I have done a couple of posts from the Chipmunk 80th anniversary flyin at Te Kowhai last Saturday, but I thought it might be interesting for some blog readers to hear about our flight down there from Kaipara Flats.
First off, Arjen Visser's Sling 4 TSi ZK-DBV2 is a very capable aircraft that is equipped with pretty much all the bells and whistles with an all Garmin screen set up as well as an autopilot. For example when we were flying the display tells you what airfields you are in gliding range of in case of an engine failure (but it doesn't go all the way and automatically land the aircraft which is a feature that can be had in the US).
As part of the safety briefing (and because I am in the right hand front seat) Arjen tells me that in the extremely unlikely event of him becoming incapacitated I should push the Level button to bring the wings level, then turn off both ignition lanes, and then pull the big red ballistic parachute handle! Of course if we are over the water then first glide to land if you can before initiating the procedure
Arjen programmed the autopilot to fly over Parakai and then in a direct line to Te Kowhai. We took off from Kaipara Flats airfield with 3 POB and the weather was less than ideal with very grey skies and areas of low cloud. We got across the hills to the Kaipara Harbour and the visibility was OK but there were lots of low clouds down past Parakai. We could see the coastline but Arjen made a decision that we would go over the top of the clouds. He could do this because he has a transponder and ADSB so he can fly in controlled airspace and he is licensed for it. So Arjen set the autopilot to climb at 500 feet per minute and to level out at 8,000 feet. Then just before we climb into the Auckland Approach controlled airspace he calls them up on 124.3 and they quickly approve the plan. Then we are up in controlled airspace with all the Air New Zealand and other airlines' planes (We don't worry about the poor pilots scrabbling around in the murk on 119.1!)
We are now flying serenely above the clouds at 8,000 feet on autopilot and I am reminded of flying on the airlines! (except I can see ahead where we are going - more clouds). Seemingly all around us are Air New Zealand flights on the screen and at one point Auckland Approach asks us to change heading to 090 as there is a (probably ATR 72) coming our way. After a while we are told to re-head for Te Kowhai which the autopilot calculates for us. After a brief handover to Tauranga Approach our read out shows that we are about 12 nautical miles from Te Kowhai. Ahead there is still cloud but off to our right is a gap so we head for that and descend in the clear to find we are just North of Raglan.
If you click to enlarge this photo twice you can see lots of cars parked on Raglan Airfield which was closed by NOTAM as they are running a shuttle bus from the airfield to the World Surf League surfing contest that is being held at Manu Bay, South of Raglan (at the top right).
Then we head back to Te Kowhai under the clouds in VFR passing the Te Uku wind turbine farm and find the airfield straight ahead so we descend and join on the non-traffic side and proceed to land on Runway 05 just after the "Chipmunk Blue" 4 ship Chipmunk flight has landed.
Thank you Arjen for the eye opening flight! We arrived much fresher than I have in the past when I have flown my D9 down there at around 1,500 feet. However on the flight back the weather had improved so we flew back up the coast at 2,000 feet (and as required below 1,500 feet across the Manukau heads when an Air NZ A320 flew right above us). This was all flown manually and Arjen let me have control all the way up the coast to abeam Helensville. Such an easy plane to fly and all the while in armchair comfort!
I am tempted to say "It is flying Jim, but not as we know it!"
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