Hudson River chart for big birds

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Skyhawk over Manhattan

I gave my cousin Kjetil a flight over Manhattan for his 50th birthday, and I hope it was as much fun for him as it was for me. My first flight up the Hudson River was six years ago, but this magnificant route gives me the same thrill every time.

Kjetil lives in New York this fall with his wife Astrid and their son Magnus. 

They joined me at Linden Airport, just south of Newark International, for the flight over New York City. The Hudson River Corridor (Hudson River Class B Exclusion) northbound starts at the Verizano Bridge and ends at the Alpine Tower, with the Statue of Liberty as one of the mandatory reporting points. [Slideshow]

I'll do it again. Any day!

Flight Reveiw in Boise, Idaho

After a three day MAF Internatioanl board meeting in Nampa, Idaho, I had the opportunity to fly a VFR Flight Review with an instructor frequently used by the MAF US headquarters.

Cammie, the owner of Glass Cockpit Aviation, has given over 4000 hours of instruction, and is a fun, knowledgeble, and highly regarded FAA designated Gold Seal Instructor, and a NAFI designated Master Flight Instructor. She is  Citation Mustang instructor, a Cirrus Standardized Instructor, and a member of the Columbia Recurent Training Program Steering Commitee.

In addition to being a commercial and general aviation airport, Boise (KBOI) is also home of the Idaho Air National Guard on the Gowen Field portion of the airport. The United States Forest Service uses Boise Airport as a base for aerial firefighting air tankers during the wildfire season, and the short distance to challenging airstrips in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains makes the locaton ideal for training MAF bush pilots.

Flying Down Under and over Manhattan

My pre-blog online tales of flying in Australia and New York disappeared from the Internet when my old home page host Start.no closed their service. Now the stories (in Norwegian) are back online at the krumsvik.com domain:

• Flyferie Down Under (Flynytt 4/2001)
• I en Skyhawk over Manhattan (11/2004)

$100 Bomber Burger at Half Moon Bay

A few minutes after departing Palo Alto (PAO) 31, we were on final 30 at Half Moon Bay (HAF). Lunch at the 3-Zero Cafe was our first destination, and the B17 Bomber Burger stood out as the obvious $100 hamburger choice de jure.

Before returning to work and the ONA09 conference, I had to give Anders an opportunity to view the Golden Gate Bridge from above. Flying low level with his pilot brother some years ago, the landmark was completely covered in the San Francisco fog.

We had sky clear for our sight seeing venture, and made a detour to the wine district, landing on the narrow runway of Sonoma Valley Airport (0Q3). I was happy to add this as the 105th destination in my logbook.

Flying Highway One

Everything was lined up. I had a brand new US PPL certificate based on my Norwegian, with English proficiency and seaplane rating added. I had taken a biennial VFR Flight Review and the mandatory checkout at the Shoreline Flying Club. And I had renters insurance from AOPAIA. However, the SFO TAF said winds of 30G40, hence flying Monday were out of the question.

Tuesday morning the winds were less violent, and I did flight planning during a fabulous fifties breakfast at Loris Diner on Powell St., drinking my coffee in vicinity of vintage aircrafts.

Arriving Palo Alto (PAO), I found N837SP free of squacs, and ready to go. Taking off 31 for a left Dumbarton departure, flying over the University of Stanford campus before climbing to 3500 feet to get over the ridge.

The famous Pacific Coast Highway One is running by some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. It is great by car, and even better by air. 

I followed the coast southbound through Monterey Bay and continued to Point Sur, enjoying the Bixby Bridge from a new perspective. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2000 ft over the Point Lobos State Reserve and the California State Sea Otter Game Refuge. With only an iPhone as my camera, it was a challenge to capture the experience.

On my way back I did a short turn at Pebble Beach, flying over Carmel (image) and Monterey on my way back to Palo Alto. 

Two hours of flying.

Driving up to San Francisco I stopped at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. And the day was complete.

Back at the Bay for flying fun

Flying right over the tower at San Francisco International Airport to avoid a midair with a B747 from Japan Airlines is tons of fun and definitely business unusual for pilots like me.

