Sunday,
August 19, 2007 Vol. IV No.
16 |
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Welcome
to the
Over the
Airwaves
aviation journal. This complimentary bi-weekly e-mailing
is being sent to pilots and aviation enthusiasts around the
world. Its aim
is to promote
flight safety, encourage students and new pilots, and to build
enthusiasm for aviation in general.
Passionate Pilots If there is one word that explains how we pilots manage to get from first solo to a rocking chair on the front porch without bending metal, it's the word "passion." Passionate pilots differ from all other pilots in that they enmesh themselves totally into the world of aviation. Rather than being spectators who occasionally venture out to the airport for a periodic flight, passionate pilots eat, drink, and breathe the world of flight. To them, the aroma of 100LL or Jet-A is like fine French perfume. Passionate pilots talk, read, listen, and watch all things aviation. They absorb aeronautical principles, tools, and techniques faster than a sponge soaks up spilled milk. Curiously, passionate pilots are also fearful pilots. They mistrust their airplanes, doubt the weather forecasts, and they question each vector and altitude assignment issued by air traffic controllers! They take nothing for granted. They check, re-check, then check again. Lost Passion ! ! Sadly, some pilots lose their passion for flying. The reasons are many and varied. For some, they've simply grown tired of it all. For others, rising costs, bothersome rules, a bad experience with an arrogant flight instructor, or a nagging spouse sapped their passion. Airline pilots are particularly vulnerable to losing their passion. Inept airline management, poor working conditions, lousy schedules, and slashed pay are typical passion-destroying factors. Even corporate pilots, those elite executive and celebrity carrying aviators, are beginning to suffer under similar abuses. We flight instructors, too, can easily have our passion for flight destroyed by overwork, long hours, low pay, unpredictable student behavior, and repetitive takeoffs and landings and circuits around the same pattern day in and day out. What happens when we lose our passion for flight?
We become complacent. We skip the steps. We overlook the obvious and we ignore the symptoms. We become cockpit automatons going through the motions and not much else. Worse, we become a danger to ourselves and a hazard to others. Our inattention results in busted altitudes, missed clearances, screwed up approaches, and botched landings. I know because there have been times when I have lost my passion for flying! Truth be told, many otherwise passionate pilots have lost their passion as well from time to time. Not surprisingly, that's when we become most vulnerable to mishaps. I recall one cold night last December. My instrument student and I had been shooting night localizer approaches to a rural airport right down to minimums. There was no moon and snow was falling lightly. It was one approach after another. Around and around we went as the night wore on. I wanted to be home with my family so badly that I simply endured the experience. There were no sweaty palms, no studying the gauges, and no peering out the window looking for signs of the runway. I had lost the passion . . . and I had lost the edge. I was a tragedy waiting to happen. As fate would have it, we made it home that night. Then there was the time earlier this spring when my colleagues caught me in a less than passionate moment. I had permitted a primary flight student to botch a landing so badly that we wound up in a bog several hundred feet from the runway, axle deep in mud and water. Miraculously, there were no injuries and no damage to the airplane . . . other than a seriously bruised ego.
Hanging on to the Passion . . . We know when we've lost the passion. We stop reading aviation articles, our trips to the airport become less frequent, we book a flight on an airline rather than flying ourselves. That's when we have to stop and take stock of ourselves. Remember, it's when the passion has left that we get ourselves into trouble. Interestingly, marriages go the same way, but that's not pertinent here. Hanging on to the passion takes work . . . and lots of it. Whether we are artists, musicians, dancers, or pilots, only our passion will make us great!
Takeoff Minimums . . . Not just for the big guys! Either by oversight or by deliberate attempt to protect our freedoms, pilots of GA aircraft operating under FAR Part 91 are not required to comply with either published or standard takeoff weather minimums. In other words, if we instrument pilots can scratch our way around the airport surface in zero/zero conditions until we find the runway, we're free to launch.
Sound safe? Of course not. Yet this is another example of where "blind obedience" to the permissive nature of the FARs can get us into big time trouble. What are Standard Takeoff Minimums? Standard takeoff minimums for single and twin engine aircraft is one mile visibility. For helicopters and fixed wing aircraft having more than two engines, standard takeoff minimums is one-half mile. Takeoff minimums legally apply only to commercial operators and air carriers. Takeoff minimums exist at every runway having a published instrument approach procedure.
