Adding a New State to the Portfolio
I had the pleasure of accompanying two friends on a trip down south in the Turbo Cirrus this weekend. We left at 7:30 Sunday morning after filling up the TKS anti-ice fluid tank. Cirrus thoughtfully redesigned that tank for the G3 airplanes – which is nice because the G2 and earlier have a less-than-ideal design. The only way we know to find that the TKS tanks are full is to try to put fluid in and watch it overflow all over the place. The G3 has the filling port on the wing, instead of on the fuselage. I assume you can also look in to see the fluid level.
We filed IFR and picked it up from Norfolk Approach in the air. We climbed up to 8000 feet and broke out on top about 200 feet above an overcast cloud layer. It is so much fun to be barely over the clouds like that – it gives you a true sense of speed since you are passing the clouds so close by. Feels like what I imagine low level mountain flying might be like – but way way safer. Skimming the tops of clouds at 180 knots is an impressive sight. You can also look down and away from the sun to see a little rainbow halo reflecting back at you from the moisture in the clouds. The IFR rating is truly worth it.
As we crossed over N.C. we listened in as a Cessna was shooting approaches in the fog. The approach controller was kindly keeping him updated as to the runway visibility – many times it was less than 0.5 miles. She was looking out for that pilot, making sure he knew what the approach was going to look like. We decided he was getting some good practice in because he was likely shooting the approach to minimums and then going missed down in the fog. And since many nearby airports had no fog issues he could always go somewhere else if he needed fuel.
We kept the nose pointed to KAMG – the land of cheap fuel. It's self serve but at $3.55 a gallon you won't hear me complaining. Especially when your friends are not only paying but PUMPING it too! :)
Soon we were crossing into Florida:
Another hour's flight brought us over top of our destination – Cedar Key, FL (KCDK). This was to be my challenge for the day – my first Cirrus landing on a short runway (2,300'). We checked the performance charts (of course) and knew that 2,300 feet was plenty of length but I still wanted to make sure my approach technique was as good as I could pull off.
Rolling out on final I got full flaps in and started aiming for a point about 50 feet in front of the runway threshold. I made a mental note to focus on getting the airplane down on the runway quickly (as opposed to smoothly) so I could put those brakes to work ASAP.
I crossed some small bushes near the runway with about 10 feet to spare and managed to touch down with only a slight bump about 150 feet down the runway. With John backing me up from the right seat I raised the flaps and started getting on the brakes. We both soon realized that we would stop with plenty of room left so I eased off to save the brake pads some wear and tear. That runway was no problem in a Cirrus.
We pulled into parking and shut down amongst the older Cessna's. I felt like a rock star pulling up in that fancy airplane and getting out of the pilot's seat. The airplane got a few longing stares from other travelers – not to mention a few from me as well. I am a truly lucky man to have access to it – purely thanks to my airport buddies/co-owners. It is far nicer than I deserve. :)
We spent Sunday and Monday in the company of John's friends – very nice and welcoming people who opened up to me faster than any folks I have ever been around before. I think John must have vouched for me ahead of time.
I was witness to many nice things during our stay:
It looked like a fleet of battle ships in some old WWII movie – very cool.
We filed IFR and picked it up from Norfolk Approach in the air. We climbed up to 8000 feet and broke out on top about 200 feet above an overcast cloud layer. It is so much fun to be barely over the clouds like that – it gives you a true sense of speed since you are passing the clouds so close by. Feels like what I imagine low level mountain flying might be like – but way way safer. Skimming the tops of clouds at 180 knots is an impressive sight. You can also look down and away from the sun to see a little rainbow halo reflecting back at you from the moisture in the clouds. The IFR rating is truly worth it.
As we crossed over N.C. we listened in as a Cessna was shooting approaches in the fog. The approach controller was kindly keeping him updated as to the runway visibility – many times it was less than 0.5 miles. She was looking out for that pilot, making sure he knew what the approach was going to look like. We decided he was getting some good practice in because he was likely shooting the approach to minimums and then going missed down in the fog. And since many nearby airports had no fog issues he could always go somewhere else if he needed fuel.
We kept the nose pointed to KAMG – the land of cheap fuel. It's self serve but at $3.55 a gallon you won't hear me complaining. Especially when your friends are not only paying but PUMPING it too! :)
Soon we were crossing into Florida:
Another hour's flight brought us over top of our destination – Cedar Key, FL (KCDK). This was to be my challenge for the day – my first Cirrus landing on a short runway (2,300'). We checked the performance charts (of course) and knew that 2,300 feet was plenty of length but I still wanted to make sure my approach technique was as good as I could pull off.
Rolling out on final I got full flaps in and started aiming for a point about 50 feet in front of the runway threshold. I made a mental note to focus on getting the airplane down on the runway quickly (as opposed to smoothly) so I could put those brakes to work ASAP.
I crossed some small bushes near the runway with about 10 feet to spare and managed to touch down with only a slight bump about 150 feet down the runway. With John backing me up from the right seat I raised the flaps and started getting on the brakes. We both soon realized that we would stop with plenty of room left so I eased off to save the brake pads some wear and tear. That runway was no problem in a Cirrus.
We pulled into parking and shut down amongst the older Cessna's. I felt like a rock star pulling up in that fancy airplane and getting out of the pilot's seat. The airplane got a few longing stares from other travelers – not to mention a few from me as well. I am a truly lucky man to have access to it – purely thanks to my airport buddies/co-owners. It is far nicer than I deserve. :)
We spent Sunday and Monday in the company of John's friends – very nice and welcoming people who opened up to me faster than any folks I have ever been around before. I think John must have vouched for me ahead of time.
I was witness to many nice things during our stay:
- Fancy homes
- Loving canines
- Real key-lime pie – the best I've ever had
- Soft shell crab sandwich – I couldn't believe how good it was but you can't look at it as the crab is whole. That's why you hide it in a bun. :)
- The best salad I've ever had – kind of like a Mediterranean deal, but even better
- A beautiful condo with one heck of a view of the island
- A lovely sunset over the Gulf
- Good friends enjoying each other's company
It looked like a fleet of battle ships in some old WWII movie – very cool.
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