Well, after almost a week of postponing due to thunderstorms, I have finally completed my cross-country to Daytona. While all of my flights are all with a purpose, this one had specific requirements. This was supposed to be completed following the completion of my multi-engine add-on and prior to my instrument training. In order to receive a commercial rating (the rating which allows me to finally be paid to fly instead of the inverse), I am required by regulation to complete a 2-hour cross-country flight of at least 100 nautical miles straight-line distance from origin to destination under VFR conditions (visual flight rules) during the day and at night. While it is entirely possible to do those cross-country flights on different days, it makes a lot more sense to do a day cross-country to a location 100 miles away during the evening, wait for nightfall, and then return at night.
So, I suppose this is the story of that flight. When we first started doing our flight planning, we noticed that the ATP-approved cross-country to Daytona Beach, while meeting all the distance requirements per the regulation, was not going to take the required 2-hours. So, to extend the flight a little, we decided to file our cross-country to Melbourne Florida for a low-approach and then up the coast to Daytona. Here is what our flight track, which can be tracked live, eventually looked like. I think on some of my longer cross-country flights, I'm going to post my flights so that you can track me.
Just as last time, we called up St Pete ground to get our clearance. This time, they gave us a clearance to "fly heading 330 and climb to 1600. Expect 4000 after one-zero minutes and vectors to join the victor airway and then cleared to the Daytona Beach Airport as filed." The victor airway are basically aviation highways. There are designated routes between navigational aides. The dotted blue line in the picture above is the Victor airway between St Pete and Melbourne. The green line was our track. As you can see, we took off from St Pete/Clearwater (KPIE) to the north and then were radar vectored to join the victor airway. The reason for this is because almost directly to the east of the airport is another VERY busy airport in Tampa.
Instead of vectoring us north or south of the airport, we were vectored directly over the top of the airport...and with good reason. To the north and south, very large airliners are either on approach or landing. If they have us fly directly over the airport at 4000 feet, they guarantee vertical separation by no less than 3000 feet. Not many airlines fly low unless they are planning to land and if you are on approach to land, you are on the ground when you are over the airport. So, problem solved. They don't have to slow down the arrival rate by having us fly through the arrival or departure corridor and we don't have to circle until there is a space for us in said corridors.
The rest of the flight to Daytona was pretty uneventful. We did a low-approach at Melbourne. A "low-approach" is a term for a practiced instrument or visual approach without a landing. It saves some time, gas, and is statistically safer than actually landing. It allows us to keep our IFR flight plan open and not have to file a new one when we land.
From Melbourne, we are routed north along the coast as shown above. It was really neat to be able to see Cape Canaveral from the air. My instructor pointed out the now-defunct Space Shuttle Assembly building and launch pad. Even from 4000 feet, it looked huge. A few minutes after passing "the cape," we tuned to the Automatic Terminal Information Service or ATIS. This is a broadcast that is played on repeat and is updated every hour or when needed in the event of runway closures or significant weather changes. Each recording is given a phonetic alphabet designation so that you can tell ATC that you have received the most current version of the ATIS. When we tuned to Daytona Beach ATIS, what we heard was way outside of the norm. Along with the typical weather information (winds, ceiling, visibility, landing runways, approaches in progress, etc) most ATIS will pass on one or two different NOTAMS or Notice to Airmen. These include lighting systems that are inoperative or obstructions like cranes in the vicinity of the airfield that you should be cautious of. Daytona's was quite the list. So, here is an example of what we heard.
"Daytona Beach International Airport Information Foxtrot 0053 Zulu. Winds 300 at 06. Visibility 7 Sky: Few 3500, Fewt 4000, Ceiling Broken Cumulonimbus 6000. Altimeter 2985. Arrivals expect visual approach runway 25R. Notice to airmen: (and this is where it got weird) ILS 25R glide slope out of service. Taxiway Papa east of Taxiway Echo closed. Taxiway Echo closed between Taxiway November and Taxiway Papa. Taxiway November east of Taxiway November-8 closed. Runway 25R runway remaining length signs out-of-service. Runways 25R hold-short sign and lights out of service. Runway 25R PAPI(the lights that give you a visual glide slope to the runway) out-of-service. Warning! The first 3183 feet of Runway 25R closed. Noise abatement procedures in progress. All traffic landing 25R maintain 2000 feet until final. Clearance Delivery use 120.8. Arrivals contact Approach 128.6. Advice on initial contact you have information Foxtrot."
My instructor and both looked at each other and said...holy shit. The airport was seemingly completely broken. Out of all that jazz, the thing that was the most perplexing was the runway. The first 3000 feet of the runway is closed?! WTF does that even mean? I mean, I'm decent at judging distance but having to judge 3000 feet? Where does the runway begin then? Is it marked? It's getting dark and half the lights don't work.
Well, we eventually found the new beginning of the runway and landed just fine. In fact, it was a very gentle landing if I do say so myself. Haha.
So, we stayed in Daytona for about an hour to let it get completely dark and to get gas. We got our takeoff clearance and departed back for St Pete. It wasn't nearly as exciting as the way back. Florida at night is actually really boring. We climbed to 5000 feet and just cruised there until we got to Orlando. We heard a lot of chatter over the radio about the severe thunderstorm directly over Orlando. Some of the traffic was subject to flow-control due to the decreased arrival rate allowed at Orlando International. And then it was pretty quiet. Until....
Southwest Airlines Flight: "(In a British Accent) Orlando Approach, Southwest 5317 with you 12000."
ATC: "Southwest 5317, roger. Descend and maintain 7000. Expect vectors for the ILS runway 35R approach at Orlando."
SW 5317: "Descend to 7000 with vectors for the ILS 35R." (Brief Pause) "Uh, Orlando Approach, you wouldn't happen to have the score of the Rays-Yanks game would ya?" (It was the last game of the wildcard chase)
ATC: "Are you a Yankee or Rays fan?"
SW 5317: "Neither, my FO is a big Rays fan and was just inquiring about the status of the ballgame."
ATC: "Well, he won't be happy to know that the Yankees are winning 7-0" (Another brief Pause) "And Boston is winning 3-2"
SW 5317: "Well, thanks anyway"
I couldn't help but laugh. I told my instructor that I thought that was a pretty odd conversation to have on approach to an airport. I guess when it isn't busy, you think about things like baseball and landing an airplane. So for the next few days I'm going to be buried in the simulator. Maybe I'll have some good, frustrating stories from there. My next flight is Saturday and is a cross-country to Ocala. Stay tuned until then!
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