N70TB

05/04/2024

Well, THIS had not happened to me in a long, long time: I departed in the Bonanza without loading my flight plan into the GPS. Fortunately, the Garmin GTN 750Xi made this task easy in the air, even with the Tango and Victor airways in my clearance. From then on, Copilot Beckey and I enjoyed a beautiful flight to Savannah, GA.

Well, THIS had not happened to me in a long, long time: I departed in the Bonanza without loading my flight plan into the GPS. Fortunately, the Garmin GTN 75...

18/03/2024

If you needed proof that they'll let ANYONE on a podcast, this is it! Thanks to the nice crew of the Flying Midwest Podcast, I had fun recording this chat!
Here are a couple of links if you want to listen to it:
https://spotify.link/sPdphQF93Hb
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/flying-midwest-podcast/id1601680150?i=1000649517960

23/02/2024

My new video shows a nice flight to Fort Myers’ Page Field. It was the airport I flew to 25 years ago when I first visited Florida. Great airport, great FBO!

Page Field in Fort Myers, FL is a great general aviation airport with a popular FBO, Base Ops. I hadn't been to Page Field in five years, so I was excited wh...

24/12/2023

We had a great time watching the Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach today!

24/11/2023

Here's another "real-world IFR" flight from October, taking me to the Twin Cities (St. Paul Downtown airport) on a "beautiful" day for instrument flying: low ceilings, no icing, and no convection. As usual with ATC closed captions and close ups of the avionics, so you can see exactly how I deal with all the things ATC throws at me. Come along - let's go fly!

From the "real world IFR" series, this flight takes you to the Twin Cities Minneapolis/St. Paul - specifically, to the St. Paul Downtown airport (KSTP) right...

15/07/2023

I hope you can join us on Tuesday afternoon in Oshkosh (July 25), 4:00 PM for a panel discussion on how to use our airplanes in ways to help and inspire.

YouTube creator, Martin Pauly, will headline the Lifeline Pilots panel at Oshkosh AirVenture this year! He will be joined by the inspirational FlyGirl Kelley and volunteer pilots Mark Hanson and Dr. Warren Bruhl.

You won't believe the fun and creative ways they use aviation to help and inspire others.

Join our panel in the AOPA: your freedom to fly pavilion on Tuesday, July 25, at 4pm.

14/07/2023

From the "sacred-cow-hamburger-tastes-best" series with Doug Rozendaal, today we address the dependency (or lack thereof) between bank angle and stall speed.

Another aviation myth busted by Doug Rozendaal: the relationship between bank angle and stall speed. Private pilot students learn that the stall speed of the...

08/07/2023

In this conversation Dr. Blue explains how pilots can get into trouble due to alcohol and drug abuse as well as mental health issues, and shows paths for returning to the cockpit after a bump in the road. Hopefully this guidance will never be applicable to you - but just in case, here it is!

Dr. Brent Blue, a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) from Jackson, WY, explains how pilots can into trouble as a result of alcohol and drug abuse as well...

23/06/2023

My flight home from the Beech Bash 2023 was into a stiff (40+ knots) headwind, which not just slowed me down but also required a strategy for avoiding icing (a bit unusual this time of year). Still, it was a fun flight concluding a fun weekend in Madisonville, KY (2I0).

On the last day of April, we are usually enjoying spring weather and mild temperatures. Not so on this flight: wind greater than 40 knots from the northwest ...

19/05/2023

The Beech Bash in the Bluegrass 2023 was a big success! I recorded the flights to and from - here is the flight to Kentucky on a beautiful Friday night. (Spoiler alert: the flight back home on Sunday was more difficult.)

Join me on a flight from Cedar Rapids, IA (KCID) to Madisonville, KY (2I0) for the "Beech Bash in the Bluegrass 2023". It was a great flight and a fun weeken...

21/04/2023

Getting an IFR clearance at a non-towered airport is easy, right? Either they have a transmitter on the ground, or a phone number for ATC published in the Charts Supplement. Or... it can get messy.

Beckey and I were returning from St. Simons Island on a low overcast day - and needed our instrument clearance from ATC before take-off. Piece of cake, right...

26/03/2023

Here is a list of events where you can find me during Sun 'n Fun 2023. Maybe one of my forum topics is of interest for you, or if you'd just like to chat, join the meet & greet on Friday afternoon at Gardner Lowe Aviation Services in Hangar C.

