Comments Interspersed - WRB
On May 15, 2009, at 20:28, Ed Burkhead wrote:
Sunshade window – pfah!
That’s what baseball caps and sunscreen spf 30 are for!
I use the baseball cap too, but do not like the "greased pig"
sensation...prefer long sleeves.
Personally, I never wanted to limit my view out of the plane – I’m up
there to joyously view the world!
If you are viewing the world through the overhead sun shade panel, your
flight plan and cross country technique must be truely amazing. ;<)
As stated, the view of overhead traffic scanning is unimpeded with the
reflective film...not true with the solid aluminum examples which
obstruct it. I do NOT recommend them for that very reason.
I see that the distance from the mainland to Catalina Island is about
30 miles.
26 miles, according to the song (and my old chart).
When I flew from the mainland to Martha’s Vineyard, I prudently left
the mainland at 11,500 feet.
Right at the coastline, I saw the error of my ways and started my
cruise descent.
With Catalina, one must read the field elevation. Wriggley's airport
was constructed by cutting most, but not ALL, off the peak of the
highest mountain on the island. Accordingly, as I recall, I climbed
from a calculated altitude at a chosen and achievable rate when leaving
the shoreline such that about two-thirds there (the "either way" point)
one is high enough to return to the beach (at sea level) or continue to
land at the airport on top of the mountain. There were no beaches
suitable for an emergency landing at Catalina.
At any "normal" rate of descent, a pilot cannot see the final half of
the runway because there is a pronounced "peak" in the middle that
saved big excavating bucks. Fakes out pilots all the time, though.
Add to that the fact that a low approach puts you into the side of the
mountain and (in a jet) a long touchdown means you fall off the other
side and you have the stuff of legend ;<)
WRB
By the time I reached the island, I was down to about 5,000 feet and
had to circle for a while to get rid of the rest of the altitude.
Ah, prudence!
Ed
