X	"No amount  of conventional training or practice in the local area will prepare you for what you will find when you leave the nest."                                                -- J. Mac McClellan, Editor-in-Chief, FLYING Magazine

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Dear Pilots and Aviation Enthusiasts:                                                                                               

The witness saw the airplane "zoom up" in a nose high attitude, and then the wing dropped, like a wing over. The airplane started to spin. The witness thought that the airplane would come out of the spinning, but it never did. 

The above text was taken from the NTSB report of a crash that occurred on January 05, 2005 in Sacaton, AZ.  Sadly, the pilot of this Lancair 235 and his passenger died in this crash.  Week after week, we keep reading of the inadvertent stall/spin scenario with nearly always fatal results. 

What is happening?

Airplanes do not enter stall/spin configurations by themselves.  With very few exceptions, they get that way because of what pilots do to them.  Those few exceptions might include a wake turbulence upset or a chance thunderstorm encounter.  In the typical stall/spin scenario, the pilot allows two stall/spin prerequisites to occur.  First, he permits the wing to exceed its critical angle of attack, thereby causing it to stall.  Second, he fails to keep the inclinometer ball centered.  This results in adverse yaw.  Let this happen close to the ground, you are finished.  There is insufficient time to recover.

Why is this happening?

There are several reasons why spin fatalities continue to happen.  They include: (1) poor initial training; (2) little or no recurrent stall/spin training; and (3) the emergence of less spin-resistant aircraft designs.

Poor initial training occurs when less than proficient or otherwise timid flight instructors use the Practical Test Standards (PTS) as an acceptable standard of performance for stall/spin awareness and recovery proficiency.  The fact that a student can recognize and recover from a predictably-induced stall at the first beep of the stall warning horn bears little resemblance to what he or she might encounter in the real world. 

Similarly, the absence of any form of realistic recurrent stall/spin recovery training exacerbates the problem.  Unless the pilot, with a qualified instructor aboard, experiences a sudden full stall in a yawed flight attitude and a less than one full turn spin entry on a regular basis, he will not develop the recovery proficiency to save the day.  [Note:  Most GA aircraft, certified in the NORMAL category are permitted to perform this maneuver - check the POH for your aircraft.]

The obvious best defense against a lethal stall/spin is to always remain within the normal operating envelope of the airplane and, of course, to always fly coordinated (centered ball).  Stuff happens, however, like wake upsets, thunderstorms, and disorientation in the clouds - and on very rare occasions, panic.  An inadvertent pitch up and yaw can take any pilot by surprise.  The question is, how will he or she react to this surprise?   Pilots who are not absolutely sure . . . beware!

It only takes a second to check the security of your seat before applying take-off power.  Give it a strong push/pull to insure that its locking pins are securely engaged in the seat rail.  Equally important, be certain that your aircraft is equipped with approved seat locking devices and not some locally modified or designed locking devices.

A Cessna 172 pilot apparently failed to do this recently and paid the ultimate price for this simple safety omission.   According to witness statements, the pilot was attempting a "go-around."  They heard the engine power increase and saw the aircraft climb to about 100 ft on short final.  It entered a steep left climbing turn with flaps fully extended. At about 300 feet, the wings were seen to roll level, and the aircraft "fishtailed". The aircraft then pitched down and impacted the ground, destroying the aircraft and killing the pilot. Weather at the time of the accident was clear sky with unlimited visibility and a light breeze. 

The Australian Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) concluded that aircraft mishandling and loss of control could not be ruled out, but the event as described was consistent with the pilot seat sliding back and denying the pilot adequate control input to avoid the accident. As a result, the ATSB issued three Safety Advisory Notices alerting pilots, aircraft owners, and mechanics to use the proper parts, install them correctly, and to insure the proper engagement of the seat locks before flight.

The typical unusual attitude recovery scenario goes something like this.  The instructor asks the student to close his or her eyes while the CFI dutifully puts the airplane in an unusual attitude.  He then says, "Recover!"  

In the world of realistic training, this scenario is about as realistic as teaching passengers how to escape an airliner ditching by having a flight attendant stand in the isle and hold up a life jacket!

A far more effective way to teach proper unusual attitude recovery techniques is to put the airplane into trimmed, level flight.  Then have the student close his or her eyes.  It usually takes less than two minutes for the airplane to find a very unusual attitude.  Once this occurs, tell the student to keep his eyes closed . . . and recover.  Trusting his body sensations, the hapless student will have the airplane turned nearly upside in seconds.  So much for trusting body sensations!  He'll never forget this exercise.