17/03/2023

My panel upgrade is complete - the FAA has approved Aspen's new software for the Evolution PFD, and with that the avionics shop could reinstate the digital autopilot interface between the Aspen Evolution MAX PFD and the Garmin GFC 600 autopilot. At last, I have arrived at the end of this upgrade journey, after about 13 months.

What you see here is what I believe is the very first (and maybe still only, at the time the video was made) airplane which has this new digital autopilot interface between Aspen and Garmin. It allows altitude preselect, native GPSS support, and all those things a state-of-the-art autopilot setup should be able to do today.

A big thank you to the fine people at Gardner Lowe Aviation Services in Peachtree City, GA, who installed my avionics.

My panel upgrade is complete - the FAA has approved Aspen's new software for the Evolution PFD, and with that the avionics shop could reinstate the digital a...

04/03/2023

My recent trip to Gardner Lowe Aviation Services took me back to Falcon Field (KFFC), just south of the Atlanta Class Bravo airspace, and I was itching to find out if I could get a chance to enjoy scenic aerial views of downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield International airport. My plan was to fly the Tango route T319 which crosses KATL north to south, but Air Traffic Control had other plans for me that day. I still got the tour I wanted, but had to cancel IFR and proceed over ATL with a Class Bravo clearance.

I got a video completed from that flight, showing the progression of the clearance from T319 (filed and originally cleared) to the BUKHD3 arrival, to canceling IFR and getting vectors which would take me over downtown and KATL.

I've flown the BUKHD3 arrival before to KFFC, and while in theory it could take one right over KATL, at least that time I was vectored way out to the west. So on this recent flight, I offered to cancel IFR, and I suppose that did the trick for ATC.

Can you fly over downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield International in a small airplane? You sure can - join the flight in this video which takes off from Nashvil...

24/02/2023

I stopped in Nashville, TN on the way to Falcon Field (FFC) last Sunday. I had flown over BNA many times, but never landed there before. So I wanted to check it out. Here is the video of that flight.
Later today I'll be flying home to Iowa, with the benefit of the full digital autopilot interface between the Aspen PFD and the Garmin GFC600 autopilot. The project finally got the FAA's blessing, and Gardner Lowe in Peachtree City has completed the update on my Bonanza this week.

We are going to Nashville, TN - Music City - on this windy but otherwise beautiful winter day. I've chosen BNA (Nashville International Airport) for this tri...

27/01/2023

Everything you could possibly need to know about oxygen when flying, and about carbon monoxide - explained by Dr. Brent Blue, a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) from Jackson, WY. Dr Blue introduced pulse oximetry and digital carbon monoxide detectors to General Aviation.

Everything you could possibly need to know about oxygen when flying, and about carbon monoxide - explained by Dr. Brent Blue, a Senior Aviation Medical Exami...

20/01/2023

Don't get me wrong - I love airports! But at some point we have to get going and actually take off. That process seemed to take forever on this flight out of Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) when I flew with one of our daughters to meet a friend for lunch in Winter Haven, FL (GIF). Come along and see how this all unfolded.

Don't get me wrong - I love airports! But at some point we have to get going and actually take off. That process seemed to take forever on this flight out of...

23/12/2022

A few days ago, before the arctic cold hit much of the US, we had a mild day in Iowa with low clouds - a great day for flying approaches in actual IMC with my new avionics panel, after practicing thoroughly in good weather. It's always a great feeling when I break out of the clouds with the approach lights and runway ahead of me - and if not, the GFC600 can fly a coupled go-around and missed approach, which makes things really easy. The video shows three different approaches at Cedar Rapids airport.

After thorough practice in good weather, I am ready to fly instrument approaches in low IMC today in the Bonanza - with the new avionics panel, which include...

16/12/2022

Here's a favorite topic for airport conversations and hangar talk: "If you turn from upwind to downwind, you will lose airspeed". It's an old wives' tale, which is as persistent in many pilots' mind as it is wrong. Doug Rozendaal and I recorded this video recently to try to bust the myth and show what really happens.

"Sacred cow hamburger tastes best" says Doug Rozendaal, and in this video we explore the myth of the downwind turn - specifically the (erroneous) thought tha...

