640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-17 New Castle.jpg
The town of New Castle, and New Castle International Gliderport (NCI). In the right side of the frame, you can see "The Bowl" -- it's common to see glider-folk looking for lift along this ridge.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-16 Sinking Creek NW of Roanoke.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-15 Mountains with Blue Haze.jpg
Wouldjabelieve that I'm flying in the Blue Ridge Mountains?
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-14 Covington Smokestacks.jpg
The smokestacks really stand out from a distance.
640x344 796x428(raw)
2005-01-16-13 Garmin GPS V.jpg
See, it is useful for something! This is a Garmin GPS V, which is designed for automotive use. However, I found a list of Virginia airport coordinates in a convenient format and uploaded them as waypoints to the GPS. The "Distance to Next" field can make things a lot easier, since N66239 has only one VOR receiver and no DME.
The "offroad navigation" screen looks a lot like an HSI, and even has a CDI. The CDI is almost as twitchy as a localizer at 110mph, so it feels like good practice for flying the needles when I start my instrument rating.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-12 KHSP.jpg
Hot Springs (Ingalls Field) is one of the neatest airports I have visited. The field elevation is 3792 ft MSL, which makes it among the highest airports east of the Mississippi. The base of the runway is unusually hazardous and the winds can be challenging -- but the runway is very long, and the view is spectacular!
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-11 Rwy7.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-10 Rwy25.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-09 Turning Downwind 7 at KHSP.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-08 Climbout from KHSP.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-07 Climbout from KHSP Rwy7.jpg
Even though the airport is on a mountaintop, you still have to really climb out of it. There is no mountain on the right -- but the terrain would still be very unfriendly to an aircraft with a stopped engine.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-06 Another View from KHSP Taxiway.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-05 View from KHSP Taxiway.jpg
Wow! It's like you're already flying when you're on the taxiway!
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-04 Some Flatish Land.jpg
I flew from Smith Mountain Lake Virginia (W91) to Hot Springs Virginia (KHSP). I did fly over some flat-land -- but I didn't use my camera until the second leg of the trip.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-03 Mountains and I-81 North of Roanoke.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-02 Mountains North of Roanoke.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2005-01-16-01 I-81 Looking South toward Roanoke.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200 2272x1704(raw)
2004-05-08 - Pilot_Luke_with_Cessna_172.jpg
This picture matches my self-image.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200 2272x1704(raw)
2004-05-08 - Luke_and_Martin_Flying.jpg
Good times in N1173F! Martin is my older brother, and I got to take him flying!
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200 2272x1704(raw)
2004-05-08 - Final_approach.jpg
A nice high-resolution image of the turn-to-final on Runway 6 at KPSK. Oh, and the bugs on the winshield -- they're real. :-)
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-11-09-06 Final at PSK 3.jpg
This approach was followed by a squeaker.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-11-09-04 Final at PSK 1.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-11-09-03 Looking east from PSK.jpg
This is also from the pattern at PSK. You can see the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in the background - and one of the white blobs way off in the distance is Blacksburg.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-11-09-02 Base-to-final at PSK.jpg
This is the turn from base to final for runway 24 at PSK. Note that a barn representing the proverbial "farm available for purchase" is right under the final approach path. This is an extra reminder to watch my airspeed and fly coordinated when turning base-to-final -- so I don't "buy the farm".
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-11-09-01 Me.jpg
One very happy man!
640x432 800x540 1024x692 1280x865 1352x914(raw)
2002-10-14-37a - Final PSK.jpg
640x442 800x553 1024x707 1280x884 1328x918(raw)
2002-10-14-36a - Base to final PSK.jpg
640x438 800x547 891x610(raw)
2002-10-14-34a - Nifty trees.jpg
640x443 800x554 1024x709 1288x892(raw)
2002-10-14-31a - Claytor Lake.jpg
640x430 800x538 1024x688 1280x861 1360x915(raw)
2002-10-14-30a - Claytor Lake Dam.jpg
640x440 800x550 1024x704 1280x880 1338x920(raw)
2002-10-14-29a - Eastern Dublin.jpg
640x441 800x551 1024x705 1280x882 1332x918(raw)
2002-10-14-21a.jpg
640x448 800x560 1024x717 1280x896 1316x922(raw)
2002-10-14-20a.jpg
We got to see this King Air on final. That's about 6 tons of turbine powered workhorse going by.
