Aviators Lounge: W96

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Aviation Love Flow

Hello Fellow Fantastic Flying Friends!

I hope 2015 has started off great for you all and has included some awesome ️flying! Mine has, including a few of my best flights to date this month. WOOHOO! Eager to stay this pattern!:-D

Flying, for me, is an Aviation Love Flow. A winning recipe includes clear planning prior to flight, a great takeoff, turns enroute, adjusting, refining, & a great landing that makes you feel a big YESSS in every cell. Great weather helps, too!:-)

I reflect on why I flying resonates with me so strongly. It's the sense of growth and personal accomplishments in a challenging field most do not partake in. It's all the amazing feelings And memories I gain. It's also fellow pilots I meet that match that extraordinary passion and energy in how they fly & live!

I have yet to meet a pilot who was like, "Meeeeeh..." when I've chatted with them about flying. Regardless if they are active or haven't flown for a while, there is a fire in the eyes and the love for flight palpatable. That Rocks!

In connecting with fellow pilots, I value that passion and enthusiasm we share for this extraodinary field. This type of planning and discipline applies to many facets of a successful path in Life, aviation and beyond.

Aviation to me is a wonderous blend of passion, determination, perseverance and being in tune and nimble to adjust along the way for better performance. Personally, there are few things I have found in Life that demand your best to this degree, to focus everything on these flying moments, to show up giving your best everytime and never want for complacency. Flying is one of those things to me. That is how I'm wired, so I value the alignment of those standards I feel I get in aviation. I celebrate my growing skills/experience and am eager to improve, all while learning more. I love the challenges and learnings I gain. It's making for a better version of me!

Shoutout to great things that support my journey to find my wings --> great FBOs & crews like mine, NKA, CFIs like Jim Oddono & Matt Welch who are setting me up for success, fellow pilots I connect with that inspire and share insights with me that enhance my journey and organizations like AOPA & EAA that support General Aviation efforts/education and safety.

Life moves fast. I challenge you, like I do myself, to keep doing great things that make the journey an EPIC one!

What is Aviation to you? How does it make you feel when you fly?

Here are a few pictures & YouTube videos caught on my GoPro from my flights this month.

This is my flying love face. You'll see it in often in my flight posts!

I love wearing it.:-)

1/2/2015: W96, New Kent Aviation (NKA), Virginia.

A little drizzle, but still VFR! My focus in this day was pattern work and finesse my landings. It was great flying! I was very pleased with my TP setups & landings. So was my CFI, Jim Oddono!

Love the patchwork design from up high

Post flight smiles!

1/5/2015: W96, New Kent & KRIC, Richmond International Airport Virginia back to W96

My birthday flight rocked! Was a tad windy, but not too terrible. It was my first time flying with NKAs new full time CFI Matt Welch. On a social media plug note, I'm active on it. I actually met Mat through LinkedIn before I met him in person at NKA. That was a cool example of how digital connections can enhance your reach to connect with great contacts!

So this flight we did a XWind take off and landing at W96, then headed to KRICs towered airport. I wanted to observe Matt's radio handlings. There was activity there. We came in behind a jetliner, big guy so he ensured we kept a safe distance. We did 3 touch and gos. Runway 34 seemed like it went on forever (was very long) for our little Cessna 152!:-) I like the added challenges of all the activity happening at this airport. Keeps you on your toes even more than usual! It was a fun flight with new learnings.

Winds

Me getting prepped. am sporting a Wazoo survival tools parachord bracelet. Love their products! Bringing 'Be Prepared' to a new level. I likie! My favorites are the Adventure bracelet, this Zombie bracelet, & Woodchuck key chains. Check out their site: http://www.wazoosurvivalgear.com

Check out my product review on their survival skills bracelet on my Adventure blog:

Enroute to KRIC

LOVE this view!

We spotted and came in after this big guy! Seeing the passengers de-plane as we climbed out.. They looked like ants!!!

Here's Matt in action!

KRIC

Hard to see, but there are the National Guard helicopters. I LOVE helicopters!

Working it! Line up for landing runway 34.

Back to W96

I see my car!:-)

Post flight smiles! Check out that sock. Windy!

1/19/2015 - New Kent W96 to West Point KFYJ to Hummel W75 back to W96

Great flight to 2 different FBOs, KFYJ and my first time landing at W75. Shortest runway I've landed to date (2270x45).

I planned out the routes to identify key landmarks along the way. I'm very pleased I spotted everything I wanted to get us to and from each location. I'm still working ing in finessing my landings. I was most pleased with my second landing at W75, which I share in a link below.

