I am on Southwest 461, Houston Hobby to LAX. Later I will board EVA Air BR015 to Taipei, and later again on to Hong Kong. I completed my Seminole Multi-Engine Review Checkout last Monday at Anson Air, Sugarland (KSGR).
Over the week I gained some very useful IFR experience. The Seminole N2094C is equipped with a KLN 89B. A quite capable GPS system. The countdown display to the next point makes it very easy to work out when to descend to reach crossing altitudes. I backed up the routes with my GPS296 for situational awareness and a sanity check, and any appropriate VORs. I received some instruction on using the KLN 89B for approaches. I’d used the KLN 89B before but only for the en-route flight phase.
- Tuesday.
- VFR (with flight following) to Fort Worth Spinks solo.
- IFR back to Sugarland via the Fort Worth SID to CLL and the Blubell arrival and a visual solo.
- Night Review with an Instructor.
- Night departure from Sugarland.
- 2 x Landings and departures at Wharton (KARM).
- Landing and Departure at Houston Hobby (KHOU).
- 2 x Landings and departures at Sugarland.
- Wednesday (with my Sister as pax.).
- IFR from Sugarland to Brenham (11R), RNAV rwy 16 to the FAF where I cancelled IFR. We flew around Lake Summerville then landed at Brenham for Lunch in the 50’s themed restaurant. Good food, well worth a visit.
- IFR from Brenham to Georgetown (KGTU), Visual approach.
- IFR from Georgetown to Sugarland. A very interesting visual approach: held at 3,000 by Approach until 2.5 NM final on runway 17 due to the Citation ahead of me orbiting ahead and a departure below us at 2,000 ft. The circuit was busy so to save more disruption to the pattern I continued with a straight in. No problem! The Seminole descends well with the Gear down and throttled back at full fine. I needed to land long in any case to avoid the wake of the Citation that preceded me. I picked up the power again on short final to stabilize at a normal descent rate before landing after the touchdown point of the Citation.
- Thursday (with my Sister as pax.).
- IFR from Sugarland to Valley International, (KHRL). I flew the ILS 17R to get down through the scattered cloud with a visual break to 17L.
- IFR from Valley International to Laredo, (KLRD) with a visual approach.
- IFR from Laredo to Sugarland. ATC gave me a totally different but shorter route from filed which was good experience for me. I’d filed via SAT but went via CRP.
- Friday, I took the day off.