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Lynn Matteson
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan
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 Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:49 am Post subject: Oshkosh AirVenture/return trip |
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I had two safe flights, Marco....I had to stop on the way there for
weather ahead of me near Gary, Indiana, and I had to stop on the way
back for weather all around me on the return trip. On that return
trip, I got down to about 500-700 AGL to stay under the crap, but I
was still hitting an occasional "low cloud", and it was pretty
unnerving. I sat it out at Hobart, Indiana, for a couple of hours,
then followed the shoreline up into Michigan. When I say I followed
the shoreline, I mean the GPS showed I was following the shoreline,
but my eyes said bullshit, there's no shoreline down there. I looked
left to see the water, and could not tell that I was over, or near
the lake. "If the air is clear" is the key phrase here. When I left
'kosh on Friday morning, it WAS clear for about 50 miles going south,
but it turned into crap shortly after. I flew above the crap so long
that it was kinda unsettling, then went under the crap and that was
scary because it was getting lower and lower, so I put down. I landed
at Hobart, and that paved runway might just as well have been
turf....the runway was almost entirely cracked, with grass growing up
through the cracks. It made me wonder of there were chunks of
pavement gone, but it was just fine....just kinda further rattled my
cage to see what I was going to land on. But the people there were
great, and they took me into town where we grabbed some lunch at a
White Castle (I thought they went belly up!), and I was soon on my
way when the weather cleared up a bit. It was great to finally see
the ground again...and it was Michigan ground, at that! : )
Lynn Matteson
Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
Jabiru 2200, #2062
Prince prop 64 x 30, P-tip
Electroair direct-fire ignition system
Rotec TBI-40 injection (sleeved to 36mm)
Status: flying with "Ramcharger" intake manifold...1151 hrs (since
3-27-2006)
do not archive
On Jul 25, 2011, at 12:00 PM, Marco Menezes wrote:
| Quote: | Alright . . . I'll concede 45 miles, Big Sable point to Two Rivers,
WI. At 9,000 msl, you don't lose the horizon for very long if the
air is clear. With lake reporting talking to you every 10 minutes,
it goes by pretty fast. Plus, if you time it right, you could ditch
half-way across just about the time the car ferry goes by! 
Kidding aside, the northern round-about takes quite a bit longer
even cutting the corner Charlevoix to Beaver Island to Manistique.
2 shorter over water legs but more total time over water. Overall,
the direct route makes sense for me, provided I've got the
necessary confidence in my 582. I'm not quite there after this
Spring's overhaul. Under the circumstances, I don't think I'll be
coming this year.
Have a safe flight!
Marco Menezes N99KX
Model 2 582-90 C-Box 3:1 w/clutch
Hersey, MI
Fri, 7/22/11, Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net> wrote:
From: Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>
Subject: Re: Re: Oshkosh AirVenture
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 7:40 PM
30, my ass! The shortest I've heard is about 65...real miles, not
those stinking nautical miles. I'm heading out first light
tomorrow, if it's not raining. If it is, and I can fly around it, I
will. I might just choose to fly along the shoreline near Chicago,
but early morning has a way of producing fog down there. If that's
a no-go, I can always fly down below 1900' and give myself the
willies by hugging Chicago's west side.
A friend of mine just flew to the Bahamas in his C172, and even he
turned around on a trip across Lake Michigan because he lost sight
of the horizon.
Nope, no water for this kid...but I can see why you mid-state folks
like the water....if you had to go around, it'd be a l---o----n---g
trip. See you there?
Lynn Matteson
Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
Jabiru 2200, #2062
Prince prop 64 x 30, P-tip
Electroair direct-fire ignition system
Rotec TBI-40 injection (sleeved to 36mm)
Status: flying with "Ramcharger" intake manifold...1142 hrs (since
3-27-2006)
On Jul 22, 2011, at 11:39 AM, Marco Menezes wrote:
> Overfly the big lake, Lynn - only 30 miles or so, Big Sable point
to Manitowoc. It cuts 2 hours off your trip and avoids Chicago
traffic. Use lake reporting service. Your Jabiru is reliable
enough . . . now.
>
> Marco Menezes N99KX
> Model 2 582-90 C-Box 3:1 w/clutch
> Hersey, MI
>
> --- On Fri, 7/22/11, Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net> wrote:
>
> From: Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>
> Subject: Re: Re: Oshkosh AirVenture
> To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
> Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 9:24 AM
>
>
>
> Heading out today, tomorrow, or Sunday...whenever the nasty weather
> opens up a window to fly through. Right now Chicago is having
airport
> delays, so I guess it's best (for me) not to
> start out today. My flight will only be about 4 hours, so I have to
> pick a clearing in weather and go....HBC for about 4-5 days.
