First X-country with Pax

[prkaye]

On Saturday I'm planning to do my first Cross-Country with a passenger - my wife.
We're planning to depart Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) early Sat morning in a Diamond Katana, and fly 140NM SW to Peterborough Ontario to spend the day with my grandparents. Then back to Ottawa that evening. Quite excited as this will be the longest single-leg x-country I have flown as PIC, and also really hoping my wife likes the experience. I think she will really enjoy looking at the map and helping navigate (we have GPS, but I prefer to practice navigating the old-fashioned way).
The return trip will also be on my second night cross-country (did one solo for my night rating). Looking forward to that challenge as well.

[pierre smith]

Very good Phil!
If she's involved and keeps up with your position, she'll enjoy it that much more. My wife loves the GPS and does the programming of waypoints and holds the maps when I'm busy with controllers. Have fun and if you can find the "quick start" instructions for the GPS, let her use them on the flight.

Enjoy,

[kentb]

I would recommend making sure that you have lots of lights below you (IE cities, highways, etc). Night operation over open (dark) country can be very disorientating for a new pilot and unless you are IFR rated would recommend against it.
Even after more then 200 hours my first night cross country over the open I experienced the "leans". I was sure that I was above the local mountains, but I could not see them and was very uncomfortable. I changed coarse so that I could fly over a river with a highway running next to it just so that I would have a correctly sense of where the ground was. It only cost me about 15 extra minutes to use this other route.

Kent

[Ron Lee]

Return home during daylight. Too many stress/pressure issues here. Be very quick to not go or stay a day or two if weather is an issue.

[L.Adamson]

Originally Posted by prkaye

(we have GPS, but I prefer to practice navigating the old-fashioned way).

I confess, I don't think much of the old fashioned way. Am looking forward to full synthetic 3D topography (IMC/IFR conditions). Airport layout maps with your aircraft's position supplied by GPS, and the full compliment of terrain and obstacle warnings. Most of this is available now.

I've been keeping track of too many flight into terrain accidents for too many years........I guess.

L.Adamson

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by L.Adamson

I confess, I don't think much of the old fashioned way. Am looking forward to full synthetic 3D topography (IMC/IFR conditions). Airport layout maps with your aircraft's position supplied by GPS, and the full compliment of terrain and obstacle warnings. Most of this is available now.

I've been keeping track of too many flight into terrain accidents for too many years........I guess.

L.Adamson

Ok, but please do the rest of us a favor, look outside for traffic. I am in favor of technology but I have taken a few rides with Cirrus pilot friends of mine and noticed a severe lack of traffic scan. Although my RV8 has a GNS 430, I too like to navigate with a sectional chart looking at the view.

John Clark ATP, CFI
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[pierre smith]

Originally Posted by John Clark

Although my RV8 has a GNS 430, I too like to navigate with a sectional chart looking at the view.

John Clark ATP, CFI
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

Me too!
I drew my lines to LAL on the WAC yesterday and also have Sectionals.......the way I learned, (back in the sixties), and still teach. Yup, nothing like orienting a map in the direction of flight and taking in the view. I consider my 496 a backup almost.

Pilotage, m'boy.....

Havagoodtrip,

[prkaye]

Thanks for your comments guys. The weather is looking great, and I'm really looking forward to it. My plan is probably to depart in twilight and arrive back in Ottawa after dark. I do want to get more practice at night.
The GPS will be switched-on and my destination programmed in, but I enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out which town is which, doing my time-checks by finding my checkpoints on the map, etc etc. This is stuff I want to get more practice at as well. Maybe I'll get some practice finding my position by tuning in VOR's as well. Eventually I want to get my commercial, instructor and IFR ratings (by eventually I mean after the RV is flying!), so I'm keen to get lots of practice!

[mgomez]

"Phil Kaye
RV9A, left wing under construction "

That's the only part that worries me. I've flown a few hundred hours of cross-country, some at night, some in IMC, but all with two fully finished wings.

I'm not familiar with the RV-9, and perhaps one wing is sufficient.

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by mgomez

I'm not familiar with the RV-9, and perhaps one wing is sufficient.

Well, maybe not on the RV-9, but certainly on the F-15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT7DfS-9CFI