- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,379
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
For those who weren’t on board for the flights to Santa Paula in preparation for El Mirage I will try to express my frustration with Santa Barbara ATC. I met the ground controller that ran me into the commercial part of the airport where I wasn’t supposed to be and he knew of all eight times I had been through his airspace. He admitted that I provided comic relief for the whole team. In my opinion they weren’t helpful. I let them know I was a transient and unfamiliar with the airport and they ran me around from frequency to frequency. I would ask them to “say again please” and they would just talk faster. I did not know that I needed to read back my departure instructions and I didn’t have anything to write with. I said,” Experimental gyroplane 142 Mike Golf holding short of 25 at Bravo and they corrected me that I was holding short of runway 25. I finally prevailed when I realized that it was their mission to get me out of their safely without having to fill out a report. I have not been back to Santa Barbara since. Each time I have been through their space they are always not helpful. I always have trouble with their radio frequencies and I have found out that most people do. It has something to do with the iron content of the nearby hills and how low I fly.
I their defense I was over my level of experience and I didn’t handle it well.
The plan for today was to go back with detailed maps of the airport, two separate radio call sheets, one for arrival and one for departure with all the radio frequencies and lots of places to write instructions with my wet erase markers. I knew where I wanted to go on the airport and what taxi ways to take to get there. I was going to land short on 15 right and take taxiway Hotel before runway 25 to taxiway Juliet past the helicopter parking to transient parking in front of The Elephant Bar and Grill. After lunch I was going to call ground and taxi to the departure end of 25 on Juliet. I had all the recommended language written out. I had my read backs ready and I was going to make a 90 degree right when able and proceed east along the 101 at or below two thousand five hundred feet. If they changed something I was ready. I was even going to ask SMX ground for flight following so I wouldn’t have to manage my transponder code changes on both sides of their airspace. In short I was going to demonstrate that I had learned from my last experience and I knew how to interact with ATC. I have worked on this ever since my interaction and the plan was finally going to come together. To those of you that think this was petty and small minded, you are correct!
When I looked across the Valley where there is often for in the morning, it was clear. When we arrived at SMX winds were calm and skies were blue, no clouds. Preflight went well. There were some last minute battery challenges for my active noise canceling head set and some maintenance guys from a K-Max that they are using to fight fires with, stopped by to admire the Predator. They had seen her fly the day before and were knowledgeable. Lockheed Martin had already said that there was an air met for fog along the coast and VFR was not recommended. I figured it would burn off and called Santa Barbara regularly for the rest of the day. The ceiling never got above 900 feet and they were IFR the entire day. Figures!!
On to plan B. We flew over the hill toward Lompoc and then down the Lompoc valley to Buellton, peeked over the Gaviota Pass at the wall of fog and on to Santa Ynez. We found big head winds near the mountains and I was concerned that it was blowing the opposite way of normal. I listened to CTAF and everyone was landing on runway 26. There was a lot of traffic and one fellow, Ed, had an experimental that would fill the airwaves with unintelligible SSSHHH sounds each time he keyed the mike, which was often. As I joined the left pattern from a 45 I could see that the windsocks were flaccid and as I called my short final for 26 a Cessna was turning base for 26. I landed long at the taxiway and scooted off the runway just as he touched down. We fueled up and I filled out my log book. I tied her down in transient parking and Ed with the experimental with the bad radio came by to admire the Predator and offered us a ride to the restaurant. I demurred thinking it was an easy walk to town. The boys in the office took our stuff so we could travel light. We walked about two miles over some very steep terrain, through two barbwire fences, down a dry creek and through a storm drain under the highway to a Barbeque restaurant that was closed. Fortunately Burger Barn was just down the street. The food and service were great and we continued to call Santa Barbara ATIS.
As we walked back to the airport on a somewhat less arduous track we stopped in at the sailplane airport adjacent IZA we closely inspected some sail planes and talked to the fellow who was running the place. He had seen us fly and had nice things to say. We land right over the top of them and I asked if that was a problem. It was not.
We decided to head north for an aimless hills and valleys tour. We had two hours of fuel on board. The takeoff was short and smooth and she caught lift as we neared the hills on the noise sensitive heading. We headed due north for no particular reason at around 2,000 feet skimming the tops of the hills and thrilling as the ground dropped away. We circled and swooped and generally had a great time. As we neared the Santa Maria River it became overcast and I headed toward the airport. I called in from ten miles out with Sierra. We were told to report at two miles. The field was still VFR but things were closing down quickly. Before I could call two miles ATC said, “2 Mike Golf, you are number two behind the departing Citabria. I could hardly see the runway and I reported negative contact on the Citabria. “2 Mike Golf, the Citabria is not a factor.” I requested a long landing and was not sure we had touched down.
