navywareagle
HSC3 RP
Lets get another thread going. No one talks in here. Please share some of your cross country experiences.
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Cross Country Flights
- Thread starter navywareagle
- Start date
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
Went on my XC from Whiting to Corpus to visit my (now ex) wife. Space Cowboy/Band was the IP. Was supposed to go to Key West with Possum, but he had something come up, Band knew she lived in Corpus, and wanted to visit his GF in San Antonio. Being the broke/married ENS, he let us go to Corpus and he rented a car to drive up to SAT. Great dude, H-3 pilot IIRC.
1st leg was IFR to Hammond, not much to do, but then we VNAV'd to Lake Charles flying pretty low over the bayou. We had a killer headwind and cars on 10 were passing us. Had PoBoys at Lake Charles, then pushed IFR to Ellington and hit for lack of a better term, the "wall of shit". Diverted into Beaumont, and it was raining so hard, I could barely see where I was taxiing (for the non helo guys, you fly to taxi a 57).
The weather broke a bit, and we pushed on to Ellington. After the WX delays, our crew day was shot, and we stayed at their most excellent FBO/BOQ on steroids.
Next leg was a VNAV down the coast at 100' to Corpus for a IFR pop up to the TACAN 17 into Corpus Intl.
1st leg was IFR to Hammond, not much to do, but then we VNAV'd to Lake Charles flying pretty low over the bayou. We had a killer headwind and cars on 10 were passing us. Had PoBoys at Lake Charles, then pushed IFR to Ellington and hit for lack of a better term, the "wall of shit". Diverted into Beaumont, and it was raining so hard, I could barely see where I was taxiing (for the non helo guys, you fly to taxi a 57).
The weather broke a bit, and we pushed on to Ellington. After the WX delays, our crew day was shot, and we stayed at their most excellent FBO/BOQ on steroids.
Next leg was a VNAV down the coast at 100' to Corpus for a IFR pop up to the TACAN 17 into Corpus Intl.
I'm a big fan of Chenault, but rarely made it there. Lots of people rave about Hammand, but I'm not a big mufalata guy, it once was enough (w/ the same IP MB mentioned). David Wayne Hooks is always fun, but that might be practical if you're taking a T-34. There's also apparently BBQ in Monroe (not MVC), but I haven't partook.
MB said:
I went to SAT w/ SM Band as well. That was his standard trip. I heard he got spanked a bit on one XC there for poor management of crew-day. Makes me wonder if that was you guys. I know it was a long day when everything went according to plan w/ us.
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
Could have been us, but to be honest a lot of the stuff was beyond his control. Mostly WX. Got out of NDZ late, due to wx, and hit nasty unforecasted stuff at Beaumont.
I learned more about real world IFR flying from him on that trip with him than anything else I have done in the TRACOM or Fleet to date.
I learned more about real world IFR flying from him on that trip with him than anything else I have done in the TRACOM or Fleet to date.
It's been along time since I was in the syllabus, but I don't think it's possible with the flights allotted, even with another stud.
navywareagle
HSC3 RP
I hope to make it to at least Key West, or someone else in the caribbean
You sure you did the human trafficking course on nko?
Two XCs I specifically remember from the TRACOM and one from the RAG.
In Primary, I had been jonesing for a XC all through RIs with no luck. Wanted to go to Key West. So I was beating around the pub room one day, and one of the most notorious MIF monsters in the squadron bumps into me and essentially tells me I've been drafted to go on the road with him to his niece's wedding in Mississippi. The upshot was that as payment for being "that guy," he'd take me to Key West, because he'd never been there. I thought "crap, there goes my jet selection with this guy."
But it turns into a 5 day extravanganza. Best part was, as so as you got this guy out of the squadron it was like night and day. He turned out to be a cool guy who just was reticent to let his hair down around the front office. First day: Whiting to NAS Jax to NAS Atlanta to Greenwood-Leflore MS. Night VNAV from Jax to Atlanta as the sun goes down. Watch lights come on and the world wind down and go to bed. Get vectored over downtown Atlanta at 2000ft on a clear ass night. Gorgeous. Stay in MS, pull a shirt and tie out of my bag. Be random white guy at wedding at black Baptist church in the deepest part of the deep South (hospitality was awesome).
