P-51 Mustang Tribute Film: Gray Eagles

February 27, 2010 by Jeff · Comment
Filed under: Flying

The P-51 Mustang is one of the most beautiful and intriguing planes that I’ve ever seen. Even though I’m not a huge warbird nut, I really do love the P-51 and hope to someday get to fly in one. This is an excellent documentary and cool story about a P-51 pilot and his plane.

Started my IFR training!

October 9, 2009 by Jeff · Comment
Filed under: Flying, Jeff

It has been something that I have wanted to do for quite sometime, but I have finally gotten serious about my IFR flight training. I had plans to start earlier in the year after I had some new panel lights installed in N9526J but that had to be put on hold for awhile after the plane was totalled in an unfortunate accident. After going through the spring and most of the summer without a good airplane to fly, I finally got the bug again over our family vacation to Michigan in early July. I rented planes from Dodgen Aircraft in Allegan, MI and got quite a few hours of flight time in West Michigan on the trip. In August I purchased a 1979 Piper Archer II that is loaded and all setup for IFR flight. Click on the picture below to see the specs of the new airplane and to see more pictures.

Before I purchased the new plane I received a stipulation from Lori. She said that she supported the purchase of the new plane as long as I studied and got my IFR within a year. What an ultimatum! Lori wants to be able to use the plane to travel places and to see family more often and I totally understand why she is pushing me to get it. I thought it was a great idea and I immediately started studying again for the IFR written exam. I’m about ready to take the test within a couple of weeks as I’m taking practice tests and scoring in the low 90% range.

I’ve also started the flight portion of my IFR rating. Frank Dorrin is an instructor that I met through flying out of Delaware Airpark (33N). Frank and I have talked a couple of times about the rating and what is required. He is very much down to business and uses a structured syllabus. He also owns a simulator which will help in my training. I’ve decided to start working with Frank and have now completed two flights with him that were both very productive. So far we have practiced the instrument scan, four fundamentals, constant rate climbs and descents, timed turns and we are currently working on patterns. We’ve spent some time on the ground as well and he is preparing me for what I need to know by showing the reference materials that I should use. What I really like about working with Frank as I know what to expect. He lays out the plans and we execute them. Both flights have been at night which is also helping me with my night proficiency. I’ve attached the flight tracks of the two lessons that I’ve completed so far that I downloaded from my Garmin 496. Technology never ceases to amaze me and this data is a great tool to evaluate the flight performance. You can also view the speed and altitude information as well as the flight tracks by clicking on these links: IFR Lesson #1 and IFR Lesson #2.

: IFR Lesson #1

: IFR Lesson #2

West Michigan Flying – July 2009

September 20, 2009 by Jeff · Comment
Filed under: Flying, Hannah, Jeff

In July of 2009 the Frey Family took a trip to West Michigan to see friends and family. I hadn’t had any good rental options over the previous few months as my plane (N9526J) had been totaled by a pilot flying the plane that I used to rent (N41568). I took the opportunity on the trip to West Michigan to fly some of the planes at Dodgen Aircraft in Allegan, MI where Lori’s family lives. The owner of Dodgen is Jason Blair who is a National Association of Flight Instructors Master CFI. I had heard about Jason from flying in Allegan and he recently was teaching on a video blog that I have been following presented by the EAA. Here is a link: Earning My Wings

I contacted Jason and we met on the Monday morning of our vacation. I used the opportunity to not only get checked out but to complete a Biennial Flight Review (BFR). I was a bit nervous and studied for a few things prior to the review. When I met with Jason the nervousness went away. We went for a beautiful flight in a Piper Warrior up the coast of Lake Michigan and did a few procedures and returned back to Allegan. The ground portion was also very laid back and I easily got signed off to rent their planes and my BFR completed.

The next day I offered to take Kathy (Lori’s Mom) and Hannah flying. Kathy is originally from Muskegon so we decided to fly there (KMKG). We had a very nice flight again up the coast of Lake Michigan. I even let Kathy take the controls for a bit and she did very well. I think she was nervous when I was reviewing charts and pretending to look away but I still kept an eye on things. We had a very nice lunch at the airport in Muskegon and returned home. Kathy even let me do some steep turns and she enjoyed them.

I was determined to get a bunch of flying in so the following day I rented another Piper Warrior from Dodgen and flew up to Saginaw, MI (KMBS). My friend Bob was teaching summer school up there and we met up for about an hour just to catch up. It was a good excuse to get up and fly for a couple of hours (as if I needed one).

Click on the pictures to be taken to the gallery from this great week of flying. I logged almost 6 hours of flying in the 3 days. I also believe that this week gave me the bug again and that is why only a couple of weeks later I made an offer on another plane that I now own.

N9526J – Damaged by Another Plane

March 20, 2009 by Jeff · 2 Comments
Filed under: Flying, Jeff

I’m too sick to explain too much but N9526J may have been damaged beyond repair today when another aircraft hit her when trying to land at 33N. The pilot was flying N41568 which is a plane Jeff used to rent as well. The pilot amazingly was not injured. A Cessna Skymaster was also damaged that was parked next to N9526J. It is a sad day!

