Around the Patch

The run-up, a last chance check of aircraft systems before you take the runway and commit to flight. Maybe that’s a good way to look at life too? Before you begin, one last check for readiness, condition, intentions, for commitment. Throttle up to 2000 RPM’s, oil pressure is good, oil temp in the low green, but in the green and rising, vacuum pressure good, electrical system good, fuel tanks full. Now the magneto check, right mag good, back to both, left mag a little rough, switch back to both, a little more power and then lean out the fuel mixture, the engine sputters, just this side of dying, the airplane shakes and shutters a bit, mixture control back in, richening up the fuel air mixture, the engine runs smooth. RPM’s back to 2000 and check the mags again, both smooth now, probably just some carbon deposits built up on one of the spark plugs or maybe an exhaust valve? These old engines were born to burn 80 octane avgas but today all that is available is 100LL, the “LL” meaning low lead. Still more lead content than the 80 Octane fuel contained and sometimes the lead deposits itself on a spark plug, a valve seat or in the valve guides causing them to stick a little bit. Leaning the mixture, meaning backing off on the fuel flow into the fuel/air mixture, allows for a hotter burn in the combustion chambers of the engine’s cylinders. A hotter burn often cleans out the crud and puts the engine back to smooth running. That’s the case today. A quick check of the carburetor heat and all is good. An operational check of the flight controls and I complete the remaining items on the before takeoff checklist. Satisfied, I think she’ll fly one more time.

Another check of the flight path down final approach and I see no planes. I announce my intentions on the radio and take the runway.

The runway, a stretch of asphalt, concrete, turf or dirt put there for the sole purpose of allowing airplanes to depart from and return to earth. The runway, run-way, or maybe run away? Maybe it’s there for pilots, people like me, to run away? Run away from what? That’s for your own choosing. For me, maybe it’s to depart the earth and return to the sky, even if for just a while? An opportunity to go to the place where I’m alone but never lonely, awe struck but never confused, amazed but never overwhelmed, happy, at home. The runway, it’s a wonderful thing.

My home town airport is “uncontrolled”, meaning that there is not a control tower here. Often, when people hear “uncontrolled airport” they think “Oh my God, no control tower, no control”! They think chaos, planes coming and going with no particular order, unsafe, planes sure to fall out of the sky, a threat to the innocent public. The fact is, however, we have very orderly methods of coming and going, of operating on the ground and in the air. Uncontrolled it is not. But it makes for good press.

Taxied into position now, another look at the windsock shows a quartering headwind with a slight crosswind from the right. I move the throttle lever forward, smoothly, all the way to full power. We begin to roll. The takeoff roll, the beginning of flight, the leaving behind the securities of the ground, where we accelerate to flying speed, where we transition from a creature of the ground to a being of the sky, where we begin to live again. A quick glance across the engine instruments to make sure everything is cooperating. Approaching flying speed, I feel the plane getting light on her wheels. An instant later, we fly! The airplane is alive now, and so am I. In my log book is recorded 12,000 and some hours of doing this, flying, and I still feel the magic at liftoff, small planes or big ones, it’s still there!

Climbing now, a few bumps as we clear the tree line. Air moves over the ground much like water flows down a stream. If there’s an obstacle, like the trees, the air will move up, over and around as the breeze blows past, riding the contours of the earth. Like water over rocks in a stream, only I can’t see it. I have to visualize it, create mental images, understandings of what I can’t see, know it’s there and believe it. I look over my left shoulder, out at the wing, I can’t see the air flowing around it, I can only read about the theory of what is actually holding me up in the sky right now, but I trust it and believe in it, even if I can’t see it.

Climbing still, the ground falling away, the horizon stretches in all directions and moves farther away with altitude. I’m flying! With altitude, my perspective changes. More and more fills my field of view. Maybe this is what is meant by seeing “the big picture”? There is so much out there, so much beauty, I just have to climb above the obstructions to my view and it’s all there, laid out just for me, waiting.

We climb to pattern altitude. Pattern altitude, the agreed upon altitude that all planes arriving at this airport are to be at when maneuvering for landing. The pattern, or more specifically, the traffic pattern, an agreed upon and orderly track that we all fly, arriving or departing the airport. I make a turn to the left, to the crosswind leg of the airport traffic pattern. The crosswind leg, 90 degrees from the runway heading, out beyond the departure end of the runway, a nice squared off turn, keeping the airport off to my left, in full view just past our wing. I judge our position to be ok and keep a watch for other planes with similar intentions. When the departure end of the runway is about 45 degrees behind our left wing, we bank to the left, turning to join the downwind leg.

The Downwind leg, a path in the sky parallel to the runway, flown opposite the direction of the departing traffic, and in most cases with some sort of a tailwind, hence the name “downwind.” While in level flight, on the downwind leg, I run through the landing checklist to prepare the airplane and myself for the landing. I keep an eye out for other traffic, listening to the radio, scanning the horizon. I see and hear no other airplanes, I have the airport to myself today. Slowing now, abeam the numbers painted on the runway surface, the aiming point for my landing, I add flaps, reduce power and slow a little more. Now with the numbers of the runway at about 45 degrees behind the left wing, we bank left and begin our descent. Squared off at a 90 degree angle to the intended touchdown point on the runway, we are now on base leg, still descending. I look to the right to clear the final approach path, I see no airplanes and begin one more left turn to final. Final approach, sounds so….final, sounds very serious and I suppose it is. Final approach is a descending maneuver, lined up with the runway, aiming at the numbers painted on the runway, controlling the pitch, power and roll of the airplane to land in the touchdown zone. I look to the midpoint of the airport and search out the windsock. Still a little crosswind from the right. I make a note of that and it joins my subconscious in planning for flying the approach. It does require a certain amount of attention, final approach, playing out in three dimensions as it does, but with a little practice it begins to feel pretty natural. Down, near the runway now, we round out a bit. Ailerons to keep us over the runway, rudder to keep our nose pointing down the runway. It takes a combination of pitch and power now, just enough back pressure on the stick to keep the nose off the runway, a slight change in power to control the descent rate to the runway. Hanging there, inches above the runway, finally a sharp chirp from the tires as we make a short skip then the sound of the wheels going from zero to 65 miles per hour in no time flat. The weight transfers from the wings as they give up their lift to the wheels and once again gravity sticks us to the earth’s surface. As we clear the runway I say to myself, “flaps up after landing check” and taxi back toward the hangar.

The “reason” to fly today was to warm the engine’s oil, the “reason” that I came out to the airport today was to change the oil in my airplane. The reason I choose to love and care for my airplane is that in return she will love and care for me. Together, and only together, we’ll find beautiful release in flight, in leaving the earth for a while. Together we’ll breathe the clean, pure air of altitude, dance with the clouds, ride the winds and see what only a few other lucky souls will ever see. Together in the sky we are one.