Winter Freight Run with the Seneca III

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With interest in flying in winter conditions, reported ice, etc. I thought
I'd post a description of a night freight run I made a few weeks ago. The
style is kinda a thought abbreviated format, not normal sentences, which
should be easy for pilot to read. I'd be interested to know if this type of
information is of interest to the group. There are probably a lot of pilots
who could provide this type of flight information, is there a worthwile set
of people who want to have it?

--
Dave Johnson, Seneca-III N82073

Winter Freight Dog (Jan 2001)

I was asked to take a freight run at 7PM from KMCW to KCID, lay overnight,
and return early the next morning. A good sized low pressure had gone
through the area dumping a bunch of snow the day before and the outlook was
to get more "flurries" and light snow for the evening and into the next day.
Temp running around 5 to 10 degrees F. The winds were generally out of the
NW at 17 gusting 25 and the ceilings were running 2.3 Sct to 3.5 Bkn. There
were some snow showers with vis at 2 and ceiling 1.5 Bkn. Light drifting
snow was present on the road sides in the area. The twin Seneca III was
well equipped, for flight into known ice and with RNAV & GPS, IFR certified.
Typically this time of year, with this weather configuration, one can figure
on layers, the first one a 1000 or two feet thick, an open area, and layers
above .. with light, occnl to moderate, mixed icing. Towards the tail end
of the weather cycle you are usually on top between 5 and 7 thousand with
clear above.

Before departing KCCY where the twin was based, I loaded the GPS with a KCCY
MCW KMCW VINTY KCID flight plan and set up moving map mode, set the RNAV
with the freq. for KMCW ILS 35, the KCCY LOC 12, and both airport reference
points. The ADF set for the KCCY and KMCW NDB's, and the #2 NAV set for the
MCW and ALO VOR's. KCCY AWOS said "1.9 Sct, 2.7 Bkn, 4.2 Ovc, wind 330 at
16G21, vis 9, 30.15". Called FSS and received "ATC clears .. KCCY direct
KMCW, climb and maintain 3, enter controlled airspace on direct course,
contact ALO departure, void if not off by 0100 current time 0025.

Turn on pitot heat, prop heat, hot plate (I refer to them as 'heaters')
watching for current increase draw, increase RPMs to generate more current,
double check instruments & clearance. Taking off 6:30 PM, vis 9 .. really!,
looks like 2 to me, gear up, turn left to on course, level at 3, contact
departure. Wing tip strobes creating instant frozen images of light snow ..
pretty, not distracting, so leave them on, have fair ground contact in show
showers, good between, not in any clouds so turn off the heaters. Contact
MPLS center and was told to expect the visual at KMCW. Put the GPS into OBS
mode and set the CDI to 300 degrees, for rwy 30, now have approx. runway
center line guidance and distance to ARP.

KMCW AWOS reported "wind 330 at 18, vis 8, 4.7 Sct" so when field in sight
told center and got clearance for the visual. Announced on Unicom my
pending arrival and was informed of snow equipment working on 17-35 as well
as 12-30. Conversed with snow blower operator on threshold end of 30
working the left edge off or runway and was advised to favor the right 2/3
of the runway due to snow drifts. Told him OK, I'd do so and land well past
him (runways were not closed) that he would be no factor. No problem
avoiding drifts on the runway and taxi ways because they did not extend out
far from the edges, land at 6:45PM (Total flight 15 minutes .. see why
everything needs to be set before takeoff?).

Freight truck not present but at 5 degrees and with the wind decided I
better stuff the blankets into the engine cowls and over the engines.
Freight arrived 7:10PM, loaded 450 lbs, covered with net and secured,
completed and signed paper work, fired up and taxied out to rwy 30, called
for and received "Cleared as filed KMCW to KCID, climb & maintain 5,000 ."
Snow equipment all clear of rwy 30, takeoff 7:30 PM, same procedure as
before, at 5000 could see both the lights on the ground through the haze of
light snow and also the moon & brighter stars also hazy. Janitrol heater
working nicely and its warm and toastie inside the cabin. Its MVFR but past
KALO encountered some areas of IFR conditions loosing ground contact from
time to time. KCID Hotel advised "winds 330 at 6, vis 7, 4.8 Bkn 7.0 Ovc,
using ILS 27". In flight vis was lower due to light snow.