Next exercise . . .

Again, from a trimmed, level flight attitude, have the student put on a hood and close his eyes.  In minutes, the airplane will find a very unusual attitude.  With the hood still on, have him open his eyes and recover solely by reference to the instruments.  By now, he should have learned NOT to trust his body sensations.  This exercises instills trust in the instruments.

Last exercise . . .

Have the student close his or eyes just before you take him into the clouds (with an IFR block altitude clearance).  Again, wait a couple minutes until the airplane is rolled over to at least a 30 to 40 degree bank.   Then tell him to open his eyes and recover.  Caution:  This exercise should be conducted by experienced and proficient CFIIs only.  Be prepared to instantly over-ride the students likely incorrect control inputs! 

The value from this last exercise comes from the fact that the hood is an ineffective way to teach instrument flight.  Peeks to the familiar outside horizon happen, and when they do, the training effect is totally lost.

One exception . . . the very best exercise!

The very best way to learn unusual attitude recovery is to enroll and complete a professional aerobatic course of instruction.  This should be mandatory training for every active flight instructor!   You can learn the requisite aerobatic skills within about eight (8) hours of dual instruction and an equal amount of ground instruction.  There are many aerobatic schools and instructors around.  Several years ago I attended a three day course conducted by  Fighter Combat International.  The experience was worth every dollar and minute spent!

 

You do not have to be very far into your instrument training to begin wondering what the term RNP-0.3 required in the approach plate brief strip (see below) is all about.   You may even be a weather-beaten IFR veteran and still be wondering what this curious little phrase is all about.

RNP - What is it?

RNP (Required Navigation Performance) is a navigation system that provides a specified level of accuracy defined by a lateral area of confined airspace in which an RNP certified aircraft operates. RNP can include both performance and functional requirements, and is indicated by the RNP type. These standards are intended for designers, manufacturers, and installers of avionics equipment, as well as service providers and users. 

The RNP type defines the total system error (TSE) that is allowed in lateral and longitudinal dimensions within a particular airspace. The TSE, which takes account of navigation system errors (NSE), computation errors, display errors and flight technical errors (FTE), must not exceed the specified RNP value for 95% of the flight time on any part of any single flight.  The functional criteria for RNP address the need for the flight paths of participating aircraft to be both predictable and repeatable to the declared levels of accuracy.

Aircraft Capability + Level of Service = Access

In this context, aircraft capability refers to the airworthiness certification and operational approval elements (including avionics, maintenance, database, human factors, pilot procedures, training, and other issues). The level of service element refers to the NAS infrastructure, including published routes, signal-in-space performance and availability, and air traffic management. When considered collectively, these elements result in providing access. Access provides the desired benefit (airspace, procedures, routes of flight, etc.).

RNP levels are actual distances from the centerline of the flight path, which must be maintained for aircraft and obstacle separation. Although additional FAA recognized RNP levels may be used for specific operations, the United States currently supports three standard RNP levels:

• RNP 0.3 – Approach
• RNP 1.0 – Departure, Terminal
• RNP 2.0 – En route

RNP 0.3 represents a distance of 0.3 nautical miles (NM) either side of a specified flight path centerline. The specific performance that is required on the final approach segment of an instrument approach is an example of this RNP level. At the present time, a 0.3 RNP level is the lowest level used in normal RNAV operations. Specific airlines, using special procedures, are approved to use RNP levels lower than RNP 0.3, but those levels are used only in accordance with their
approved OpsSpecs. For aircraft equipment to qualify for a specific RNP type, it must be able to maintain navigational accuracy to within 95 percent of the total flight time.

 

 

 

Don't remove those quirky ADF boxes just yet (unless you're replacing them with a panel mounted GPS).  And, instrument students, don't even think about not learning these archaic approaches.  The day is coming, however, when we'll be seeing fewer and fewer NDB approaches. 

The FAA recently announced its intent to develop more satellite-based GPS-WAAS approaches.  In doing so, it will be  canceling numerous nondirectional radio beacon (NDB) approaches to runway ends already served by another ground-based navaid and an area navigation (RNAV) procedure.  For the bulk of our readers in WNY, those to be eliminated will include the NDB 28R approach at Niagara Falls and the NDB 23 approach to Buffalo.  For the full list of planned NDB approaches projected for decommissioning, click HERE (PDF File).