I turned on the intercom and Ed and I both had the same words, “wow, what a wonderful day!”
We called for the new less expensive fuel truck and performed a comprehensive post flight inspection and cleaned some of the oil off the tail and prop.
On the way home the sky went overcast and we were thankful to be down.
Ed is going to try to post some pictures tomorrow. She has again filled up her flicker account.
Thank you, Vance
I their defense I was over my level of experience and I didn’t handle it well.
The plan for today was to go back with detailed maps of the airport, two separate radio call sheets, one for arrival and one for departure with all the radio frequencies and lots of places to write instructions with my wet erase markers. I knew where I wanted to go on the airport and what taxi ways to take to get there. I was going to land short on 15 right and take taxiway Hotel before runway 25 to taxiway Juliet past the helicopter parking to transient parking in front of The Elephant Bar and Grill. After lunch I was going to call ground and taxi to the departure end of 25 on Juliet. I had all the recommended language written out. I had my read backs ready and I was going to make a 90 degree right when able and proceed east along the 101 at or below two thousand five hundred feet. If they changed something I was ready. I was even going to ask SMX ground for flight following so I wouldn’t have to manage my transponder code changes on both sides of their airspace. In short I was going to demonstrate that I had learned from my last experience and I knew how to interact with ATC. I have worked on this ever since my interaction and the plan was finally going to come together. To those of you that think this was petty and small minded, you are correct!
When I looked across the Valley where there is often for in the morning, it was clear. When we arrived at SMX winds were calm and skies were blue, no clouds. Preflight went well. There were some last minute battery challenges for my active noise canceling head set and some maintenance guys from a K-Max that they are using to fight fires with, stopped by to admire the Predator. They had seen her fly the day before and were knowledgeable. Lockheed Martin had already said that there was an air met for fog along the coast and VFR was not recommended. I figured it would burn off and called Santa Barbara regularly for the rest of the day. The ceiling never got above 900 feet and they were IFR the entire day. Figures!!
On to plan B. We flew over the hill toward Lompoc and then down the Lompoc valley to Buellton, peeked over the Gaviota Pass at the wall of fog and on to Santa Ynez. We found big head winds near the mountains and I was concerned that it was blowing the opposite way of normal. I listened to CTAF and everyone was landing on runway 26. There was a lot of traffic and one fellow, Ed, had an experimental that would fill the airwaves with unintelligible SSSHHH sounds each time he keyed the mike, which was often. As I joined the left pattern from a 45 I could see that the windsocks were flaccid and as I called my short final for 26 a Cessna was turning base for 26. I landed long at the taxiway and scooted off the runway just as he touched down. We fueled up and I filled out my log book. I tied her down in transient parking and Ed with the experimental with the bad radio came by to admire the Predator and offered us a ride to the restaurant. I demurred thinking it was an easy walk to town. The boys in the office took our stuff so we could travel light. We walked about two miles over some very steep terrain, through two barbwire fences, down a dry creek and through a storm drain under the highway to a Barbeque restaurant that was closed. Fortunately Burger Barn was just down the street. The food and service were great and we continued to call Santa Barbara ATIS.
As we walked back to the airport on a somewhat less arduous track we stopped in at the sailplane airport adjacent IZA we closely inspected some sail planes and talked to the fellow who was running the place. He had seen us fly and had nice things to say. We land right over the top of them and I asked if that was a problem. It was not.
We decided to head north for an aimless hills and valleys tour. We had two hours of fuel on board. The takeoff was short and smooth and she caught lift as we neared the hills on the noise sensitive heading. We headed due north for no particular reason at around 2,000 feet skimming the tops of the hills and thrilling as the ground dropped away. We circled and swooped and generally had a great time. As we neared the Santa Maria River it became overcast and I headed toward the airport. I called in from ten miles out with Sierra. We were told to report at two miles. The field was still VFR but things were closing down quickly. Before I could call two miles ATC said, “2 Mike Golf, you are number two behind the departing Citabria. I could hardly see the runway and I reported negative contact on the Citabria. “2 Mike Golf, the Citabria is not a factor.” I requested a long landing and was not sure we had touched down.
I turned on the intercom and Ed and I both had the same words, “wow, what a wonderful day!”
We called for the new less expensive fuel truck and performed a comprehensive post flight inspection and cleaned some of the oil off the tail and prop.
On the way home the sky went overcast and we were thankful to be down.
Ed is going to try to post some pictures tomorrow. She has again filled up her flicker account.
Thank you, Vance
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