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Friday, July 23, 2004
Vol. 1 No. 5 |
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Welcome to the Over the Airwaves aviation newsletter. This irregularly published e-mailing is being sent to members of the E-Pilots listserv. The aim of this e-publication is to promote flight safety, encourage students and new pilots, enhance pilot awareness of upcoming events, and to build enthusiasm for aviation in general. Forrestel and McCready Fly to Iceland!
There
was nothing down there but icebergs and very cold water..
"We were at 20,000 feet in the comfort of our pressurized cabin," said pilot and aircraft owner Dick Forrestel. When asked if they feared a possible ditching in the North Atlantic, both pilots responded with typical bravado, Ahh . . . not really. The odds of safe passage were overwhelmingly in our favor. Both Forrestel and McCready agreed that having any survival equipment on board made little sense since the freezing waters of the North Atlantic makes life impossible after just several minutes in the water. Even with a a survival suit and a raft, your survival time is less than it would take for search and rescue to find you. While ditching was not highest on their list of concerns, navigation was. Lacking a European database for their GPS, they relied on latitude and longitude coordinates to define their planned route of flight. "This didn't always work too well," said Roy. "We had to sort of jog left and right in accordance with our continually changing current position to find our next waypoint." VOR navigation was not available to us and ADF navigation did not prove too reliable." It should be noted that aircraft crossing the North Atlantic must be in compliance with the Minimum Navigation Performance Standards (MNPS) for oceanic operations, which Dick's airplane was. As for radio communications, they were in continuous contact with Arctic Radio on 126.7 and the various air traffic control facilities along the way, though they found the thick Danish accents of the controllers to be difficult to understand at times.
When asked about the most surprising aspects about their visit to Iceland, both Dick and Roy replied in unison . . . "Prices!" A draft beer was $10. A Manhattan was $14! Fuel prices varied widely along the trip from $1.14/liter ($4.32/gal) down to $.40/liter ($1.28/gal) in Iceland. "The local people we met at our various stops were wonderful," said Dick. "We were surprised to learn that Greenland shuts down entirely on Sundays. Nothing happens there that day, including airport operations, so we had to plan our return trip around that day."
The entire trip covered 2,646 nautical miles, with one-half it over water and the other over extremely remote, sparsely populated regions. Their adventuresome spirit, courage, and energy are an inspiration to men and women one-half their age. But we can't let them take too much of the credit. There is something about the challenges of aviation that keep all pilots young. Perhaps it is the mental stimulation or the physical dexterity they must maintain to climb into and out little airplanes. Regardless, I have provided flight training to a number of over-80 pilots and continue to be amazed that these octogenarians fly every bit as well as their 30 year old counter-parts . . . perhaps better, given the wisdom factor! Good going, Dick and Roy. The only remaining question is . . . where are you to fly to next year?
Area of Reverse Command: Imagine the following flight scenario: A non-instrument rated pilot unexpected enters instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Unable to properly interpret his instruments, the airplane begins a slow roll to the left. He begins losing altitude and his airspeed begins to increase. His bank angle passes through 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, then 70 degrees. Not realizing his steep bank angle, and observing his altimeter unwind and his vertical speed indicator (VSI) pegged downward at 2,000 feet per minute, the pilot desperately pulls back on the yoke to arrest the descent. What happens? What happens is this . . . at 70 degrees of bank, he entered the area of reverse command. This means that pulling back on the yoke to go up actually deepens his dive. His airspeed quickly exceeds redline (Vne), the airplane enters a graveyard spiral, and structural damage to the airplane begins to occur. In a "clean" airplane like a Piper Saratoga or Malibu, Cirrus, or a Cessna 210, the wing separates from the fuselage and the rest, as they say, is history.
