Imagine jumping from zero aviation experience to earning your private helicopter pilot certificate in just three months! Wyatt Woods believed it was possible and made it happen with the help of his Sweet Aviation flight instructors. After discovering Sweet Aviation online, Wyatt traveled to Fort Wayne from his home in Virginia. All it took was one visit, and Wyatt was hooked. He booked a stay at a hotel and spent the next three months immersed in all things aviation. Click to learn more about Discovery Flights at Sweet Aviation.

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Adam Yaggy discovered his love for aviation after taking a discovery flight. He’s now certified as a private pilot. Click to learn more about Discovery Flights at Sweet Aviation.

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If any of that paragraph seems rushed, hurried, confusing, or otherwise unclear, then it had the desired effect. I was equally confused, only I was in the airplane leaving a busy airport with a Boeing 737 or two waiting for me to get out of the way. Some of you may have heard about the 21-year-old kid who decided to fly a Diamond DA40 solo from Indiana to California. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cody, and my passion is flying. I fell in love with flying on my first flight in the winter of 2014 and earned my private pilot certificate on March 29, 2016, with 63 hours under my belt. On February 19, 2017, the ink dried on my instrument rating with about 190 flight hours. On March 11, 2017, I departed Smith Field Airport, bound for the first of five planned stops on an epic cross-country that would, if all went according to plan, find me in KSJC, San Jose International Airport.

The first leg of my flight ended in a diversion to KTBN in south central Missouri. My planned destination was only one-half-mile visibility with fog, snow, and 300-foot ceilings just before I would have begun the approach. The onboard XM weather confirmed what I saw out of the crystal-clear canopy. I was flirting with snow storms south of St. Louis, so I looked for an airport that was shown outside of these unwelcome meteorological events. Sure enough, TBN was comfortably VFR, so I stopped for some fuel and lunch just shy of the 4-hour mark. Departing TBN, I found the clouds were lower than any of my four prior briefings had shown, but the temperature was +4°C. “Proceed with caution,” I thought. In the clouds at 6,000 feet, the OAT dropped to 0°C.

Not wanting to add ice accumulation in a non-approved airplane to my experience, the situation called for a diversion to Springfield-Branson International Airport. The clouds weren’t forecast to lift until evening, so I decided to catch an hour of sleep, review my planning, and grab dinner. Kicked back in a recliner with laptop open is how I passed most of the evening. By studying the weather patterns and forecasts along my route, it seemed the clouds were going to lift within the next hour and would stay away until early morning, but they were forecast to return with a vengeance later. This caused me some internal time pressure to leave while I could, but the next destination airport along my route was only attended dawn to dusk. It was well past dusk, and I wasn’t assured that I would be able to get fuel upon landing. So should I stay in the comfy recliner and risk a 1-day delay, or should I continue my route and risk getting stuck camping out under the stars in the plane on a desolate ramp in the middle of Nowheresville, Oklahoma? This seemed like one of those aeronautical decision-making scenarios that we learned about during flight training. I was low on sleep, so I decided that I’d rather be well rested and behind schedule than strung out but on time.

I couldn’t sleep, try as I might, so I eventually made the decision to press on. KAMA, Amarillo International, was not far out of my way, and it was attended around the clock. A Hobbs time of 3.5 and a very humorous center controller later, I landed at Amarillo to refuel and check weather. The weather along the route looked good, and I was still wide awake and alert, so I continued on to KABQ, Albuquerque International, which was one of my original planned stops and only about two hours from Amarillo. I descended over the mountains into KABQ around 4:30AM local time and decided it was time to put the trip on pause and inspect their pilot lounge for a few hours, regardless of how I felt. Hours later, I borrowed the crew car for breakfast, hopped back into the airplane, and departed for KPRC, Prescott Airport, in northern Arizona. If any of you decide to take a trip like this, be advised that there are approximately four airports available for the entire 3-hour flight between ABQ and Prescott, and very little to look at. Nevertheless, the beautiful airplane that I helped reassemble two days prior was running great, so I landed without excitement at PRC. Thirty minutes later, I was taxiing for departure to KBFL, Bakersfield, California, and noticed that the airplane would not run unless I leaned it out by at least 30%. I attributed this to the 6,000-foot density altitude and checked the engine with a full-power run up, which confirmed the abnormal, but proper, mixture setting.

