Realistic Commercial Flying with Flight Simulator

by John Rafferty

Chapter 12
Air-Taxi Deadhead: Boston-Logan to Danielson

After dropping off your passengers at Butler Aviation, you stop at the service counter to pay the nominal landing fee Logan charges and to take a break for coffee and danish.

Now, as you walk back to the transient ramp where you left the aircraft, you glance up and notice the overcast seems to be darker—evidently the weather is continuing to deteriorate as expected. You unlock the aircraft door, take your clipboard and charts, and head for the pilot's lounge and a courtesy phone to check on the weather.

Preflight

Pilot's Analysis of Preflight Weather

Things have deteriorated, but only slightly. There's a solid ceiling throughout the area now and the breeze seems to have picked up, as was expected with the passage of the front, but the front itself has remained weak. There's no significant weather, and although you can expect to encounter actual IFR conditions at the lower altitudes, there's nothing of particular concern.

So far it seems unlikely that Danielson will fall below minimums; that is, you're likely to have much better ceiling/visibility conditions than the required minimums of 1180 feet and 1¼ miles, respectively. In the unlikely event that you should need an alternate airport, however, you probably would be better off simply to return to Logan where an ILS would be available.

Pilot's Overview of Flight-Planned Route

The route back should be the reverse of that coming up, so you rough out a flight log in a matter of minutes. You'll try an altitude

Program Setup Values
North	17901
East	21852
Altitude	0
Heading	125
Season	Spring
Time	1100 hours (11:00 a.m.)

Clouds	Level 1: 1400–1600 feet
	Level 2: 3500–5000 feet

Wind	Surface to 800 feet:
	200 degrees at 12 knots

Weather Briefing to Danielson

Figure 12-2. Flight Log to Danieison

Figure 12-3. Flight Plan to Danieison of 3000, which might leave you in the soup for much of the way, but the flight is short. Maybe you'll luck out—3000 might turn out to be between layers, a situation you find to have a pleasant, if somewhat lonesome, eeriness to it.

Departure

On the Ramp, After Contacting Ground and Ready to Copy

Cessna Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot
Cleared to the Danielson Airport
Direct Putnam
Maintain three thousand
Squawk one one three zero.

You're route has been changed, but this one's better. You set Nav 1 on 117.40 for Putnam and center the needle (TO). The DME readout divided by two gives you your ETE to Putnam. You leave Nav 2 on Boston for now.

Four Six Foxtrot
Cleared to taxi for Runway 22 Right
That's straight ahead and left onto the parallel taxi strip
Stay behind the red Aero Commander that's just ahead of you.

Approaching the End of the Parallel Taxi Strip

Four Six Foxtrot Tower on one one niner point one so long.

Switch.

Four Six Foxtrot Boston Tower position and hold.

Holding in Position on Runway 22 Right

Four Six Foxtrot cleared for departure
Runway 22 Right
Altimeter two niner point niner zero
Wind two zero zero degrees at twelve
Visibility ten
Temperature 68
Maintain runway heading.

On 500 FPM Climb

Four Six Foxtrot turn right
Heading two five two degrees
Climb and maintain two thousand
Contact Boston Approach on one two zero point six
Good day.

Switch.

Four Six Foxtrot Boston Approach
Climb and maintain three thousand
Resume normal navigation.

Level at 3000

Four Six Foxtrot contact Boston Center
On one twenty-four point five so long.

18 Miles DME from Putnam

Four Six Foxtrot Boston Center
Contact Bradley Approach on one twenty-three point eight five
Bye now.

Switch.

Four Six Foxtrot Bradley
Descend and maintain twenty-five hundred

Level at 2500

Four Six Foxtrot Bradley Approach
Hold at the Putnam VOR

Figure 12-4. Approach Plate, Danielson VOR-A

On R zero zero five
Right-hand turns
Maintain twenty-five hundred
Expect the VOR-A approach to Danielson.

Set Nav 1 and Nav 2 both on Putnam.
Use Nav 1 to home on the VOR.
Set Nav 2 to R-185, the inbound holding radial.
Before Putnam, you set the airplane up for the approach.
At Putnam, you turn right to 005 degrees and hold for one minute.
Turn right to 185 degrees, toward the VOR.
Keep the needle centered while inbound to the VOR.
Review the VOR-A approach plate, when you have time.

After Four Circuits in the Holding Pattern

Cessna Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot
Cleared for the VOR-A approach to Danielson
The Providence altimeter is two niner point niner five.

You set one Nav to R-211, the outbound final-approach radial.
At the VOR, you turn right to 211 degrees and begin your descent.

Airport in Sight

You advise Bradley you have the airport and so cancel IFR; then, you switch to Danielson Unicom and announce your intentions. Circling to land, remember the wind is from the southwest.

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