Flight Time–Clearwater

I wanted to go flying today, so I started looking for a good destination. It was so pretty outside, so it would ideally be an all-day flight. My first choice was to fly to Homestead, or the Keys. Unfortunately, there was presidential flight restriction near West Palm Beach, and it blocked my path to the south. After thinking for a minute, I remembered that Susan’s friend was in Clearwater, so that became the destination for today.

The route I chose would take us directly west, with a turn to the north to fly around the Tampa Class B airspace. Susan and I departed Valkaria just after 10:30 and were on our way. Surprisingly, the clear skies now contained some cumulous clouds around 3,000 feet. After climbing out of Valkaria, I hesitated to contact Orlando Approach. The scattered clouds appeared to be a solid layer in front of us. I continued to climb to 4,500 feet. At that altitude, it was obvious that the clouds were indeed scattered, so I contacted Approach and continued westbound.

As we approached Lakeland, I was expecting to start descending and turning north to fly under and around the Class B airspace, but Approach told me to descend to 3,500 feet and fly 260 degrees. So of course, I did what I was told. I few minutes later, we were approaching the 3,000-foot shelf of the airspace, so I asked to descend to 2,500 feet and turn 60 degrees to the north. Approach responded that he intended to fly me directly to Clearwater, through the Class B airspace. And this made me very happy, because A) I'd get to fly right over downtown Tampa and the Tampa International airport, and B) it would save me some time and distance. Approach told me to descend to 2,600 feet and fly 240 degrees. The next controller told me to descend to 2,100 feet and fly over the east-west runway at Tampa International.

Downtown Tampa

After passing downtown, we were handed off to the next controller She told me to descend to 2,100 feet and fly over the east-west runway at Tampa International.

Tampa International Airport

After passing Tampa International, I was told to contact St. Petersburg Tower and tell them that I was transitioning to Clearwater. I did, and was told about oncoming traffic that would pass under us. Needless to say, my eyes were scanning to find that plane. I eventually saw it fly under the nose of the Cherokee, about 400 feet below.

With no more traffic to be concerned with, I continued planning my arrival to Clearwater. I cancelled flight following and realized that the airport was just a few miles in front of us, and I was still at 2,100 feet. I quickly started setting up for landing and descended to traffic pattern altitude while turning downwind and announcing my intentions. On the turn from base to final, the turbulence increased dramatically, and it was a bumpy ride to the runway.

After landing, I departed the runway and started looking for a place to park. I found a spot and turned towards it when a voice came on the radio saying, "Cherokee, do a 180". I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or some other Cherokee, then I saw a guy with a radio waving at me. I turned around and followed him to the preferred parking spot. I didn't expect this airport to have marshallers. This is an example of why it is good to call before going to an airport for the first time.

Clearwater Airpark

With the plane tied down, we headed to the FBO, where we saw our friend waiting for us. She had gift bags for both Christmas and Susan's birthday, and she wanted to take some pictures. She snapped some pictures, then we headed to the FBO and out to her car.

Susan and David

It's always nice to have pre-planned transportation at a destination airport. Instead of relying on a questionable courtesy car, we were whisked away in our friend's SUV. We first stopped at Perkin's for lunch, then visited her rental house, then drove along the beach, the finally back to the airport.

While driving around, the weather was alternating between low, thick clouds and clear skies. I was anxious to get into Foreflight to see the forecast for the rest of the day. I was relieved to find that the clouds near Clearwater were the only clouds along the route. Otherwise, the forecast would have been wrong, and we'd have to pick our way back across the state. We said our good-byes and went out to the plane.

