 |
|
Sunday, July 10, 2005 Vol. II No. 14
Prepared by Bob Miller, ATP,
MCFI |
|
|
|
Sunday, July 10, 2005 Vol. II No. 14
Prepared by Bob Miller, ATP,
MCFI |
Welcome to the
Over the Airwaves
aviation newsletter. 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.
Dear Pilots and Aviation Enthusiasts:
Want to learn how to fly? You could be paying your flight instructor as much as $250 per hour plus aircraft rental! How about a biennial flight review (BFR)? That could easily cost you $750 to $1,000, just for the instructor. Sound incredible? That's what we pilots could be paying if the recently filed $50 million law suit against a flight school in Westchester County, NY is upheld. Before you blame flight instructors for gouging customers, note that CFIs will not be seeing any additional profits from these dramatically increased rates. Instead, these increases will be used to pay their flight instructor's insurance premium. It's a brave new world out there! Until recently, certificated flight instructors (CFIs) have been "held harmless" in most cases for accidents involving their active and former students. As long as the CFI followed generally accepted training protocols, did not engage in grossly negligent behavior, and carefully documented training given, he or she has been relatively immune from prosecution. That was yesterday. Today, however, accident victims' attorneys are aggressively going after everybody from the aircraft manufacturer, to the air traffic controller, and yes . . . to the CFI who trained the victim pilot. A shocking revelation . . . Perhaps it's time that flight schools and independent flight instructors be held financially accountable for the quality of training they provide! Sounds shocking coming from an active CFI like myself. Maybe, then, things will change - that is, if there will be any CFIs left to do the teaching. After all, not many independent CFI's I know will be willing to pay $30,000 to $40,000 in annual CFI insurance. It will take a very active flight instruction practice to cover that insurance overhead charge. What about Part 141 Flight Schools? Same thing. Their umbrella flight instruction policy premiums will go right off the charts. Unable to afford the premiums, flight schools all over the United States will be closing their doors. Solution . . . We can explore tort reform and place prohibitions against frivolous law suits. That may help. But the real solution will not come until meaningful improvements are made in the way we train and qualify flight instructors. Included in these improvements must be a flight experience requirement that approaches a minimum of 750 to 1,000 hours of PIC time before flight training can be given. Next, like other professionals, CFIs should be required to follow a prescribed continuing education program that includes specialized training in technically advanced aircraft (TAA), aerobatic training, and emergency maneuvers recovery training. Time limits should also be set for attainment of advanced ratings, e.g. ATP. Finally, all CFIs should be required to attain certification beyond the basic CFI licensing requirements just as physicians do through their respective specialty board certifications. The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) Master Flight Instructor Certification (MCFI) process is a good example of this. Sadly, less than 500 of the nation's 11,000 active flight instructors possess the MCFI certification. In summary, it's time that the GA industry take a serious look at the future of flight instruction. Spinning out CFIs with little or no real world experience is counter productive. Becoming a CFI simply to build hours for that airline job has also got to stop. Instead, we need to recruit CFIs from the ranks of experienced line pilots who have acquired their wisdom and skills from in-the-system flying. When this happens, effective flight training will begin, pilot-error induced accidents will decline, and flight training will remain affordable to all who want to fly. Otherwise, it will soon cost you $1,000 for a BFR!
Ask most teenage
flight students what the greatest challenge they face when flying
and most will respond with a one word answer . . . money!
Next question.
What is the one thing lacking in most flight training exercises.
Again, a one word answer . . . realism!
Finding a
solution . . .
Three teenage flight
students and I (pictured left - click photo to enlarge)
decided to resolve these two issues earlier this week by embarking
upon a low cost, realistic cross-country training flight.
Our one day, round
trip flight plan took us across three states (NY, CT, and NH) from
Akron, NY to Nashua, NH where we visited Daniel Webster College.
Katlynn Akin of Akron, NY and Andrew Smith of Lancaster, NY,
pictured right, are slated to begin aviation studies at Daniel
Webster in September. Greg Barnhard (red shirt) is in 10th
grade. He came along to check out Daniel Webster College. All
three teens are active flight students at the Akron Airport.
The flight was
economical because . . .
The flight was
economical because the instructional and aircraft rental costs were
shared equally by the two flying students (Katlynn and Andrew).