Before reaching VINTY (I chose this in the route because it would be handy
if I requested a GPS 13 approach (circle to land this evening) ..
essentially a straight in for my route of flight .. with a circle MDA of
456 ft AGL.) received "turn left heading 120, descend at pilots discretion
to 3, vectors for the ILS 27". Since RNAV was on CID VOR, pushed hold
button, selected and activated the ILS 27. Set the CDI to 269 degrees while
connected to the GPS, pushed the OBS button, then switched the HSI from GPS
to RNAV input. GPS screen now shows me approx. distance from runway center
line, dist from ARP, and my actual ground track, ground speed, etc. From
this I can pretty much see aircraft coming up on the LOC centerline and
sometimes can announce to the controller I'm about to cross over if he is
delayed in giving me an approach clearance. Actually I probably have better
info than the approach controller .. I've found you can "radar vector"
yourself with the GPS set up right. Easy approach, ground contact all the
way, but slant vis about 2 miles when I see the approach lights.

Land 8:22 PM, same conditions of light drifting snow and snow equipment
working about the airport, taxi to freight ramp, unload freight, taxi plane
to FBO for heated hanger (nice!), get crew car, go to motel. Up at 5AM,
have OJ, coffee, and donuts (pilot food wife says). Drive over to freight
ramp to see when they want me there. "BIG BIRD", due in at 5:24 AM is
running late, so am advised 6:45 AM is the magic time. Containers come off
of Big Bird, are unloaded and packages are placed on a moving conveyor line
and the various codes are picked off as the packages go down the belt.
Empty containers are filled with sorted packages and weighed out and are
wheeled to the ramp for loading. Big boxes first, light to the rear, heavy
to the front, then stuff smaller boxes to fill the cracks . it's a science &
like eating popcorn!

Weather this morning seemed no different, winds running 310 at 17, vis 3 to
9 in the 'dreaded' BR, ceilings 1.7 Ovc at KCID to 1.2 Ovc at KMCW, only now
light to moderate mixed ice was reported at KMCW during approach. Drive to
FBO, pulled out of warm hanger while sitting in plane (nice touch), taxi
over to freight ramp, they are just starting the "sort", helped them sort
for awhile, wheeled out container of packages, loaded 550 lbs, secured and
did paper work. Received clearance "CAF direct KMCW, climb and maintain 4,
etc., some light icing reported between 2.3 and 4.0". Taxied to rwy 27,
turned heaters on in advance of TO so things could warm up. Cleared for
takeoff at 8:10 AM, turn right on course, contact departure . Trace of
light rime going up, in the clear at 3.8, overcast above looked to be at
8,000 and thin, not too far to the west was clear above. Pretty soon in the
sunshine and smooth ride. Felt sorry for the poor souls below me plodding
along in their daily lives in the grunge.

Waterloo approach advised Mpls Center advised there were reports of moderate
mixed icing by aircraft going into and out of KMCW below 4,000, and the I'd
be number 3 to land. Climb and maintain 5,000 and expect 6,000 later for a
hold. I already had KMCW AWOS reporting wind 320 at 16, vis 9, and 1.2 Ovc
making the ILS 35 the most likely approach by most. Quickly requested ALO
approach to relay to center I'd like the RNAV (GPS) 30 approach at KMCW. A
bit later was advised to climb and maintain 6,000, and center had my request
... contact them now.

Reported into center at 6,000 (finished climb while rechecking the AWOS) and
was cleared direct to ZIGUV, expect the GPS 30 approach. Hot damn, this
controller is good, he knows what I want to do .. an easy hold in the clear,
then a straight in approach. I had figured this was what was coming and had
loaded the approach into the GPS. Pulled right knob out, rotated to
ZIGUV-i, and punched DIRECT and ENTER. Turn on the pitot, prop, and hot
plate heaters in advance of any entry into clouds so they will be warm. 15
miles from ZIGUV (the IAF) I hear the #1 aircraft cancel ILS. Hmmm, better
slow to approach speed and kill some time. I slow to 120 kts, approach
speed. Center must see me do this and tells me to expect no delay. Then I
hear the #2 aircraft report the marker inbound, but considering my closing
distance I figure I'll be making a turn.

Hit ZIGUV , start right hand turn, and inform center I'm in the hold at
6,000. Center says descend and maintain 4,000. The #2 aircraft hasn't said
anything so figure he will cancel on the ground. Considering the timings,
dynamic as they are, I go outbound 8 nm keeping at 2.0 nm off of the inbound
course, before turning inbound. On the inbound turn #2 cancels IFR and
center clears us for the GPS 30. Tops are only a couple hundred feet below
so maintain 4000 until I figure with the headwinds I can descend at 1,000
FPM through the ice and end up at XENYO (FAF) without having to level off.
Almost works out, had to reduce rate of descent some ½ mile before, then
continue down. Yep, ice is building nicely, the clouds are really juicy in
the top half, about ¼" total on OAT probe when we break out back into normal
dreary winter conditions. Land on rwy 30 at 9:05 AM, taxi to ramp, unload
freight, distribute paper work, everyone seems happy, now to return home to
shovel driveway (oh boy).