Flight to New Jersey Somerset (KSMQ) Airport and Back (with customs stop on the way there at Watertown)

This was a VFR flight (as my IFR had lapsed).  VFR should be simpler in some ways (you can fly without being vectored all over) but daunting in other ways (do you know for sure you got ALL the restricted zones?) 

I had a knee board done up so that I can have a checklist of what to remember for US flying and all the frequencies all the way to destination (from my notes from my previous IFR flights. (I'll share that kneee board on the blog once I get it updated from this flight.)

Same drill (see my previous blogs for more details)...

• File eApis the day before
• File flight plan in Canada to US portion of the flight the morning of (with Canada)
• File flight plan for the US portion of the flight on the morning of (with US)
• Call customs at Alex Bay to tell them that you are arriving the next day at Watertown and give an ETA
• Get the NOTAMs, weather to expect, printed copy of the flight plans and eAPIS
• Depart

Once you land... 

• Land (uncontrolled airport which is not busy so you'll have to figure out what the active runway is)
• Don't get out of plane till the customs officer comes
• Make a phone call to the US number to close your first leg of the flight plan
• Depart
• Open your flight plan on frequency (I had this written down as I had asked them for the frequency)
• Get flight following all the way there
• REMEMBER TO CLOSE THE FLIGHT PLAN (even towered airports won't close it for you - you'll need to call them to close your flight plan)

Flight back...

• File eAPIS at least two hours before (I did this before I departed knowing when I was going to leave) (the only nuance is to remember to select the closest customs airport for arrival airport, but where it asks for the specifics you can put in your non-customs arrival airport)
• Call Canada customs with CANPASS details (at least two hours before)
• Call to file US-Canada flight plan
• Ask for flight plan to open in X minutes (even towered airports don't open or close it automatically in the US, you'd have to tell them to open)

Do you chop and drop? Descent planning.

How early do you plan your descends?  If you are not planning this well in advance, you are subjecting the engine to shock cooling, your passengers to discomfort, wasting fuel and likely coming in too high for the pattern and for landing.

Say you are at 8000 ft. (IFR flying in a westerly direction) and the fix for the IFR approach is at 3000 ft, you have 5000 feet to loose - when should you start your descent?

Method 1

Descents are usually done at a 3 degree glidepath, so the quick rule of thumb is to take altitude to lose, divide by 1000 and multiply by 3 for the distance before your desired arrival fix you should start to descend by. 

If you want to lose 5000 ft., so you should descend (5000/1000)*3 = 15 miles out.  What should your vertical speed be?  Multiply 5 by your ground speed... so 130 x 5 = 650 ft./min. 

And if 130 kts is your ground speed, that means you have to start your descent 8 minutes out (calculated with your flight computer)

Method 2

If you have a target vertical speed you want to descend with, say 500 feet per min., with 5000 feet that's 10 minutes out.  In 10 minutes, you'd cover 13 miles with your 130 ground speed, so you have to do your descent 13 miles out. 

For both methods, mechanically, to keep speed constant you typically need to remove 100 RPM per 100 feet / min vertical descent, so take out 500 RPM keeping speed constant to achieve your 500 feet per min. descent rate.

(more methods here)

Using the EFB

What if ATC or weather conditions delay the start of your descent?  With the distance and time available what should your vertical speed be and how would you adjust your ground speed if you had a target vertical speed?  For these calculations you need to pull out your trusty EFB, but would have to enhance it with manual tick marks.  Details here.

Check Your Journey Log for 24-month checks... you don't want to engage in illegal flying into Class B or C (or A for that matter if your plane can fly that high)

It might come at a surprise that completing the annuals alone doesn't necessarily make the aircraft maintained to be airworthy - it's the pilot in command's (and the owner's) responsibility to ensure certain things are checked over for the 24-month maintenance requirements (as the 12-month checks will likely be looked after by the annuals)

After considerable prep for my instrument renewal, flying to another airport for the flight test, everything came to a halt as there were two oversights making the plane not airworthy for IFR flights (or for VFR flights into Class B or C airspace).

Despite the inconvenience, it was a good lesson learned as I learned something new:

• First is the Transponder Encoder which needs to be checked once every 24 calendar months 
• The other is the pitot/static leak check, also once every 24 calendar months.  

The compass swings, ELT checks and the other requirements where done - except for the above two.

 https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/publications/tp9939-aircraft-954.htm

"(c) have the aircraft's transponder, including any associated altitude sensing reporting mechanisms, tested and recertified within the previous 24 months in accordance with CAR 625 Appendix C and CAR 571 Appendices B and F"



Lessons learned - not only do you need to be sure you comply with the MOOFACTAR for VFR...

Manifold pressure guage
Oil temperature guage
Oil pressure guage
Fuel qantity indicators
Aairspeed indicator
Compass
Tachometer
Altimeter
Radiocommunication  

and the below for VFR night flying...

Fuses
Attitude indicator
Turn coordinator
Directional Gyro
Altimeter (sensitive)
Pitot Heat
Postion/anticollision lights
Instrument lights
Landing light (if carrying pax)
OAT guage
Vertical speed indicator  

Requirements for IFR flying

Vertical Speed Indicator
Radio Navigation for the flight and missed

...but also all the maintenance requirements for IFR (like the transponder-encoder 24-month check that I missed) AND checks outside of the annual that you need to be familiar with (the pitot-static leak check).

p.s. Also be familiar with the minimum equipment list for the specific airplane which can be found in the POH (eg. can you fly with the door off? check the POH minimum equipment list)

Oh, and one last thing - and check your aviation license booklet - it might be expiring soon, and you need to apply as soon as within 90 days prior the expiry.  Any endorsements added just before license expires when you are in between books is not valid.