Click on the picture to the left to see all of the pictures.

Here is a link to the story in the Dover Post: http://www.doverpost.com/news/x679799326/3-plane-fender-bender-rips-off-wing

Flight to Georgetown, DE

February 15, 2009 by Jeff · Comment
Filed under: Bryan, Flying, Hannah, Jeff

It was a beautiful February day so Jeff decided to go flying. He called up Andy P. to see if he was up to it as well. Hannah and Bryan also joined in the fun. Andy had flown with Jeff one other time a few months ago. They flew from Delaware Airpark (33N) to Georgetown, DE (KGED). There they topped off with relatively inexpensive fuel and had a drink at the restaurant. On the way home they flew out over the Delaware Bay and up the coast. They circled Andy’s house where he took some pictures and then they came into land. Total flight time was 1.4 hours with a couple of landings for the day. Everyone had a great time.

C-17 Flight – Niagara Falls

November 1, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment
Filed under: Flying, Jeff

Jeff and Kevin Ripley were lucky enough to get nominated to participate in Employee Appreciation Day for the Air Force Reserves at Dover Air Force Base. They were nominated by Doug Shelton, a Kraft employee who is currently activated in the Air Force Reserves. They had breakfast and a nice presentation about the history of the base and the Reserves. They also had a tour of the base with tours through the distribution warehouse and also the kennels where they train the drug and bomb sniffing dogs. A great lunch was served and afterwards they were treated to a flight in a C-17 Globemaster III from Dover, DE up to Niagara Falls. The group loaded up in the cargo bay of the C-17 and then were treated to multiple visits up to the cockpit. A few performance maneuvers were executed by the pilot which showcased the abilities of the C-17. The first was a shortfield take-off with a quick climb. Enroute they were treated to a zero-G climb to level off. Finally, on final approach they were put into a 60 degree bank turn and then into a short field landing. The pilot said that he had the aircraft stopped in about 800 feet! What a great day. It was much more than I ever would have expected! Click on the picture above to view more pictures from the day.

Itching to Fly!

October 13, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment
Filed under: Flying, Jeff

I just thought I should post quickly about how I’m really anxious to get back up in the air again with N9526J. The last time I flew was at the end of August to get the biennial IFR Cert done which passed with no issues. I flew up to Cross Keys Airport (17N) in New Jersey to visit Alron Avionics. Since then the plane has been grounded for the annual inspection and repairs. The annual has gone relatively well with the engine checking out with compressions all in the mid-70’s. The attitude indicator was sent out for rebuild as it has been somewhat erratic lately. The bad news is that when it came back and was installed it was not working. My mechanic shipped it back out again to get repaired. During this annual I had my Nulites installed. I think they are going to be a nice addition to the plane and will make it possible to fly the plane at night. Lights for the 6-pack, suction gauge and engine instruments were installed. The other gauges already had operational lights. I also had the vacuum pump replaced because my old one was a Rapco rebuilt pump in an Airborne core. Parker sent out a service advisory telling all Airborne pump owners that they need to replace the pumps because they are no longer supported. My old pump worked fine but due to the uncertainty and possible legal issues I decided to purchase a new Rapco vacuum pump.

Back in August I went out to mow the grass around my plane at 33N and found that the airport had already mowed the grass hit the aircraft at least 3 times. They did a significant amount of damage to the right aileron and fuselage. I was quite upset as you can imagine. I worked with the airport manager and they took responsibility for it. Normally they don’t mow within 15 feet of the planes. My mechanic is now making the repairs. The ailerons were both re-skinned (one of which I am paying for because of a previous ding). They look perfect, even the paint! Now the fuselage damage is going to be patched. Total damage caused was over $5,000!

So, hopefully in the next couple of weeks all the issues will have been addressed and I’ll be back up in the air again. I can’t wait!!!

Flight with Gary M. in N28679

August 17, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment
Filed under: Flying, Jeff

Gary called up Jeff on Friday afternoon and asked if he was interested in going for a Saturday morning flight. Of course I said yes. There has been kind of an inside joke that Gary has been avoiding flying in to Delaware Airpark (33N) and this was a perfect opportunity for him to come down. Gary called me up around 9:45 and told me that he was on the ground. I quickly hopped in the truck and drove the short trip to the airport and met Gary. After a quick visit to my plane to grab my headset Gary and I hopped into N28679. We taxied to the run-up area and heard some other pilots in the area of 33N. One was on a final to runway 9, low approach only but winds were favoring runway 27. To me this sounds like a recipe for disaster so Gary questioned the aircraft about his position. The pilot seemed rather confused and then called off his low approach and said he would be entering the downwind for 27. Just at that time a Bonanza also announced that he was coming in from the north to enter a downwind. I wish I had more pictures but they were very close to each other right around mid-field downwind and I would bet at least one of them didn’t see the other. Then, to top it off the Bonanza was in the lead on downwind and told the other aircraft to turn his base and land which he did. Only problem is that the Bonanza also turned his base. Both were on final at the same time and the Bonanza touched down while the other plane was still on the runway.