Take off the next day; Greenwood to Tallahassee to Lakeland. VNAV over the Everglades to Key West wondering if a PEL into gator-infested swamps would be all that useful. Wonder what kind of cargo is on the little boats I see. Do PARs at NAS Key West till eyes bleed. Pop canopy, inhale smell of salt air and mangroves. Instant lifelong memory. Drink at Hogs Breath. Run into two random VT-2 studs on Duval. Save IP from wandering into the gay district in Key West that he had never heard of. No, really. You want to turn around now. Hey, wow, that chick in the red dress is tall. Wait a minute . . .
Spend the day traipsing around Key West. Pet cats at the Hemingway museum. Next day, get back in T-34. LOOONG ass leg back to NAS Jax. Gas up. Back to Whiting. Land. Wait and wait for gradesheets. Have near coronary at the amount of 4s and 5s. This guy NEVER did that. Remember that the rep of an IP may or may not be justified.
In Primary, I had been jonesing for a XC all through RIs with no luck. Wanted to go to Key West. So I was beating around the pub room one day, and one of the most notorious MIF monsters in the squadron bumps into me and essentially tells me I've been drafted to go on the road with him to his niece's wedding in Mississippi. The upshot was that as payment for being "that guy," he'd take me to Key West, because he'd never been there. I thought "crap, there goes my jet selection with this guy."
But it turns into a 5 day extravanganza. Best part was, as so as you got this guy out of the squadron it was like night and day. He turned out to be a cool guy who just was reticent to let his hair down around the front office. First day: Whiting to NAS Jax to NAS Atlanta to Greenwood-Leflore MS. Night VNAV from Jax to Atlanta as the sun goes down. Watch lights come on and the world wind down and go to bed. Get vectored over downtown Atlanta at 2000ft on a clear ass night. Gorgeous. Stay in MS, pull a shirt and tie out of my bag. Be random white guy at wedding at black Baptist church in the deepest part of the deep South (hospitality was awesome).
Take off the next day; Greenwood to Tallahassee to Lakeland. VNAV over the Everglades to Key West wondering if a PEL into gator-infested swamps would be all that useful. Wonder what kind of cargo is on the little boats I see. Do PARs at NAS Key West till eyes bleed. Pop canopy, inhale smell of salt air and mangroves. Instant lifelong memory. Drink at Hogs Breath. Run into two random VT-2 studs on Duval. Save IP from wandering into the gay district in Key West that he had never heard of. No, really. You want to turn around now. Hey, wow, that chick in the red dress is tall. Wait a minute . . .
Spend the day traipsing around Key West. Pet cats at the Hemingway museum. Next day, get back in T-34. LOOONG ass leg back to NAS Jax. Gas up. Back to Whiting. Land. Wait and wait for gradesheets. Have near coronary at the amount of 4s and 5s. This guy NEVER did that. Remember that the rep of an IP may or may not be justified.
Second was in Advanced. Had just a few instrument hops and low levels left that could properly be called a cross country. Decided to go visit the family up in the Poconos and as the IP was headed to Atlantic City, we split the difference and landed at Willow Grove. Enjoyed the weekend, drove back to base to take off and got there before my IP. Ran into a CDR in the VR squadron who assured me that I wouldn't be going anywhere that day because some idiot had landed a flying club T-34B gear-up on the one runway at Willow Grove. Off to the Q, then. Run. Movie. Sleep.
Wake up. Go to Weather to file. Plan was Willow Grove to Knoxville to Meridian. Umm . . . no. Those are severe thunderstorms over your VR route out of Knoxville. Powwow with IP and do the back-of the envelope shakka-sign on the chart-scale fuel SWAG to find a destination. Lunkin Airport in Cincinatti it is! File, takeoff.
Shoulda hit up Terra Haute or Rickenbacker. 80 miles out, tune up ATIS, something about a Presidential TFR going in effect in oh, say, 30 minutes. FVCK! (Simultaneously, both cockpits. ICS not needed. NOTAMS? Yeah, coulda woulda shoulda.) Land at Lunkin. Taxi at the limit of legal speed to the FBO. Don't even take our gear off. Gas and go. Get out of the TFR in the nick of time. Remember to always always check NOTAMS!
Wake up. Go to Weather to file. Plan was Willow Grove to Knoxville to Meridian. Umm . . . no. Those are severe thunderstorms over your VR route out of Knoxville. Powwow with IP and do the back-of the envelope shakka-sign on the chart-scale fuel SWAG to find a destination. Lunkin Airport in Cincinatti it is! File, takeoff.
