NIGHT FLIGHT  1984

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll follow me back,” was the supposedly comforting phrase that was to sway  me to partake in the task presented to me:

Fly with Bob in the Cherokee from Essex County Airport, NJ to MacArthur in Long Island and pick up the Tomahawk and fly it back by myself.

Ummm, yeah.

I was supposed to fly the Tomahawk home because I never flew the Cherokee.  Not that it is that much different, just two more seats in the back.  Oh, and maybe a few more instruments in the front….!  And totally different airspeeds for landing and maneuvering, etc.   Sure, like that matters……. Hmmmm.    At least the radio was in a familiar place!

“Are you crazy!  I never flew that far solo!!!!” was my first reaction.   (Little did I realize it was gonna turn out to be a solo NIGHT flight. 

They proceeded to try to convince me.

I only first soloed a month before and only went about 8 miles away in the practice area on the next one a couple of weeks later.  Even on that flight, I was tainted with trepidation because I didn’t think I could find my way back to the airport, but I knew I had my trusty VOR if I got disoriented.  Yanna, all land in the practice area in New Jersey looks alike!!!  Like I’m supposed to know Farmer Brown’s land from Farmer Smith.  Oh well, it was then I decided that instruments were the key.

Have to admit that the challenge  seemed like fun even though it was mid-December and FREEZING!  On the warm side,  the school was gonna give me the lesson for free!

On the way there, he let me fly so I could get used to the Cherokee.   It was a pretty fun flight up the river, over Manhattan, and on to Long Island.  It was also a bit educational, as I got more used to the more “hi-tech” navigational equipment.

Transponder, to be exact.  The Tomahawk didn’t have one.

So we took off for the wild blue yonder.

He assured me that on the way back he would be in radio contact with me as soon as we were released from controlled airspace and that I could just follow him  back.   I was supposed to take the Tomahawk because it was the one  that I was most familiar with.

After awhile it was a  little too late to back out,  as we were 1,200 ft over Manhattan by the time I realized how far we really were gonna go and that I would have to get back by myself with the other plane.  I was hoping maybe the other plane wouldn’t start or something so we could just fly back together, but I didn’t have much time to hope or think about anything but flying.

Between trying to remember all the stuff for the Tomahawk and trying to absorb all the stuff for the Cherokee, flying wasn’t fun.

He was pointing out checkpoints to look for on the way back; utilizing the navigation equipment and drilling it into my brain, and of course, letting me fly on and off.   I had the controls over Manhattan, and it was amazing.  It was crazy flying over those skyscrapers.   I think that is why he let me have the controls then.  Bless him!  He knew what would fuel me.

Okay, back track to  the beginning……….

From the start, things were not as planned……. 

It was mid afternoon, and we already were delayed at least an hour from our scheduled time, probably due to my hesitation which may have been caused by their insane proposition,  But by the time we got to MacArthur it was probably a little more than an hour more of sun, no problem I thought as we were gonna just turn around and head back.

When we landed, we found the Tomahawk on the tarmac.  Well, the wings were COVERED in ICE!  I am not kidding, at least an inch thick!

Well, I was relieved because I didn’t want to fly all that way home by myself anyway (remember this was only my third solo flight).  So I’m like, Ok good, lets go back.  And to my HORROR! He pulls out a knife or something and starts CHIPPING THE ICE OFF THE WINGS!

I’m like, “What are you doing………. Hmmmm?”   He says, “It won’t take too long to get this off.”

OK, after I question his knowledge in aerodynamics and he acted like he knew everything,  I start looking around for an escape, perhaps an FBO to get some hot chocolate???

I further questioned his tactics, and he seemed determined to chop all the ice off the wing.  I asked him how he could get it ALL off (it was below freezing temps and the sun was low on the horizon) and reminded him of excess drag on the wings, not to mention any errant puncture wounds!!!  I was sure I was FAA and NTSB all rolled into one (sure……… coming from someone who jumped out of a plane at 9,000 feet four years later without inspecting the chute)!