ADF Still Required for Many Precision Approaches

Many ILS and VOR approach plates contain the statement "ADF Required."  Obviously, an ADF radio is required when using these approaches unless, of course, your aircraft is equipped with an approach-certified GPS unit.  These units satisfy the ADF requirement for these approaches.   

You can say that the "handwriting is on the wall" regarding ADFs.  Rather that maintaining these relics, serious thought should be given to making the switch to panel-mounted GPS units . . . particularly in instrument training aircraft.

Below is a listing of the minimum flight experience a person must possess to qualify for a private pilot (airplane, single-engine, land) certificate. 

FAR 61.109 Required Aeronautical Experience for a Private Pilot Certificate 20 hours of flight training from a certificated flight instructor, including at least:  3 hours of cross-country, i.e., to other airports  3 hours at night, including one night cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles (NM) total distance 10 night takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop at an airport  3 hours of maneuvering an airplane solely by reference to instruments  [3 hours in airplanes in preparation for the private  pilot practical test within 60 days of the test.] 10 hours of solo (i.e., by yourself) flight time in an airplane, including at least: 5 hours of solo cross-country time including: One solo cross-country flight of at least 150 NM total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points and with one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 NM between the takeoff and landing locations Three solo takeoffs and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control  tower.

If one were to compare the minimum training experience required of basic airmen to that required of practicing surgeons today, the minimum aeronautical experience specified in FAR 61.109 is not much more than a basic course in first aid!   It would be absurd for a person to step foot in an operating room with no more than first aid training and undertake open heart surgery.

It would be equally absurd for a private pilot with a minimal FAR 61.109 level of experience to maneuver safely through the many challenges presented in today's national airspace system.  [Remember . . . over 76 percent of all general aviation accidents are attributed to pilot error.  We continue to experience over 500 general aviation fatalities a year.]

So what's the solution?

The first step is to accept the fact that FAR 61.109 aeronautical experience equips a person to fly only on clear, calm days.  It mandates no experience in any form of adverse weather flying. 

The second step is to assess the type of flying you will be doing.  If your flight profile includes anything other than making circles in and around your home airport on sunny days only, the FAR 61.109 standard leaves you dangerously under prepared!

The third step is to engage a qualified certificated flight instructor and acquire the aeronautical experience necessary to safely address the anticipated challenges of your particular flight profile.  In other words, don't think about long distance, cross-country flight until you have logged experience in moderate/severe turbulence, icing, low visibility, and low ceiling conditions.

Lastly, remember that aeronautical skills deteriorate quickly in time.  This means that you should commit yourself to a continuous, ongoing program of recurrent training.  Minimally, once a year, but better twice annually, engage a CFII and go adverse weather hunting.  Find the stuff you will be flying in, then go in and get comfortable with it!   In short, match your comfortable "operating envelope" with the kinds of flight conditions you will likely encounter.

Are you looking for a ride to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this summer? Or are you already planning to go but have space available in your airborne or land-bound vehicle to take along a fellow aviation enthusiast? A useful new feature on the EAA AirVenture website called RideShare will match drivers with passengers as the aviation world plans it journey to the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration July 25-31.

  Click HERE to access RideShare.

Think again before you elect to omit information on any FAA application form.  This is a North Carolina man should have done before deciding to omit information about his past on his FAA student pilot application.  His misdeed cost him five months in jail, five months home confinement, and three years supervised release.  Click HERE for the Department of Transportation press release on this matter.  

According to AVWEB's Newswire (2/27/05):

A Texas pilot got three months in jail in February 2003 for lying about a past DUI charge on his airman medical application.

A Florida man was sentenced to a 15-month prison term in April 2004 for piloting a plane without a legitimate airman certificate and flying a plane with an unapproved modification to its fuel system.

A Florida man received 13 months in prison in January 2004 for making and using forged documents to get a job as a flight instructor under an assumed name.

A Florida man who lied about his previous criminal convictions on an FAA application was ordered to spend four months in a halfway house and was prohibited from participating in aviation activities for two years.

In 2003, a man whose FAA certificate had been revoked in 1998 after a federal conviction for drug trafficking was fined $500 in a Wyoming federal court for operating an aircraft without a pilot's certificate.