Shoulda hit up Terra Haute or Rickenbacker. 80 miles out, tune up ATIS, something about a Presidential TFR going in effect in oh, say, 30 minutes. FVCK! (Simultaneously, both cockpits. ICS not needed. NOTAMS? Yeah, coulda woulda shoulda.) Land at Lunkin. Taxi at the limit of legal speed to the FBO. Don't even take our gear off. Gas and go. Get out of the TFR in the nick of time. Remember to always always check NOTAMS!
Two weeks out of the cockpit in the RAG, get drafted to do a out/in to Moffett Field to drop off the Deputy Commodore so he can get a NATOPS check and attend a school in Monterey. Dodge crappy but legal WX on the way out. Get to Moffett. Gas up the jet. Get WX brief. WX has closed in and Instructor ECMO (CDR from the Wing) decides he values his career too highly to explain why he took a Cat I pilot through it after we ice up the jet and eject. Stuck. Go to the Exchange, acquire civilian clothes since no one packed a bingo bag. Off to Monterey and the Trident Room. Beer and dinner before the bottle/planning cutoff kicks in. Deputy shows up to BS with a glass of wine. Kick myself for not ordering wine. You're in Cali now, idiot. Wine country.
Back to Moffett the next day for Take 2. For those who don't know,the Prowler needs external power and air to start. On the road, ECMO1 and the pilot handle the start while ECMO2/3 handles the ground equipment and supervises line guys before jumping in. There's an external power relay which kicks power offline if the voltages and phases don't match. And you get three start attempts per motor before the starters have to cool for a 1/2 hour.
Well we took damn near 45 minutes to get out of the chocks.
Naturally the jet decides to be a cantankerous fat bitch and not take power. ECMO3 dorks with the cart. There we go, we've got . . . crap, there it goes again. ECMO3 fiddles some more. Wait, it's back . . . OK, start now before it drops. Cranking right . . . push the button, engine spools up. Get ready to introduce fuel . . . and poof. No power. Shit. There's one. ECMO3 kicks cart, fiddles. Power back on? OK, try again, cranking right . . . poof. That's two. Why is ECMO3 jumping around and making funny gestures? Oh. The start cart just ran out of gas. Do they have a spare? Yes? Phew. OK, haul it over. Oh, this is just electricity. Where's a huffer? OK, haul that over too. Decide to start the left and crossbleed the right in case this one is as bad as the other one. Finally start the jet after using every piece of compatible GSE equipment at Moffett Field. Inquire to the Commander if he would be so good as to rehack my NATOPS qual as well after that escapade. Taxi. Takeoff. Go home. Remember to pack a bingo bag next time.
Back to Moffett the next day for Take 2. For those who don't know,the Prowler needs external power and air to start. On the road, ECMO1 and the pilot handle the start while ECMO2/3 handles the ground equipment and supervises line guys before jumping in. There's an external power relay which kicks power offline if the voltages and phases don't match. And you get three start attempts per motor before the starters have to cool for a 1/2 hour.
Well we took damn near 45 minutes to get out of the chocks.
Naturally the jet decides to be a cantankerous fat bitch and not take power. ECMO3 dorks with the cart. There we go, we've got . . . crap, there it goes again. ECMO3 fiddles some more. Wait, it's back . . . OK, start now before it drops. Cranking right . . . push the button, engine spools up. Get ready to introduce fuel . . . and poof. No power. Shit. There's one. ECMO3 kicks cart, fiddles. Power back on? OK, try again, cranking right . . . poof. That's two. Why is ECMO3 jumping around and making funny gestures? Oh. The start cart just ran out of gas. Do they have a spare? Yes? Phew. OK, haul it over. Oh, this is just electricity. Where's a huffer? OK, haul that over too. Decide to start the left and crossbleed the right in case this one is as bad as the other one. Finally start the jet after using every piece of compatible GSE equipment at Moffett Field. Inquire to the Commander if he would be so good as to rehack my NATOPS qual as well after that escapade. Taxi. Takeoff. Go home. Remember to pack a bingo bag next time.
Band/Space Cowboy = Miller?
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
Yes
He was one of my DH's back in HC-2. He hasn't changed.