Page 34 - Volume 17 Number 5

by David MillerGone with the WindWind is an amazing phenomenon. It’s an invisible equalizer of pilot skills, especially when blowing at 90 degrees across your landing runway. It attacks with severe jolts at the least expected moments. And sometimes it can make a long flying day much longer.A recent example for me was a trip from Dallas (KADS) to and from Orlando for a Citation Jet Pilots meeting hosted by the incredible Tracy Forest and his better half, Rae Lovenbury. On the way down to KSFB, wind was my best friend. Tooling along in the CJ1+ at FL 390 and ISA+2, my TAS was 372 knots with an 82-knot tailwind, resulting in a ground speed of 454 knots. For those of you keeping score, the fuel flow was 340 pounds per side. It was the kind of day you are glad to be a pilot for the short 2.3 hour flight.On the return, 24 hours later, it was a much different story. I taxied out behind an incredible DC-3 restoration, full of CJP partygoers departing 27L for a cross-town scenic flight and tour of Kermit Weeks’s Fantasy of Flight Museum. Surface winds were seven knots in perfectly clear skies.Fltplan.com predicted a long flight. Climbing out of FL 240, the winds were already 100 knots on the nose.Leveling at FL 360 for traffic, the Pro Line 21 FMS 3000 predicted zero fuel on arrival home. Not the kind of numbers you like to see. Thirty minutes later, I got my filed altitude of FL 400. Winds there were 253 degrees at 154 knots, resulting in a direct headwind of 146 knots. With a true airspeed of 365 knots, my ground speed was 219. And it got worse as ground speed slowly fell to 198 knots.Kind of like flying a Baron on a good day.Unfortunately, the winds lower were equally outrageous, and lower meant higher fuel flows. I had plenty of time to make plans for a fuel stop and eventually told Houston Center I would need to stop in Alexandria, Louisiana (KAEX) due to winds. Since 9/11, controllers have to fill out a form when you deviate from your original filed landing airport. I wonder what cabinet all those forms are stashed in?With 5,000-plus hours in his logbook, David Miller has been flying for business and pleasure for more than 40 years. Having owned and flown a variety of aircraft types, from turboprops to midsize jets, Miller, along with his wife Patty, now own and fly a Citation CJ1+. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.The winds aloft page on the Pro Line 21 MFD showed a slight improvement about 250 miles east of KADS. And the landing fuel on board numbers started to increase to 600 pounds. My normal reserve is 800 pounds. “N1865 Charlie, descend and maintain flight level 240” came the clearance from Houston. “Ah, center, could I delay that descent for a couple of minutes while I calculate if I can make Addison?” I said. “Sure,” came the friendly response, “just keep me advised and maintain flight level four-zero-zero.” I knew Fort Worth Center would probably let me stay high longer than JAX had the day before, when they descended me to FL190 over 150 miles from destination. Headwinds were now a measly 118 knots on the nose.I varied the power and used long range cruise. I relayed my request to the next controller to stay as high as possible. It was a common request that day. During descent, I continued to reduce power and watched the predicted fuel at destination increase to 730 pounds. Center was helpful by clearing me direct to YEAGR on the DUMPY3 arrival and a visual to runway 33 in clear weather at KADS. I taxied in and shut down with 750 pounds on board after 3.9 hours on the Hobbs meter. Not a bad day to add time to your logbook.Fly safely.ON FINAL32 • TWIN & TURBINE MAY 2013