Here is Stuart, Director of Maintenance (aka the mastermind keeping the planes in tip top shape!) and Matt rolling out this mighty 152 lil' guy who's ready to be flown!:-)

Here's a few pictures: Upper left - Me with Stuart. Shoutout to the crews who ensure the planes are at their best! Upper right: Smiles with the Champ in the background. I must fly him this year. Lower left: High Altitude smile from beautiful Virginia! Lower right: Post flight smile. Another great day of Flying Virginia!

Taking off w96

On Final KFYJ

Traveling to W75

On Final W75

W75, it's been fun. Time to head back to W96!

Below are two GoPro videos caught on this flight. I added music to this footage, so buckle up and enjoy the view on this virtual ride with me! They were a blast! I hope it leaves a smile on your face and the want to get more air time, fellow pilots. I know I'm ready to get UP again!❤️✈

Takeoff at New Kent #W96 Click here

Landing at Hummel #75 Click here

Pilots ~ What is your favorite FBO to land at and what are those runway dimensions? I'd love to hear. May inspire a future trip for me!

Happy & Safe Flying, Always!

Emily

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Flying Inspirations: Tangier KTGI Flight, Check!

Putting an APB out for my socks because they were KNOCKED OFF when I sonic boomed, as a result of my Awesome flight to Tangier, Virginia!

3 words -->What a flight!!!

The first time Tangier got on my radar was me seeing a picture and article in AOPA's Flight Training Magazine (see below, I still have this edition!!:-)). I was intrigued and interested in flying into Tangier when the time was right.

If you get a chance to fly to KTGI, take it!! Flying over the island and seeing the runway is such a memorable experience! On this day of flight, it was double digits windy with double digit gusts in Virginia. Despite that it was a fun and smooth flight!

Ever since I shared my plans to fly to Tangier, I've received enthusiastic responses from pilots who have experienced this memorable flight themselves. Part of what I really enjoy about the journey of learning is hearing tips shared by those willing to dish so I can have as much fun on my trips as possible with added "insider" details! I, in turn, enjoy sharing the information I receive and experience in my posts for another to gain insights.

I was excited to visit Tangier! <-- Understatement:-) I'm tickled I did it and the memories of seeing the sights from above give me a lingering Cheshire Cat smile. Here are some pictures and insights from my flight and brief island visit!

I'd love to hear your favorite memories of Flying Tangier! Leave me a comment.

A fantastic picture Jim shared with me taken last year on Final for Runway 20. Unfortunately, on this trip I didn't get any Tangier approach or take off pictures since the GoPro's battery I had drained.:-(Oh well, guess I'll just have to return!;-)

Epic Photo! Picture credit: Jim Oddono, NKA W96 CFI

Here is the 10/2013 AOPA Flight Training Magazine where I first laid eyes on Tangier!

I definitely want to fly into more of the island runways on this list!

I've hightlighted a couple things that helped make this a smooth flight for me.

-Orange circles are key visual markers that I used to keep me on track.

-Orange arrows show you my intent to travel closer to land vs cross the water.

-Yellow circles are VORs I used to triangulate my location through the flight.

-Blue rectangle shows the 64 highway, a great marker to follow to take me right to my FBO!

My flight instructor Jim has done a great job teaching me about VOR navigation. I really like using it to triangulate my location and track where I am in relation to the VORs I've selected. Here is a training video by MzeroA on VOR nav:

http://youtu.be/Eno0p1n2H84

I like Jason's training videos a lot. You should subscribe! He's got good topics.

Here we are traveling towards Hummel W75, one of my visual markers. FYI: Photos I take inflight I do after positive exchange of controls.

Tappahannock Bridge to my left & I know W75 is right near it.

Pretty lands end.

Swinging around Watts Island!!

Watts Island and I spy Tangier Island off yonder!!:-)

Landed on Runway 2 (Right Traffic Pattern). Hi Tangier!

Now on the ground, I was on a mission. We headed into town to get our aviation stamp & some eats.

PILOT TIP: To get to town, walk away from the airport towards the water tank pictured below, take a left over the bridge, walk to the end of the road & Lorraine's is to your left.

Walking over the bridge & towards town.

Here we are!

Cheshire Cat smile after arriving!

Pilot Tip: Get your VA Avi Ambassador stamp at Lorraine's! Here's Jim getting his stamp.

Yummy crab cakes.

Check out the size of the crab cakes!

Jim got the crab cake sandwich.

Smiling with these lovely ladies --> Jaime (Lorraine's daughter) & Lorraine. Visit their restaurant and try those crab cakes! Their restaurant celebrated 30 years in

business & they were was featured in Southern Living Magazine 7/2012.