HANGAR27

THE VIEW FROM HANGAR 27

As I taxied N329DJ away from Hangar 27 for the last time it was nice to see one of the few
remaining foxes at HWO racing around in the grass. I hope it found a good breakfast!

During thunderstorm season when you need to go the entire length of the Florida peninsula
it is best to get an early start. So for N329DJ's flight to her new home at S17 I was wheels up
before sunrise into a delightfully calm and smooth flight.

One of the nice features of the Cardinal is that the high wings keep us out of the direct glare
of the sun most of the time. But on this early morning flight heading north with the sun to
my right glaring at me behind my sunglasses I couldn’t wait for the rising sun to get above
the wing. But then that didn’t work with Florida being so wet, not to mention the ocean, I
had the glare off the water to contend with for awhile.

The XM weather showed some activity moving towards Jacksonville so the race was on to
get past there before the storm. I was pleasantly surprised that fuel at St. Augustine was
“only” $4.75 a gallon. Safely past the storms I continued north and although it was IFR all
around Savannah, I was VFR on top. Well, there was that brief time when I could see blue
above and nothing else so I might have been VFROI – VFR On Instruments! To make the
flight even more pleasant, ATC put me right through the restricted areas over Ft. Stewart,
where I used to play around in the swamps in my Army days. Back then I got some stick
time in helicopters flying in the Restricted Areas when they were hot.

Flightaware.com is a very interesting website. It provides the capability for tracking both
commercial and general aviation flights along with weather and attention-grabbing airport
information. It used to be just IFR flights that were shown, but now the system often
includes VFR flights that are on flight following with ATC. But while it is fascinating, it is also
a bit of a two-edged sword. After my recent flight Gary tracked me on Flightaware and
complimented me on my altitude hold without an autopilot. If I had thought that he would be
checking up on me I would have paid more attention! Of course he also could not help but
comment that my groundspeed would have been faster in a Mooney. L

This is the last “Hangar 27” column for the Florida Aero Club newsletter. My Cardinal RG is
in the hangar at 408 Cessna Drive, Twin Lakes Airpark, AKA Graniteville Airport (S17). Our
association with the Florida Aero Club has been great. Through the FAC we have met some
wonderful people and enjoyed some great experiences. Due to issues of family and work
commitments we have not been able to always participate but we have always felt part of the
group. As I mentioned in my last column, regional and local organizations play a major role
in giving a reason to go flying for pleasure and the FAC has been great at doing that.

When time and mood permits I may send out a strictly email column that will carry the follow-
on title of “The View from Hangar 408.” If you want to be added to or deleted from the email
list, just send me a message.

Fly for joy but make safety your number 1 priority! Keep the blue side up!

Jerry Crawford, CFII

305-724-7556

N329DJ@aol.com

House Address:

410 Cessna Drive

Trenton, SC 29847