Standard takeoff minimums may not apply if there are obstacles on or near the departure path of the runway. In such cases, non-standard takeoffs minimum apply but, again, only to commercial operators and air carriers. The existence of nonstandard takeoff minimums is depicted on NACO approach plates with a "T" in an upside down triangle published in the upper left corner of the approach plate. When you see this symbol, think "trouble." Preserve your "Back Door" . . . Comply with Takeoff Minimums The simple logic behind establishing takeoff minimums is to assure the pilot that he or she can make it back to the airport if trouble is encountered on the takeoff and/or climb. If this logic makes sense for commercial operators and air carriers, it certainly makes sense for Part 91 operations as well!
IFR Arrival to a VFR-Only Field Results in a Stall/Spin Fatal End
Fatal stall/spin wrecks happen once a week, on average. In this particular wreck that occurred in June, 2006, the pilot was flying a Bonanza B36TC on an IFR flight plan with one passenger aboard. They were maneuvering through instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) at about 3,100' AGL while searching for their destination airport in North Garden, Virginia. The North Garden Airport has no instrument approach. Its only runway is turf, about 3,000 feet long. Weather conditions . . . Weather recorded at the nearby Charlottesville Albemarle Airport included calm winds, 2 statute miles visibility in mist and light rain, a broken cloud layer at 500 feet, and a broken cloud layer at 800 feet. The Events . . . According to ATC radio transcripts, the controller advised the pilot that the airport was "twelve o'clock and about two miles." The pilot responded, "Ah, roger, it's a little too cloudy at the moment,...(unintelligible) up to the north...(unintelligible) far south." Several seconds later, the controller advised the pilot that the airport was 1/2 mile ahead. The pilot responded, "Ah, roger, can you get me any lower, or is this it?" The controller responded, "That's as low
as I can give you." The pilot acknowledged, then, stated, "Actually . . . the field is directly under me if I could, ah, spiral down." The controller answered, "Two Echo November, cleared for the visual approach." The pilot responded, "Thank you, sir." The pilot answered, "Ah, Roger Two Echo November, I'm not going to give up yet." "I'm not going to give up yet." These seven words proved to be this pilot's last. He was apparently determined to get into this VFR-only airport even if the visibility was down to two miles with broken cloud bases at just 500 feet. His strategy to spiral down through a hole in the clouds proved to be his ultimate undoing. Wreckage information An examination of the accident site revealed no wreckage path, and no evidence of the airplane hitting an obstacle before the accident. Instead, there was just a hole in the ground which contained the three propeller blades and part of the propeller hub. There were also
straight-line indentations in the ground, emanating from the
hole in opposite directions, consistent in length to the
airplane's wings. It is
clear from the NTSB's description of the accident site that
the airplane never recovered from what was likely a spiral
dive directly into the ground!
There is no explaining what the pilot of this doomed aircraft could have been thinking to suggest to him that he could safely accomplish this maneuver. I won't even try! GPS Direct Routings . . . Beware!
Saves time, right? Filing direct to our destination does save time both in terms of flight planning and in the actual conduct of the flight. But filing direct is not without its associated risks. Here are two big ones:
Venturing away from the conventional Victor airways leaves us without the protective benefits of specified MEAs (minimum enroute altitudes). Sure, we can look at the low altitude enroute chart for published OROCAs (off-route obstruction clearance altitudes). These are the big numbers that appear much like the minimum sector altitudes published on VFR sectionals. Remember, however, OROCAs are not subject to the same scrutiny as MEAs, MVAs, MOCAs, and other minimum IFR altitudes. When filing direct, it is our responsibility to select a sufficiently high altitude to ensure adequate terrain and obstruction clearance and radio reception. Risk Two . . . Airspace Busts! For most direct routes, the chances of going through prohibited, restricted, or special use airspace are good. While we might take comfort in the fact that ATC would likely not clear us through prohibited, restricted, or special use airspace, the responsibility lies squarely with the pilot-in-command, not ATC! I recall a recent RNAV/GPS direct flight from Joplin, MO that took me over Fort Campbell, KY. Along the way, the center controller called and queried me about the routing. He asked how I wanted to navigate around this restricted airspace. Had he not called, there would have been an airspace bust and I would be holding the proverbial bag! In summary, filing direct offers lots of benefits but there are traps as well. We can minimize our exposure to these traps by first obtaining a thorough FSS briefing before departing. Second, sweet-talk the controllers working your flight. Ask for a "heads up" on any restricted, prohibited, or special use airspace along your route of flight! Those Electrical Gremlins!!!
