Rewind

Yes, I put the headset on the table just for the picture.

So – what happened?? I know you’re wondering. Well I’m wondering too. So until I find out, you won’t know either! But there’s plenty to catch you up on from the last month, and with some of the moments of leisure I now have, I will do just that. Where did we leave off? Oh yes, flights to Southern California…

Last year I made a rather expensive mistake when I completely failed to make sure a flight to Redlands properly qualified for my commercial cross-country requirement. However, apart from an important lesson in double-checking stuff, I gained one a notable fringe benefit: the chance for another long flight. (And the chance to spend a lot of money again…)

You see, airplanes are made for going places, and sometimes it’s easy to forget that when all you do is go out and fly an endless round of traffic patterns. There’s just nothing like climbing in a light aircraft and going somewhere new, even if it’s just to turn around and come right back. It certainly beats driving.

Avoid the hairy-looking blue lines and you won't get shot at.

I was looking forward to getting to go cross-country again. Since I was eager to get on a fast-track to finishing my certificate, I planned a one-day marathon flight in the Arrow. No relaxing dinner at the airport restaurant or staying overnight with friends; it would be down to Southern California and back, all in 6 hours. Really all I would have time for anyway, between Biochemistry class periods.

I chose Lompoc as my destination, checked and double-checked the mileage, filed my VFR flight plan, and headed out to the ‘drome to get airborne. I had some goodies along with me in my flight bag. Last year I test-flew a top-of-the-line noise-canceling headset. This year I had a set I could call my own, and I knew the investment would definitely be paying dividends on this flight. To go along with headset, I had also downloaded the complete collection of Mozart Piano Concertos on MP3 to listen to on the way—I was especially looking forward to this!

Who's that on the wing?!

I was wheels up at 1640 and began winging my way southward. With the piano and orchestra playing softly in the background I watched the fields and farmlands of the Sacramento and Central valley pass by, followed by the funny sand dune-like hills on the western side. Then it was over the coastal range, a glance at Paso Robles where I would be stopping for fuel on the way back, and on down the shoreline. The sun was shining through the cockpit almost the whole way down, but I hoped enduring the late-afternoon lighting would pay off with a beautiful sunset.

See the runway out there? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Approaching Lompoc, I skirted around Vandenburg Air Force Base’s airspace and then began the somewhat tricky task of finding my airport. Picking out airports can be challenging, especially when you haven’t been there before. To top things off, the sun was now right in my face and turning the coastal haze in the air a brilliant yellow. I’m thankful for GPS, even though there are still other reliable ways for finding airports (over-flying the area at altitude is one way that makes it a lot easier to spot).

Pointing the plane toward where the field was supposed to be, I made my radio call and then managed to glimpse the runway up ahead. Judging by the silent radio, the airspace was deserted. Of course, who would want to be flying traffic patterns at this time of day with the sun blinding you on final? Only one pilot, I suppose.

The runway loomed in front on me. Landing gear down, full flaps, power back, start flaring and—oops! Thadunk!! (sorry, I’m terrible at coming up with verbal sound effects) Quick, add some throttle before it drops back down again. I hadn’t judged my height right and I had contacted the runway in a less than graceful fashion, resulting in a bounce back into the air. I quickly corrected and the plane settled back to the ground firmly as I muttered about the lovely lighting.

Gorgeous. This was worth waiting for.

It was 1847 – 2 hours and 7 minutes and 279 nautical miles from Auburn. Try doing that in your Honda Accord! I smoothed my ruffled feathers, taxied back to the end of the runway, and took off into the sun to start heading back. Paso Robles was the next stop where I planned to gas up before beginning the night portion of my flight. On the way I was finally rewarded with the sunset I had been hoping for. That’s another experience that is even better when seen from the air.

Arriving at Paso Robles, I decided to take the runway with the strongest crosswind, to get some practice and also to make up for the first botched landing. It was quite fun, flying slightly sideways down final approach and then straightening out, putting the wing down and landing on one wheel first before setting down the other wheels. I felt I had redeemed myself.

Got gas?

After an hour on the ground fueling the plane, talking to a classmate on the phone about next morning’s Biochemistry quiz (“You’re where? Isn’t that like Central California…?”), and tidying up the cockpit, I headed out into the inky darkness for the final objective. The FARs say that a commercial pilot needs to have at least 10 night-time takeoffs and landings at a towered airport. So the last stop of the flight would be Sacramento International for some night-time pattern work!

Coming up on Elk Grove, with Sacramento beyond.

It’s always fun telling people that I can fly into places like SMF. Actually, “International”, as local pilots call it, is pretty friendly to small planes. The tower controller was very accommodating when I arrived and told him what I wanted to do. He set me up for runway 16L and then directed me to extend my pattern legs as necessary as the evening onslaught of airliners began arriving. It’s a pretty cool feeling to be right in there with the Big Boys, following Southwest and United Airlines Boeings down final approach!

Finally, I touched down for the tenth time and then powered away back to Auburn. “Thanks for stopping by,” the tower controller offered in farewell before handing me off to NorCal. Thirteen minutes later I was setting down gently at my home field.

There's something enchanting about airports at night.

The airport was quiet and still as I slowly taxied off the runway and to the parking ramp. I admired the pretty blue taxiway lights and the wind sock and wind tee that looked like lit-up Christmas ornaments. As I flicked off the master switches and pulled the mixture, I expected to hear silence as the noisy engine stopped turning. Instead, in the quiet cockpit the strains of the orchestra and piano immersed me. They were playing the last few lines of the Andante movement from Mozart’s 22^nd Piano Concerto. It was indescribable. Melancholic, yet so beautiful, and just…perfect. And then it was over.