The flight down required quite a bit of planning due to forecast moderate icing from 9,000′ to 22,000′. I reviewed the PIREPs, cloud cover, and AIRMETs as shown below, and decided to fly down at 10,000′. I’ve been enjoying flying up high, so it took me awhile to come to that conclusion. My escape plan, in the event of an icing encounter that I couldn’t clear, was to descend or fly east.
We took off around 10am and suffered with almost 90 kt winds all the way down, with a headwind component of near 30 kts. It was just Mike and I on the way down, so we were in no particular hurry with a return planned after 5pm. We had plenty of IMC on the way; used the ice protection multiple times; but ice wasn’t a factor for us down at 10,000′.
We were vectored onto a right base for the localizer, and I had to manually switch the CDI on the GTN750 and then also manually switch the CDI on the G600 Txi. That drives me crazy, since my system does all of this automatically, and even brings it back to GPSS on the missed. This airplane requires baby-sitting at the most challenging times. Anyway, the first thing I see on right base to landing is a NO GLIDESLOPE warning on the ILS receiver. REALLY!?
Thus far in this airplane, I’d done quite a bit of work and practice flying automated RNAV approaches. The reason is that the automation is not nearly as integrated as the systems in my Twin Comanche, and the previous crew used shortcuts like flying heading mode to get around procedures turns and missed approaches. Nothing wrong with that, but I want to know what all the systems can do, and be ready to use all of the assets when things get hairy.
When we were in line for the approach, we found that they were using the ILS08 into the airport, and I decided not to ask for the RNAV 8 and just do it. It was then that I realized I had not flown an ILS with this equipment, so I prepared to go missed in the case I messed up the avionics or the system just didn’t work.
Mike, my co-pilot, had been good enough to manually tune the number 2 radio to the same ILS, so I switched to NAV2 and tried that. I also got a NO GLIDESLOPE warning on that radio, so I switched back to NAV1 and gave it more time to take that message away. In the meantime, I slowed the airplane down and briefed Mike on changing over to the LOC only approach, which I acknowledged probably wouldn’t get us below the weather today. If the ILS08 didn’t work, we’d fly the missed and ask for the RNAV 08.
Well it turns out that Garmin equipment kinda does this, and I guess I should have practiced at least one non-RNAV approach before this flight in this airplane. No matter. Once we were established inbound on the ILS08 localizer and got a bit closer, the glideslope came in and we broke out around 1,300′ as I recall. The landing was uneventful.
The weather on the way home was forecast to be more serious. Thunderstorms coming to us from the west that you can see the leading edge of in this image. Moderate ice was also forecast in the rain you see in front of us.
We managed to avoid most of the ice by strategically diverting, and ultimately climbing up to 15,000′ on the way home. I used all of the switches on the airplane, and all of the ice protection to make this happen. Truth be told, the icing we encountered never exceeded light rime.
I really did use all of the airplane coming home today. We were enjoying 30 knots of tailwind all the way home, and when I realized we’d be fat on fuel, I pushed up the power and reduced the trip to 2.5 hours instead of the 3.5 for the way south.
Arriving home, the lights on runway 09 at Wilmington were down low. Neither Mike nor I could see the damn runway, and Philly had kept me high at 2,500′ close in. Then I finally saw it (I live here for cripes Sake!), and brought the props up as I turned to a tight right descending base leg.
Mike talked with the tower and ensured we were cleared to land as I dropped the gear and we went to full flaps. This airplane can come down fast and smooth, so we landed runway 09 and were able to stop around KILO. We were cleared to taxi on RW01 to DELTA and then to our home hangar.
I’m working on improving my passenger briefing and customer care, but I think I have the flying thing down. Weather planning was perfect, and fuel planning as well
Fly Safe! I’ll be off again next week.
Frank
