ADS-B OUT: A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY FOR ALL

There is one, and only one, advantage of having ADS-B OUT. It lets you see your traffic on board with a glass screen cockpit such as the Garmin 1000 or on an IPad.

The main purpose of ADS-B OUT is to let airliners fly more direct to airports thus saving fuel. The problem with this philosophy is that in the US airliners use mostly the same 35 airports. They all want to arrive and depart at the same time, which will lead to delays and holding patterns where arrivals will be backed up.

All airplanes will still be required to have a transponder on board. This is so the airliners, and business jets, will be able to see their traffic on TCAS. This defeats the purpose of ADS-B OUT traffic on your screen.

Another problem with the whole ADS-B system is it was devised on technology that is over 20 years old. ADS-B will be using ground stations instead of satellites. The FAA complains that it costs too much to maintain VOR’s and ILS’s because they are ground based. In my opinion it will cost as much or more to maintain the ADS-B ground stations.

ADS-B OUT will be required by 2020 in all controlled airspace. It is my understanding that as of today ATC is not able to see ADS-B OUT airplanes and still uses radar. As of today fewer that 5% of airplanes are equipped with ADS-B OUT. Today the minimum cost of ADS-B OUT to someone that does not have an IFR GPS in their plane is $4,000 for the equipment and approximately $3,000 for installation. This is a huge expense to the older GA fleet that amounts to approximately 15% of the value of one’s airplane with absolutely no benefits other than to see traffic. Embry Riddle University was a test for ADS-B OUT, and all their airplanes are ADS-B equipped. Being that Embry Riddle flies in the Phoenix area I am able to see traffic. ADS-B traffic is awakened by any plane flying in a 15 mile radius to where I am. It does not work if there is not an ADS-B OUT plane in my vicinity. 

If the FAA truly believed in safety they would turn on all the ADS-B OUT stations 24/7 to provide traffic for all....but then this is the FAA we are talking about, and they stated this is not going to happen. We recently lost 2 flight school airplanes in a mid air north of Phoenix. If they were able to receive traffic then this might not of happened. As it was we lost 4 people due to this not being turned on.

In closing, there is only one benefit of having ADS-B Out and that is traffic. The cost does not justify the requirement.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

On November 8, we will be flying over150 mentally and physically challenged children and their parents at Scottsdale Airport (SDL)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=kBhKx-cnu8U

SAN DIEGO AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM-BALBOA PARK

Balboa Park is best known for the world famous San Diego Zoo. 1200 acres were set aside by civic leaders in 1868. Balboa Park now has 17 museums along with several other exhibits such as the Botanical Building and the Spreckels outdoor Organ Pavilion. There is also a replica of the Globe Theater. Street performers can be found throughout the Park’s grounds.

BOTANICAL GARDENS BUILDING

SAN DIEGO ART MUSEUM

FOUNTAIN AND GATHERING PLACE-BALBOA PARK

The original Air Museum burned down in 1978. The new museum, San Diego Air & Space, is located in the Ford Building which was built in 1935 for the second World’s Fair held there.

My wife and I have been through this museum on several occasions, but never with a guide. I made a call to Jessica Packard, marketing director, to set up a tour of the museum. Mort Jorgensen, our guide, has been giving tours at the Museum for 12 years. I should say Dr. Mort Jorgensen, as Mort was a Surgeon for the US Navy.

Our tour started with the 2 airplanes outside, one is the A12/SR71 and the other a test airplane that was supersonic and would takeoff and land on skis from the water. This plane was built in San Diego and never produced. Test airplane above.

Upon entering the museum there are several planes of note in the lobby. One is a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis. This plane last flew in 2002. With a tail wheel attached in lieu of the original tail skid.

SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS

While not an airplane, the Gemini 9 reentry capsule was next. The burn marks are still visible on the heat shield. I am glad they never cleaned it up.

GEMINI 9 REENTRY CAPSULE

Hanging from the ceiling is an original Predator Drone mounted with camera not armament.

ORIGINAL PREDATOR DRONE WITH CAMERA MOUNT

X-1 MOUNTED BELOW

The last plane of note in the lobby is the X-1, the first plane to break the sound barrier.

Upon entering the museum is a wall of fame of numerous people involved with aviation since it’s beginning. Each Portrait is captioned with an explanation.