This blog started three years ago after my first flight over San Francisco. A hotel room in Silicon Valley felt like an appropriate location for entering the blogosphere. This week I am back for the Web 2.0 Expo conference in San Francisco, and I spent the pre conference Sunday in a Skyhawk for a VFR Flight Review and checkout at the Shoreline Flying Club in Palo Alto (PAO). 

Dan, Shoreline's chief pilot and a United Airlines captain, gave me express enrollment service to this very affordable flying club, where no money is spent on luxurious ground facilities.

Flying with Libor was a very pleasant experience. He did a great job of making me feel comfortable with the airspace and radio communication. After some air work and an simulated emergency landing at Half Moon Bay (HAF), we continued northbound to Golden Gate Bridge before flying over San Francisco and transiting the bravo airspace by highway 101.

As we approached San Francisco International (SFO), a B747 Jumbo Jet from Japan Airlines was on the takeoff roll on runway 28. The wind was to strong to use the default runway 1, and I was directed to cross midfield over the tower to avoid a close encounter with the big bird en route for Asia. Then a right turn back to the west side of HWY 101 was needed to avoid traffic at San Carlos (SQL) 9 miles SE.  7 miles further SE our home base of Palo Alto is located, only 4 miles NW of Moffett Federal (NUQ), where president Obama would have landed with Air Force One.

This is close to aviation heaven. I'll be back!

Hudson River Landing Animation

This animation of the US Airways 1549 Hudson River landing is a great example of storytelling by news animation.

I had more action on the ground before flying the Hudson River Corridor in 2004... :-)

My airports

OurAirports is a great service developed by David Megginson, a Canadian instrument-rated private pilot and computer software developer, blogging at Land and Hold Short. Airport databses and Google maps are integrated with social network functionality, creating a unique service for pilots and travelers. OurAirports shows the closest airports to any address. You can also filter the search results to show only airports with scheduled airline service, only seaplane bases, etc. Feel free to take a closer look at the airports I have visited as a pilot, starting at my profile.

In good company

It is always good to know that someone is reading what you write, and according to Google Analytics there are a few souls reading Notam. Thus far this year people from 85 places in Norway have visited this blog. And readers from 146 US cities in 36 states left traces in the logs.

After Norway and the US, most visitors came from Sweden, UK, and Canada. Exotic places like Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Libya are also among the 61 countries on the list. And in the Middle East I do have readers in both Israel and the Palestinian Territory.

The main traffic sources in Norway are nrfk.org and forum.scanair.no. Internationally Google, Blogger, Facebook, and the Aviation Mentor blog are sending most people to Notam. 

In short: you are in good company, and for me this it is very inspiring.

Greetings from Atlanta

A new presentation of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Flying Club. I joined the club in the fall of 2005 when I was a visiting scholar at Tech. Fun to see plains, people and the Georgia skies again! My favourite sightseeing route was Stone Mountain and downtown ATL.

Leaving New York, never easy

Just spent a few days in New York with the New Media Network, but did not find time for a flight over Manhattan this time. FAA has issued a flight restriction prohibiting fixed wing land aircraft from flying in the narrow VFR corridor above the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn after the Lidle accident, but the Hudson River corridor is still open.

Leaving New York never easy, I saw the light fading out (onboard KL0644, departing JFK at 10:05 pm Firday).

ReLAXing in a room with a view

Crown Plaza at 5985 W. Century Blvd. is about the closest you get to LAX. Room 1504 is perfect for plainspotting. I guess the KLM onboard entertainment system will never be featuring United 93. But I'm looking forward to video on demand in coach class. It makes the 10 hours a bit more livable.

Introduction to LA Airspace

Svend found my story about flying a Skyhawk over Manhattan on the Internet, and invited me to a greater challenge in the LA Airspace of 35 airports. Svend is a former flight engineer at Sterling where he was flying Bowing 727. Now he owns a 1979 C-172 based on Fullerton (FUL), doing all the maintenance himself in a well equipped hangar - a home away from home.