My presumption was that either the alternator or the voltage regulator on my airplane had toasted and, until I could get it fixed, I wasn't going anywhere. It was a Friday, so I had just this day to order whatever new parts to arrive overnight Saturday morning. Otherwise I would have to remain through the weekend before I could hope to depart. Rather than guess which of the two parts had failed, I ordered both a replacement alternator and a replacement voltage regulator.
As fate would have it, my electrical system failed again, this time while directly over Lake Michigan. Yep, the low voltage annunciator light suddenly glowed bright red! I cycled the alternator field switch, and the problem magically corrected itself. It remained fully functioning for the remainder of my trip home. Several days later, I fired up the T-210 and guess what. The low voltage annunciator light again glowed brightly. This time my recycling of the alternator field switch failed to correct the problem. Back to Square One! Ahhhh . . . the frustrations of aircraft ownership. I had just spent $1,200 to replace the major components of the 210's charging system, and I am back to square one with an inoperative electrical system. What to do? This time I had Kevin Rose, A&P/AI, of Rose Aviation at my home airport in Akron, NY look at the problem. Rather than randomly replacing expensive electrical components, Kevin went through a series of electrical diagnostic checks. Using a handheld volt meter, he examined the voltage and resistance of every circuit, breaker, and switch in the charging system. Within one hour of work, he was able to trace the problem to abnormally high resistance through the alternator field switch. This caused the voltage regulator to demand excessive output from the alternator, thus tripping the high voltage relay. He replaced the $27 alternator field switch and cleaned off some corrosion on several nearby connections and, voila' . . . I was back in business! Lesson learned . . . Tracking down electrical problems can be a daunting task for even the most experienced wrench-twisters. We as pilots and owners, however, can become skilled in this area. It takes some dedicated study and a couple of simple trouble-shooting tools.
If nothing else, our understanding of the electrical system might just prevent an expensive repair bill like the one I received coming out of Oshkosh! Electrical system learning resources . . . While endeavoring to solve my own electrical problem, I uncovered a terrific article written by Robert Adkins titled, "Know Your Charging System." You can access this article by clicking HERE. A careful study of this article will prepare you to deal with nearly any electrical problem in your airplane. It could save you plenty! Runway Incursions . . . near tragedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida!
The Ft Lauderdale, FL (KFLL) ground controller instructed a United Airlines A320 to taxi to Runway 9L. Moments later, the tower controller noticed that UAL A320 was going too fast to hold short as instructed. The tower controller immediately told the ground controller to tell the United flight to stop. The ground controller keyed the mike and said, "UAL 1544 stop, stop, stop."
The tower controller issued immediate instructions to the landing Delta pilot to go around. Noting the urgency in the controller's voice, the Delta flight deck crew knew they had to go around. Later, the FAA reported that the Delta B-757 flew over UAL A-320 with less than 100 feet to spare. Kudos to the sharp Tower controller ! No discussion of this near-miss can take place without, first, commenting upon the sharp tower controller whose heads-up actions saved the day. Had he (or she) not observed the excessive taxi speed of the United A320, the go around message to the Delta B-757 might never have taken place. We can only imagine the resulting horrific collision of two packed airliners. Lessons learned . . .
The second lesson learned is NEVER enter or cross an active runway without first ensuring there is no landing or departing traffic using that runway. Look out the window (duh!!). The third lesson learned is that the pilot(s) of landing aircraft MUST keep their eyes on aircraft taxiing to and/or holding short of their runway. Be "spring-loaded" to go around should their landing runway be compromised by another aircraft or ground vehicle. The "Sterile Cockpit Rule" One
of the most effective ways to prevent runway incursions is
to practice the "sterile cockpit rule." That is, there
can be no conversation in the cockpit unrelated to the
flight at hand from engine start 'till reaching cruise
altitude. Aero-News.Net Features OTA in Podcasts
"Teachable Moments" is the latest in a series of podcasts I have been doing with Aero-News.Net's Paul Plack. You can hear, or download for later listening, this 15 minute interview and any of the previously conducted podcasts by clicking on the titles below:
By the way, Aero-News.Net is a FREE daily online publication that is packed with aviation related news. It is the first thing I read every morning. You can log on to Aero-News.Net and subscribe for your free subscription by clicking HERE. Sectional Chart Quiz Take a look at an extract of the Detroit sectional chart containing the Dansville, NY Airport (KDSV). Do you see any unusual descriptive text? Look at the magenta colored lettering just above the airport symbol. It says "700' CLASS E eff SR-SS."