Does this ever happen to instrument pilots? Here's the scenario they often face. The hapless instrument pilot is motoring along in the clouds, unaware that his vacuum pump has failed. His attitude indicator (AI) begins to roll almost inperceptively to the right. Noticing the tilting AI, he corrects by banking left. Unable to return the AI to a "wings level" attitude, he banks more aggressively to the left. He's over to 30 degrees, then 40 degrees, then 70 degrees and his altimeter is unwinding. Unaware that he is now in the area of reverse command, he pulls back on the yoke to arrest the descent. He literally pulls his airplane into a tight turning dive. Passing quickly through Vne, his wing separates and, well . . . you know the rest. You say that any instrument proficient pilot would recognize a failed attitude indicator by cross-checking his heading indicator(HI) and turn coordinator (TC). I should hope so. Let's change the scenario somewhat and say that the airplane inadvertently penetrated an embedded thunderstorm (a thunderstorm obscured by clouds). The vertical current of rapidly rising air striking the left wing suddenly rolls the airplane into a 70 degree bank. Losing most of the vertical component of lift, the airplane begins a rapid descent. Unaware that the airplane is now in the area of reverse command, the pilot pulls back on the yoke to halt the uncontrolled descent. As described in the scenarios above, pulling on the yoke sends the airplane into a deeper descent angle with airspeed rapidly exceeding Vne. The force of wind rips off the right aileron and vertical stabilizer. The rest, again, is history. A third possible scenario . . . and one some believe caused the recent crash of a Cessna 210 over Lake Erie, near Dunkirk, NY is a faulty auto-pilot. In the 210, the auto-pilot receives its sensing data from the attitude indicator (AI). If the AI fails, the auto-pilot will bank the airplane as necessary in a vain attempt to re-level the tilting AI. The auto-pilot will also roll in up trim to make up for the loss of altitude caused by the loss of the vertical component of lift. By this time, the pilot figures out that the auto-pilot is not working properly, disables it, rolls the wings level by reference to both the turn coordinator and heading indicator, and yanks back on the yoke. Rolling the wings suddenly restores lift and, when coupled with the up-trim already set it by the auto-pilot, the airplane lurches upward with a G-force that exceeds the structural limitations of the airframe . . . and the wing separates. This was confirmed by eye-witnesses who observed the Dunkirk C-210 crash. What's the solution? How can we prevent such scenarios from happening in the first place? Sure, while reading this in your favorite chair, it's easy to say, "roll wings level before pulling back on the yoke." Yes, rolling wings level before tugging is the correct answer, but will you do this instinctively while suddenly being tossed out of a thunderstorm or while being rolled inverted by an out-of-control autopilot? The solution to these scenarios is to experience them . . . with a qualified flight instructor. Get into an airplane and roll it over to 70 degrees of bank, then pull back on the yoke. [Yes, I know, 70 degrees of bank exceeds the limits of most general aviation aircraft and requires a parachute . . . so go find a C-152 Aerobat and man a chute - it's your life here we're talking about!] Demonstrate for yourself that this action will pull the airplane DOWN, not up! Aero Club of Buffalo Board of Directors Continue 30 Year Tradition:
The threat of severe storms could not deter the Aero Club of Buffalo Board of Directors from meeting at the Buffalo Launch Club for dinner and a cruise up the Niagara River. This annual, purely social event began 30 years ago and promises to continue for decades to come. We have said it before and we will say it again. Western New York played a critical role in the birth and growth of aviation. Few people know, for example, that Leslie L. Irving organized the Irving Airchute Company. Irving made the first successful descent in a free-type parachute, which was the forerunner of the parachutes used today. Consolidated Aircraft, headed by Major Rubin Fleet, came to Buffalo in 1924 and occupied space in the old Curtiss plant at 2050 Elmwood. In March, 1928, Major Fleet induced Lawrence Bell to join his operation. During the period that Consolidated operated in Buffalo, the naval flying boats were developed. The last of these designed and built in Buffalo was the PBY of World War II fame. Consolidated Aircraft moved to San Diego in 1935 and ultimately became part of General Dynamics. At this time Lawrence Bell chose to remain in Buffalo, and together with Bob Woods, formed Bell Aircraft. Other airplane companies also began operation in the area during the 1920-1940 period, among them Scott Aviation, Argonaut Aircraft Company, the Gwinn Aircar Company and the Wendt Aircraft Corporation. Later Bell Aerospace and Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory (later Calspan) provided many more "firsts" as aviation progressed into the jet and space ages. These and others like Curtiss Wright, Buffalo Aeronautical, the aviation divisions of Carborundum and National Gypsum all had major operations here in WNY.