>
> Lynn Matteson
> Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
> Jabiru 2200, #2062
> Prince prop 64 x 30, P-tip
> Electroair direct-fire ignition system
> Rotec TBI-40 injection (sleeved to 36mm)
> Status: flying with "Ramcharger" intake manifold...1142 hrs (since
> 3-27-2006)
> do not archive
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jul 21, 2011, at 3:23 PM, Dorsal wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I will be there, camping in the HBC area, probably Mon-Wed.
> >
> > --------
> > Dorsal
> > Series 7 Flying
> > 912S Warp Drive
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Read this topic online here:
> >
> > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=347335#347335
> >
> >
> >
> >= Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, ; --> http://
f= - List Contributionsp; &bsp;-->
http://www.======================
>
>
>
> www.matrp; --> http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List
sp; --> ht= -Matt .matronics.com/
contribution" target=_blank>http://www.matronics.com/
contr================
www.matronics.com/contribution _-
============================================================
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_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM |
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| Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:32 am Post subject: Oshkosh AirVenture/return trip |
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Lynn,
Glad you're home safe.
What you describe sounds suspiciously like "IMC" which we VFR pilots are repetedly warned against. I had a similar experience returning from OSH in 2008. Haze to the east departing Manitowoc turned into a pretty solid "undercast" about half way across the pond. I was at 7500 msl and Lansing kept telling me it was clearing to the east so I refrained from decending through a "green hole" I discovered over Ludington. No more of those materialized. As I approached Evart, Big Rapids AWOS (25 miles to SW) was reporting ceiling 1700' and misty rain. Lansing kept promising clear skies to the East but it's not happening and by now I'm low on fuel. So, I decided to gingerly descend into the murk.
Cloud layer started at about 4000 msl. I had no artificial horizon then so I focused on a keeping shiny side-up: bubble centered, constant airspeed and rate of descent (1000'/min). Rain is streaking on the windscreen. I ignored my heading so, after what seemed like an hour, I broke through at 700 feet agl (still right-side up!) and found I was headed almost 180 degrees off my intended course.
I turned east again, heart returned to it's proper position in chest cavity and landing was wet but uneventful. I bought a Tru-Track electronic attitude indicator the very next day. Afterward, I remembered the 1500' communications tower located just west of where I emerged from the soup. 
Marco
From: Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>
Subject: Re: Re: Oshkosh AirVenture/return trip
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Date: Saturday, July 30, 2011, 10:46 AM
I had two safe flights, Marco....I had to stop on the way there for weather ahead of me near Gary, Indiana, and I had to stop on the way back for weather all around me on the return trip. On that return trip, I got down to about 500-700 AGL to stay under the crap, but I was still hitting an occasional "low cloud", and it was pretty unnerving. I sat it out at Hobart, Indiana, for a couple of hours, then followed the shoreline up into Michigan. When I say I followed the shoreline, I mean the GPS showed I was following the shoreline, but my eyes said bullshit, there's no shoreline down there. I looked left to see the water, and could not tell that I was over, or near the lake. "If the air is clear" is the key phrase here. When I left 'kosh on Friday morning, it WAS clear for about 50 miles going south, but it turned into crap shortly after. I flew above the crap so long that it was kinda unsettling, then went under the crap and that was scary because it was
getting lower and lower, so I put down. I landed at Hobart, and that paved runway might just as well have been turf....the runway was almost entirely cracked, with grass growing up through the cracks. It made me wonder of there were chunks of pavement gone, but it was just fine....just kinda further rattled my cage to see what I was going to land on. But the people there were great, and they took me into town where we grabbed some lunch at a White Castle (I thought they went belly up!), and I was soon on my way when the weather cleared up a bit. It was great to finally see the ground again...and it was Michigan ground, at that! : )
Lynn Matteson
Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
Jabiru 2200, #2062
Prince prop 64 x 30, P-tip
Electroair direct-fire ignition system
Rotec TBI-40 injection (sleeved to 36mm)
Status: flying with "Ramcharger" intake manifold...1151 hrs (since 3-27-2006)
do not archive
On Jul 25, 2011, at 12:00 PM, Marco Menezes wrote:
[quote] Alright . . . I'll concede 45 miles, Big Sable point to Two Rivers, WI. At 9,000 msl, you don't lose the horizon for very long if the air is clear. With lake reporting talking to you every 10 minutes, it goes by pretty fast. Plus, if you time it right, you could ditch half-way across just about the time the car ferry goes by!