When touring the museum it is important not only to look at the planes on the floor but also those hanging from the ceiling. The Museum is laid out chronologically starting with the first balloons and gliders. From there, it travels through history. There are too many planes to describe them all, so I will try to point out some highlights. 

The Lockheed Vega 5B was the plane Amelia Earhart flew, and this one was donated to the Museum after the production of the movie AMELIA was finished.

The Ryan B-5 Brougham is a replica plane of the Spirit of St. Louis except it has a front windshield.

Another highlight is the FA-18 from the Blue Angels. 

I could go on forever but you need to be there for yourself.

I was privileged to go to the basement which I never knew existed. In the basement airplane replicas are built for the museum by volunteers. They are currently working on reproducing the Hughes Air Racer which has an aluminum fuselage and tail along with wood wings. The workmanship by these volunteers is amazing. Bob Porter was our guide in the basement. He is quite the skilled builder.

Another item that caught my fancy is a replica of the original Wright Flyer engine. This one engine powered both counterrotating props. The engine still runs and is an amazing piece of engineering.

OUR GUIDE MORT JORGENSEN WITH WRIGHT BROTHERS ENGINE

The last plane I wanted to write about is an F4U Corsair. The plane was found trashed and rebuilt by SDASM volunteers. What is amazing is that there was no panel or seat. The staff meticulously reproduced both to original specs.

I have been to Air and Space museums all over the world, and I find SDASM to be a hidden gem. It is not as crowded as others I have been to which makes touring more enjoyable. I suggest you try and arrange a tour with a docent as the wealth of information is overwhelming. Allow yourself a minimum of 3 hours and if possible 5 hours for your visit.

LT. COLNEL BILL KORNER (RET.) - A TRUE WAR HERO

LT. COLNEL BILL KORNER (RET.)

A

TRUE WAR HERO

I am the AOPA rep at Scottsdale (SDL) and am a member of the Arizona Business Aviation Association(AZBAA) which is a chapter of the National Business Aviation Association(NBAA). 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of having lunch with a true hero and a very prolific speaker, Bill Korner. 

Bill is the Chairman and CEO of Flight Reach, Inc., but more on that later. Bill spent 5 years on active duty with the US Army and Air Force along with many years serving in the Reserve and Air National Guard. He flew 204 combat missions in Viet Nam and was shot down on more than one occasion avoiding capture by the N. Vietnamese. Bill was one of the most highly decorated pilots in Viet Nam receiving: 2 silver stars, 2 distinguished flying crosses, 2 Bronze stars, 14 air medals, Army and Air Force commendation medal, Vietnamese cross of gallantry, and the Vietnamese medal of honor. Bill is also the recipient of the Air Force’s Daedalian Orville Wright achievement award being the leading aviator in a competition of over 2000 Air Force pilots. His combined flying and academic scores were the highest ever obtained at that time in history.

Bill was recalled to fly in Desert Storm and flew 25 combat missions. He is also a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor which includes 6 former Presidents. If that is not enough Bill played football for Penn State.

As mentioned earlier Bill heads up Flight Research (FR). FR deals with upset recovery in GA airplanes and corporate jets. This is not the same as flying aerobatics, but deals with recovery of an airplane that has gone wrong. The course lasts 3 days including ground school and 2 flights. 

Bill talked about several airline crashes and what went wrong. The biggest problem is automation in the cockpit and Pilots forgetting, or not being trained correctly, how to recover from a stall or being to fly the plane by hand if the magic goes out. I have always stated that the best airline pilots I have flown with also own a GA airplane. They keep their hand flying skills sharp.

One of the biggest problem facing airline crashes are stalls. When a plane is stalling for some reason the pilots are pulling back on the yolk or side stick. In the Colgan crash near Buffalo, NY the Captain applied full power but kept pulling the yolk back which led to a stall spin crash. In a plane with a yolk both yolks are coordinated. If you pull back on one yolk, both go back. In the Airbus with side sticks this is not the case. One pilot does not know what the other is doing. Air France 447 was an example of this. The pitot tubes froze for some reason, and an improper airspeed was given to the crew. The FO in the right seat pulled back on the yolk while the FO in the left seat was pushing forward. The FO in the right seat pulled harder, and the plane stalled and crashed. I do not understand why the pilots did not look at the attitude indicator and GPS ground speed.