He generously offered me the left seat. I did the flying and Svend did the radio. The visibility was not the greatest over Orange County, but as we came closer to our destination at French Valley (F70), an hour's flight to the southeast, the sun had burned off all the mist.

Going back the visibility was perfect until Lake Elsinore. Crossing the ridge abeam Santiago Peak we got back in the low visibility and heavy traffic reality of LA airspace. I did my best to establish on long final without having the field in sight, and had to adjust my course a bit as we got closer.

A great introduction to the most creasy airspace on the planet!

Planespotting at Van Nuys

The best way to experience One Six Right in real life (and outside the fence) is from the 94th Areo Squadron restaurant at 16320 Raymer Street. Their parking lot is a good #2.

A few blocks away I bought the 2006 Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot's Guide at San-Val Pilot Supplies & Trains. Something new to dream about... ;-)

One Six Right

Late last night I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Van Nuys Hotel in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. This morning I prepared my self for the day by watching One Six Right on the PC and tuning my radio scanner to VNY CT on 119,3. It is a cloudy and foggy day, but listening to clearances for 16R constantly handed out is a perfect foreplay for today’s mission: Experiencing the location of the movie Casablanca and the world’s busiest general aviation airport.

California has lost many GA airports to urban expansion. Now good people are working hard to save this site of great historical significance.

Driving with an aviation GPS

San Jose - Los Angeles. Ford Taurus. Garmin GPS III Pilot. Jeppesen Aviation Database.

The satellites kicked in just before South County Airport (E16). The 'Aviation Museum' road sign confirmed my position, and I left 101 for some flying heritage, and a closer look at the field I used last night for touch-and-go landings. Unfortunately the museum was not open on Fridays, but Magnum Aviation had Kevin Kegin's American Warbird as visitor.

A veteran pilot was watching his souvenir video as a new excited co-pilot was prepared for air work in the North American Texan. A two camera production is created with one external on the tail pointing forward, and one in the cocpit capturing the facial expressions of the customer.

The tours of the day were sold out, so my lunch was safe.

I turned on the GPS again, and as the traffic came to a complete hold on the Pacheo Pass Hwy (CA-152 E), it was too late to make a visit to Fraizer Lake Airpark (1C9). A long hour and a few miles later Los Banos Municipal Airport (LSN) came up on the display. Knowing the drive to LA had only started, the I5 intersection made me turn right; press GO TO, selecting LAX, sit back and enjoying the count down on the TIME TO DESTINATION window.

I had updated my GPS with an aviation database covering North America before I left Oslo, but there are no US land data on the device. On I5 this was not a problem. It is as straight at it gets, direct LA.

Approaching Harris Ranch Airport (3O8) a McDonald’s sign convinced me to do some dining and plain spotting. Harris restaurant has to wait till I'm back by wings. A few yards after merging back to I5 a sign stated 'SPEED ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT'. Not everybody in the skies are friends...

Abeam Elk Hills-Buttonwillow (L62) and Meadows Field (KBFL) the batteries went out and the sun came down. Darkness followed.

What a great way to end a week in San Francisco!

The drive to San Jose and Reid-Hillview Airport on 101 was a night mare, but the two hours of stamping in traffic was quite rewarding. Instructor Jake at Trade Winds Aviation gave me the option to combine the training required for phase III of the Wings Program with a fantastic tour of the San Francisco bay.

In a C172P we departed runway 31R at RHV and climbed towards San Jose International (SJC), crossing midfield. Leveled out at 3500 and followed Seashore Highway (101) to San Francisco International (SFO) and left class B airspace short after Lake Merced. The view was astonishing. Cold air for the ocean turned in to clouds as it merged with the warm air in the bay.

We continued coastwise by The Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco in slow flight, before class B airspace again at Hunters Point. At 1500 feet on the return we were transferred from airspace to airspace; San Francisco International (SFO), San Carlos (SQL), Palo Alto (PAO), Moffet Federal, San Jose International (SJC) and Reid-Hillview (RHV), before night landings at South County (E16).

Strongly recommended!

Remember, there is always someone working hard to close a great airfield...