LT Iain McConnell Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HH-60J First Pilot CFI and CFII Civil Air Patrol Check Pilot

94-98 USCG Academy 98-00 USCGC Polar Star 00-01 Navy Flight School, Pensacola 01-04 Air Station Clearwater 04 Got married in January!

Allison’s trip to New Orleans

Keep the goal in perspective They say that it takes about 1 hour to learn the fundamentals of flying, maybe 1 year to learn to fly safely, and a full lifetime to know when NOT to fly! Big Picture: safety, increase Allison’s love for General Aviation, cost, my proficiency, time spent together as a couple Currency and proficiency Weather Route IFR, VFR, or DVFR FAR compliance Fault tolerance Decrease risk

KLN 89B GPS, 2 VHF, 2 VOR+ILS 40 gallons usable fuel 55% power: 495 nm @ 90 kts, 6.4 gph 75% power: 475 nm @ 118 kts, 8.4 gph Rented from Clearwater Air Park

IFR Currency? Time “A”: current! “B” “C” Fly with safety pilot 6 mo. + 6 mo. grace period Fly with safety pilot “C” Get an IPC

Route Utility Special use airspace Nav aids and comms “dead zones” Divert field (not often scrutinized for Sunday flying) Altitude, temp, weight, humidity, wash and wax Utility directly relates to fuel vs. luggage. In this case, it’s only two people and small bags. Be ready for position reporting. Go VFR, accepting risk of Warning areas, etc, filing at least one waypoint in each ARTCC area.

Equal Time Point Location where the time required to return to the last suitable airfield is equal to the time required to proceed to the next suitable airfield. Calculate assuming aircraft emergency; consider wind & TAS at lower altitude 198 nm=half way No wind

Distance to ETP = Total distance x GS (return) GS (return) + GS (cont) Distance to ETP = 396 nm x 140 kts = 231nm 140 kts + 100 kts Distance to ETP = 396 nm x 100 kts = 165 nm 100 kts + 140 kts headwind 231 Calculate fuel remaining at the ETP. (1+30) Subtract descent, approach and landing fuel requirements (assume 0 + 20) Calculate the amount of flight time available with fuel remaining vs. time to land (for this example, times are equal) If the flight time remaining is less than the time to return, the flight has a “wet footprint” – make the necessary adjustments in fuel load, route or cancel the flight. So, time remaining is equal to time to return, so we are O.K., right?? NOT TRUE. Remember, fuel reserves. So, in this case, an adjustment to route, fuel load, or flight must be cancelled. What if time remaining was 30 minutes longer? (Then need to look at IFR mins vs. VFR mins) tailwind 165

                                                         The ADIZ!!! Air Defense Identification Zone. It’s a band which stretches around our coast. It varies in width, and doesn’t touch the shore. (ie: it starts a few miles off shore) The ADIZ is thin near Bimini and it starts about 300 miles offshore near Jacksonville. Some people talk about an “inner” and an “outer” ADIZ line. What they really mean is the inner and outer boundary of this one zone. Some people erroneously think these lines are the beginnings of two different layers of ADIZ, as in an “outer ADIZ” and an “inner ADIZ.” No! The ADIZ is just one zone, and it has a line on either side marking its boundaries. Can the radar really see me? YES! How far out can it see? Hank Tracy, Miami Center Military Liaison, says: Miami’s radar can see aircraft at 1000 ft. at Bimini. This radar is line-of-sight, so the further an aircraft is away from the radar, the higher it must fly for the radar to see it. There are parts of the ADIZ which can’t be seen on the radar. But, radars are scattered around the area, including one in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. P-3 are used by customs, which sometimes transit the ADIZ. Sometimes AWACS here, and they link their radars to OakGrove. Ballon near Key West. This balloon gives OakGrove information, but that info is not provided to Miami Center. The balloon can see down to the surface out to about 300 miles. Miami Center isn’t the only place watching the skies. Oakgrove is the NORAD detachment Tyndall AFB. Planes must be ID’d within 2 minutes of penetrating the ADIZ inbound. About 280-300 “unkowns” per year. Scrambles from Homestead about once or twice a week. Florida Guard, out of Jacksonville, detatchment with F-15s. Sometimes the 93rd Fighter Squadron, based at Homestead, uses F-16s. Intercept airplane will get a tail number and follow the intercepted plane to the destination. According to the AOPA, since 9/11 military aircraft have either scrambled or diverted from routine operations 1,500 times since to protect the skies over Alaska, Canada, and the continental United States. Big point: Read FAR part 99, the intercept procedures, and be ready to hail another airplane which is flying above you!!!! The ADIZ

ADIZ Read AIM 5-6-1 before you go File on ground, not in flight Transponder set to assigned squawk Monitor 121.5 MHz for “Unknown Rider” Penetrate +/- 5 minutes and +/- 20 nm Why not fly IFR? At least use VFR flight following! DVFR is not hard to do, just do it right! Making landfall through the ADIZ. Visual landfall is very difficult. Use navaids.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

FARs 14 CFR 91 has no requirements 14 CFR 135.165 Extended Overwater Defined as 50nm from shore Requires redundant radios and nav. systems 14 CFR 135.167 Emergency Equipment Life preservers, rafts, pyrotechnics, ELTs

Tolerating Imperfections Route Straight line is maximum range VFR the only option Out of nav and comm radio range Weather Unexpected headwinds IMC Betting on perfect airplane and pilot!

A revised route! 159 nm 396 nm Entire flight over water. Slight headwind increase not tolerable. No navigation input besides GPS and D.R. Communications dead zones. Warning Areas. Risk of hijacking by wife! (just kidding) I have never pushed N738HG this far! Accept few imperfections over water Change route Be ready for the weather Take a second pilot and Allison can sit in the back seat. Don’t go, go later, or buy a ticket. 396 nm

Flight! Spatial disorientation! Relay comms through airliners on 123.450 or on 121.5 if needed. Keeping a good guard with the FSS. Flight!