In all certified airplanes if you just let go of the yolk or side stick the plane will unload and fly again. This is one of several reasons that the Flight Research training is so important. They can do things in an airplane that can not be recreated in a Simulator. With the abundance of automation airline and even business pilots are not doing enough hand flying and have forgotten the basics of flying an airplane. A perfect example of this was the Asiana crash last summer in San Francisco. Auto pilot goes on around 300 above ground on take off and is disconnected in most cases around 800 feet above ground for landing. The rest of the time spent by the crew is monitoring the instruments. These pilots might have thousands of hours in their logbooks, but I would bet I have more time hand flying an airplane than most of these airline pilots.

Major corporations are sending their flight departments for training at Flight Research. I hope the airlines wake up and smell the roses to recreate this training also.

WINGX PRO APP A DISASTER...AGAIN!

WINGX PRO

FAILS

TWICE THIS WEEK

There have been two leaders in the Aviation Apps for IPad, WingX Pro and ForeFlight. I have written about these two apps on several occasions.

I have stated if you want quality that works right every time then buy ForeFlight. To this day I believe that WingX Pro has surpassed ForeFlight in features and ForeFlight has been playing catch up. However ForeFlight is quickly catching up to WingX in features. However if you want quality over quantity I recommend ForeFlight. I do not like that ForeFlight only works with Stratus ADS-B In. It is a closed shop. WingX works with several different manufacture’s ADS-B In units, so you have a choice.

Here is the problem with WingX. They continue to put out updates that do not work right the first time. I have a major trip in 2 days that took a lot of planing with several user waypoints to circumnavigate MOA’s, Restricted Airspace and Terrain. 

WingX previous update has half the screen darker that the other half. The only way to eliminate this is to turn the IPad to full brightness. FAIL!

WingX update of today to fix the above problem crashes. I can not open the program. The only recourse I have is to delete the App, reload it and then plan my route all over again. Why, because by deleting the app and reloading, I will loose all my stored routes over the years. This is unacceptable.

I am stuck with WingX because I bought an ADS-B In unit when they first came out that does not work with Foreflight. I hate to pay another $850 for a new ADS-B unit to change to ForeFlight. I also bought a 3 year subscription to WingX that has another 11/2 years to go.

I had hoped that WingX had put all their problems behind them, but evidently the quality is still not there.

Buyer beware!

WINGX GRADE...MAJOR FAILURE!

YOU ARE GOING TO BUY AN AIRPLANE...WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY!

Before I get into airplane ownership I would like to give you a little bit of my aviation history. My first flight was in a Cessna 172 when I was 12 years old. My neighbor, Charlie Dolson, was a founder and 3rd chairman of Delta Airlines. I did not know what to expect flying in a small airplane, but I was excited. My only flying back then was as a passenger on the DC3. I remember when we went up it was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I decided then that I wanted to fly for the Air Force. I was drafted by the first lottery held with a number of 69 and was graduating from college when told to report for my physical. This was during the Viet Nam era, and I did not want to go into the army. I called Maxwell Air Force Base, which was close to Auburn University, to enlist. I had to take my physical during final exams which was a mess. I reported to Maxwell, and I flunked my physical having a knee injury playing football the year before. Back then knee surgery kept you walking, but physical activities were out of the question.

Being married at the time I decided to continue my education and went into business. My dream flying for the Air Force came to an end, and I raised a family. Having really missed flying I decided to get my private rating. I think it cost me under $2,000. After obtaining my private ticket I decided to fly to San Diego. When I talked to my FBO I was told that I could not take one of his planes out of state due to insurance requirements. After examining my options, I decided to buy an airplane. A 1966 Cherokee 180 came on the market locally. It was loaded with every option available. It was owned by one of the FBO’s who was a Piper dealer, and the plane was pristine with new paint.

As soon as the deal was finished I started my instrument training and finished it in the Cherokee. I enjoyed flying so much I also took up glider flying purchasing a Glasflugel Carbon Hornet. I flew gliders a couple of years but enjoyed power being able to travel. I also had a Mooney 201 after selling the Cherokee, and today I fly a 1954 V Tail Bonanza which I have owned for over 15 years. 

