gopro hero 2 Archives - Stuck Mic AvCast

So the story goes something like this… I was on a commercial flight from Boston to Los Angeles and happened to strike up a conversation with my seat mate. Turns out this particular seat mate, Jeff, is an aircraft owner and flies a Beechcraft Bonanza for pleasure. This is when I learned he was planning a journey from New England over the North Atlantic over to Greenland, yes, the country.

He got to asking me if I knew of ways to record video so that he could capture these incredible flying moments for remembrance sake. Enter the GoPro Hero 2 that I was carrying in my backpack! You’ve all heard me talk about the GoPro Hero 2 (affiliate link), the mountable and wearable sports action video camera. So I showed Jeff how the camera worked and even told him about the special propeller case I had created to eliminate propeller artifacting. Then, the coolest thing happened! Jeff says to me, “Next time your in New England, look me up and we’ll go flying.”

Naturally, I did just that. Jeff picked me up in Nashua, NH at Boire Field KASH in his F33A Bonanza for a little scenic flight, some camera testing, and then the obligatory (and delicious) $100 lobster omelets in Sanford, ME KSFM. What you’re seeing is the video we recording from Nashua, NH KASH as we flew north towards Laconia, NH KLCI, then turning easterly over Lake Winnipesaukee for Sanford, ME KSFM.

The video starts out on the ground at KASH from the ramp as we taxi out for runup and departure. Since Jeff and I have never flown together before, nor have I piloted a Bonanza ever in my life, I brief Jeff on our roles as Pilot In Command and Passenger. We depart on our flight plan as stated above. You’ll get to see our departure from KASH, parts of our flight over KLCI and Lake Winnipesaukee, and our approach to landing at KSFM including my gusty wind go-around. The video contains plenty of Air Traffic Control audio and other aircraft radio transmissions.

Being my first time in any Bonanza, combined with the strong gusty winds, I certainly felt a bit out of place and almost disoriented in the aircraft, mostly with the layout and positing of the flight controls. You can hear me talk more about that in Episode #25 of the Stuck Mic AvCast, our aviation podcast about Learning to Fly, Living to Fly, and Loving To Fly.

So enough talking and back to the video!

Both Carl and Len are airline pilots and go through a great deal of recurrent flight and ground training each year. As an airline Captain, Carl has recurrent ground training once a year and recurrent simulator every six months. As an airline First Office, Len has has the same except his simulator training is only once every 12 months.

As general aviation pilots, we’re only required to have a flight review every 24 months. Do you think that’s safe? Do you think that’s enough to maintain your proficiency for your flight certificates? During this episode, we spent a great deal of time discussing recurrent pilot training, how to stay proficient, and sharing co-host methods for staying safe in their respective aircraft including some excellent reasons why recurrent training is not only important, but extremely beneficial.

Pre-Flight

You may recall in a previous episode the announcement that Victoria was hosting a Women Fly it Forward event at the Frederick Municipal Airport, Frederick, MD KFDK on March 10th. This day is an opportunity for women of all ages to experience their very first airplane ride for FREE as a way to promote aviation to more women. Victoria is PROUD TO ANNOUNCE that ERA pilot Sarah Fraher of Flying Wild Alaska fame will be in attendance at Women Fly It Forward to help promote and share aviation with the ladies in attendance. Don’t miss this event on March 10th! Register today – seats are filling up fast.

Cruise Flight