Shelter in Place ---The new definition

[donkaye, MCFI]

New definition of "Shelter in Place" as found online:

"As this explainer, well, explains, residents of the six counties (Bay Area) in question can get in their car to drive elsewhere, can pick up takeout from the many restaurants still serving it, can go out for a walk or run or for all sorts of other activities (while advised to stay six feet from others), and on and on. Police have some discretion to enforce a stricter set of guidelines, but as of now they aren’t doing so at all. You can leave your house whenever you want."

I went flying  today for the first time in 3 weeks.  I never came close to another person.  I drove to the airport alone, entered the gate code to open the gate, then disinfected with a bottle of Germ-X I've had in my flight bag for a few years before you couldn't buy a disinfectant if your life depended on it, and drove to my hangar.  Awhile back I had updated the System to the G5, which among other things is the heart of the GFC 500, but had never flown to check it out.  I decided to go over to the Monterey Bay and shoot a few approaches.  It was forecast to be IFR over there all day.  Earlier, I had called Norcal to see if they were allowing multiple approaches.  They were.  During the trip over, which was VFR, I could checkout the G5.  

KSJC was not "dead as a door nail", but it was close.  One Southwest plane came in as I was doing my runup, but there had been no activity since I had gone to the hangar.

On the trip over to KSNS, I did my testing and, unlike some people who were having problems with this update, my G5 worked perfectly.  Tops were above 3,200 feet so all the approaches were in IMC and all holding was IMC.  In the 1½ hours I worked over there I was the only one working the airports.

The GFC 500 continues to be amazing.  Here is the FlightAware track of my flight.  https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9148W I did the RNAV 13 into Salinas, did the hold, then got vectored for the same approach.  On that missed I asked for and got the RNAV 28L approach into KMRY.  ATC asked me if I wanted to do the hold for that approach or get vectored, so I took the full approach with the hold.  That was the 3rd approach and I had promised Shirley I would only be gone a couple of hours, so I got a clearance back to San Jose, where I flew the ILS.  While the airspeeds varied as required, track and GP were rock solid.  Unlike many previous times, there were no delays or "keep up your speed" requests getting back into San Jose.

It was a good break from staying home all day.

[carusoam]

Don,

Do you have a preferred set of speeds for a day of practice like that?

a Cruise speed that gets you to one approach to the next?

Best regards,

-a-

[TCABM]

New definition of "Shelter in Place" as found online:
As this explainer well, explains, residents of the six counties (Bay Area) in question can get in their car to drive elsewhere, can pick up takeout from the many restaurants still serving it, can go out for a walk or run or for all sorts of other activities (while advised to stay six feet from others), and on and on. Police have some discretion to enforce a stricter set of guidelines, but as of now they aren’t doing so at all. You can leave your house whenever you want."
I went flying  today for the first time in 3 weeks.  I never came close to another person.  I drove to the airport alone, entered the gate code to open the gate, then disinfected with a bottle of Germ-X I've had in my flight bag for a few years before you couldn't buy a disinfectant if your life depended on it, and drove to my hangar.  Awhile back I had updated the System to the G5 which controls is the heart of the GFC 500, but had never flown to check it out.  I decided to go over to the Monterey Bay and shoot a bunch of approaches.  It was forecast to be IFR over there all day.  Earlier, I had called Norcal to see if they were allowing multiple approaches.  They were.  During the trip over, which was VFR, I could checkout the G5.
KSJC was not "dead as a door nail", but it was close.  One Southwest plane came in as I was doing my runup, but there had been no activity since I had gone to the hangar.
On the trip over to KSNS, I did my testing and, unlike some people who were having problems with this update, my G5 worked perfectly.  Tops were above 3,200 feet so all the approaches were in IMC and all holding was IMC.  In the 1½ hours I worked over there I was the only one working the airports.
The GFC 500 continues to be amazing.  Here is the FlightAware track of my flight.  https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9148W I did the RNAV 13 into Salinas, did the hold, then got vectored for the same approach.  On that missed I asked for and got the RNAV 28L approach in to KMRY.  ATC asked me if I wanted to do the hold for that approach or get vectored, so I took the full approach with the hold.  That was the 3rd approach and I had promised Shirley I would only be gone a couple of hours, so I got a clearance back to San Jose, where I flew the ILS.  While the airspeeds varied as required, track and GP were rock solid.  Unlike many previous times, there were no delays or "keep up your speed" requests getting back into San Jose.
It was a good break from staying home all day.