Pilots complete an FAA medical form at least every two years (three years if under age 40).  It is often tempting to omit reference to a recently prescribed medication or onset of a particular disease.  If you succumb to this temptation and the FAA discovers it (in this highly computerized, digital age), the penalties go far beyond grounding or certificate revocation.  You could go to jail!

Are you getting tired of driving to and from the airport for your one or two hour flight lesson?  Are you getting tired of paying your flight instructor while you pre-flight your airplane?  Do you find that by the time you've grown comfortable in the airplane, it's time to land?  Have you ever been frustrated by having your flight lesson cut short so that your instructor can keep his appointment with his next student?  You say you that you're instructor never takes you out of the local practice area?

If you answered YES to any of these questions . . .

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, find an instructor who will provide you with intensive flight instruction over a six or eight hour period on any given day.  Put ten (10) such days together and you could obtain your private pilot certificate (or next rating) in less than a month!  That's right . . . less than a month!

Why stretch your flight training out over months or even years (ouch!)?

With intensive training, you will learn faster and less expensively.  Your flight training over longer distances, over unfamiliar terrain, and into busy areas of the national airspace system will make you a far more proficient pilot.

Bite the bullet!  Arrange two weeks of vacation or sneak a couple of days off during the week for about a month and be done with it.  The important thing is that you put six or eight hours together, back-to-back, so that your instructor can fully immerse you in the national airspace system. 

And don't worry about the weather!  Unless you have fog to the ground or freezing rain over your airport, most experienced CFIIs can find sufficient "back doors" to get you safely in the air, either around or above even the most inclement weather.  And when the weather doesn't cooperate, that time should be used in ground instruction.

And don't worry about the money.  It is easier to finance flight training than it is to obtain a car loan!

If the U.S. Army can teach you Arabic in six weeks, a good CFII can prepare you for your next checkride in less than a month!

But you have to be prepared.  Get the time off.  Arrange the financing.  Get your written exam out of the way before you start.  Then find a CFII who will provide this kind of training.

You'll learn better, you'll save time . . . and you'll save a bunch of money!

Attention Aviation College-bound Students:  You will save thousands of dollars and many hours of flight training time if you enter your freshman year with your private pilot certificate already in hand.  Use the intensive training option described here to get this done!

April 12-18, 2005 - Lakeland, FL

There are many wonderful fly-in opportunities throughout the United States, but only two come to mind as the "ultimate fly-in events."  These are: (1) Sun 'n Fun in the spring and (2) Oshkosh's AirVenture in the summer.

While the logistics, activities, and displays are similar, the personality of each are substantially different.

Click HERE for details.

Note:  I'll be at Sun 'n Fun this year.  Look for me in the NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors) tent.

The marvels of cyberspace is sending "Over the Airwaves" around the globe.  We have received feedback from readers in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Denmark, Canada, and South Africa!  In fact, the previous issue over tripled our already rapidly growing free subscription list.  Most encouraging has been the remarkably positive comments I have been receiving about the e-publication.  It is interesting to know that our readers' love of aviation and desire to learn more about this exciting endeavor knows no geographic boundaries. 

Aviation readers are sophisticated people, often with strong opinions in the many diverse areas covered in "Over the Airwaves."  The fact that YOU continue reading and forwarding OTA to friends and colleagues is evidence that we must be doing something right!

Please keep you comments coming . . . and don't be shy in sharing your positive or negative take on any article you read!  You can communicate your comments by clicking HERE. 

It has often been said that a designated flight examiner (DPE) can learn all he or she needs to know about a pilot candidate's flying skills during the first 30 seconds of the take-off roll and initial climb-out.  It is here where all of the forces of flight come together in a single, meaningful event.  You have torque effect, p-factor, slipstream, and gyroscopic forces.  And you have cross-winds . . . all working in concert to defy the laws of flight!

Today's tricycle gear airplane has made the "perfect takeoff" a lost art.  Rather than flying the airplane on the ground as taildragger pilots do, many of today's newer pilots mash the throttle to the wall, ignore the side load forces on the tires, and horse the airplane into the sky with the ball pinned smartly on the right side of the inclinometer.  What would be considered sloppy form in a J-3 Cub and fatal in a P-51 Mustang, today's training aircraft graciously forgive such errant pilot behavior . . . but DPEs do not!