Bakersfield provided the first of many breathtaking scenes during the trip. The mountain tops surrounded a basin filled with a white, wispy fog. It appeared as though the fog was trying to crawl its way up the mountains, but whimsically trailed off prior to reaching the top. It was so spectacular that it almost overshadowed the looming thought of approach minimums into the area, available alternates, and fuel reserves. The ATIS at BFL was saying clear skies and over 10 miles of visibility, so I had to assume that it was a haze layer, rather than fog. Be that as it may, I could not see any of the city, let alone the airport, so I requested the ILS. I discovered that even the ATIS is sometimes inaccurate, and I finally managed to get the airport in sight at 3 miles out. Bakersfield gave me my first-ever departure procedure due to the haze, which got me above it and allowed me the pleasure of some amazing scenery (much appreciated after the three hours of nothing that I experienced between Albuquerque and Prescott).

“NorCal Approach, Diamondstar 572DS.” I waited five minutes. “NorCal Diamondstar 572DS.” Nothing. Switching back to Bakersfield (never change your backup frequency until you’ve established communication on the new one), I let them know that I couldn’t get NorCal. They assured me that sometime within the next 10 minutes I would be able to pick them up, but if I couldn’t, I should call them back again. Sure enough, they were correct. Oddly, this was the third time during the trip that I had communications issues, and not all of them were in the mountains. Arrival into SJC involved delay vectors for a 737 that was coming in ahead of me. Being that I was only 10 miles from my final destination, I was much less concerned with time. After five minutes on my assigned heading and descent, I was approaching a mountain, and the controller had not said a word to me. I waited, thinking, “that’s a big mountain, looks pretty solid too.” I tentatively inquired, “Umm…approach, 2DS has terrain ahead that I’m not going to clear at this rate. Am I going to get another vector?” I was met with a quick reply, “Turn right from 060 to heading 270 and join the localizer.” Great. No more mountain, and look at that sunset! I maintained cruise speed until the final approach fix and asked if there was anybody behind me. “Affirmative, there is an Embraer on 5-mile final.” And keep my speed up I most certainly did, until short final when I chopped the power and deployed the flaps. After landing, I contacted ground and received taxi instructions to Atlantic Aviation. “2DS did you say you were going to Atlantic?” the voice from the radio inquired. “Oh boy,” I thought. “Yeah…did I miss it?” Oh yeah. I did. “My apologies, I’m not quite used to parking next to such large, shiny planes.” I was parked between a G650 and a Citation 5.

The return trip was mostly uneventful, with the only adverse weather occurring upon descent back into KSMD. With my westbound experience and the slight tail wind, I was able to cut down on the number of stops on the return trip. What were some things I learned on such an epic trip? The US is huge and different areas have significantly different challenges! I noticed Bakersfield was still covered in haze. Prescott’s density altitude was 6,000 feet again, and Albuquerque was still beautiful to fly over at night. Springfield-Branson International has the best recliners of any pilot lounge I have been in, as well as complimentary blankets to borrow. It seems that flying in the Midwest during the winter months is your best bet for encountering adverse weather. ATC is much friendlier than they sound. Communication issues can be normal and don’t have to be frightening. The air truly is smoother at night, and generally the controllers are much more free to joke and have conversations at that time. Always have a plan for everything, and always be willing to change or even abandon it. Keep your eyes an hour ahead on your route. Write everything down. If you’re unsure, just ask. If you’re pretty sure, just ask. Relax as much as you’re able without compromising safety. Research every aspect of every step of your route, including all the airports within 20 miles of the route, the safe altitudes, the weather and patterns, the winds, etc. XM radio is a godsend, and iPads may not be a technical requirement, but for a trip like this, they are most definitely a practical necessity.