What does this mean? Okay, the easy answer is, the floor of Class E airspace over the Dansville Airport is 700' from sunrise to sunset. The real question is, why was it necessary for the chart makers to include this statement in the first place since the Dansville Airport is already surrounded by a faded magenta (which means that the floor of Class E airspace inside this ring is 700'.) Isn't this redundant chart symbology? The National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) provides the answer! Not content to accept this seemingly redundant chart symbology (goodness knows we already have too many sectional chart symbols to learn), I called the NACO in Washington, DC for the real answer. Surprisingly, the real answer makes sense. Danville Airport is served by two GPS approaches. This explains the 700' Class E floor. These approaches, however, are not authorized at night! Thus, at night, the Class E floor goes back up to 1,200'. Simple, right? Carry this portion of the sectional with you around the hangar coffee clubs. You can win a lot of bets with this one! Christian Airmen Educational Foundation (CAEF) to Hold its First Fundraiser "It's been nearly a year in planning and we're finally ready to get started helping young people get into aviation," said Larry Cummings, CAEF president. "We've got our board of directors in place, our by-laws, our IRS 501(c)(3) tax exemption, mission and vision statement. So it's time to get down to business," adds Cummings. Founded in 2006 by a group of Western New York aviators and business people, the CAEF was created to promote Christian principles and values in aviation. Its specific purpose is to encourage and engage young people throughout the United States in aviation science and technology, to promote careers in aviation, and to foster aviation safety. Providing college scholarships to young people planning to pursue career opportunities in aviation will be one of the first official CAEF functions. It will also help to underwrite aviation related foreign missions. Lastly, CAEF hopes to play an active role in helping to improve aviation safety. First Fund Raising Event - Saturday, September 29th! The first annual Harvest Festival Benefit will be held at the Akron, NY Airport (9G3) from 4pm to 8pm. The event will include a sit-down dinner featuring NY strip steaks, home grown corn-on-the-cob, salads, cool drinks, and desserts all under a big white tent. OTA readers are invited to drive in or fly in to this exciting event! The Akron Airport is located about 10 miles northeast of the Buffalo, NY VOR (060 radial). For more information about this airport, click HERE.
Tickets are $25.00 each and can be ordered from CAEF treasurer, Liz Zaky at zakyeli@verizon.net.Event Sponsorships: Individuals and business owners are invited to place sponsorship ads in the "Harvest Festival Benefit Program." Sponsorship ad information can is available HERE. All sponsors to this event will receive special recognition in an upcoming OTA issue. If you and/or your business organization has an interest in the future of aviation and would like to encourage more young people to get involved, please support this very worthwhile event. Christian Airmen Educational Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of New York. Its corporate offices are located at 10535 Main Street, Clarence, NY 14031. VFR-Only Pilots . . . "fogetaboutit!"
If you lack an IFR rating or you are not IFR current and proficient and you think you are capable of finding a hole in the clouds to punch through, think again! This guy thought he could and five people died as a result! A 1,250 hour VFR-only pilot and his three passengers sat in the airport FBO for nearly 8 hours waiting for the weather to improve. We can only imagine their frustration. The pilot had made several calls to Flight Service to obtain a status on the weather. Each briefer indicated that AIRMETs were in effect for IFR conditions and mountain obscuration. During the second briefing, the briefer stated that VFR flight was not recommended. Cloud bases in the area for a 12-hour period ranged from 2,200 feet to 3,100 feet overcast, with tops ranging from 3,800 feet to 4,000 feet AGL. AIRMET SIERRA update 6, was in effect for IFR conditions and mountain obscuration and widespread ceilings and visibilities below 1,000 feet, with 3 miles visibilities in mist. This VFR-only pilot launched anyway! Apparently frustrated with the long wait,
the pilot and his three passengers climbed
aboard a Beech A36TC Bonanza. Upon departure,
the pilot checked in and told ATC that he was going
to fly towards the east, and find a break or hole in the
clouds to "pop up
He then asked the controller if the weather was clearing up to the east. The controller responded "no." The pilot replied that he was going to try and get out of the basin via Ontario, and he would try and pop up through the "broken layers/broken stuff" in the area. What happened next . . . During the en route climb-out, the airplane entered the base of an overcast cloud layer. According to witnesses, t he nose of the airplane pitched up and began to climb. They lost sight of the airplane as it entered the clouds.When they saw the airplane again, it was in a nose-down attitude spinning towards the ground. A local high school football coach in the area said he looked up and saw a small airplane "moving very fast vertically towards the ground like an arrow," with the propeller pointed towards the ground. Another witness observed the airplane go "inverted, rolling into a nose [dive]." He thought that the airplane was doing aerobatics. He stated that the airplane was in a vertical dive, and estimated that it completed at least three 360-degree turns. The airplane collided with the roof of an apartment, and came to rest in a subterranean parking lot on the first floor. According to the NTSB report, only 25 percent of the airplane was recovered during a 2-day period! All
four people in the Bonanza plus one person on the ground
perished and seven others on the ground sustained serious
injuries.
