Kid day at the airport...

Today was "kid day" for us. First, we took a lunch flight with a good
friend and his son and daughter, ages 2 and 4. Then, later in the day, we
did a sight-seeing flight with my 11 year old daughter, and one of her
school friends.

Both flights were outstanding! We had a high overcast here today, with
some light rain sprinkles, but it was cool and good VFR, with relatively
smooth air.

The first flight was interesting in that it was their first flights, ever,
so they were quite thrilled. It was also unusual in that we had five on
board -- something I've rarely done. We flew to a nearby town for lunch,
and then home, which was more than enough for the young 'uns.

The second flight was more rewarding, personally, as my daughter's friend
was completely enamored with the experience. We circled the city for quite
some time, picking out her school, and her house, and Kinnick Stadium (where
the Iowa Hawkeyes play football), and all the usual stuff.

Then, as an added treat, a scattered layer of puffy clouds developed at
around 4000 MSL -- and she wanted to go "cloud dancing"! We climbed off
east of town, until we were even with the clouds. Wheeling and soaring,
dipping a wing in the little puffies, I had her squealing with delight in
the headphones!

Best of all, I think she gave my incredibly aviation-jaded daughter a fresh
look at how lucky we really are to fly.

There's just nothing better than flying with kids!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:lSqWe.113966$084.49581@attbi_s22...

Then, as an added treat, a scattered layer of puffy clouds developed at
around 4000 MSL -- and she wanted to go "cloud dancing"! We climbed off
east of town, until we were even with the clouds. Wheeling and soaring,
dipping a wing in the little puffies, I had her squealing with delight in
the headphones!

I would have liked this story better if you said "a scattered layer of
puffy clouds developed at around 4000 MSL, so I called approach for a pop-up
IFR clearance so we could go cloud dancing..."

Get the rating!

What? How could he have asked for an IFR clearance if he wasn't IFR
rated? I assume he was.

Jay,
There is not much that is more fun than taking kids on their first
ride. I do it for my Boy Scouts all the time (if you are interested, I
can help with the paperwork/insurance req for BSA). I joined CAP just
so I could fly cadets! Introducing people to aviation is awesome!

-Robert, CFI

Robert M. Gary wrote:
What? How could he have asked for an IFR clearance if he wasn't IFR
rated? I assume he was.

No, he's not. He simply routinely violates the cloud clearance requirements as
far as "puffies" are concerned.

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
What? How could he have asked for an IFR clearance if he wasn't IFR
rated? I assume he was.


Jay's not instrument rated and flies exclusively VFR. Jay has repeatedly
mentioned why he hasn't finished his rating, noteably that he doesn't need
it and wouldn't be able to stay proficient, inspite of the fact that he
probably flies 200 hours a year. Considering how much flying he does, he'd
be an excellent candidate for getting an instrument rating. I always enjoy
Jay's flying stories, but I would have liked this one a bit better if he
wasn't violating VFR cloud clearance minimums in the process.

I would have liked this story better if you said "a scattered layer of
puffy clouds developed at around 4000 MSL, so I called approach for a pop-up
IFR clearance so we could go cloud dancing..."

A pop-up IFR clearance to go cloud dancing? We're talking about
dipping a wing in a puffy cloud the size of a semi-truck, separated by
1/2 mile from the next nearest similar-sized cloud.

Get the rating!

Although there are many valid reasons to obtain an IR, IMHO your
example isn't one of them.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

A pop-up IFR clearance to go cloud dancing? We're talking about
dipping a wing in a puffy cloud the size of a semi-truck, separated by
1/2 mile from the next nearest similar-sized cloud.

We're talking about blatant violation of the FARs.

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

A pop-up IFR clearance to go cloud dancing? We're talking about
dipping a wing in a puffy cloud the size of a semi-truck, separated by
1/2 mile from the next nearest similar-sized cloud.

We're talking about blatant violation of the FARs.

Really? What is the technical definition of a "cloud"?

If I can see through it, is it a "cloud"?

Is there a size parameter? Bigger than a bread-box? Smaller than a
city block? I've searched and can't find a technical definition of an
"FAA cloud".
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

There is not much that is more fun than taking kids on their first
ride. I do it for my Boy Scouts all the time (if you are interested, I
can help with the paperwork/insurance req for BSA). I joined CAP just
so I could fly cadets! Introducing people to aviation is awesome!

Thanks, Robert -- but I'm already there! I've flown Cub Scouts, Boy
Scouts, and Girl Scouts, as well as Young Eagles and (unofficially,
although I am in CAP -- just haven't had time to get certified in their
aircraft yet) CAP cadets. (We did the flight under the auspices of
Young Eagles, since I wasn't legit as a CAP pilot.)

Flying with kids is the best thing, IMHO. They generally love flying,
love airplanes, love airports -- and they don't critique my landings!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"