Flight Training - September/October 2020 - 14

PREFLIGHT FLIGHT LESSON

BY CHRISTOPHER L. FREEZE

ONCE BITTEN
THE QUESTIONS NOT ASKED...

WHAT HAPPENED

As I flared to land, the
asphalt sloped downward
noticeably. The airplane
floated in ground effect until
touching down just before
the runway's midpoint.

I HAVE AN EVER-CHANGING BUCKET LIST OF THINGS

14  FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

CHART TALK

RESTRICTED /
PRIVATE USE
Know your landing
options

Restricted or
private-use airports are shown on
sectional charts as a
magenta circle with
an R inside. Landing
at one of these airports requires specific
authorization, so call
ahead if you'd like to
add a private airport
to your flight plan.
Even if you never plan
to land at a private
airport, knowing the
locations of those
nearby gives you
more landing options
in the event of an
emergency.

LEFT: SARAH JONES; ABOVE: STEVE KARP

to do in aviation. One of the most memorable I've
checked off was my first flight into a private field.
My parents had bought some land in a development
located in the Sierra Nevada, known as Swansboro
Country. It has a small 3,100-foot runway at just under
2,600 feet in elevation nestled in the foothills and near
a chain of fishing ponds.
Having just crested 200 hours while working on
my instrument rating, I was excited to fly my flying
club's Cessna 182 to take my family on adventures.
So, when Swansboro's volunteer fire department was
holding a midsummer fundraising picnic, I decided to
fly my parents there for the event.
While the club's rules didn't require a mountain
checkout for the flight, I read up on everything I
could regarding operating in mountainous terrain.
On the day of the flight, that mid-July morning, I felt
prepared: I got my weather briefing, did weight and
balance calculations, ran performance numbers, and
verified everything I could.
Into clear skies and calm, cool winds, we departed
for Swansboro and were overflying it just under an
hour later. I noted westerly winds on the windsock
and maneuvered to enter the left-hand traffic pattern
while radioing my intentions on the common traffic
advisory frequency. However, as I was descending on
the downwind leg and started to configure flaps for
landing, I realized the one thing I had not considered.

The terrain was rising in my field of vision.
My projected flight path downward still
looked fine, but as I turned onto final, it
was clear I could not safely descend low
enough to land because of the terrain. I
leveled out my descent by adding throttle
and made a low pass, radioing "Going
around" in a meek tone.
A friendly voice broke the com silence.
"Aircraft landing. Are you familiar with
how to land at Swansboro?" she asked.
I sighed and confessed, "Apparently
not as much as I should be."
"Yeah, I thought so. We typically land
from the west onto Runway Nine, and take
off using Two-Seven."
I thanked her, glancing at my folks
with mild embarrassment. I powered the
Skylane skyward and flew north to enter
the left downwind for Runway 9.
It was then I realized I would now be
landing with a mild tailwind. Knowing
my landing calculations gave me plenty of
margin, I performed a short-field technique to attempt to control my speed and
energy. However, Swansboro had one
final trick to reveal. As I flared to land,
the asphalt sloped downward noticeably.
The airplane floated in ground effect until
touching down just before the runway's
midpoint. I retracted the flaps, using the
elevator for aerodynamic braking, and
managed the remaining energy to roll to
the transient ramp.
Information on private airports isn't
as available as those public-use ones, but
there are still ways to learn more about a
private landing strip. I could have searched
online for information about it. I would
have likely found the property owner
association's webpage on the runway
and operational procedures for it. I was
fortunate enough to have a guardian angel.
Once at the picnic, I found the voice on the
other end and thanked her.
After all, no bucket list flight is worth
actually kicking the bucket for.
Flight Training - September/October 2020

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