Tragically, continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) remains the number one weather-related cause of all fatal accidents. Every week another hapless VFR-only or non-proficient instrument rated pilot ventures into where wise men (or women) fear to go. Lured in by what appears to be a quick transition to good VFR, the intrepid pilot wagers the lives of all aboard that he or she can make it through. More often than not, they lose this bet! Instrument operations can be deadly!
Worse, if we believe we can "tough it out" in or through the clouds without 40 or more hours of instrument training (and a valid IFR rating), we might as well take out a Glock Walther P22 pistol, point it at our head and pull the trigger! GPS Factoids With GPS navigation becoming pervasive,
it is imperative that we pilots know more about it than just
pressing buttons.
Please take a few minutes and read through the following: The 24 satellites that make up the GPS space segment are orbiting the earth about 12,000 miles above us. They are constantly moving, making two complete orbits in less than 24 hours. These satellites are traveling at speeds of roughly 7,000 miles an hour. GPS satellites are powered by solar energy. They have backup batteries onboard to keep them running in the event of a solar eclipse, when there's no solar power. Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them flying in the correct path. Here are some other interesting facts about the GPS satellites (also called NAVSTAR, the official U.S. Department of Defense name for GPS):
Sources of GPS signal errors Factors that can degrade the GPS signal and thus affect accuracy include the following:
What is WAAS?? Given the all of the inherent and potential errors in the GPS signal as described above, WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) was created to correct these errors. With WAAS-enabled GPS receivers, the positional error of the GPS signal is reduced to less than 3 meters! How WAAS Works WAAS consists of approximately 25 ground reference stations positioned across the United States that monitor GPS satellite data. Two master stations, located on either coast, collect data from the reference stations and create a GPS correction message. This correction accounts for GPS satellite orbit and clock drift plus signal delays caused by the atmosphere and ionosphere.
The corrected differential message is then broadcast through one of two geostationary satellites, or satellites with a fixed position over the equator. The information is compatible with the basic GPS signal structure, which means any WAAS-enabled GPS receiver can read the signal. For the instrument pilot, WAAS-enabled approach certified GPS units provide vertical guidance that closely resembles the glide slope indications on an ILS approach . . . for ALL GPS approaches. Note: While vertical guidance is provided for all GPS approaches, this vertical guidance can be relied upon for only those GPS approaches for which published VNAV procedures have been developed. Cruise Clearance . . . remember what that is???
A cruise clearance is simply a block of altitude down to the minimum IFR altitude in a given area. A cruise clearance also authorizes us to commence an approach at the destination airport. Let's say we are at an assigned altitude of 11,000' and we 30 minutes from our destination. ATC calls and says, "Nxxxx, cruise 6,000 feet." Our response should be to descend to 6,000 feet, then descend at will down to the minimum IFR altitude for that route segment, then commence the approach and land. The important item to note is that when we start down from the assigned cruise altitude, we cannot climb back up without an additional ATC clearance. The "Alpha-Hotel" Factor!!