I spent about two weeks planning my route, researching airports, getting briefings (standard briefings for the NOTAMS and weather to get a feel for the patterns), checking the plane (very, very thoroughly), planning the route again to check for consistency in my thought processes, etc. Even with this exceptional level of planning, I had to significantly alter the route due to a weather system that was not forecast. Even so, I still had the original route with me to use as a guide in making further decisions, and I actually joined back up with it in ABQ and followed it the rest of the way to the destination. All the prior briefings for NOTAMS left me with no surprises during the trip, but I did call for a fresh briefing just before each departure, just before filing my flight plans. Even if you don’t want to fly in IMC, I would highly recommend getting an instrument rating if you want to travel more than a few hours from home, which I would also recommend. During a 9-day period, I gained 36.6 hours of flight time, which except for 2.3 hours of sightseeing under SFO class B in the Bay area, was all under IFR flight plans. I’m now a 226-hour pilot ready to begin my commercial flight training and then a career as a professional pilot.

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I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Sweet Aviation for getting me back into the aero environment and making me current as a private pilot last year. Instructors Bob Schmelz and Craig Brown really helped me “knock the rust off” some admittedly dilapidated aviator skills, and that certainly paid off in time for my UH-60 transition training earlier this year. But I actually had an ulterior motive to justify my investment in getting current. My dad was in the midst of a bitter struggle against cancer, and one thing he persistently reminded me of over the years was that he’d really like me to take him flying. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like a true life crisis to focus one’s resolve and commitment to make things happen.

On February 26th, 2012, Dad and I finally broke free of those surly bonds together and took to the skies in the N660DC. It was a bitterly cold and windy day, but this was our chance and we weren’t going to miss it. We took in the view as we flew over the houses of friends, relatives, and even made a lap around Lake James, a favorite family summer retreat from my childhood. All in all, it was a tremendous day aloft. After landing, taxi, and shutdown, Dad looked over at me, still smiling, and with total awareness of his own condition said, “Thanks son, guess I can cross that one off my bucket list.” Indeed.

Sadly, my Dad passed away a few months later on June 21, 2012, on his 71st birthday. I do miss him dearly, but I am so immensely grateful and proud to finally honor his request. I owe a heartfelt thanks to Sweet Aviation for helping me make that memory.

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Those of us who live in the heartlands and love the pursuit of this kind of happiness find ourselves confronted with an interesting challenge. “Way up north” usually exists in lands far away from where we call home. Luckily flying helps shorten the distance and adds a whole new realm of enjoyment and experiences to such adventures. And yes, did I say stories. The combination of fishing and flying takes the art of telling tales to a whole new level, and it’s a level that few ever achieve.

And so this story begins, nearly three decades ago when the men in our family began the annual pilgrimage to the northern waters for fun, fellowship, passing down of ancestral history, general male bonding, and yes, even a little fishing.
We canoed, camped, and now with a 90-year-old dad, enjoy the more luxurious accommodations of renting a cabin. Our travels took us everywhere from the boundary waters of northern Minnesota to the fly-in only lakes of Canada. We traveled by car, van, RV, and most recently by plane. Some years ago we traded our wheels for wings and days on the road for a breathtaking beautiful morning flight.

Our fishing and flying adventures began just 10 years ago when a good friend who owned a cabin class twin engine Piper Chieftain volunteered to pilot us north. “Bubba” as my wife affectionately dubbed his plane, could carry a whopping useful load of over 2600 pounds. “Doc”, as my nephews call him, owned Bubba. He taught me a whole new respect for weight and balance.