The flight back started like the flight in ended - windy and turbulent. We climbed in the traffic pattern and departed to the north. I contacted Tampa Approach to get flight following. The plan was to go around the north side of the Tampa Class B airspace, under the 3,000-foot shelf. Approach had other plans. They put me on a heading of 360 degrees and let me fly that for many miles. Eventually, they turned me to a heading of 80 degrees, which was still not quite on course to Valkaria. Finally, I was told to resume on navigation, but they quickly put me onto a heading of 70 degrees for a few more miles. At one point, I thought I would have to ask for a heading change due to the smoke from controlled burns down below reaching all the way up to and beyond 5,500 feet. I was given another resume own navigation and turned towards Winter Haven. Tampa Approach handed me off to Orlando Approach and I was given passage direct to Valkaria, through the Orlando Class B airspace. That was nice, but not beneficial, since our direct line barely penetrated the Class B airspace.

After clearing the Class B airspace, Approach cancelled my flight following. As we approached Melbourne, I tuned to the Valkaria common advisory frequency and heard lots of chatter. Foreflight showed a lot of triangles (representing planes) near Valkaria Airport. I pulled the power back and slowly descended to 1,500 feet. I crossed the river and flew south along the coast, waiting for a gap in the traffic to appear. A few miles south of the airport, I turned to enter the downwind behind a plane that had just turned from crosswind to downwind. We landed, topped off the tanks, and put the plane away in the hangar.

The flight, although flown under visual flight rules, was about as close to flying under instrument flight rules as you can get. I was constantly listening for instructions from ATC and often flying based on their headings and altitudes. Therefore, this was a good flight for helping me to solidify my confidence to aviate and communicate in busy airspace.

The flight tracks are below.

Valkaria to Clearwater

Clearwater to Valkaria

Flight Time: 3.2 hours
Total Time: 667 hours

Flight Time–Albany

Last fall, I searched Google for Fall Festivals in Georgia. We rarely see fall colors here in Florida, so I like to go to Georgia every fall in search of some brilliantly colored leaves. One of the towns that popped up in the search was Albany. I looked at it closer and thought it might make a good flight destination. It has an old downtown, a river with several parks nearby, and an aquarium. Sounds like my kind of place to explore.

We ended up not driving to Albany, but I kept it in mind and even planned flights there a few times. This weekend, I decided it was time to make the flight.

The weather in northern Florida and southern Georgia was crazy the week leading up to today, including eight inches of snow in some places. The weather today showed clear skies and cool temperatures, in the 50’s.

The planned route took us west across Florida, then once past Orlando’s airspace, northwest to Albany. The flight started like most, but that quickly changed. When I attempted to request flight following from Orlando Approach, I was mortified to find that none of the buttons on the #1 radio worked. I was unable to swap the Approach frequency into the active position. I still had the #2 radio, but I didn’t want to fly six plus hours with just one working radio. I turned the radio on and off a couple times, but the buttons still wouldn’t work. After a few minutes, I turned the plane around and headed back to Valkaria. Surprising as it sounds, that was enough to make the #1 radio start working. The classic, “Don’t make me turn this <insert vehicle> around!” threat appears to work on planes, too.

I contacted Approach, was given a squawk code, and climbed to 4,500 feet. I was planning to climb to 6,500 feet, but it was plenty cold where we were. I tried closing the vents before the flight but couldn’t close them all the way. Obviously, this is not a problem normally, but the plane has no heater, and 50-degree air is pretty darn cold when it is blowing right on your flying hand. Approach told me to turn to a heading of 300, presumably to avoid the restricted airspace. This heading sent us on an intersecting path with the Orlando Class B airspace, just like it did on our previous flight. Just like the last flight, I was handed off to the next controller, but this time, I told him that I was staying outside the airspace, so there was no confusion about my heading change.

As we flew over northern Florida, we could see a change down below. We started to see traces of snow along the northern edges of tree lines. This continued into Georgia. After nearly three hours, we landed in Albany. Tower directed us to the FBO, where we were marshalled into a parking spot and I shut down the plane. The ground crew asked me if I needed anything, and I asked them to top off the tanks.