02/12/2022

One of my first trips in the Bonanza (after the panel upgrade) took me to an airpark in Naperville (Chicago suburb). It was a nice VFR day, so of course I took the scenic route there.

A short flight from Janesville, WI (KJVL) to Naperville, IL (LL10) had me wonder: will Chicago Approach give me a clearance through the O'Hare Class Bravo, o...

05/11/2022

Just before Oshkosh, I had the opportunity to fly in the cockpit observer seat of "DOC", one of the two remaining B-29 aircraft in airworthy condition. This was in Mason City, IA at the monthly airport BBQ - specifically, the one in July, the one just before Oshkosh. It was a fantastic (and maybe once-in-a-lifetime for me, $$$) experience.

Did I bing my cameras? You bet I did! The ride was surprisingly smooth (for a piston airplane!), and sitting in the very seats that were once the workplace of pilots of the greatest generation was touching. Aircraft Commander Steve Zimmerman and his crew did a nice job explaining what they were doing, and I try to convey a lot of that in this new video.

Almost 4,000 B-29 Superfortress aircraft were built - only two remain in flying condition today. Come along on a flight in DOC and listen to the aircraft com...

23/09/2022

For anyone who struggles with understanding what volts and amps mean, what a voltage regulator does, or how to diagnose failure conditions, this video may be helpful.

Many pilots struggle with understanding the electrical system. Doug Rozendaal keeps things simple in this video by drawing an analogy to a hydraulic system, ...

09/09/2022

Got questions about FAA medicals, selecting an AME, or special issuance? This video may help.

How do select an AME? Who needs "special issuance", and how should you go about it to avoid unnecessary delays? Dr. Brent Blue, MD is a Senior AME (Aviation ...

19/08/2022

I've been dying to tell the rest of the story... and now I finally can!

Part II of this video tells the rest of the story - the things I was not allowed to talk about until AirVenture 2022, where Aspen Avionics announced the deve...

16/07/2022

Curious how the panel upgrade in my Bonanza is going? Watch the YouTube Premiere with me (with chat) at 8:00 AM central today for Part I of this new video series.

I'm taking the Bonanza into the 21st century by giving it an all-new instrument panel, with the Garmin phenomenal GFC 600 autopilot. Come along as the shop t...

16/07/2022

Come join us on Monday afternoon at AirVenture 2022. 2:30PM, Forum Stage 8.

25/06/2022

What's going on with Bonanza 70TB? Well, I still can't disclose the full scope and nature of the project, though it is nearing completion and the airplane should be back in regular service in a few weeks. What I can share is that the project revolves around a new autopilot - my old Century III broke late last year - and in this video I'm taking a look at the available options for retrofitting a new, modern autopilot in my Bonanza - and share which one I am installing in N70TB.
https://youtu.be/-esXjUw20rs

My old Century III autopilot is broken - which starts the quest for a new, modern digital autopilot to replace it in the Bonanza. In this video, I'll define ...

04/06/2022

The weekend is here, and along with that a new Bonanza video. There is no way to deny it - sightings of N70TB have been sparse in 2022 so far, both online and in the real world. The video I am releasing today was recorded in January, and it was my last flight in N70TB before making some significant upgrades to the plane. I'll be able to tell that story in detail over the summer, and if all goes to plan I should have the Bonanza back in time for Oshkosh.

https://youtu.be/uEDvozoEL8o

02/05/2022

Great times at the 1st Annual Beech Bash in the Bluegrass!
https://youtu.be/IpeFockYYLQ

The "1st Annual Beech Bash in the Bluegrass" is in the books - a wonderful event hosted by the airport and city of Madisonville, Kentucky at the end of April...

23/04/2022

N70TB is in the shop for some work - but it's a third Thursday of the month, and Mason City, IA (KMCW) is hosting their monthly airport BBQ on a beautiful spring day. So I'm flying a Cirrus SR-20 instead, and it's an opportunity for me to show you around and highlight some of the differences not just between the Bonanza and the Cirrus, but also between my steam gauge panel in N70TB and the more advanced avionics in N822GT. Enjoy the flight!

https://youtu.be/99yoW7b6dO0

N70TB is in the shop for some work - specifically, a new autopilot since my old Century III kicked the bucket. But it's a third Thursday of the month, and Ma...