First we carefully calculated the fuel requirements for destination, an alternate, and legal reserves. Then we weighed each item to be loaded strategically placing it in either the wing lockers, forward and rear baggage compartments, or one of the numerous nooks and crannies throughout the plane. Next we added to that the weight of each passenger and figured seat assignments that properly balanced the load. Being a seasoned charter pilot, Doc explained a need to figure for the “creeping weight syndrome”. This condition arises when passengers show up for the flight with things they forgot. (My dad and older brother became famous for this symptom.)

For nearly five years Bubba dutifully carried us to the waters of the “True North” before being downsized to a single engine Cessna Centurion. My brother helped fill the need by becoming an instrument rated pilot and owner of a Piper Cherokee 160. Now Doc, my brother, and I share the joy of flying our planes each summer to the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. Guided by the lessons Doc taught, we carefully calculate our fuel and baggage loads to safely make our journey.

Dad continues to tell us stories from his days of flying B-17’s while Doc, now like family, entertains us with tales of his charter pilot days. With a few hours under our belts even my brother and I seem to hold the men’s attention with some lofty narratives of our own. Oh, and yes, we still catch those monster fish.

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Plainwell Municipal Airport (61D) is a far cry from what you are used to seeing when you fly into Smith Field. Like Smith Field, there are two runways, but in Plainwell, only one of them is paved. Measuring 2,650′ x 50′, runway 9/27 is adequate for most general aviation aircraft and it is likely the runway of choice. Runway 1/19 is turf and appears to be in good condition. It’s only 100 feet shorter than the paved runway and it’s three times as wide (2,550′ x 150′).

Taxiing to the parking area, you’ll notice a variety of planes tied down in the grass. I’m assuming that’s due to the hangars being at capacity. Some of the hangars didn’t have doors and it looked like there was a plane in every stall that you could see into. Immediately to the south of the ramp is a fuel pump and on the east end is the FBO. I didn’t need services, so I focused on the reason I was there. Lunch. Walking down a dirt path toward the approach end of runway 27 sits a small, red building.

The Fly Inn Restaurant has a fine selection of food on the menu and I witnessed one of the most pleasing things a patron could see when walking into any restaurant. The cook was making hamburger patties by hand. No frozen beef pucks served here! You get a good old fashioned burger, a dandy view of the runway, and some excellent use of your pilot license — and you can do it all in about three hours. I shouldn’t forget to mention that the prices were incredibly reasonable and the service was excellent as well.

A wise man once told me that “the journey is the destination”. The journey on February 28 was to find a delicious lunch at an airport. That mission was accomplished. The Fly Inn is definitely worth checking out.

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The idea of flying stayed with me and commercially I flew over 50,000 air miles as a passenger. On one occasion, I flew in a small charter out of Seattle Washington. The pilots in those days did not have the restrictions we see now, and he let me sit up front and asked me to lookout for airplanes in the area as we were close to an airport getting ready to land. What a treat!

I was now 59 years old. I was driving down Ludwig Road when I saw the sign saying “Learn How to Fly.” I decided to pull my car in and walked in the terminal where a young man in his office asked if I needed help. I told him I am thinking about learning how to fly, to which he said, “Quit thinking and let’s go fly!” I didn’t know what airplane I was in, but I later learned it was the Diamond DA-20. You should have seen me wandering all over the taxiway!

With a few more instructions (and his help!) I was off and the dream came true! We landed and I started lessons the next day. My instructor within a few weeks received a job with a regional airline. I wondered what was going to happen to me, but a new instructor was present in the office. His name was Joel Pierce, and he was the new flight school manager. Joel taught me how to be a pilot, helped me find a plane to buy, and taught me how to be an instrument rated pilot.

Then I started thinking that I could become an instructor and help others learn how to fly. I recently passed and was granted my Basic Ground Instructor Certificate, and I was added to the Sweet Aviation staff as a ground instructor. Since my dream was now complete, it’s now my turn to help others to complete their dreams.

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The most obvious benefit to being an aviator is the ease of travel. I once received a speeding ticket while taking my wife to her relatives in Southern Ohio. Had I been airborne, I would’ve gotten there faster without the speeding ticket, and the view would’ve been breathtaking.