Finally after the traffic cleared Gary took off and we headed across the bay. He took the GPS 32 approach into Millville (KMIV) and did a very good job. The picture is when Gary was under the hood flying his approach. A little rough landing and Gary decided to go around. The second one was better. Gary is a bit hard on himself on the landings but what pilot isn’t? After Millville we took off and headed towards Cape May (KWWD). Gary circled the ferry terminal and then we entered a downwind for runway 28. A much nicer landing. After a short stretch and me trying to shake off an upset stomach we jumped in the plane. Gary has flown with me twice and on both occasions I have gotten a little queasy. This is rare for me but Gary is probably afraid to fly with me again. We then headed back up the west Jersey shore and crossed back over the bay north of Dover’s airspace. A straight in approach and Gary’s best landing with me of the day back into 33N. He kept the fan running while I jumped out of the plane and I snapped a couple of more pictures of him taking off.

Thanks Gary for the nice flight! Sorry for scaring you about me getting sick. Next time will be better. Click here to see Gary’s blog post of the flight: Gary’s Flight Blog

This is a new tool that I just installed on my website to be able to edit and embed maps directly from the blog. Let me know what you think.

Blogging

August 5, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment
Filed under: Family, Flying, Jeff, Website

I’m kind of envious everytime I read the excellent blogs of other pilots at details they put into their accounts. I have been flying now for a little over 5 years and have had many enjoyable adventures. I think I have done a fairly good job of documenting a lot of these adventures through photos but have not had the patience to detail the trips in words. I read Gary’s Flight Blog, Rob’s Flying Adventures and others and realize that I will never have the literary ability to recount my adventures quite like they do. That being said, I’m going to do my best to start keeping better documentation of the things that go on in the life of my family so that I can share them with others. This includes family events, travels, flying adventures and whatever else comes to mind at the time. I’m hoping that this blog will give me the opportunity to do this. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and encouragement in this endeavor.

Flight to Indy – Brickyard 400

August 5, 2008 by Jeff · Comment
Filed under: Flying, Jeff

Jeff and Bobby flew to Indianapolis on Friday morning, July 25th, 2008. We left early and were off the ground before 7AM to beat any of the summer afternoon thunderstorm possibilities. The weather on the way to Indy was very nice with only a few clouds around 5000′ as we approached Indy. We stopped in Conshocton, OH (I40) which is a small airport with inexpensive fuel a little northeast of Columbus, OH. Once in Indianapolis we landed at Eagle Creek (KEYE) where the plane was tied down for the weekend. The nightly fee was only $8 which was waived for the first night with fuel purchase. Eagle Creek staff was very friendly and professional. It is a very nice FBO. These are some of the excellent shots that were taken on the way to the fun weekend that we had. Total flight time to Indianapolis from Dover, DE was about 5 hours.

Here is a picture of Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the air. The flight into Eagle Creek took us just to the north end of the track.

We had a fun time in Indy spending time riding race go-karts on Friday and going to a great dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. On Saturday we spent most of the day at the track. We were able to get access to the infield to see the end of Qualifying, spend some good time in the “Hall of Fame”, peruse the sponsor booths and driver trailors and see some of the practice session. It was a great day at the track! Saturday night continued with a great dinner at St. Elmo’s Steakhouse which is very well known for their shrimp cocktail which comes with an excellent homemade cocktail sauce with fresh horseradish. The evening continued with a quick trip to the new casino in Anderson and then a night at the clubs in downtown Indy. A fun filled day that didn’t end until about 3:30 AM!

Sunday morning was a little rough, but after shaking off the cobwebs we headed out to the track for the race. A beautiful day for the race and an interesting venue. The seats were just short of the start/finish line and only about 10 rows back from the pits. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway you can’t see the whole track. The track is also very long so there is a time between each lap when the cars come around. There were also a lot of cautions at the race due to a tire issue identified the day before. NASCAR was taking precautionary cautions just when the racing started to get good. At the end of the day, Jimmie Johnson won the race.

On Monday morning there were some early storms that passed through Indy. Visibility was a little low at about 4 miles but just north of the area it was clear. There was a slight delay in departure. Weather being reported on AWOS stations from Dayton, OH to Dover, DE was reported as sky clear below 12,000 and visibility greater than 10 but the haze would have made you think otherwise. It was very difficult to make out a clear horizon at times. The air was smooth though and a decent 15-20 knot tail wind helped get us home a bit quicker. Total flight time from Indy to Dover was about 4 hours. We were going to stop in Conshocton but when we were on downwind they informed us that they were out of fuel. We climbed back out and decided to stop in Wheeling, WV (KHLG) and add another airport to the logbook. The rest of the flight was uneventful and we were back home by lunch time.