My first flight of 2025 had me heading west, just a short hop, to Cambridge MD - KCGE. Today I received a comment on one of my videos, and I have to say it made me feel good knowing I may have helped someone with the Legacy unit Garmin 480. I started the "How-To" 480 series as I worked through various scenarios to help me stay sharp and learn new things about the unit. Buttonology as I like to call it. Maybe this falls under why I make videos, I'm not sure. I do know it feels good to give something back to this hobby. Here is the comment that a subscriber left.
I just realized you were sitting at the table across from me at CGE on Saturday. Wish I'd realized it sooner so i could personally thank you for your GNS-480 series. Without it, my instrument rating might not have happened a few years ago. Beautiful Commander, by the way!
I'm inspired by the gentleman that posted and I look forward to working through even more scenarios on the Garmin 480. Thanks again for sharing your comment on my YouTube video.
I decided to check my fuel quantity and complete a very extensive preflight for my scheduled first flight of 2025 tomorrow afternoon. I did make a short video on a few of the checklist items but then put the camera down and got to the business at hand.
Saturday 1.26.2025
The temps have climbed into my barley comfort zone almost breaking 40F. Yes, it's time to cowboy up and get in the air. I turned on the preheats around midnight last night and today 3 Tango Charlie was warm and toasty. I did an abbreviated video at the hangar yesterday showing some of my preflight, off camera I did an extensive check of the plane, she is good to go.
The original plan was a breakfast run but that changed since Charles G needed to head north after a business meeting here in OC. He then had to drive home, pick up his plane, and fly it south to Cambridge to meet for lunch. He's a better man than me, I would have called it a day after the 2 hour drive north.
I got settled in, set up my cameras then got the fan turning. 3 Tango Charlie seems a bit more difficult to start after an overnight preheat. After a few blades on a second attempt she fired up and sat at idle while I kept a check on oil temps. Once reaching 153 degrees I was ready to taxi to runway one-four. AWOS noted winds variable but the windsock clearly favored one-four this afternoon.
I launched for Cambridge (KCGE) and really enjoyed the view. There is something to be said for exercising your pilot in command duties. The ride was bumpy but not the worst I've experienced. A passed above Salisbury KSBY airspace at three thousand feet and then remained below the Restricted R-4006 airspace of three thousand five hundred feet.
The pattern was busy at Cambridge and I had to turn away to the north then re-enter for the left downwind runway one-six. I made a nice landing and taxied for the terminal.
Saving money on fuel is always a good thing so instead of taking fuel at Ocean City ($6.50 gal) I purchased fuel a Cambridge ($5.88 gal). Sixty two cents a gallon at twenty gallons saved me $12.40!
Charles arrived and we enjoyed lunch at Carrols Kitchen. My menu choice was a BLT with fries and a cup of Vegetable beef soup. Charles had a bowl of Vegetable beef with a turkey club.
Charles and I had to settle our fuel bills before heading out to the planes. The cold air really hit me when I went outside, I think the temps have fallen. We each saddled up and taxied for one six, Charles was first then I pointed down the runway for home.
The ride east for home was very smooth compared to the flight west. I kept feeling a chill of cold air even though I had the heat on, or so I thought. Apparently I had pulled the cabin air vent instead of the cabin heat, Brrr...that wasn't to smart.
With the heat now flowing in the cockpit and my legs once again nice and toasty I set up for my arrival into Ocean City. I had to coordinate with one plane inbound on the RNAV runway one-four with a circle to land three-two. I asked if they were going to do the procedure turn since it looked like he was just going to join final. I advised I would circle to the north for spacing and then land on runway two-zero since the winds were 220 at 9 knots.
I made a nice landing and taxied for the hangar. It felt great getting in the air and I am looking forward to my next flight.
I posted the following in response to an email I received from fellow pilot and YouTube creator Mark at Midlife Flight.
The Question and Set Up
You
are coming from the southwest and have been cleared to SWL as the transition.
Since it's a NoPT transition, if the 480 does the same thing as other
navigators, the HILO at CIRAN will not be included when you load the
approach. If that's not the case - if the hold gets loaded anyway -
no need to go further.
If
that is the case, here's the scenario. While inbound from SWL to CIRAN,
you get "hold as published at CIRAN" from ATC.
In
the other Garmins from the GNS 430/530 onward and in the Avidyne IFD, you
would just reload the approach and choose CIRAN as the transition. The hold at
CIRAN will be there.
Part
2, if that happens, will the flight plan still show you direct CIRAN or do you
have to tell it again?
The Answer
With the Garmin 480 there are two ways to address the issue. The first is reload the approach selecting CIRAN as the transition and that will plot the PT.
The second way is to select DIRECT then HOLD and enter the following info. Left or Right turns, Inbound heading, and leg length in minutes or nautical miles. Either choice will address the issue.
What's the difference between nautical mile and a statute mile. Good question. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a statute mile and based on Earth's latitude, while a statute mile is a land-measured unit.