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard TCABM... or I should say, congrats on your first post!

You found the quote button.

If you want, there is an edit and delete button too...

Best regards,

-a-

[donkaye, MCFI]

14 hours ago, carusoam said:

Don,

Do you have a preferred set of speeds for a day of practice like that?

a Cruise speed that gets you to one approach to the next?

Best regards,

-a-

It really depends on the group of airports I'm working.  For instance in the Stockton area, there are a number of different approaches to practice just for the Stockton airport.  In that case on the missed and going downwind, to expedite things, I'll do 140 kts until base turn, then start slowing on base.   Since ATC turns you on base about 10 miles out, I'll keep my speed up until a couple of mile before GS/GP intercept, then pop the speed brakes to slow to 105 kts (5 knots below flap speed) and run the balance of the approach at the speed.  Of course, if I'm going to land then slow down and add flaps to land on the 1,000 foot marker at touchdown speed.

In an area like the Monterey Bay where there are 4 airports to "ping pong" off of, all very close together, I'll tend to stay slightly above the bottom of the power curve (around 120 kts) for efficiency and fuel savings.  For example, in yesterday's flight I only used a total 24.8 gallons.  For a typical 1½ flight for the Bravo it would usually be around 30 gallons including 29 gal/hr in the climb. 

[RobertGary1]

I have an office in north San Jose and fly my Mooney in a couple times a month. Only wish the FBO wasn’t $100/ day.  
 

-Robert 

[thinwing]

Great post Don!Question,do you have a personal plan as to when in the future you will be comfortable giving instruction again?

[donkaye, MCFI]

2 hours ago, thinwing said:

Great post Don!Question,do you have a personal plan as to when in the future you will be comfortable giving instruction again?

The current situation certainly has decimated the flight instructing profession.  Since I'm in the critical age group, I need to be more careful that the younger group.  I have a number of people who have called asking for Flight Reviews, and I have one student who wants to continue with his Instrument rating, so I am interested in getting started as soon as possible.  After the "Shelter in Place" has been lifted, if someone wants to work with me, I'll be confirming that they haven't been sick for at least the previous 14  days, will probably require that, with a sanitized digital "touch" thermometer supplied by me, they don't have a temperature, and provide sanitizer to clean both of our hands and yoke before flight.

Until there is a vaccine, this virus will be changing the way we do business.

[Yooper Rocketman]

8 hours ago, donkaye said:

The current situation certainly has decimated the flight instructing profession.  Since I'm in the critical age group, I need to be more careful that the younger group.  I have a number of people who have called asking for Flight Reviews, and I have one student who wants to continue with his Instrument rating, so I am interested in getting started as soon as possible.  After the "Shelter in Place" has been lifted, if someone wants to work with me, I'll be confirming that they haven't been sick for at least the previous 14  days, will probably require that, with a sanitized digital "touch" thermometer supplied by me, they don't have a temperature, and provide sanitizer to clean both of our hands and yoke before flight.

Until there is a vaccine, this virus will be changing the way we do business.

Unfortunately, some of the best flight instructors available in this country are older like you Don.  This places a lot of risk on you guys.  I just spoke this afternoon with our resident CFII at our airport.....he's the only one.  He's 65 years old but has some medical challenges due to an almost life ending car accident with a DUI driver speeding through a red light in town at over 70 MPH (happened 25 years ago).  He's rattled.  He loves to teach, is great at it, and it's his only income.  

Tom

[tigers2007]

He's 65 years old

Wow I didn’t think he was that old! Maybe he can do some rogue instruction wearing a Tyvek suit with a PAPR. I can’t wait for a reliable antibody test to come out so at least some of us can congregate.