In the winter we did not leave Scottsdale much because it was so beautiful. I had a group that went snow skiing every Wednesday and that put on some hours. In the summer we travelled anywhere we could to get out of the heat. I no longer ski so most of my winter flying is local for the $150 hamburger along with one trip to Las Vegas in April.  In the summer we still fly to get out of the heat traveling primarily to San Diego which is a 1 hour 50 minute flight. Our longest trip was to San Francisco, Seattle, Victoria, Portland, back to San Francisco, LA and home. The beauty of having one’s own airplane is; if we liked a place we would stay longer, and if we did not we would leave earlier.

I was putting 150 hours a year on the airplane and enjoyed every minute. Gas prices started to climb several years ago. I was paying $.99 a gallon for 100 LL when I started flying. I told my wife when fuel prices started to climb I was selling the airplane if fuel ever got to $2 a gallon. Well here it is 2014, and I am paying $5.50 to $6.50 a gallon and still flying although my hours are running between 50 to 60 a year now.

This brings us to airplane ownership. I do not write off any expenses for my airplane even when I travel to write a column. Therefore all costs come out of my pocket. It would be cheaper to fly the airlines anywhere we go. Flying one’s own plane is a lifestyle that I am not ready to give up. When we fly to San Diego, we carry our beach chairs, beach umbrella and cooler in the airplane. We certainly could not do this on the airlines. It takes me 4 hours to fly to Palo Alto to visit my daughter and her family and 4 hours to visit my sister in Colorado Springs. I could do either trip on the airlines in 1.5 hours at less money. 

The question is am I crazy to fly my own plane paying for maintenance, insurance, hangar and fuel. The answer is probably, but I love flying. The IPad along with an aviation app and ADS-B In makes things easier than ever for me in the cockpit with no more folding charts. I receive free weather versus paying XM $50 a month which I used to do and traffic when a plane is flying nearby with ADS-B Out. I do not do drugs and flying to me is a natural high. If I ever have thoughts of selling the airplane, they are relinquished after having to fly the airlines.

Can I justify the cost of airplane ownership...no way! Can I justify the enjoyment I get from flying with my wife and charity flying...you better believe it. There are ways to cut costs by being in a partnership or flying club, but this is not for me. I know every time how my plane is landed and flown. I maintain my airplane to the highest standards with no questions asked. I also like being able to leave everything in the airplane after a trip.

I plan to fly as long as I am healthy and the money I have budgeted for flying holds out. I figure I will be done flying before the 2020 deadline for ADS-B Out, so I have not installed it in my airplane. The lowest cost I have seen is $8,500 installed for a mode C transponder no IFR GPS airplane. This is 20% of the value of my airplane. I am hoping the cost will come down in the next few years, but I am not holding my breath.

I love flying, and it is part of my life. Even if I fly just 50 hours a year it is worth it to me.

FLYING THE WACO AT RED ROCK AVIATION SEDONA ARIZONA

SEDONA ARIZONA

FLYING THE WACO

SEDONA AIR TOURS

RED ROCK AVIATION

Sedona Arizona (SEZ) is one of the most beautiful cities in the US. It is a tourist destination located 70 miles north of Phoenix and 70 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Sedona is truly an eclectic city surrounded by red rock formations on 3 sides. The people are laid back, spiritual  and extremely courteous. Sedona is also home to the famous Pink Jeep tours, which in itself is an amazing excursion.

SEZ sits on a 500 foot mesa. It is like landing on an aircraft carrier that is not moving. When flying into SEZ the calm wind runway is 3 landing uphill and departing 21 downhill. One has to be careful landing at SEZ, if windy there is a lot of sink at the beginning of the runway. It is best not to land on the numbers but stay a little high on approach. The elevation is 4800 feet but you have to be aware of density altitude as Sedona is a high desert, and it gets hot during the day but cools off at night.

The facilities at SEZ are way above normal for a small city. SEZ has a beautiful terminal building, a restaurant that has glass walls that allow you to look at the red rock formations and planes arriving and departing and just north of the restaurant is Red Rock Aviation/Sedona Air tours.

Red Rock is an fantastic entity. They offer Grand Canyon tours in light twins and jet helicopters. There are multiple tours available including a dinner tour and wine tour. In addition Red Rock offers open cockpit tours of Sedona in their 2 WACO biplanes. Each WACO’s flies about 8 to 12 missions a day. In the summer when it is hotter, only one WACO runs Monday through Friday as the other pilot flies for the forrest service. During Red Rock’s main season, 2 WACO’s fly 7 days a week.

