Angel Flight from the San Juan Islands in a Diamond DA42 VI

[@mjparker900]

I only fly in VR these days but am not instrument or twin rated. The clarity and detail in your videos is so helpful to me understanding what I'm supposed to be aiming for. Thanks for that, and for donating your time and aircraft to Angel Flight. As I live in Comox, BC, your trips to the islands is so relatable.

[@twmba65]

Many thanks!

[@Oaknest]

I really enjoy flying along with you, Trevor.. Thanks for the interesting video!

[@GerardoRodriguez-cg8em]

What a beautiful Airplane, nice flight and waht a gesture to Fly people in need. BLESS YOUR HEART

[@twmba65]

Thank you!

[@MetalTeamster]

Such a kind , pleasant person.... really miss seeing you now and then . Safe travels!

[@gilbertbey6407]

Thank you sir for your great videos and your commitment for the angel missions.

[@twmba65]

Many thanks!

[@robertisbell3772]

I have really enjoyed all your flights in your DA-42. I enjoy Microsoft flight sim, and the DA 42 and 62 are my favorite planes to sim in. Please keep the KZbin videos coming.

[@ericchadwick]

Great flight Trevor. Video and editing are well done. Also great to promote Angel Flight West, and the work done by you and other volunteer pilots and drivers.

[@twmba65]

Many thanks, Eric!

[@Yachtnerd]

So Enjoyable! Thanks for taking me along for the ride.

[@samcyphers]

The videos you make are some of my favorites. I am a pilot in the Seattle area I love seeing local missions

[@twmba65]

Thanks Sam!

[@ChadRyan]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@twmba65]

Many thanks!

[@vaughnbluejr5960]

I love the tail camera. Good to see scenery during your flight.

[@antoniog9814]

Thank you for the new video, Trevor. It's been a while!

[@flyingmusician]

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[@memyselfi8167]

Really enjoyed your video. Thank you.

[@hoteluniform7179]

Great to see you again on KZbin! Wonderful airplane and excellent piloting, more of this, please!

[@KevinGreenhough]

Angel Flight Pilot. Much respect Sir!

[@troytalbot2218]

Well Done, good on you mate.

[@azureskys]

I've been working on IFR currency out of RNT, so I truly appreciate your videos sharing all these parts of the flight. Thanks so much!

[@MrMichaelraymond]

Lovely, sir. Really well flown. Beautiful aircraft. I'm a wanna be pilot via KPWT. Thanks for your pres.

[@drumswest5035]

Sweet plane and great video...and pilot

[@ellomot0]

Thanks for sharing! Subscribed!

[@rodfraser8559]

I love your videos! I did a "Haul for Hope" event in CYTZ today what an amazing organization! The event raised $100K and was super fun. Maybe fly in next year? Would be great to meet you! Thanks for your inspiring videos bringing attention to the work your doing and the inspiring stories of helping folks get great care!

[@twmba65]

Thanks for the kind comments. I'll take the "Haul for Hope" ... sounds impressive to raise so much in a single day.

[@davidrumolo422]

Nice video! You flew right over our house at Cape San Juan/Cattle Point!

[@twmba65]

I love that area of San Juan Island!

[@SEAAviator]

Saw you over I-405 on a downwind for RNT earlier today. Looked up and said “Hmm, a DA42, could it be..?” Got on flightradar24 and confirmed my suspicions!

[@markbryan9989]

The Diamonds are such nice airplanes. I have been drooling over videos of the newer DA62 but I don't have 1.9 mil to spend just now! Back when I owned a C172 I did an Angel flight for a young girl with a heart condition. They are so grateful. Great video, thanks!

[@twmba65]

Thanks Mark!

[@fdtank81]

Thanks

[@joeljohansson4501]

What kind of note pad do you use on your knee board? I’m in the market for a better one and that looks like a good one for IFR

[@twmba65]

Hi Joel - It is one I have developed myself in Word. If you look in the Community section of my channel about a year ago I posted a screenshot of it. Every so often I update it to build in new things I am doing. Hope that helps.

[@Centurion333]

Pretty sure I saw a DA42 that looks a lot like yours fly into Renton today. Good landing if it was 😊

[@twmba65]

Hah that was probably me. Occasionally I get a good landing 😆!

