Diversion!

When dreaming of flying, there was one thing I kept coming back to. Taking my father up in the plane. We've been talking about learning to fly for probably twenty years. So today, I was able to take him flying, finally.

The original plan was to go over to Cambridge, Md. for dinner. I took the train out to Manassas, and that got there late. We had trouble getting the airplane started, which didn't help. So by the time we were in the air, it was after 6 pm. While visibility was better than my previous flight with Mom, it was no great shakes. I decided that if I couldn't see across the Chesapeake, I wouldn't cross it. To top it off, I kept remembering that haze at night is worse.

With all of this rushing through my head, I wasn't much fun in the cockpit. I was very tense, and very focused on thinking through my options. When we got to the Pautuxant River, and I couldn't see the Bay 10 miles ahead, I decided we'd stop some place else. I had flown to St. Mary's airport during training, and so was already familiar with the area. I grabbed the radio frequencies off of the chart, and headed in.

My pattern was rushed, and the landing was middling. I never got really stable on final approach. A better option would to have gone around and flown a standard pattern. Regardless, we pulled on to the ramp and shut her down. Everything was closed up, so we split a Clif bar and watched a Pitts, a 152 and an old crop duster do pattern work.

With the sun going down, it was time to boogie home. After several attempts, we got the engine going and climbed out in short order. To get into radio range for ATC, we did a shallow, spiraling climb up to altitude. Once in contact, it was off to Manassas. One nice thing about the setting sun is how it caught the Potomac River. With the lower visibility with evening haze, it gave a crystal clear point to aim for. With all of this in order, I was relaxed enough to just enjoy the flight and the conversation.

Landing at Manassas was very, very nice. I get a kick out of seeing the airport lights on during twilight. We tied the plane down, made some small talk with a fellow pilot, and headed out for dinner.

Lessons learned:

1. Never rush a flight.
2. Always have a back up destination.