Beta flight report 1/12, hold at EHF!

[Keith Smith]

Additional ATC staffing allowed me to do some flying during the beta last night. A few aircraft were enroute to BFL from SBP (the focus flight), but it was too late for me to catch them. I picked a sleepy non-towered airport relatively close to BFL, L62, and filed a IFR flight plan to BFL via the EHF VOR at 5k.

Knowing I was so close to Bakersfield, I referenced the BFL VOR-A approach plate to get an approach frequency, 118.80 and gave them a call for clearance and release. The clearance was as filed, then the controller asked how long before I'd be ready to go...."2 minutes," I responded (I was holding short of the runway and just needed to do the runway). He released me for a departure with a 5 minute void time.

I swapped to 122.90, the published CTAF for the airport and made the call, "Buttonwillow Traffic, Saratoga taking off rwy 29, right turnout, Buttonwillow." If anyone reading isn't familiar with non-towered ops, the airport name is used at the beginning AND end of each transmission, allowing for the fact that frequencies are shared among airports, and therefore, the chance of two ppl transmitting at the same time are quite high, and therefore, people at higher altitudes that can hear both parties are likely to receive many partial transmissions. Having the airport name twice helps keep the transmissions on context for all recipients.

Once clear of the pattern, I swapped to Bakersfield Approach, 118.80 and checked in. Once in radar contact, I was given the weather and was asked which approach I wanted. "VOR Alpha from Shafter, missed, then the ILS 30R, full stop."

By this time, the BFL arrivals were....arriving. I was put in a hold (as published on the VOR-A plate) over EHF to let the other guy(s) shoot their approaches first. Parallel entry, then established in the hold, powered way back to save some gas. What fun, and great practice.

I negotiated a slightly lower altitude, but couldn't get a whole lot lower because the controller had to protected the airspace for the guy shooting the RNAV approach to 30R in the Comanche, which would've climbed to 3k. Eventually, he did, in fact, go missed and then picked up a clearance to Mojave. Then, it was our turn. I joined the approach, outbound and started my descent to 2.5k, setting up for the procedure turn. Being /U, I asked ATC for my distance from EHF on the way out to make sure I wasn't going to exceed the 10nm limitation for the lateral limits of the procedure turn. Outbound on the 45 for 60 seconds, made a right 180, inbound on the 45, called ATC to report inbound on the proc turn, joined the final app course, descended from 2500 to 1800 to cross the FAF, started the timer...called tower. Was assigned a straight in for rwy 12L. Descended to MDA, then considered my landing options...12L looked fine, so we stuck with the plan. Landing was uneventful, although I was a little slack on the flair, forgetting that I'd set it up for max gross. Off at the first exit, then talked to ground to get myself to the ramp.

APP, TWR and GND controllers at BFL, and a hold for one-in, one-out IFR operations at a sleepy Class D airport. Fantastic.

[Daddy O]

Sorry I missed Beta last night. Had to work.