Greg came along as observer/navigator at no cost to him.
All three students received valuable flight training experience at
far less cost than they would have incurred flying alone with an
instructor.
The flight was
realistic . . .
Our pre-flight
briefing revealed a mix of weather conditions throughout our planned
route of flight. We took off out of Akron and climbed through
the hot, early morning haze. We reached clear air at about
7,500 feet. Unfortunately, the haze below prevented us from
reliably navigating by ground references (pilotage).
This left dead reckoning and VORs as the navigating tools of choice.
As we flew east, the
haze below converted itself into a blanket of solid white clouds
which soon obscured the ground below. At the same time,
towering cumulous clouds began pop up in all quadrants.
On top of the
clouds with dwindling fuel reserves, the three students began to
ponder their options. Could they make a run for better
VFR conditions? If so, in which direction? Could they
find a hole in the clouds through which they could circle down
through and land? Should they continue cruising above
the clouds in hopes that they would find an opening at their
destination? What was the current weather at their
destination?
Aeronautical
Decision-Making and Risk Assessment . . .
The combined decision
was to call flight watch on 122.0 and get an update on
the weather. This call brought a mixed message. We could
expect a break in the cloud layer below about 70 miles ahead.
Beyond that, VFR conditions would soon deteriorate into marginal VFR
and possibly instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in and
around our destination airport in Nashua, NH. Hmmm. . .
what to do?
Our initial pre-flight
briefing made us aware that we were traveling immediately
ahead of a slow moving cold front. Coupled with towering
cumulous clouds, the weather challenges were becoming increasingly
complex. With a dew point rising well about 18 degrees C and
an unstable surrounding air mass, we knew that thunderstorms were
quite possible. Surprisingly, thunderstorms were not in the
forecast conditions along our route of flight.
We decided to continue
along our planned route, noting that I could easily file an
 instrument
plan and negotiate the balance of the trip in the clouds, if
necessary. And that is just what we did!
This afforded the
pilot, Katlynn in this case, to make a descent through the clouds .
. . just as if it were a real IFR emergency.
Campus Tour and
Lunch . . .
We arrived at Nashua
3.6 hours after liftoff from Akron. This was within 15 minutes
of our planned ETA. Given the fair amount of maneuvering we
had to do around weather, this was pretty good planning performance
by our three young aviators! We had a quick lunch in the
Nashua Airport Cafe, then spent several hours touring attractive the
Daniel Webster campus (see photo).
Now for the trip
home . . .
It was mid-afternoon
when we lifted off into the western sky. Broken clouds and
marginal VFR conditions, with towering cumulous clouds in all
directions, required considerable maneuvering as we climbed to
clear, smooth air above.
One cross-country
planning message became evident to the three young pilots.
That message was, weather changes quickly . . . particularly along a
warm front. What forecasters call VFR weather conditions can
quickly turn into IFR conditions with little warning. They
also learned the importance of always having a "back door" whenever
weather begins to deteriorate.
All in all, it was an
excellent "in the system" training experience.   Buying
your first airplane can be one of the most exciting times in your
entire aviation career. The exhilaration of knowing you
can fly anytime you want . . . without reserving a rental airplane
is a great feeling.
But selecting the
right airplane for you can be a daunting task. For some, the
selection of their first airplane is oftentimes based more on an
"emotional" basis than on an objective, mission-oriented basis.
These pilots place heavy value on "ramp appeal," or
how the airplane looks sitting along side of other aircraft.
Some look at "SPEED" . . . without considering range
and payload. Others prefer the "smell of new leather"
and the latest avionics.
Biting the
Bullet . . .
When I finally decided
to purchase my airplane (after 20 years of rental flying), I
embarked upon a two year odyssey. I devoted the entire first
year to make/model consideration. I considered nearly every
piston GA aircraft out there. I looked at everything from
light singles to heavy twins. For me, the Cessna turbo-charged
210 with known ice certification proved to be the best FOR ME.