We are privileged to have many of the early pioneers in aviation still with us today. Many of them remain active members and directors and directors emeritus of the Aero Club of Buffalo. I was honored to be appointed to this board of directors earlier this year. These legends of aviation are modest and they do not like to "brag" on their contribution to aviation, but I have been pressing them to record their experiences her in Over the Airwaves. We will soon begin telling their stories right here for all to read.
Photos:
Upper left - 40' boat owned an operated by Mike Lankes that
served as our host on this cruise.
Do Big Airplane Pilots Make Good Little Airplane Pilots? Not Necessarily!
Interestingly, the pilot had over 25,000 hours of flight time, but only 25 hours in small general aviation airplanes. He also did not have a single engine land rating on his pilot certificate. This type of accident is a direct result of either no flight instruction or poor flight instruction. Bounced landings are both preventable and recoverable in ALL in all but the most bizarre situations. Here are the things I tell my students:
You see, flight experience alone does not always count. As our intrepid airline pilot discovered, his 25,000 hours in the cockpit left him little prepared to land a little airplane in an easy wind situation. All pilots pay a big price for these needless accidents . . . in terms of rising aircraft insurance rates and fear of flying in little airplanes by the general public. Two things need to be done before we will see a marked reduction in airplane accidents. They are:
Set your course to Penn Yan Airport (KPEO), land and park at the west end of Runway 28 (near the Penn Yan Engine shop hangars), walk west toward the lake, then follow the road down the hill just one-half mile towards town. You'll come upon Sarrasin's On the Lake Restaurant on the left [click HERE to visit their website]. The food is great, the view from the dining deck is spectacular, especially at sunset. You can also take a dinner or moonlight cruise down the lake if you like. They even have a sandy beach in a public park setting next to the restaurant. Bring the kids and spread a blanket (or leave the kids at home and spread the blanket!) Guys, listen to me on this one . . . if you want to have that other person in your life to become fond of flying, you have to transport them to worthwhile destinations. This is one! Click HERE for other nearby exciting fly-away destinations. Advanced IFR Procedures Training:
Despite my student's excellent instrument training received from American Flyers, Inc., he found this experience to be very challenging. Unexpected re-routes, fast-talking controllers, and huge and unfamiliar airports with conga lines of corporate jets and airliners can easily overwhelm even the bravest low-time, GA instrument pilots. Graduates of this one-day advanced IFR procedures training are equipped, both from a skill and confidence perspective, to maneuver safely in the busiest airspace in the world. For more information on this course, click HERE. Tis a wise man who knows not and knows that he knows not! If you are accustomed to watered-down Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPCs) over familiar airspace to familiar airports, it could be time for a real IFR challenge! Picture on right shows JFK from the air. Last Week's QUOTABLE Reponses: What was the first man-made object to break the sound barrier? Answer: The whip! First correct response was received from Dale Llewellyn. Other correct responders included: Bill King and Keith Harlock Email your answer to rjma@rjma.com Winners will be listed in the next issue of Over the Airwaves! Quotable:
Please forgive me for turning Ravi's very kind words into a bit of shameless of self-promotion, but they do illustrate a point. Ravi came to me recently after a nearly 20 year lapse in flying. Despite five or six hours of recent flight instruction elsewhere, his skills were a still rusty. I took him through my standard paces, which included techniques I call "Dancing with the Ugly Lady," "Dancing with the Pretty Lady," and a technique recently illustrated to me by Loui Nalbone called "The Tennessee Waltz." None of these training exercises are found in the FAR/AIM, Jeppesen or Gleim Private Pilot Training Syllabus nor are they measured by the Practical Test Standards (PTS). Each of these techniques are performed on Niagara Falls (IAG) Runway 28R/10L. This 9,000 foot runway gives us plenty of room to master landing skills. Bounced