I was conducting a flight review with a pilot based at a Rochester, NY satellite airport. He flew over to Buffalo to work with me. I asked him to check in with the Buffalo approach controller. My pilot was reluctant to do so, saying that anytime he checked in with Rochester Approach, they made him feel uncomfortable! Intruding on the controller's workload! Inquiring further, my pilot friend could not be specific, other than to say that he was occasionally made to feel as if he were "intruding" upon the Rochester Controller's workload whenever he had checked in with that ATC facility. By recounting this story, my intention is not to disparage the Rochester, NY ATC facility. On the contrary, my in-flight interactions with them have always been good. I have, however, listened in at Rochester and at other ATC facilities when a student or low time pilot presses the patience level of a controller. Perhaps it was improper radio phraseology, several missed calls, weak radios, or simple pilot ineptness that triggered a controller's nerve, but the response back to the pilot was far from professional. Each time this happens, the hapless pilot clams up and motors out of that airspace vowing never to return again. Worse, he goes back to his or her home airport and shares his experience with everybody else on the field. Word spreads and, before long, that ATC facility is tagged with a "non-pilot friendly" label that could take years to remove. Curiously, all other ATC facilities become "suspect" in the mind of the offended pilot(s). They avoid Class B, C, and D airspace like the plague. Worse, they seldom request "flight following," and you'll never hear them filing pilot reports (PIREPs). All it takes is one Alpha-Hotel! It just takes one tired, over-worked controller with visions of retirement in his or her head to wreck the reputation of an entire ATC facility. When we pilots hear radio exchanges that are anything less than professional, the solution is simple. Note the time and the tail number of the aircraft then, when on the ground, telephone the ATC facility manager (get the telephone number off a sectional or Airport Facilities Directory) and describe what you either experienced or heard. The manager will then pull the tape, listen, evaluate, then take appropriate action. Sweet Talking the New York TRACON
And there is no better way to improve your radio communications skills than to mix it up with the "take no prisoners" controllers working the New York City Class B airspace. In addition, there is no better way to finely tune your IFR procedure skills than to shoot approaches at New York's Westchester Airport, La Guardia, JFK, Newark, and Teterboro. Finally, there is no better way to view the fabulous New York City skyline than by skimming along the Hudson River corridor at 1,000' AGL. Take this one-day trip with me . . . Yep . . . you and I will spend a day flying the New York City Class B airspace. We'll depart the Akron, NY Airport (9G3 - located just 8 miles east of the Buffalo/Niagara Falls International Airport) in your airplane at 7am. We'll fly southeastward to the Delancy VOR, pick up the Nobbi Four STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) and land at the Westchester Airport (KHPN).
Then it's off to JFK International Airport. We'll land at one of the largest and busiest airports in the world, park at its only FBO, then plan for our VFR departure westward along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline around Coney Island, over the Verrazano Bridge, then up the Hudson River at 1,000' AGL.
We'll descend down low, circle the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. We'll then turn back south, contact the Newark Tower for our landing clearance at the busiest airport serving the New York metropolitan area. Then it's over to Teterboro to experience the busiest GA airport serving New York. If time permits, we'll hop a cab, limo, or ferry into Manhattan for the biggest and best pastrami or roast beef sandwich in the world at the famed Carnegie Deli on 7th Avenue and 55th Street.
I'll be your flight instructor and tour guide . . . You can do all of this . . . . and log a biennial flight review (BFR) and an instrument proficiency check (IPC) at the same time for just $599* (your passengers go free)! Or, you and another pilot friend can share in this training at the same combined charge of $599*. And I'll hold your hand (figuratively speaking, of course) the entire way. More importantly, you'll receive your flight training in the real world where the big dogs play. Another variation . . . we can drop your family or friends off at LaGuardia where they can grab a cab ride into Manhattan while we finish our training. We can then meet up with them again after our final stop at Teterboro. Your training will include Class B operations, ATC communications, SIDs and STARs, instrument approaches and departure procedures, airport surface navigation, and maneuvering work. Send me an email to rjma@rjma.com or call me at 716-864-8100 if interested or if you would like additional information. * Plus landing/parking fees and ground transportation expenses.
What is it about the "fun" aspects of flying that make us perform aggressive maneuvers close to the ground or water? The families of an RV6 pilot and student pilot passenger have likely been asking themselves this question since their fatal crash this past December 2nd.
They said the airplane made a tight, 180 degree turn to the south. "It then went sideways so that we could see the top of the airplane just before it nose-dived into the ocean."
The wing and nose hit at about the same time, and the airplane sank immediately. A search of the area using boats and a helicopter revealed an oil slick and several small pieces of floating debris. The wreckage of the airplane was not recovered. Both pilot and passenger were lost.