When I arrived on May 16 to fly the WACO, Red Rock’s office was full of tourist to fly to the Grand Canyon and for the WACO ride. I arrived on Friday at 8:30AM and met my pilot at 9AM. Scott Sibson lives not far from Sedona in Prescott, AZ. He drives from Prescott to Cottonwood (P52) where the main operation is housed, and then flies the WACO on a short trip to SEZ. When Scott and I sat down to talk, we knew a lot of the same people in aviation, as I lived in Prescott hearing juvenile criminal cases for 4 years and was chairman of the aviation commission. Scott became an A&P flying for the forest service. He learned how to fly tailwheel in Prescott (PRC) having started by helping to rebuild a Piper Cub and was very handy at recovering a cloth airplane. I do not know which I enjoyed more talking to Scott or flying the WACO.

                                                              Scott Sibson...pilot 

I have been fortunate enough to fly gliders, fixed wing, helicopter, seaplane (see my blog on flying the Grumman Widgeon) and jets (see blog on transitioning from pistons to jets) . Until yesterday, I had never flown in an open cockpit biplane. I have flown with a lot of pilots over the years, and found that the best pilots I have flown with are airline pilots that also own their own GA airplane. I now have to add Scott to that list. He is a consummate professional. I have not enjoyed flying with someone more than with Scott in a long time.

The WACO we flew is a 1997 YMF 5-C Super. This WACO has more hours on it than any other WACO in the county clocking in at over 7500 hours. I was giving a pre-briefing by Scott which included entry into the front seat and how to operate the door which only opens and closes from the outside. Scott entered my seat to show me the best way to enter the cockpit. The front seat holds 1 or 2 people. After entering I was sitting low in a hole. My instrument in the front only included an airspeed indicator. Along with that I had stick, rudders, brakes, trim and throttle. My seat was under the wing and Scott’s was in the open behind the wing. He wore a baseball cap to keep the sun off of him. I had no forward vision and Scott does not either sitting in the back seat.

I donned my leather helmet, after entering the cockpit, that was attached to an over the ear headset. Scott primed the Jacobs 275 radial about 7 times and hit the starter. The radial came to life, and we taxied out doing S turns all the way to the active runway as there is no forward visibility in the WACO. SEZ is a Unicom field. Having finished our pre-flight runup we checked on the radio that no one was in the traffic pattern and took the active. After being perfectly straight down the runway Scott locked the tailwheel, and we were ready to go. Upon reaching 60mph the tailwheel came up, and we lifted off at 80mph. It was smooth as silk. Top speed is about 110mph, and we cruised at 100mph. There was no wind in the cockpit as the windshield does a great job of blocking the wind. I had on jeans and a light jacket and could have flown in my shorts and a polo shirt. In flight I pulled the headset away from my ears, and the noise was very loud. With the headsets on it was quiet as flying my Bonanza. Upon departing the runway we climbed to 7500 feet. This altitude kept us above the helicopter tours. We were only going to fly for about 15 minutes but were having so much fun we stayed up longer. Scott asked me if it was okay to do a wingover, and I said go for it. With one wing down about 90 degrees we turned on a pin head. Then we did one to the other side. After that I did some dutch rolls realizing how much rudder push is need to fly this big bird. All the time flying I had to look out 45 degrees to see where we going. The only time I could see directly over the cowl was on descent. There was a King Air on final so we crossed over the runway and then landed. Airspeed in the WACO is very important on landing. There is so much drag that airspeed had to be at 80mph to keep us flying. Pilots are always judged on their landings, and Scott outdid himself. We landed on the mains and kept the tail up until we ran out of airspeed. When stopped Scott unlocked the tailwheel to taxi back into Red Rock ramp. He let the engine run for about 2 minutes to prevent the engine from hydro locking. This is where excess oil drains down to the bottom 2 cylinders.

After the flight was over we could not talk long as there was a couple ready to go and take their WACO ride. 

I rate Red Rock/Sedona Air tours operation as a 10 out of 10 and enjoyed meeting John, James and others that work at the operation. Hats and t-shirts are available for sale in the Red Rock building. My thanks go out to Larry Bruner, owner of Red Rock, for for a wonderful day.