and ballooned landings quickly become a thing of the past. Doing these maneuvers in a 25 knot crosswind will turn any pilot into a Chuck Yeager or Bob Hoover! Accomplished students learn to land the airplane NINE times before reaching the end of the runway. We use Runway 28R, then teardrop back to 10L, and so forth, up and down this runway until the student gets a solid feel for what's happening. After that, we climb to a safe altitude, trim the airplane, then I instruct the student to recover from unusual attitudes using rudder only . . . no hands .. . .while under the hood!. Students learn that airplanes don't crash themselves. Instead, pilots crash airplanes! Pilots learn that a properly trimmed airplane, particularly a trainer like a Piper Warrior or Cessna 172, will not fly out of control if we simply manage to keep the wings level. To do this, we (figuratively) "step on the high wing." This means looking at the turn coordinator or attitude indicator, instantly noting which wing is up, then aggressively pressing on the corresponding (right or left) rudder peddle until the wings level. This restores the full vertical component of the lift vector, and the airplane returns to level flight after a few diminishing vertical oscillations. After they master this technique under the hood, we perform the same maneuver in the clouds. Obviously, this requires an IFR plan and a block altitude clearance in the practice area. Keep in mind that these exercises are performed by primary students as well as instrument students.
Here's why. . . First, what is the sense of learning to fly if you are too intimidated, by lack of training experience, to venture more than 100 miles from home? In this regard, I guarantee that the best way to turn a reluctant spouse into an enthusiastic travel companion is to take them to interesting destinations. Sorry guys, Dansville or Bradford Regional doesn't cut it in this regard. Second, there still remains an unacceptable risk to flying - particularly among poorly or incompletely trained pilots. I chose my words carefully here. I've seen many pilots who fly well within the Practical Test Standards (PTS), but who would not know how to deal with a communications failure in Class B airspace during IMC conditions, how to recover from inverted flight while in the clouds, how to recognize a slowly failing attitude indicator, or how to land in a 30 knot direct crosswind. Few flight instructors and even fewer flight schools adequately prepare their students for these events. And it is just these kinds of events that hurt people, wreck airplanes, and contribute to rapidly rising insurance costs. Worse . . . it is these events that instill fear of flying among our non-airmen friends. Photo Right: Gina Lamendola, private pilot student on the ground at KPIT. Gina will be entering Embry Riddle Aeronautical University this September. Light Sport/Sport Pilot Becomes a Reality: Effective September 1st, pilots will be able to fly airplanes having a gross weight of 1,320 lbs or less with only a drivers' license medical . . . presuming they have not previously been denied an FAA medical. The final rule boosts the top speed to 120 knots and clean stall to 45 knots. The stall-with-flaps designation has been eliminated. Also, the all-up weight limit has been increased to 1320 pounds from 1232 in the NPRM. Plans for the B-29 and B-24 Event Complete: July 27 is the deadline for making your reservations for this fun-filled evening of WWII music, food, and fun under the wing of the last remaining flyable B-29 and its companion ship, the famed B-24. The cost is only $10/person . . . and you have to be a member or join the Aero Club of Buffalo to attend. The event is being sponsored by Prior Aviation Services (on whose ramp the event will take place), Al Maroone Ford (who provide cars for the crew), and by Lord Chumley's Restaurant on Delaware Street in Buffalo (who will be providing much of the food). Click HERE to make your reservation. Click HERE for a mail-in member sign-up form. The event will be held on Thursday evening, August 5, from 5pm to 9pm.
Be sure to visit (and save as a favorite) the Wonderful World of Flight webpage. You can find it by clicking on http://www.rjma.com/flight/homepage.htm. This frequently updated website contains a wealth of useful aviation information to both the recreational and serious pilot. Drill down through its many links to discover valuable training tips, upcoming events, and interesting stories and photos of local aviators.