The second (and probably less obvious to non-aviators) benefit to being a pilot is the camaraderie with fellow pilots and aviation enthusiasts. I never realized how friendly aviation folk are until I took the plunge and became a pilot. Getting involved with incredible programs such as the Young Eagles has also been extremely rewarding experience. As they say, laughter is the best medicine. Hangar flying with other aviators frequently brings a good dose of laughter. Since I became a Private Pilot, my wife and I have enjoyed spending the time we’re not in the air hanging out with the enjoyable group of pilots that frequent Sweet Aviation. Well, it’s time for us to go flying and meet some new people!

A touch of aviation goes a long way toward improving the quality of life.

The post What Flying Means to Me appeared first on Sweet Aviation.

In 2006, Ottenweller Co. opened a satellite facility in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The trip to Mount Airy by automobile was a nine-hour adventure of boring flatlands and white-knuckle winding toll roads through the mountains. Our options to fly commercially to North Carolina were not much better. The door-to-door time out of Fort Wayne International was about eight hours. So, no matter how we traveled, spending a full day in Mount Airy meant three days away from Fort Wayne.

During that time, our business was going through a transformation in the way we conducted operations. We needed a much greater focus on process and procedural controls, and doing our work according to predetermined plans. The discipline I learned in obtaining both my private pilot license and my instrument rating matched up very well with the new methodologies we were using to run our business. I think my entire staff is sick of hearing airplane analogies when we discuss safety and work procedures in the company. They know, however, that I’m absolutely correct when we talk about the daily preventative maintenance on a machine being very much like the preflight inspection of an airplane.

The other intangible benefit was being put back into a structured learning environment. I had not been in a classroom setting for at least 30 years, and I found that it was very stimulating and gratifying to learn something new that I could be proud of.

I’m fortunate to be able to fly a Cirrus SR 22, a very modern airplane, with flat-panel displays and a ballistic parachute for an additional layer of safety. Our trip to Mount Airy now takes approximately three hours door to door, making a day trip safe and time efficient.

When I fly, the daily stress and worries of work seem to melt away. I can truly say that flying has changed my business life!

The post How My Business Took Flight appeared first on Sweet Aviation.

Whether a little single-cell pop-up storm or a long line of embedded thunderstorms, stormy weather should demand our utmost respect. The hazards of these storms include turbulence, lightning, hail, icing, wind shifts, and heavy rain. A good rule of thumb is to steer clear of a cumulonimbus cloud (CB) by at least 20 miles if you are downwind of it. If you do end up in a thunderstorm, keep the speed below maneuvering speed and focus on keeping the wings generally level.

Also be sure to stay aware of density altitude. As the temperatures rise, the air becomes less dense. This has an adverse effect on the performance of any airplane. The engine will produce less power, the prop has less air to move, and there is less air flowing over the wings to generate lift. To compute the density altitude, take the current pressure altitude (the altitude you get when you set the altimeter to 29.92 in) and convert it for the warmer temperatures. This can be done on an E6-B. We can also find it already computed for us on the local AWOS broadcast. We should take the density altitude into account when we are figuring takeoff and landing distance, climb performance, cruise speeds. A hot day (over 90°F) can easily add 2,500 ft. to the field elevation. This may mean planning shorter legs, flying early in the day or in the evening, or finding ways to reduce the weight in the plane.

The last hazard that deserves to be mentioned is the traffic. If it is beautiful weather and everybody is up flying, it can get very busy. Most midair collisions occur on beautiful days with good visibility. It is easy to be lulled into the sense that nobody else is around. Especially in the traffic pattern, we should keep our head outside the cockpit, looking for traffic as much as possible.

Enjoy the summer and the chance for adventure that it brings, but be safe, keep a wary eye out for the weather, compute your performance numbers before you go, and watch out for other traffic.

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