Inside, we took a moment to warm up, then asked about places to eat. It was just after noon, and we needed to leave by 2:30 to make it home before dark. I asked if we could walk to town and was told that it was over three miles. I was dumbfounded because, when I looked at the map months ago, I thought it was just over a mile! I asked about a courtesy car, and they had one. The ground crew brought it around. It was a very old and abused Chevrolet Astro van. The crewman said it needed gas, so he left to fill it up. We talked to the lady at the desk for a while, then started wondering where our van went. Finally, it showed up again about fifteen minutes later.

Albany's Eagles of America FBO, and the Astro van

We drove into the commercial part of town and had lunch at Blackbeard’s Seafood and BBQ. The prices were high, so we shared a plate of pulled pork and two sides. Turns out the prices are high because the servings are huge. Even with sharing a meal, we couldn’t finish it all.

On the way back to the airport, I wanted to see the old part of the town. We attempted to follow the river, but the road was one way to the north and we were going south. We found a huge cemetery, but we never did see Riverside Park.

We arrived back at the airport around 2:15, so we were still on schedule to make it home before dark. I made a slight change to the flight plan, then we headed out to the plane. After the run up, Susan tuned Ground on the #1 radio and put Tower in the standby position. Ground directed me to Runway 23. I switched to Tower and Susan put the Approach frequency in the standby position. I was cleared for take-off and off we went. Tower asked if I wanted to contact approach for flight following and I said yes. He handed me off as I continued to climb enroute. I switched the approach frequency into the active position and contacted Approach. Silence. A minute later, I tried again. Silence. Then I entered the approach frequency into the #2 radio and tried for the third time. I immediately got a response and a squawk code. It seemed to me that the controller was a little bit agitated, so I asked if he heard my previous requests. He said he did and answered me three times. I apologized and said I didn't hear his earlier responses. I turned off the #1 radio, then back on and checked to see if I could hear anything on it. It was once again working fine. But how did it work fine at the airport and not once in the air? One of life's 'old plane' mysteries.

Although the #2 radio is more reliable, it is not without its issues. Somewhere northwest of Tallahassee, we were handed off to Jacksonville Approach. I made contact but wasn't sure if the controller responded to me because the frequency was busy, and the radio signal was very weak. I let it ride for a few minutes until passing east of Tallahassee, then asked if I was on the right frequency. She said I was, then offered me another frequency. I switched and now heard her loud and clear.

The flight continued and I turned left to avoid the Sanford and Orlando airspace. The controller asked my destination, and I said, "X59 Valkaria". She asked where that was and I said, "Near Melbourne". She then asked my route, and I said, "I'm heading toward the beach, then I will turn south". This brought up a question that I'd already been asking myself. Should I ask for permission to transition the Class B airspace, or should I just fly around it, unless given permission to fly through it? So far, I have avoided it. Next time, I'll ask if I can transition through.

We landed at Valkaria about 15 minutes before sunset. We topped off the tanks and put the plane back in the hangar. Another successful flight.

Below are the tracks from the flight.

Valkaria to Albany

Albany to Valkaria

Flight Time: 6.3 hours
Total Time: 663 hours

Obituary for Patricia Moorhead

Patricia Anne Moorhead, age 81 passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family Sunday January 12, 2025.

Patti was born August 5, 1943 in Steubenville the daughter of the late Robert and Leila (Starkey) Francy and was also preceded in death by her husband, John C. Moorhead in 1999 whom she married January 7, 1977.

She was a member of the Hill Top Presbyterian Church where she had served as a Deacon, Elder. and also, had served as the choir director and pianist at Hill Top for many years.

Patti was a 1961 graduate of Jefferson Union High School and a 1967 graduate of the University of Cincinnati as a registered nurse.

She had been employed at the Weirton Geriatric Center and previously other nursing assignments throughout the area.

Patti is survived by her daughter, Kelli (Bryan) Mikula; brother, Clark (Rosalee) Francy; sisters, Roberta Rowan and Catherine Rollinitis; grandchildren, Michael and Emily.

