Page 16 - Sept18T

I was talking to Madison Approach. Appleton is in the Green Bay Approach area, while Oshkosh is controlled by Milwaukee Approach. I had printed hard copy of charts for both airports with me, and already briefed myself on the approaches to include all the note-taking preparation I teach and use for instrument approaches. I again briefed the Oshkosh RNAV (GPS) 27 approach, listened to ATIS (the field had gone IFR, 800 overcast) and got ready to load and activate it on the GPS because I wanted to try something. If it didn’t work, I’d brief for Appleton. I wanted the most recent briefing to be the approach I was going to fly, so I wouldn’t mess myself up.
“Contact Milwaukee Approach 127.0.” Perfect! I knew my request wouldn’t work with any controller other than the one with a real-time eye on Oshkosh arrivals. After checking in, then pausing for a moment to determine the sector wasn’t very busy, I asked with an intentional lilt to my voice, “Milwaukee, request.” “Go ahead,” the controller replied, probably already knowing what I was going to ask. “Milwaukee,” I replied, “I know it’s highly unlikely, but is there any way I can change my destination to Oshkosh? I have Information Hotel.” A slight pause. Then, equally animated, the controller replied simply, “Wait right there!”
In retrospect that may have been holding instructions. I don’t know.
“You’re cleared to Oshkosh. You’re five miles from IGVEW (the first fix on the approach), maintain 3,000 ‘til established, you’re cleared for the RNAV (GPS) 27 approach. Oh, and if you could give me a good rate [of descent] through 4,000 [feet], that would be helpful.”
I gave the controller a big “thank you,” threw out the speed brakes and extended the landing gear for drag for an expedited descent out of 9,000 feet with five miles to the fix, and activated the approach direct IGVEW. I could not have done all that if I didn’t already have the weather information, the approach briefed, the GPS ready for the switch and the paper chart with my notes immediately available...not having to call it up electronically, because I was still heading for the ILS at KATW when I made my request, and I had my iPad ready for that even though I had an annotated paper chart for the Appleton ILS as well.
I’m not writing all this to boast. It’s simply my public debrief of what went right on this flight. It all came down to preparation. I made it all click on this flight and as a result broke out of the clouds at about 800 feet over Lake Winnebago
A Weather Example
Here is an illustration of a weather forecast the night before a planned trip of mine (not the Oshkosh ight). The forecasts for 1800Z (1 p.m. Central time) were (1) ceiling, (2) visibility and (3) convective outlook. The following day, the actual weather for that time was (4) ceiling and radar, (5) visibility and radar and (6) visibility and satellite imagery. In this case, the forecasts were pretty accurate. On that basis, I would have a high degree of con dence in the forecast for later that afternoon and evening as well.
14 • TWIN & TURBINE September 2018