I recently reminded a flight student (as all CFIs do) to add more right rudder on takeoff.  He said, "I can't do that and maintain runway heading." 

"Huh?"  Where did he come up with that notion I wondered?

Upon inquiry, I discovered that my instruction had left the student confused over the difference between: (1) flying the runway heading; and (2) the direction the airplane was pointed.  In my student's defense, he chose to keep the airplane pointed directly down the runway without regard to the more important issue of flying in a coordinated (ball centered) fashion. 

After liftoff, maintaining runway heading on a cross-wind takeoff is no different that maintaining a desired ground track at altitude in a cross-wind.  One simply crabs the airplane, in a coordinated (ball centered) fashion, in the direction of the crosswind.

So what does it matter?

For you golfers, gaining maximum performance out of an airplane, particularly when heavily loaded on a high density altitude day, is a lot like a proper golf swing.  We duffers can stand up at the tee, greet the ball, execute a snappy backswing, then plow the club head downward with the force of mighty locomotive - then watch the ball travel less than 100 yards into the woods.  Compare this technique to that of a 120 pound professional lady golfer on the LPGA circuit.  She gracefully swings the club in poetic fashion.  Her ball lands in the center of the fairway three times as far out as the duffer's best shot on a good day!  

The difference?  Her swing is coordinated.  The duffer's is not!

Time for more realistic training

The only effective way to properly understand the importance of a coordinated takeoff is to load your trainer up to maximum gross weight on a hot, high density altitude day.  Add about 15 knots of direct crosswind for good measure!  Using runway lights as markers, practice takeoffs in both coordinated and uncoordinated fashion.  You'll be surprised in what you observe!

It's that time of the year again when the activity around the local airport begins to pick up. Hangar doors open to expose dusty airplanes that have been hibernating over the long, cold winter.  Like these airplanes, their pilot owners, too, struggle to get up to flying speed.

If you haven't flown over the past several months, here's a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Your piloting skills have deteriorated . . . admit it!

2. Your knowledge of airport traffic pattern procedures is somewhat diminished.

3. There will be others in the sky with the same rusty skills as you.

Get a Spring Pilot Tune-up

Spring is the perfect time of year  to log a biennial flight review (BFR) or an instrument proficiency check (IPC) - even though you may not be legally required to do so.  Engage your favorite CFII to run you through the full gamut stalls, steep turns, emergency procedures, cross-wind/short/soft takeoffs and landings, slow flight, and even a couple of one-turn spin recoveries.  Get a thorough review of airport traffic pattern procedures, and spend a few minutes talking about the national airspace system.

Instrument pilots . . . you'll find lots of ice-free, hard IMC weather to bone up on those instrument skills.  Use this time to get "down and dirty" on instrument approaches to published minimums, practice unusual attitude recoveries in the clouds, and sharpen those IFR emergency skills.

Sign up for that Next Pilot Rating

Okay, so an RV-6 pilot doesn't really need a commercial rating . . . get one, anyway!  In the process, you will learn to fly smoother;  you'll gain a new appreciation for the national airspace system;  and your insurance company will be pleased.   Most importantly, you'll enjoy the process.  It's a fun rating.  The same applies for instrument rating.  You may never file an IFR flight plan . . . but you could if you had to!

A Serious Word of Caution

The skies around your airport will soon fill up with many pilots having rusty skills.  This is also the time of year where there are lots of new students taking to the air.  DEFENSIVE flying technique becomes the order of the day!

Are there conditions where an instrument rating is required to fly safely on a clear, dark night?  Absolutely!  Take a look what happened to a Cessna 182 pilot and his three passengers one dark night over Oklahoma and you be the judge.

According to the NTSB report (see link below), The VFR flight departed Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas, at approximately 2140 and was en route to the Springdale Municipal Airport, Springdale, Arkansas.   Weather within 43 miles of the crash site was  100 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 9 statute miles, ceiling broken at 5,500 feet, temperature 11 degrees C, and the dew point 7 degrees C.   According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the moon set at 1656 and the sun set at 1733.  It was a dark, moonless night over remote terrain.

The pilot had been receiving VFR flight following services throughout most of the flight.  Shortly after its last transmission, the airplane continued to head northeast and ascended from an altitude of 7,900 to 9,400' MSL The airplane's rate of climb over this 3-minute 37-second period was calculated at 414 feet/minute.  The airplane then began to descend and turn to the right.