He assured me that he knew what he was doing, but I told him that NO WAY was I flying that plane with the ice on it, however minute.  I really didn’t want to fly back by myself in either plane.

But of course I don’t always get what I want……..

So he thinks he has the solution and says I have to fly the Cherokee.   I told him that I really didn’t think I had that much experience in it, but he wouldn’t hear anything else and continued to chop the ice off the Tomahawk’s wings while I froze my butt off mentally wishing he would disappear and that I could take a bus . Fine, finally, he gets it done.   Well, actually, I got an ice pick and started helping.

Now, he has to instruct me on the proper way to taxi in a “Big” airport. (Oh, I took the Cherokee).  Well, since there was ice and snow on the taxiway, it didn’t seem all that rocket science to GO SLOW!

Still not surprising that other pilots got on the radio and told me to speed up!!!!

Great!

By now it was starting to get a bit dark, too.,

So I lined up on the runway behind him and followed once I got my clearance.

I could see him and knew the general direction to head.

Well, after we got cleared from ATC, we switched to UNICOM where we could talk.  

The problem was at first  that I guess I forgot  to turn on the anti- collision lights and right after we took off, it started getting pretty dark, so I didn’t know which switches turned on the anti-collision lights (only star light illuminated my instrument panel). All he said was, “I CAN’T SEE YOU NOREEN!”

I was like, “What!?”

He said, “Turn on your lights.”

I said, “Yeah, ok, how?  You tell me, I didn’t even want to fly this plane!!!”  I was starting to get pissed!

He said, “Noreen……turn on your lights,……turn on your lights, I can‘t SEE you..”

I was like, (as if I didn‘t hear him in the first place), “Oh Great!  Guess nobody else can see me either!!!!”

Well, I followed my heading and altitude while I started turning on EVERY switch I could find!!!!  In the DARK!   I just started hitting the front panel.  I swear, my whole hand turned on a bank of switches in one swish.  I was waiting to see which one’s did what.  I found the lights pronto and duly switched off the ones that weren’t exactly needed at the time…….. Heater for one, which didn’t work anyway.  I also didn’t need the Fuel Pump until landing.

For a minute I think I got radio wave Mars, but……………

Next thing I hear over the radio is, “THANK YOU NOREEN!!!!”

Well, once we crossed the river and bridge and headed back to NJ, I was waiting for some more navigational prompts from him , and before I knew it, he came on the radio and told me to switch frequencies to the tower! 

So, I’m like, “Well, maybe when I see it!”

And he says, “I saw it five miles ago.”

Okay, hmmm, this isn’t good.

I repeated,  “I don’t see it!”

So, here is the deal.  I can’t find the airport at night..  This is my first time flying at night with no previous lesson.    I know from the books that peripheral vision is supposed to be implemented to find the beacon, but try that when it is needed!

He says, “Well, just follow me.”

NIT!  I DON’T SEE YOU EITHER ANYMORE! 

So, I call the tower and they tell me that they see me and I am cleared to land.  So I said, “You don’t understand… I don’t see YOU!”

Then they understood the predicament and started to talk to me.

Well, then they told me to turn this way and that so they could get me on radar.  So I complied.  I was doing it until they told me to turn one way, which I knew couldn’t possibly help as it seemed to be heading me further away.   I then  realized that they had the wrong plane in their radar and told them that I had a transponder, if it would be of any use, lol (oh man, I was only newly acquainted with it!).  So, they gave me a squawk code and then they realized they were tracking a different plane and told me to make an immediate 180 degree turn without delay.   I was heading straight for a 1,700 ft. mountain in the dark at 1,200 ft.   You do the math.

As soon as I turned around, I saw the runway lights.  It also started to snow.

By the time I got lined up and prepared to land, there was a nice little blanket that welcomed my return to earth……………

And I didn’t skid either.

reenie