[@ssugarba]

Trevor, I’ve been enjoying your videos and find they are inspiring me to start doing some angel flights with my arrow. Out of curiosity, what safety equipment do you fly with when you’re making the trip to various islands? My wife and I live in the Sacramento area, but have a small place outside of Lake Stevens… we anticipate spending more time there and are looking forward to visiting Friday Harbor and other close island airports. Thanks for your content!

[@twmba65]

Thanks for the message. I can't say enough good things about Angel Flight West and if inspire a few new pilots to get involved, that is is huge! There are always missions that go unfilled due to lack of pilots so please do consider it. An Arrow is a perfect plane for AFW missions ... I have a couple of pilot friends that do a lot of missions in Arrows. As far as safety equipment goes, I have a 4 person inflatable raft that I bought a couple of years ago and include for missions to the islands. I have previously owned single engine planes and I sometimes flew wearing an inflatable life vest. Its definitely a good idea but I suspect if you polled local pilots flying between the islands and the mainland, most would not be wearing life vests. The stretches of water you need to cross are fairly short and with some planning you could be within in gliding distance of land.

[@igclapp]

Great video, Trevor! Love the bottom camera view! Is there a way to remotely power the camera on and off to save the battery? At 40:10 you can hear the passenger's mobile phone transmissions on the audio track. Would that affect, say, your ILS reception on an actual approach?

[@twmba65]

Thanks Ian. There is a GoPro app that can turn the cameras on and off but in my experience its range is very poor. I have looked into some other options but no joy so far. Yes I noted that sound as well when the passenger was receiving a call. If we were in IMC and on an approach I would have been more anxious about getting the passenger to hang up. I wasn't concerned in VFR so long as he hung up quickly. I had another flight recently where a passenger took a call when we were on approach and started chatting. I politely insisted that she hang up.

[@hlwade]

Hi Trevor, have you had many issues with your engines and getting maintenance for them? I want to buy a DA42 but seems like lots of people are having service and quality issues.

[@twmba65]

Hi, my experience has been mostly good with the Austro engines but there are a couple of important points to make 1. It is VERY important to have access to a shop that has a lot of Austro volume. Like every engine, they have their quirks. Every aviation mechanic knows Lycomings etc. but experience with Austros is more niche. This is getting better as the number of Austros in the field gets higher. Last year I had a few minor issues that a good shop with less Austro experience really struggled with. Going to a high volume Austro shop made all the difference, 2. There have been some MSBs/ADs recently. I've been fortunate that my engines have not been affected by any of them. In general I attribute these issues to the fact that the engines are relatively new (in aviation time) and there are still bugs to be worked out. Maybe I'd feel differently if I was caught up in the MSBs/ADs. I love the efficiency and performance of the Austros but recognize they are still on the bleeding edge of innovation. I've never been stranded somewhere with an engine issue in 3+ years of ownership. I don't know how much experience you've had with airplane ownership. This is the 3rd plane I've owned ... there are headaches and trade offs with all and twins are twice the fun 🙂

[@hlwade]

@@twmba65 Thank you so much! I have had 3 myself but getting ready to get my 4th and really would like it to be a DA42. I have flown Cirrus really the majority of the time and had a small stint with a 206. Just like the 2nd engine. Flying out of KVBT going south we cross over some pretty narly small mountain ranges that don't have alot of access in them and while the Chute is fantastic I would rather have a second motor. Love your vidoes really.

[@twmba65]

@@hlwade Many thanks! I've got many friends with Cirrus and they are great planes. At the risk of weighing into the endless debate of single vs twin safety, I've really liked flying a twin. Of course you need to sign up to stay on your game as far as OEI work goes but flying around the PNW terrain, I really appreciate two engines. Personal opinion, there is is no piston single or twin I'd rather have for my current missions. Not saying it's perfect as there are always tradeoffs as I'm sure you can appreciate.

[@Tanax13]

Do you get any compensation for this or is it completely voluntary? Do you need any commercial pilot license? Do you know if Europe has any equivalent to this?

[@twmba65]

It is all voluntary on the part of the pilot. Any compensation/reimbursement looks like Part 135 charter which the FAA frowns on. No commercial license needed .... minimum requirement is a private pilot and 250 hours PIC (Different organizations have different minimums but these are the numbers for Angel Flight West). I don't know if there is a similar model in Europe ... I believe there is one or more organizations in Australia.