The last radar return placed the airplane at 8,100' MSL approximately 0.6 nautical miles south of the accident site. The airplane's rate of descent from was calculated at 2,166 feet/minute.   The last radar return placed the airplane at 8,100' MSL approximately 0.6 nautical miles south of the accident site. The airplane's rate of descent was calculated at 2,166 feet/minute.

The pilot had received his private pilot certificate one year earlier and had accumulated a total of 150 hours of flight time, 37 of which had been at night.  Toxicological tests were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and drugs. 

Continued VFR Flight into IMC Conditions?

The transition from VMC into IMC can be so subtle that the unwary VFR-only pilot can suddenly find himself totally disoriented.  This typically occurs on moonless, starless nights over large bodies of open water or remote terrain.  It can be so subtle that if you looked out and saw a single light, you could not really be sure if it was a star or a boat! 

Sudden VMC into IMC conditions can also be caused by smoke, haze, smog, dust, and ice particles in the air.

Fear raises its ugly head as the hapless VFR-only pilot loses the horizon.   Instinctively, he (or she) calls upon his senses to find and maintain a wings-level flight attitude.  He glances at the dipping attitude indicator which contradicts what his head is telling him.  His airspeed begins to increase so he applies back pressure to the yoke not realizing that this action tightens his roll, which exacerbates his loss of altitude.  He applies more back pressure and reduces power.  The noses pitches up and his seriously yawed airplane quickly exceeds its critical angle of attack.  A stall/spin ensues.  His instruments tumble.  Everything becomes a blur as the situation deteriorates toward its fatal outcome . . . . all on a moonless, dark night.

This entire sequence of incorrect control inputs occurs in less than 15 seconds!

How can this scenario be prevented?

There are two ways of preventing this rather common scenario from occurring.  They are:

1. Throw away the hood or foggles:  View limiting devices used in flight training are one of the great hoaxes of aviation.  Putting on these devices is like throwing on a switch that says, "You are now in IMC conditions.  Act accordingly."  The dutiful pilot methodically shifts his scan from outside to the gauges.  He convinces himself that instrument flight is like "a walk in the park."   Then, anytime he begins to doubt the simplicity of IFR flight, he sneaks a peak outside to re-orient himself!

2. Get that instrument rating:  If you plan to fly VFR at night, the crash scenario described above is a very real risk.  That outside horizon you've come to depend upon can fade away in a heartbeat. 

Click HERE to view the NTSB report of this accident.

Wednesday, March 9th @ 7pm-9pm, EAA Chapter 46:

             "Aero Instruments and Avionics Inc." 
7290 Nash Road, North Tonawanda, NY (just West of Niagara Falls Blvd.)

Our March meeting will feature a tour of Aero Instruments & Avionics in North Tonawanda, NY. Aero Instruments & Avionics is one of the industry’s leading avionics overhaul shops. They specialize in the overhaul of “black boxes”, flight data recorders and voice data recorders used in commercial aircraft. They also specialize in the overhaul of autopilot systems for large transport aircraft. They are an authorized repair center for Bendix, King, Collins and Honeywell avionics as well as many others. Our host, Dan Wisnieki will guide us on a tour of this large facility that utilizes state of the art test equipment for avionics evaluation and repairs.    As always, there is no charge for the meeting. Coffee, soft drinks and doughnuts will be available. Please make sure to bring along an aviation friend on this tour to introduce them to our chapter.

For more information on Aero Instruments & Avionics, visit: www.aeroinst.com    MAP: for a map, visit Yahoo!Maps

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Thursday, March 17 @ 6pm-9pm, Aero Club of Buffalo: 

"The In's and Out's and Dirty Little
 Secrets of Aviation Charts." 
Protocol Restaurant, Transit Road, Williamsville, NY.

 A representative of the National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) will explain the fine art of aeronautical chart making.  This is a "must" program for anybody flying VFR in the post-9/11 national airspace system.

The Aero Club of Buffalo is the oldest aero club in the United States and the second oldest aero club in the world.  Its members include many of the pioneers of Buffalo's proud aviation heritage.  It also includes many new flight students and active flying enthusiasts as well as airline pilots, air traffic controllers, and airport administrators.

Click HERE for a membership application ($25/year).  Click HERE to make your reservation for this event.