I spent the entire second year looking for the "perfect" airplane in that make/model. My search included daily internet searches, a weekly reading of Trade-a-Plane, and countless telephone conversations with sellers. Hiring an Expert . . . Having done all my homework, I engaged one of the most airplane knowledgeable people I knew to help me with the final selection (Louie Nalbone, owner Dunkirk Aviation, Inc.) I had Louie make an initial inspection of the airplane, review the logbooks, flight check it, and discuss its strengths and weaknesses with the seller (VanBortal Aviation, Arlington, TX). The table below highlights the various factors to be considered when making your first airplane selection.
Making the right
airplane choice the first time can save you months or even years of
grief.
A word about
cost . . .
Respected aircraft
dealer, Howard VanBortel of Arlington, TX, once told me that a
"good" airplane is worth whatever you have to pay for it. It
will treat you well. On the other hand, no matter how little
you pay for a "bad" airplane, it will be too much. For a bad
airplane will give you nothing but heartaches . . . and will cost
you far more in the long run!
This is good advice to
follow when purchasing an airplane.
Did you ever notice
that the winds of summer are different than the winds of
winter? Winter winds, though sometimes strong, are typically
more predictable
compared to the grizzly bear winds of summer.
 As
the summer morning sun rises and heats the moisture-laden air, air
currents begin to move swiftly. The air becomes increasingly
unstable as it lifts. Reaching several thousand feet, the air
expands, cools, and condenses forming white, puffy clouds.
Thermals develop and surface winds begin to gust.
Thunderstorms, and yes . . . tornadoes, are the ultimate
manifestation of summer winds.
Summertime gusty
crosswinds result . . .
One of the problems
created by summertime is that the mornings typically start out
calm, with dew still on the grass. We awake, venture out
to the aerodrome and begin what promises to be a smooth ride
later in the day. We launch to our favorite fly-in breakfast
site, have coffee and a couple of eggs and bacon, chat with our
flying buddies, then return home.
Things quickly change
on the flight back to our home airport. The sun is high in the
sky and winds are now blowing directly across the runway, say at 12 knots
with gusts to 19. This could an accident waiting to happen.
There's a big
difference between steady-state crosswinds and blustery summer
gusts. Steady-state crosswinds are predictable, allowing us to
establish the proper crab angle to maintain a ground track leading
directly the runway.
Gusty crosswinds, on
the other hand, are unpredictable. They can catch the unwary
and/or nonproficient pilot by surprise. If allowed to get under
the wing, these winds can upset the airplane, causing it to careen off the
runway. If the tail is suddenly forced up by a strong gust, a
prop strike with the runway could result!
Training and Practice is the
Best Medicine . . .
The very best thing
any pilot can do is to regularly practice crosswind landings.
If you feel less than proficient, find an experienced CFI and fly to
an airport offering the most direct crosswinds.
A favorite question on
the private pilot oral is, "What information must a pilot have
before taking off?"
The answer, according
to FAR 91.103, is . . .
Here is, perhaps, the most frequently violated of all federal aviation regulations! How many of us, for example, know the runway slope of even our home airport, much less one we only occasionally fly into? How how about the landing distance we will require given the forecast surface winds.
Ever get lost on
a large, tower controlled airport at night?
Never! Yeah,
right . . . Anybody who has ever tried to taxi, at
night, from an FBO on one side of the airport to the active runway
on the opposite side occasionally curses the existence of poorly
lit, poorly positioned (or non-existent) taxiway signs. Whose
fault is it if the pilot takes a wrong turn? You got it . . .
the PIC!
AFD . . . the
Pilot's Best Friend . . .
Don't even think about
flying to a distant city without a current Airport Facilities
Directory (AFD) on board your airplane. This little green
government publication is packed with just about every thing the FAA
expects you to know about your airport of intended landing . . . and
any possible alternate airports along your route of flight.
You can order or
subscribe to the Airport Facility Directory by clicking
HERE.
Having a current AFD
in your flight bag can save you a lot of embarrassment or even a
possible violation should you find yourself in the presence of an
FAA inspector doing a routine ramp check!
No, you are not
required by regulation to have an AFD on board, nor charts for that
matter. But you are required to have all available
information! This curious little quirk in the
regulations has caught a lot of pilots off guard. So . . .
have the charts (be certain they are current) and have that little
green book, too!
EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh (July 25 to July 31) earns its distinction as “The
World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” every year. And with
an impressive lineup of air and space vehicles to see in action and
up close, including
SpaceShipOne
and
GlobalFlyer,
this year’s event will more than live up to its billing.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh brings aviation to life and makes you an active part of aviation's family. Give wings to your aviation dreams this summer: Come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005! As if all of the impressive aircraft to see weren't enough, their pilots and designers, as well as a few assorted aviation pioneers will be on hand every night at the Theater in the Woods to share their stories. Among those scheduled to appear are Burt Rutan and Mike Melville of White Knight/SpaceShipOne fame; actor and pilot Harrison Ford, Chairman of the EAA Young Eagles Program; Steve Fossett, world record-setting pilot of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer; legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield; and Bob Cardin, the man behind the restoration of the P-38 Glacier Girl.
It was a beautiful
Saturday morning over Western New York. I was conducting a
biennial flight review (BFR) for a 1,200 hour VFR pilot. In
discussing our planned flight agenda, I suggested we include
cross-wind landings at the Buffalo/Niagara International Airport (KBUF).
His response to this suggested surprised me!
He said, "Bob,
I've never flown into a Class C airport before."
How could this be, I
wondered? He was based at a local airport just a few miles from KBUF.
In over 1,200 flight hours, he had flown into a towered
controlled field (Niagara Falls - Class D) only once . . . but never
into a Class C!
 When
I queried him about this experience limitation, he said something
even more surprising. He said, "Way back when I learned
how to fly, my instructor told me that I would never be flying into
a large, commercial, tower-controlled airport like Buffalo. So
I never did."
I thought, what a
pity. Here's a fellow who missed many wonderful opportunities
flying he and his wife and kids to neat places like Cleveland,
Pittsburgh, New York City, or Boston all because his primary flight
instructor planted a mental limitation on his future flying
activities. It was as if his CFI placed a operating restriction on
his private pilot certificate such as the one below:
Sadly, such myopic
mental operational limitations are planted in the minds and hearts
of new pilots by far too many flight instructors. For example,
one local instructor once told me that most of his students never
plan to engage in any serious flying. That's why he limits his
flight training primarily to the local practice area! I
wondered how he knew what "most of his students" would be doing in
the future.
Train to be a
fighter pilot or an international airline pilot . . .
There's an old saying
that says, "Shoot for the stars. If you fall short,
you'll still hit the moon." In other words, set your
flight training goals as high as possible. As a minimum,
include flight training trips to the biggest, baddest, boldest,
busiest airports you can find. Find an instructor who is
comfortable mixing it up with the big boys during a Friday night
"push" into JFK, O'Hare, or Boston.
Even if you never do,
in fact, plan to operate regularly into these Class B facilities,
you will have both the skill and confidence to do so safely.
On to Unusual
flight Attitudes . . .
I suggested we also
include unusual flight attitudes in our planned BFR. Included
would be spin recoveries using rudder and throttle only (no yoke or
stick). "Hold it," he demanded.
"I've never even come close to spinning an airplane before!"
"Not even in
your flight training," I asked, incredulously!
"No," my
intrepid pilot said. "My instructor told me that I would
never be doing spins or other aerobatic maneuvers in my flying
career."
A colleague flight
instructor overheard my conversation with this pilot. Since we
were going to be using a Piper Warrior for the BFR, he reminded me
that the Warrior is not certified for spins. He asked me how I
planned to include spin recovery in this BFR.
"Simple,"
I replied. "We'll perform a series of power on, power
off, and accelerated stalls. I'll kick the rudder left or
right. As one or the other wings drops off, I'll allow the
airplane to enter a less than one turn, incipient spin, then ask the
pilot to recover. The airplane is never allowed to go beyond
the one turn spin certification limitation."
That's all that is
really necessary to insure that the pilot knows how to recover from
a spin.
A better pilot
as result . . .
My intrepid BFR client
spent an hour engaging in lively conversation with Buffalo tower
controllers as he performed multiple touch and goes at all runways .
. . direct, cross-wind, down-wind, whatever. His
confidence in Class C operations and tower communications soared!
Equally important, his
maneuvering proficiency reached new heights. He recovered
effortlessly from incipient spins, accelerated stalls, and unusual
attitudes.
In just two hours of
flying, he became a new, far more confident pilot. I proudly signed
his BFR logbook endorsement!
