Lesson 16 1/21/09

1hr ground – Pilotage, dead reckoning, radio navigation, GPS, E6B, plotter, and DUATs.

1.4hrs – Going somewhere!

We spent an hour covering the types of VFR navigation, answering questions I had regarding the E6B, and getting registered on DUATs and how to use the site. We also filled out a flight plan to include ETA, fuel burn, wind correction, etc.

It was a beautiful day with clear skies and little wind anywhere we looked, so we picked Tillamook (TMK) as our destination.

It’s only 48nm from Twin Oaks, but I was really excited about this because TMK is on the coast, and we would be crossing the Coast Range to get there.

We departed Twin Oaks, turned west for TMK, and climbed to 4500ft. The coast range is a beautiful drive, and was simply amazing from the air.

We followed the heading I’d planned and arrived at TMK very near our ETA. As I entered the pattern, I could see the beach just a little further west, and the Pacific beyond. Again, simply amazing.

At TMK is a WWII blimp hanger that houses a very nice air museum - http://www.tillamookair.com/ – which I've been to a few times with my family while on vacation, but never where I could taxi up to it in an aircraft. There is also a nice café at the museum, so being lunch time, we took a table, had lunch, and talked about my CFI’s learning experience and what brought him to Twin Oaks, and what brought me to Twin Oaks.

Soon it was time to go, but not without a short flight out over the beach and up a few miles north for the view, before heading back east.

We climbed to 5500ft, and on the return trip, practiced VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range)navigation, tracking the Newburg VOR back towards Twin Oaks.

From the coast I could see Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, and several others. Simply amazing? Yes it was.

My next lesson, scheduled for next Tuesday, will include planning a flight from Twin Oaks to McMinnville to Aurora to Mulino and back to Twin Oaks. If that goes well, my instructor will endorse my logbook to fly solo to any of the three to practice.

After that will be a dual short cross country of at least 50nm to somewhere of my choosing.

It just keeps getting better!!