The above statement was sent to me recently by reader, George Graham.  

The wisdom expressed by Mr. Graham's ATP friend is commendable. It speaks directly to the need for solid "back doors" any time you enter instrument conditions. His "backdoors" include having a second pilot aboard, a rock solid auto-pilot, and consummate instrument proficiency.  There is no question that these resources dramatically improve flight safety in the clouds.

Are we, therefore, to assume that single pilot IFR in marginally equipped general aviation airplanes less safe?  In truth, yes!  The fewer resources we have at hand to handle the challenges of IFR flight, the greater risk we assume anytime we fly into the scud.  I do not think anybody can effectively argue this point.  Nonetheless, single pilot IFR operations take place every day.  While I don't have the numbers at hand, I would suspect that the vast majority of all IFR operations fall into the single pilot category.  Does this mean also that the majority of all IFR operations fall into the unsafe category?  Certainly not!

Instrument flight is a lot like the game of golf.

In golf, you have two goals: (1) hit it far, and (2) hit it straight.  In the most simplistic terms, good golfers put the ball where they want it to go.  In IFR flight, our goals are to: (1) keep the wings level,  and (2) control air speed and altitude.  In its most simplistic terms, proficient IFR pilots put the airplane where they want it to go.  What cockpit resources do we need to accomplish that?

We can keep the wings level with any one of three independently operating instruments: (1) attitude indicator; (2) turn coordinator; or (4) heading indicator.  What are the chances of incurring a simultaneous loss of all three of these instruments?  Okay, stuff happens.  That's why I have a Garmin 296  portable GPS running in any airplane I fly in the clouds. The instrument page of that remarkable box provides sufficient turn and bank information to keep the wings level without looking out the window.

As for altitude, today's altimeters are about as "bullet-proof" as any instrument on the panel. Plugged static port?  Open your alternate static port.  Don't have one?  Crack the VSI glass.  Bingo.  You're in business.  By the way, nearly all hand-held GPSs provide reasonably accurate altitude information. 

Lastly, airspeed.  What if pitot tube freezes over or becomes plugged by a wayward bug?  No airspeed, right?  Hmmmm, what is that we learned about power settings?  In level flight, a known power setting will give a known airspeed.  There's nothing magic about that.

What about single engine IFR operations?

Mr. Graham's friend didn't offer up the single engine IFR risk factor, but let's assume that he had it mind.  Single engine IFR ups the ante a bit in terms of risk factors.  On the other hand, in the hands of a proficient IFR pilot who is also skilled in emergency GPS descents and landings, the single engine risk factor can be reduced dramatically.  Still not convinced.  The fatal accident rate is no better in twins than it is in singles, according to AOPA's Air Safety Foundation.

So much for the hardware . . . now for the software!

If airplanes and their associated instrument and avionics package represent the hardware required for safe IFR flight, then the pilot(s) represent the software.  Mr. Graham suggests that two pilots are necessary for safe instrument flight.  He is on to something here.  Two qualified pilots on the flight deck are ALWAYS better than one.  But does that make having just one unsafe?  It depends on WHO that one pilot is!

Depending upon the aircraft type, if that one pilot is up to his or her game, then one is all that is necessary for safe flight.  The operative phrase here is "on his or game."   Safe single pilot IFR flying does require "currency like yesterday."  It is here that Mr. Graham's friend is absolutely correct.  Pilots who barely satisfy the IFR currency requirements set for in FAR 91.57(c) should NOT be engaging in hard IFR operations, period!  A pilot who has not conducted in instrument approach or dialed in a VOR radial in over five months is playing Russian Roulette with his life and the lives of his passengers if he thinks he can safely maneuver in the clouds.

It is here that Mr. Graham's friend confuses hardware and multiple pilot requirements with pilot stupidity.  In truth, the folks who fly in two pilot operations in airplanes with flight directors are required by company operating specifications to undergo regular recurrent training.  They're safe in the clouds, not because they have fancy equipment and a back up pilot.  They're safe because they train hard and they train effectively.

If you have an instrument ticket and plan to use it in the clouds AND you lack a second qualified pilot and fancy cockpit gear, the need for aggressive recurrent training is doubly important.  Let's all go out and prove Mr. Graham wrong.  Let's prove that, given reasonable back up options and pilot currency (like yesterday), single engine, single pilot IFR is safe.

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