Kidding aside, the northern round-about takes quite a bit longer even cutting the corner Charlevoix to Beaver Island to Manistique. 2 shorter over water legs but more total time over water. Overall, the direct route makes sense for me, provided I've got the necessary confidence in my 582. I'm not quite there after this Spring's overhaul. Under the circumstances, I don't think I'll be coming this year.
Have a safe flight!
Marco Menezes N99KX
Model 2 582-90 C-Box 3:1 w/clutch
Hersey, MI
Fri, 7/22/11, Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net> wrote:
From: Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>
Subject: Re: Re: Oshkosh AirVenture
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 7:40 PM
30, my ass! The shortest I've heard is about 65...real miles, not those stinking nautical miles. I'm heading out first light tomorrow, if it's not raining. If it is, and I can fly around it, I will. I might just choose to fly along the shoreline near Chicago, but early morning has a way of producing fog down there. If that's a no-go, I can always fly down below 1900' and give myself the willies by hugging Chicago's west side.
A friend of mine just flew to the Bahamas in his C172, and even he turned around on a trip across Lake Michigan because he lost sight of the horizon
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Lynn Matteson
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:20 am Post subject: Oshkosh AirVenture/return trip |
|
|
OUCH! (to the 1500' tower)
Yeah, I think IMC would pretty well describe what I ventured into.
About the time that my GPS screen was filled with little "yellow
tents" (probably what Custer saw with his naked eye at Little Big
Horn), I was asking myself, "Hmmm, when was the last time I had my
GPS updated? How many new towers are there that this thing ain't
reporting?" And that's when the Hanes salesman should have come
calling....I'm sure I could have used a new pair.
Speaking of Tru-Trak, I have their attitude indicator with direction
feed coming from my Garmin GPS. Every now and then the direction
indicator reads "001" instead of whatever direction I am actually
going. On the way to OSH, it worked perfectly until about 20 miles
out, then read 001. While at OSH, I asked the Tru-Trak guys what
could be wrong, and that I had already sent it in for "repair", and
that it came back as "no problem"...they couldn't find any fault with
it. A guy standing behind me said "try swapping out your GPS with
another model 296, 396, etc. and see if that doesn't fix the
problem". He said that occasionally the GPS will not send out the
proper info on the blue wire, which is the data port out. On the way
home, and during the aforementioned visibility problem, I was relying
HEAVILY on the artificial horizon/ bank indicator, and it was the
reference I had for several seconds at a time for a long time, until
I landed. When I resumed my flight...better weather, thank you....and
refueled at Dowagiac, MI, and continued home, the direction again
read "001", but by then the crisis was over. I've arranged to borrow
a 396 to test the theory that that guy offered. And I hope I learned
a lesson about IMC weather, and avoiding it at all costs....including
the ultimate cost.
Lynn Matteson
Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
Jabiru 2200, #2062
Prince prop 64 x 30, P-tip
Electroair direct-fire ignition system
Rotec TBI-40 injection (sleeved to 36mm)
Status: flying with "Ramcharger" intake manifold...1152 hrs (since
3-27-2006)
On Aug 1, 2011, at 12:29 PM, Marco Menezes wrote:
| Quote: | Lynn,
Glad you're home safe.
What you describe sounds suspiciously like "IMC" which we VFR
pilots are repetedly warned against. I had a similar experience
returning from OSH in 2008. Haze to the east departing Manitowoc
turned into a pretty solid "undercast" about half way across the
pond. I was at 7500 msl and Lansing kept telling me it was clearing
to the east so I refrained from decending through a "green hole" I
discovered over Ludington. No more of those materialized. As I
approached Evart, Big Rapids AWOS (25 miles to SW) was reporting
ceiling 1700' and misty rain. Lansing kept promising clear skies to
the East but it's not happening and by now I'm low on fuel. So, I
decided to gingerly descend into the murk.
Cloud layer started at about 4000 msl. I had no artificial horizon
then so I focused on a keeping shiny side-up: bubble centered,
constant airspeed and rate of descent (1000'/min). Rain is
streaking on the windscreen. I ignored my heading so, after what
seemed like an hour, I broke through at 700 feet agl (still right-
side up!) and found I was headed almost 180 degrees off my intended
course.
I turned east again, heart returned to it's proper position in
chest cavity and landing was wet but uneventful. I bought a Tru-
Track electronic attitude indicator the very next day. Afterward, I
remembered the 1500' communications tower located just west of
where I emerged from the soup.
Marco
|
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
|
_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM |
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