Date: Tuesday, July 9, 2002, 10:59:27 PM Subject: First solo IFR flight from SZP to MYF Howdy all, Yesterday I filed and flew IFR from Santa Paula to San Diego-Montgomery Field (MYF). Since SZP is a uncontrolled airfield, I filed via FSS and then picked up my IFR coverage after I got up into SoCal's radio and radar range. BTW, my plane was at SZP because I had to have some small iron oxide particles buffed out of the new paint on the right side of the stabilator. Lesson? Cover your plane's new paint job when it goes into a new hangar for its annual: the new hangar of the maintenance shop was having skylights cut in the metal roof at the same time that my plane was in for its annual. Small metal dust particles fell right on top of my plane's right stabilator. While dry, they could easily have been blown off with an air gun. But, once my plane was parked outside overnight, the night mist started oxidizing the small metal particles, and they became firmly embedded into the new IMRON paint. Don, the owner of the maintenance facility, is a stand-up guy, and recognized the cause of the problem and told me that he would cover the costs to have it fixed. Responsible people like that are few and far between, unfortunately. So, with my plane's sparkling new white stabilator, it was hazy over Santa Paula, just before sunset, with the sun glaring low and through the windscreen on the straight out departure on runway 22. After climbing up past 2000', I turned easterly, away from the sun, and flew over the neighboring mountain, direct to VNY. On the way, I called into SoCal approach and picked up my IFR clearance. I'm still fairly new at actual IFR clearances from ATC, so I can't judge from any significant experience, but so far it seems like you can file whatever you like but SoCal ATC will give you one of the tower enroute routes regardless. In my case, I filed a fairly direct but legal IFR route from SZP to MYF, but ATC routed me along the SBAL9 route: VNY V186 V363 V23 MZB. Tomorrow, on my way back, I'm going to experiment with yet another direct route and see what I get. Anyway, the trip over northern Los Angeles was not very exciting, so I listened to and sang along with K-Earth 101 ("oldies") on the FM radio. Ever tried to sing along through a noise-cancelling headset? It's funny: as soon as you try to sustain a constant tone of any kind, the noise-cancelling circuit cuts you out! Maybe it's the music critic logic? :^) The TCAD kept me alerted of nearby traffic (enroute is set to 6 nm proximity +-2000'). A couple of times, ATC told me about opposite direction traffic "one two" or "one three" miles ahead -- which is too far away to be able to see it -- especially at dusk. I couldn't actually see even the other plane's beacon until about 6 or 7 miles out. And, of course, the other plane was a 1000' feet above me. As I neared the V363 transition, ATC turned me about 4 or 5 miles early to join V363. Then, about 10 miles before KRAUZ (the transition to V23), ATC turned me again to join V23 direct to OCN. It was dark when I got to OCN, where ATC ignored my clearance and told me to fly 120-degrees outbound with vectors for the ILS 28R approach into MYF. ATC basically vectored me pretty far inland, and then drove me straight south, and then turned me west again, so that I was about 4 or 5 miles east of NESTY, an intermediate fix on the ILS 28R approach. As I joined the localizer and glideslope, there were three planes in the pattern or on the runway. I've never been to MYF when it wasn't busy, even at 9:15pm, after the tower had closed. So, during my arrival and approach, I was talking directly over CTAF with the other traffic and we sorted ourselves out just right -- although the plane on the runway took off rather late almost requiring me to do a go-around: "If that plane on the runway doesn't move pretty soon, N4184R is going to execute a go-around." "Cessna xxxxx rolling for immediate departure!". I used the S-Tec S55 autopilot in APProach mode to control the ILS approach. I had never done that before, so it was an experiment. The AP would let the glideslope (GS) needle go just one dot up or down and hold there. If the plane descended or ascended past one dot from center, then the AP would adjust the trim to re-center the needle. Of course, I had set the power to that appropriate for a 500' descent. The AP accurately drove the plane all the way down to DH and beyond, actually. It was pretty cool, though I don't really know who would use it normally or why. I don't think I'll use it much, if at all, for ILS approaches -- I actually enjoy flying the plane myself on ILS approaches, and, I keep the needles centered much better than the AP (at least in calm weather :^). There was nobody home at the MYF GA terminal, except the night guard. Even though the street side doors were shut, the airport side doors were open (and remain that way), so, after I closed my IFR flight plan, I enjoyed the nice facilities while waiting for the taxi. So ended my first IFR solo flight, and night ILS approach. I'll look forward to seeing some of you at OSH! -- Best regards, Alan K. Stebbens (Voice/Fax: +1.866.579.0801) Cherokee 6-300 (PA32-300), N4184R, based at SBA