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Vol I, No 1 I will be leaving for Oshkosh Sunday morning, July 25 and will not return until the following Saturday. If I can gain access to a web-connected computer as I did last year, I will be reporting back to you daily on the sights, sounds, and latest news from this "mother of all aviation fly-ins." Those of you who will be traveling to Oshkosh as well, please make note of my cell phone #. It is 716-864-8100. This phone works anywhere in the U.S., so give me a call to hook up for whatever. Also be sure to call me if you decide to go at the last minute and need an aircraft camping site. All you need is a $50 tent and a sleeping bag!
Safe Flying,
Bob Miller, CFII
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Serving as an
inspiration to both young and mature pilots alike, two local
aviators decided to climb aboard their single engine, jet powered
Cessna 210 and fly over large portions of the treacherous North
Atlantic Ocean across Greenland to Iceland! Dick Forrestel,
age 79 from Akron, and
Roy McCready, age 75 from Clarence, departed the Akron, NY airport at noon on Tuesday, July
6 and returned safely eight days later. Their route of flight
took them, first, to St Catherines, Ontario to clear Canadian
customs. From there, they flew on a northeasterly heading for
4.5 hours to Labrador City, Newfoundland to spend the night
and refuel, then another 4.5 hours to Iqualuit in the Northwest
Territory province of Nunivik where they spent another night.
The next leg was the hazardous 477 mile over-water crossing to
Sondrestrom, Greenland, again for fuel and overnight stay.
Their last long over water leg (386 miles) brought them to their
final destination at Reykjavik, Iceland.
Can
you guess what their greatest difficulty was? Yup . . . a
frozen relief tube! It doesn't take too much imagination to
figure out what a "relief tube" is and what it is used for.
Needless to say, they found the empty water bottles rolling around
the floor to be quite useful.
Does
this scenario ever happen? The number one cause of all fatal
accidents, according to AOPA's Air Safety Foundation, is continued
VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
Once inside the clouds, the untrained (or under-trained) pilot is
unable to maintain wings-level flight and the scenario described
above happens almost EVERY time. This is, in fact, what is
believed to have happened to John F. Kennedy, Jr.
The July, 2004 issue
of Flying Magazine reports on a Cessna 172 accident that occurred
recently in Stow, Massachusetts. Winds at the time of the
accident were reported to be from 210 degrees at 10 knots. The
report is quoted as follows:
Looking
for Romantic Fly Away Spot Right in Your Back Yard??
My student and I left
this past Wednesday morning in his Piper Saratoga on a challenging,
day-long, IFR training flight. After an hour of simulated IFR
emergencies, upsets and recoveries, we picked up our IFR clearance
over Binghamton to Teterboro, NJ, where we received the VOR/DME-A
approach to runway 24. From there, we departed via the
Teterboro Five Departure Procedure, thence on radar vectors over
Manhattan, atop of LaGuardia and on to the ILS 31L into JFK. After a
short break, we departed on the Kennedy Nine Departure Procedure,
radar vectors to Dixie, then on the airways down to Philadelphia
International. We had hoped for the ILS/PRM26 approach into KPHL, but we had to settle for the visual to runway 35.
Unlike
many typical flight instruction sessions, my aim is to keep the learning
experience enjoyable. We plan our training destinations around
airports with the best nearby restaurants. Elmira Airport is a
great x-country stop because it is home to the National Warplane
Museum . . . a place that nearly all of my students have been to.
We've even taken training trips to the U.S. Air Force Museum in
Dayton, Ohio. More importantly, I like to keep training
sessions relevant to the world they will actually face after they
obtain their ticket. That world goes far beyond the north
practice area and a couple of airports just over 50 miles away.
Every one of my students, both primary and instrument, land at
Pittsburgh International, or Cleveland Hopkins, or Teterboro . . .
even JFK.
to a Friend: