This was my first long cross country IFR by myself since I earned by Instrument certification. As one can expect, I made some mistakes, learning a few things a long the way.
I requested simple track: FDK and then direct at 9000. ATC cleared for STILL MRB HGR LHY CMK Direct. Although, on route, there were changes. A couple of times, I studied and request a more direct route. ATC granted me each request only to have it readjusted after a hand off. My actual route flight took me farther north than optimal. My last waypoint was the HFD VOR.
Looking at the map below, there is one small deviation at the elbow coming out of VA to head east. This occurred while I was tracking to figure out why the Auto Pilot (AP) did not make the turn. It was set to Navigate and hold altitude. I do not recall how I went wrong there, but it was easy to fix. I put the AP back to ROL and heading mode, using the heading bug to set the new course and then I set AP back in NAV mode to initiate once intercepting the correct course.
The other disappointing deviation is the two altitude bumps. I realized that it best to change the descent rate, as recommended by the AP guide, as the plane nears its target altitude. For example, I can set the descent rate to 500 FPM, and then adjust to 100 FPM as I get near the altitude. If not, the AP tends to ‘overshoot’; ‘undershoot’ in this case;-) This is obvious from the altitude profile on my descent. The other little bumps were changes in pressure as the flight progressed. The general pressure trend was high to low.
The little bumps in the altitude graph seen at the beginning of the flight were caused by me playing with the AP’s altitude options.
The biggest mistake on this trip was not studying the POH of the aircraft in sufficient detail. I plan on remedying this soon. The condensed checklist for the aircraft is simply not sufficient. There are two critical notes in the POH that I should have seen and noted. I copied them below for reference.
NOTE
While switching from one tank to the other, the electrical fuel pump should be switched ON.
CAUTION
When the fuel pressure warning light illuminates, or the fuel pressure indication is below the green sector, the electrical fuel pump must be switched ON.
The ‘CAUTION’ is obvious to me. The actions I took are consistent with the CAUTION. I switched the tanks at 9000 feet and then, around ten minutes later, I started seeing erratic flow issues. The fuel pressure light indicator was not lit, nor was the pressure remarkable. I knew that I missed something. At the time, rather than dive into studying the POH, I switch back to other tank while I pondered what was going on; I realized quickly that the fuel pump was necessary in this case. Had I reviewed the POH more thoroughly, I would have been aware of this. I had spent time before the flight reviewing the emergency procedures and electrical system, skipping over normal procedures because of my handy little condensed checklists.
Things I did well on this flight included good communication with ATC, better preparation and understanding of the AP, and relentless note recording along the entire flight. My flight log consisted of times associated with each frequency, altitude, and course adjustment along with issues and discoveries. I became my own little flight recorder.
I landed at Windham airport, which is very close to my parent’s house. The problem with Windham is the FBO is temporarily closed, as indicated by this NOTAM: IJD 05/003 IJD SVC FUEL NOT AVBL. I found a tie down and then talked to some of the locals about the best place to get fuel. They recommended Danielson for affordable fuel. Very friendly people at Windham! I learned that the diner up on the hill near the airport has a nice place to relax and get a good meal. I did not stop by but it seemed to be a popular place. Another time.
My plan on the return flight was to head over to Danielson VFR, fuel up and file IFR back to JYO. I filed plan I found from the recently/frequently used plans from fltplan.com. The plan a filed was HFD V3 MXE V419 EMI V3 RUANE . When filing my plan, I requested from FSS confirmation of the departure clearance phone number since I was unlikely to get DC on the field. AOPA’s airport information provides a number for Bradley. FSS gave me a Providence number. At Danielson, I called the number. Unfortunately, I did not get an answer. I called FSS back and they gave me another number. Again, no luck. Here is where my mistake occurred. I grew a bit impatient and figured I would start out on my proposed plan at VFR altitudes and pick up Providence from the air. I had VFR conditions below 3500. However, this did not go as planned. I had no luck getting Providence on several different frequencies. I did get a hold of Providence Approach briefly, but the signal was poor so they referred me to Boston. I called Boston and they referred me to Bradley. After the shuffle around, I was well on my way and started to look for a nearby airport to land and file a new plan; start over! I mentioned this to one of Bradley controllers. She said stand by; I could continue on course as long as I can stay VFR. After what seemed like a very long time, Bradley got back with me, directing me New York. New York got me on my way. The only issue at this point was I had to swing back to Groton. This debacle added unnecessary workload for both me and ATC, burned excess fuel, and added unnecessary flight time. Never again. The cleared flight plan was ORW V16 JFK V16 ENO V268 BAL V214 MRB.
I learned, through my research and some hints from my flight instructor, that I can look up the plan that I am likely to be cleared using flightaware.com, provided I file early enough. If I recall correctly, the plan is available roughly 30 minutes after filed, but I advise checking close to the departure time, as things do change. This tool can aid the clearance instruction exchange with ATC.
The rest of the flight was fairly uninteresting. At one point, there was a little confusion between myself an ATC. They made some adjustments in my flight in route. At one time they gave me DIXIE. I first entered DIXEE in the GPS. I could have sworn they said ‘Delta’ ‘India’ ‘X-ray’ ‘Echo’ ‘Echo’. I probably misheard it. I started on course to DIXEE and felt that the direction was wrong so I called back and got confirmation. All other adjustments provided by ATC were clear.
In the future, I am going to spend more time studying the different routes assigned by ATC along this route using both fltplan.com and flightaware.com. I want to be more familiar with the airways and waypoints, rather than trying to discover them during the flight using IFR Low Enroute charts.
I applied some stick and rudder skills through clouds at the beginning of the flight, avoiding some of the more ominous ones while getting bounced around a bit and enduring the fluctuations in pressure and temperature. I eventually turned the AP on, letting it handle the more boring aspects of the trip, allowing me to focus on navigation and systems.
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