Visitation hours for Patti will be held Friday January 17th from 4 to 7 PM at the Clarke Funeral Home, Toronto.

A funeral service for Patti will be held 11 AM January 18th` at the funeral home with the Reverend Jane Schockey of the Hill Top Presbyterian Church officiating.

Following the funeral service for Patti, family and friends are invited for a luncheon at the Hill Top Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall.

There will be a celebration of life for Patti at a later date.

Flight Time–Cedar Key

One of the more interesting things that I like to do in aviation is fly to airports with short and/or narrow runways. Even better if they have water on both ends. Today's flight met one of those criteria. Cedar Key is off the west coast of Florida, north of Tampa. The runway is 2,302 feet long, with 280 feet of overrun. Generally, I think twice about runways less that 2,500 feet, but today, we had some advantages. First, the temperature was cool, which allows the plane to perform at its peak. And second, we would be light due to the gas burned on the long flight to get there.

The flight to Cedar Key started like all flights. After take-off, I contacted Orlando Approach and asked for flight following. I was given a squawk code and continued climbing to 4,500 feet. After a few minutes, I was told to turn right to 300 degrees, presumably to avoid the restricted airspace ahead. I was then handed off to the next controller. I informed him that I was at 4,500 feet but did not mention the heading that I was assigned by the previous controller. I was quickly approaching the Orlando Class B airspace, so I turned left to avoid it. After a few miles, the controller cleared me through the Class B airspace, which allowed us to cut the corner of our route. Later, while talking to Tampa Approach, we were given a heading change to avoid traffic, then were once again cleared to proceed on course.

Soon we reached the west coast of Florida and had to make a decision. We could either proceed directly to Cedar Key over the water, or we could follow the shoreline. Actually, the decision was very simple. I avoid flying beyond glide distance to land while over water whenever possible.

I descended as we approached Cedar Key. The area is made up of many small islands, all grouped together. The town is just southeast of the airport.

Cedar Key

Once past the town, I circled around the airport and prepared to make left traffic to Runway 5. There were a few planes in the area, but I had the pattern to myself.

Cedar Key Airport

Once on the ground, I stopped and back taxied to the parking area. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to park and walk to town. I opened the next flight plan, and I did a short field take-off and turned towards Umatilla. I chose to stop at Umatilla because A) I'd never been there before and B) they had cheap gas. When you do a lot of flying, it pays to search out the cheapest gas.

At Umatilla, we landed and topped off the tanks. I parked the plane, then we went inside for a short break and a visit to the restrooms.

The tiny Umatilla FBO

Soon we were back in the air. I had to fly a dogleg to avoid restricted airspace and the Sanford Class C airspace. Eventually, we cleared the airspace and flew directly to Valkaria.

The flight tracks are below.

Valkaria to Cedar Key

Cedar Key to Umatilla

Umatilla to Valkaria

Flight Time: 4.1 hours
Total Time:  657 hours

Flight Time–Local

The forecast for today was spectacular - a rare cloud-free Florida day. And that's what we got. Since it has been a while since I flew the Cherokee, I decided to stay close to home, but still visit two new airports. I decided to visit River Ranch and Arthur Dunn.

I visited River Ranch by car back when I first moved to Florida. The Commander Owners Group Southeast group met there for lunch. This time, I flew with Susan and Andrew. We landed, taxied back to the ramp, then took off.

Our next stop was Arthur Dunn Airpark. Like River Ranch, we landed, taxied back to the ramp, and took off.

Arthur Dunn Airpark

During the flight home, we passed near Port Canaveral. I was surprised to see five cruise ships in port and one departing out to sea.

Port Canaveral with five cruise ships

Port Canaveral with five cruise ships

The flight track is shown below.

Flight track

Flight Time: 2.6 hours
Total Time: 653 hours