[@marklstern]

Enjoyed this very much. Curious what paper form you use on your clipboard for notes. I see that you are diligent in writing down weather and ATC clearances as the flight progresses. I think that's a great habit to have and to emulate. I did a few Angel Flight missions in the '90s; good to see that this organization and its volunteer pilots are still serving the need.

[@twmba65]

Thanks Mark, yes the organization is still going strong. I'm all for new tech but the paper knee board still works best for me. The form I use is a Word table I've iterated over time. If you look in the "Community" section of my channel you'll find more info.

[@sterlinghawk_g20]

Hi Trevor live close to his area

[@igclapp]

Trevor, would you have considered a straight-in landing? Back in the old days, we wouldn't just fly the pattern, we'd always overfly the field first at 1,500' AGL to check runway conditions and the wind. I suppose with ASOS and airborne weather reception an overflight is not really necessary these days.

[@twmba65]

I really try to fly a full pattern anytime I'm not doing an instrument approach. However sometimes the set up for a straight-in makes the most sense. I will sometimes overfly the field if I'm concerned about the state of the rwy or wind conditions but I don't do it commonly.

[@blackhillresort4753]

The FAA discourages VFR straight in approaches.

[@rosscomer]

Thanks for posting, Trevor! Quick question: How are you recording the audio and iPad screen?

[@twmba65]

Thanks Ross. I record the audio on a separate audio recorder .. a Xoom H1 I ... via a splitter cable to my headset from nFlightCam. That audio has no background noise so I usually mix in a small amount of engine noise from one of the GoPros to make it sound more realistic.. For the iPad, I just use the Apple screen recording feature.

[@jcjollant]

Thanks for sharing and spending the time to edit these videos. I heard tower calling an "Angel Flight" on the radio at Renton, not sure if that was you. What prompts them to call you 2DL vs "Angel Flight"?

[@twmba65]

Thanks JC! The Angel Flight call sign could have been me but there are others who fly out of RNT. When you flight a mission you can optionally file under a personal compassion flight number. Then ATC knows you are on an Angel Flight. The flight in this video was so short, I didn't file and flew VFR but on other videos, you can hear me using the Angel Flight number.

[@k.b.322]

Anyone else notice the tail # on the cessna right before run up? That should be illegal 😂

[@noahmatisoff4895]

I believe Vx would be 82 not 92 for short field takeoff climb speed.

[@twmba65]

Thanks Noah ... with APP flaps Vx is even lower (77-79 from memory) depending on weight. Because I didn't have any concerns about obstructions at the end of the runway, I chose not to use Vx but you are correct that for a complete short field departure, my initial climb should have been at Vx.

[@noahmatisoff4895]

@@twmba65 makes sense!

[@igclapp]

It's interesting (though understandable) that the DA 42 NG manual only gives a Vx speed for flaps approach. Short field takeoff calls for flaps approach. I suppose this field didn't really require a short field takeoff, and you're better off departing with flaps up in case you lose an engine on takeoff and decide to continue the takeoff. In the DA 42 TDI I fly, the manual doesn't give a separate short field takeoff procedure and doesn't list anything other than flaps up for takeoff. What's really interesting is they tell you to use Vy for Vx as the real Vx would be below safe single engine speed. A bit annoying as I imagine you could use flaps approach for takeoff in the TDI for better short field performance, but I don't know if it's legal to do so (i.e. is this a "limitation" in the manual?)

[@twmba65]

Hi Ian! It's a trade off. Lopez is not super short of course but I do prefer getting off the runway as quickly as possible and then transitioning to best rate of climb. The short field take off procedure with flaps APP gets me that ... but I could have easily done it with a normal no flaps take off as you suggest. I will say in reviewing the video, I felt I should have raised the flaps in the climb sooner than I did. I always find a few things to improve/correct on every video!

[@blackhillresort4753]

Are you violating the patients' HIPAA privacy rights?

[@twmba65]

No, Angel Flight passengers sign a release for photography etc. but I also specifically ask passengers if they are ok with it if I am going to be making photos/video etc.

[@AllenPortman]

They are passengers not patients

[@olympiashorts]

Only healthcare providers are subject to HIPAA

[@bobsdogtag]

boring

[@jsmith498]

Horrible sounding aircraft. The worst.

[@AllenPortman]

You just need to move on and go somewhere esle to troll 😡😡😡 I bet you are a very miserable person 😡