Want to know one of the major reasons why CFI
candidates fail their checkride? Believe it or not, according
to the Rochester FSDO, one of the most common reasons for CFI
failure is the
The photo (left) illustrates this simple mistake. Here, you see the airplane drifting slightly left of the centerline with the nose pointing approximately 10 degrees right of the centerline just as the airplane is touching down. Sound like a silly error? Not really! If a CFI candidate can't manage to land on the centerline, it's unlikely that that the students he/she instructors will land on the centerline either! From an operational and safety perspective, failure to touch down on the centerline in your Cessna 172 is not a major concern when landing on a wide runway such pictured above at Buffalo/Niagara International Airport (KBUF). It is, however, a big deal when landing on a narrow runway found at non-towered airports. A quick way to into the grass!! Failure to land with the airplane pointing directly down the runway at touch down places enormous side loads on the tires. In fact, a slightly under-inflated tire can be pulled right off its rim. When this happens, directional control may be lost and the airplane can find itself in the grass with the hapless pilot wondering what happened! Become a precision pilot Landing on the centerline while pointing directly down the runway is not a high workload, high skill maneuver. Instead, it is simply good, basic airmanship technique and should be exercised during every landing.
Flying under instrument flight rules is as easy as "1 - 2 - 3." That's FAR 91.123!! This simple, one page regulation is packed with the essence of IFR flight. It says, "When an ATC clearance has been obtained, no pilot in command may deviate from that clearance unless an amended clearance is obtained, an emergency exists, or the deviation is in response to a traffic alert and collision avoidance system resolution advisory." In short, when issued an ATC clearance or instruction, there are only three justifiable reasons for not complying. These three reasons are highlighted in the box below:
With all that as background . . . Understanding that as Pilot in Command (PIC), you are the final authority in the manner and direction of your flight. However (and this is a big however), you are only one small player in the grand ATC scheme of things. Your actions, for whatever legitimate reason, impacts other nearby aircraft. Let's say, for example, that you are a low time instrument pilot with little, if any, experience in actual instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). You begin to experience an increasing level of anxiety as you scan your instruments for heading and altitude information. Cold sweat sliding down your forehead begins to sting your eyes. "God, what am I doing here," you say to yourself. Suddenly, as if by magic, a big hole in the sky appears. You look down and there is an airport. You chop the power and begin a slow circling descent toward the safe haven below. You do this, of course, without bothering to coordinate with ATC. Unaware of the IFR traffic passing in the opposite direction just 1,000 feet below, you narrowly miss a packed airliner descending to a big city airport just behind you. Bingo, you just triggered the "snitch patch," an automatic computer system that alerts the controller that a loss of required separation between aircraft has occurred. The controller calls and informs you that an "operational error" has just occurred, then gives you a telephone number to call when on the ground. Good News/Bad News The good news is you avoided a mid-air collision with a packed airliner. The bad news is, you can expect a certified letter in the mail from the FAA. This letter will summarize what happened on that specific date and time, then will invite you to respond in writing within 10 days. They'll want to hear your side of the story before slapping you with two FAR violations. The first, of course, will be FAR 91.123 (Failure to comply with an ATC clearance) and the other will be FAR 91.13 (Careless and Reckless Operation). These could be career ending violations for the professional pilot. For the recreational pilot, they could put your future aircraft insurance coverage financially out of reach. Either way, it is very bad news . . . all because you failed to comply with an ATC clearance!
Click HERE to view what other readers have had to say about "Over the Airwaves ."
Over the Airwaves is not intended to be your typical training, official news, or
club-type social journal. Instead, its intent is to stimulate
thought, enhance aviation critical thinking skills, to encourage the
strong pilot, and to disturb the weaker pilot. With this
breadth of scope, Over the Airwaves will evoke a number of
reactions. Please feel free to share these reactions with me
by clicking
HERE.
Past Issues of
Click
HERE
to open any
previous issue(s) of Over the Airwaves and to search
for any past articles.
|
The
world of flight is all here: from ultralight aircraft to
pilot's
demonstrated inability to land on the runway centerline with the
aircraft nose pointing directly down the runway . . . that is,
without any side loads placed on the tires as the aircraft touches
down. 
Sign
Up for "Over the Airwaves" . . . . .