640x445 800x557 1024x713 1280x891 1335x930(raw)
2002-10-14-17a - Stadium.jpg
640x442 800x553 1024x708 1280x885 1600x1106 2637x1824(raw)
2002-10-14-16 - Northwest Campus.jpg
640x442 800x552 1024x707 1280x884 1360x940(raw)
2002-10-14-14a.jpg
640x483 800x603 1024x772 1179x890(raw)
2002-10-14-13a.jpg
640x437 800x547 1024x700 1280x875 1600x1094 2679x1833(raw)
2002-10-14-12a - Ellet Valley.jpg
640x437 800x547 1024x700 1280x875 1600x1094 2662x1821(raw)
2002-10-14-08 - Terrace View College Park and University Mall.jpg
640x451 800x564 1024x721 1280x902 1302x918(raw)
2002-10-14-07a - College Park.jpg
640x434 800x543 1024x695 1280x868 1351x917(raw)
2002-10-14-05a - Terrace View.jpg
640x499 780x609(raw)
2002-10-14-02a - New River.jpg
640x445 800x557 899x626(raw)
2002-10-14-01a.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-08 The New River.jpg
Note the greenish tint in the river. It's natural, but it's still funny looking.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-06 A field just past the end of runway 12.jpg
This is the kind of thrilling perspective that you can only get from a low-flying aircraft. This picture was taken on climb-out from BCB - the 4-lane road you see is US-460.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-05 BCB from downwind to runway 30.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-04 The Virgnia Tech campus on downwind to runway 30 at BCB.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-03 Prices Fork Road.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-02 Foxridge.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-02-09-01 Virginia Tech campus on climbout from BCB.jpg
I like the view of campus and Blacksburg in this picture. Also, it shows the geometry of climbout quite well - the camera is aligned with the flight path of the aircraft, and you can see that the wing has a positive angle-of-attack. The "VT" shaped shrubbery in the lower right just happened to be in the frame.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-22-07 The town of Dublin as seen from the traffic pattern around PSK.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-22-05 The town of Pulaski.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-22-04 Claytor Lake the New River and 5394T right wing.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-22-03 The New River.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-22-02 Claytor Lake and the New River.jpg
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-22-01 5394T.jpg
N5394T is a 1963 Cessna Skyhawk. This is the airplane in which I flew my solo flight and my private pilot practical test. It has a low-time engine, a climb-prop and durable landing gear. It is a good solid VFR airplane and I fly it whenever I can!
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-05-06 1173F.jpg
N1173F is a 1965 Cessna Skyhawk. It has a Garmin GPS, electric flaps, cruise prop, a nice paint job, and a groovy 1960s interior.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-05-04 The approach to Runway 24 at PSK.jpg
You can see the proverbial farm-available-for-purchase at the base of PSK's Runway 24. This barnyard always reminds me to take the turn onto final approach very carefully.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-05-03 South of Pearisburg looking toward PSK.jpg
Now, we're looking back toward the airport. This picture was taken from approximately the same location as the pictures looking toward Pearisburg.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-05-02 South of Pearisburg.jpg
This is another picture of the land southwest of Blacksburg. I like seeing the wing-strut; it reminds me how this picture came to be.
640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x960 1600x1200(raw)
2002-01-05-01 Looking toward Pearisburg.jpg
Here you can see the land southwest of Blacksburg. These mountains aren't very high when compared to the Rockies, but they're not good to land on.
