I saw at Oshkosh has been on 28 (apparently successful) test flights. First delivery is expected next year. You need a Sport Pilot license to operate it. And it can be yours for just $194,000.

www.terrafugia.com

I think I need one of these.

Categories: innovations

Anticipation.

Slow flight.

Downward trajectory!

WhiteKnight 2

Just chillin.

The smoky wings trick.

Flying thru his own circles.

Warbirds.

Categories: cool events