Low level maneuvers, whether to take aerial photos or to perform ostentatiously in front of the home town crowd is wrought with dangers.
When done over water, the risks of tragedy multiply greatly. The water's surface plays trick with our eyes. Its glistening surface reflects light in unusual directions, often giving us the illusion of being higher than we really are.
Larger bodies of water often merge with the horizon which can result in temporary spatial disorientation and vertigo. The hapless pilot struggles to determine "up" from "down."
While we will never know the precise details of this fatal accident, the annals of fatal aviation accidents are replete with examples of stupid pilot tricks. Armed with more confidence than wisdom and skills, these pilots and their passengers paid the ultimate price for their piloting ineptness.
Have fun in airplanes . . . . but at safe altitudes and possess the requisite skills!
My favorite maneuver is aggressive (ambitious) "Lazy Eights." Performed properly, each turn includes a 60 degree bank, with the nose pointing alternatively skyward and earthward. Since the Cessna 210 is not certified for aerobatic flight, that's about the extent of its operating envelope for that maneuver.
Nonetheless, in the hands of a properly trained pilot, this maneuver is perfectly safe when conducted at 3,000' AGL or higher. Performing this or any other performance maneuver down low over ground or (worse) over water is a plain and simple invitation to disaster.
Einstein did, indeed, have it right. Stupidity has
no limits. When stupid occurs in airplanes, people
die!
Bob
Miller, ATP, CFII
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What
happens when we lose the passion for flight? The
answer is simple. We lose the protective edge that is
required to keep us safe aloft. We lose our acute
sensitivity to the subtle signals that can spell trouble
ahead. 
So
you see, it can happen to the best of us. The more we
fly, the more vulnerable we become. It just
takes a minute or so to lose the passion. In that
minute, all hell can break loose and we can find ourselves
in dire straits or . . . dead.
Yep
. . . . you read it right. Taxi into position and
point your nose down the runway, then apply takeoff power
and follow your heading indicator and runway centerline
markings!
How
many fatal stall/spin accidents must we experience before
somebody gets the message that we need spin training??
In
this day of GPS boxes in nearly every cockpit, we GA
instrument pilots are finding it easy to skip the use of
land-based navigational aids and, instead, file RNAV/GPS
direct to our destination. 
OTA
readers who followed my daily live reports from the
"front" at Oshkosh AirVenture '07 recall that my return
was delayed a day due to a failed electrical system in my
Cessna T-210.
With
both replacement parts installed (and $1,200 later), I was
on my way the next morning (Saturday). 
It
was typical Florida weather this past July 11th - visibility
10 miles, scattered clouds.
The
United flight entered Runway 9L and stopped 30 feet from the
centerline. There was a Delta Air Lines B-757 on short
final to Runway 9L at the same time! A collision of
two passenger-laden airliners was imminent.
The
first lesson learned is that all of the recurrent training
in the world can not prevent inattention in the cockpit.
If the flight crew is distracted or not paying attention,
ATC instructions and/or clearances can be missed.
.jpg)
It
has often been said that a little bit of knowledge can be
very dangerous. The same can be said about instrument
flying skills. If we're not as proficient on the
gauges as we were on the day we passed the instrument check
ride, we have no business flying in or through the clouds!
To
this end, I have borrowed some language from Garmin's
website (below) to help us all become more familiar with the
technical aspects of the GPS system.
Instrument pilots seldom receive cruise clearances anymore,
leastwise not here in the east. Nonetheless, we're
expected to know what they are and how to execute them.
Unfortunately,
every group of humans has one. It's a person who is,
well . . . an "alpha-hotel" (figure it out). We pilots
certainly have them among us.
There
is
no better way to get comfortable maneuvering around
congested airspace than to immerse yourself in New York's
Class B airspace. 
After
a short break, we'll take off and fly over and land at New
York City's La Guardia Airport. We'll have brunch at
the famed Marine Terminal from where Pan Am's giant Clippers
opened up the air routes to South America. 
We'll
then catch the sights in Times Square before heading back to
Teterboro for our night flight back to Akron.
Witnesses
to the senseless crash agreed that the airplane had been
flying at between 200 and 300 feet above the ocean surface
just 500 yards off the coast of Oregon.
My
Cessna T-210 is a working airplane. I use it primarily
for business travel. Like most pilots, however, I
occasionally enjoy flying my airplane just for fun and at
the edge of its operating envelope. 