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Sunday, April 17, 2005 Vol. II No. 9
Prepared by Bob Miller, ATP,
MCFI |
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Sunday, April 17, 2005 Vol. II No. 9
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:
Errors of Omission
There are two kinds of errors we
pilots make. One kind is "Errors of Commission"
where we do something incorrectly . . . like dialing in the
wrong radio frequency. The other is "Errors of
Omission" where we simply forget to do something . . .
like forgetting to lower the landing gear.
If I were to count up my many
piloting errors over the years, I would guess that 90
percent or more were errors of omission. I simply forgot
to do something. I suspect most other experienced (and
honest) pilots would agree. This is certainly the case
among many of the flight students I have trained. And I
suspect it occurs more frequently as we "senior" pilots advance
in years.
While both kinds of errors can lead
to serious if not deadly consequences, I believe that it is
errors of omission that have the most fatal consequences.
For example, it is difficult to put down the wrong landing gear;
it is equally difficult to lower the wrong flaps, or to apply
the wrong carburetor heat (on a single).
Certainly, errors of commission,
such as switching to the wrong fuel tank or feathering the wrong
engine do occur (with fatal consequences), but my experience
suggests that we pilots most frequently forget to do something
important (error of omission). Such was the case, sadly,
in the tragic last flight by local pilot Bill Law who, according
to the final NTSB report issued several weeks ago, neglected to switch fuel
tanks (story below).
Checklists, Checklists,
Checklists . . .
It goes without saying that the
very best defense against an error of omission is a properly
used, complete checklist. We pilots have checklists
for everything, from start-up to shut-down, and including every
phase of flight in between, including in-flight emergencies.
But do we use them? All of them? All of the time?
I fear not!
Whether you are piloting a Boeing
747-400 or an RV-4, proficient pilots religiously use
checklists. My good friend, Captain Dan Maloney, recently
took me for a ride in his home-built RV-4. On landing, I
heard him rattle off a checklist that included "gear
down." I later queried him on this item since his
little airplane has a fixed gear. He replied, "Force
of habit. I say it every time I land the 747."
Paper verses Electronic
verses Flow Checklists . . .
Workable checklists take many forms
and each can be applied in different ways, particularly in two
pilot operations. Some pilots like to use standard printed
check lists. Others use an electronic checklist displayed
on an panel-mounted multi-function display (MFD). Still others like the "flow"
checklist where they systematically scan and point to each
critical instrument, switch, and control setting in their
cockpit. The important thing is that some sort of
checklist procedure is followed on (1) start-up; (2) climb; (3)
cruise; (4) descent; (5) landing; and (6) shutdown.
The Probability of an Error
of Omission is Minimized, but Not Eliminated . . .
Still, all of the checklists in the
world will not prevent an error of omission. The pilot
must still utilize a responsible thought process like switching
tanks every 30 minutes, on the hour and on the one-half hour.
He or she must remember to level off at the assigned altitude.
He must remember to join the localizer when cleared for the ILS
approach. No matter how hard we try, "cook book recipe"
piloting will never work all by itself. In all phases of
flight, the pilot should always ask himself, "What are the
next two things I must do?"
The Deadly "What If" Scenario
. . .
Stuff happens, alternators fail,
engines quit, attitude indicators roll over and die, severe
turbulence strikes, right-seat passengers puke all over your
instrument panel while in IMC and down low on the final approach
course. This stuff happens to everybody who flies long
enough. It is here that errors of omission can turn a
routine emergency (is there such a thing?) into a very bad outcome!
For example, I recently gave a
pre-private pilot checkride review to an individual being
trained at a nearby airport. I put his airplane into a
deep stall and then asked him to recover. He did the best
he could, but he forgot one important thing. He forgot to
apply rudder input (a serious error of omission).
His feet, in fact, were planted firmly on the floor, not on the
rudder pedals. I watched in amazement as the badly yawed
wing rolled nearly 90 degrees and into the first turn of a
potentially deadly spin. If this had happened by himself,
the outcome would have likely been tragic . . . and all due to
another error of omission.
In Summary . . .
We can bring student pilots up to
the minimum PTS standards. And we can instill in them the
importance of using checklists for each phase of flight.
But unless we teach them to avoid errors of omission when the
unpredictable happens, we leave them dangerously unprepared to
safely meet the challenges of flight.
Equally important, unless today's
crop of general aviation pilots learn to do the
same thing (through frequent recurrent training), we'll continue
to experience over 500 general aviation fatalities yearly, with
nearly 3/4ths of all fatal accidents attributed to pilot error.
No window dressing here. Just
the facts. Errors of omission kill!
In commenting upon this success, AOPA's Air Safety Foundation's executive director said that "It's also the lowest number of fatal accidents [and] the second-lowest fatal accident rate -- ever." Last year there were 1,614 GA accidents, 127 fewer than in 2003, and fatal accidents dropped from 352 to 312. Only 1999 had a lower fatal accident rate. According to the foundation, that makes 2004 "general aviation's safest year yet." It's Good and it's Bad . . . While the numbers are trending in the right direction (for which we should be thankful), we clearly have a very long way to go . . . especially when comparing the GA accident data with the scheduled airlines. In 2004, according to the NTSB, 556 people died in general aviation accidents. During the same period, 13 people died in airline crashes. If you look back over the past three years (2002-2004), 1,769 people died in general aviation accidents. During the same period, 35 people died in airline crashes. Yes, we GA pilots fly about 50 percent more total hours each year than the airlines (25.9 million vs. 17 million), but that doesn't come even close to explaining the vast difference between the two accident rates. So What's Going On? What makes an airliner more inherently safe than, say, a Cessna 172 or Beech Bonanza? Multi-engine reliability? Perhaps. But remember, you can walk away from most C-172 or Bonanza landings in a cornfield. Turbine engines versus piston engine reliability? Perhaps. But unless the piston single loses its engine on take-off, most can be safely "dead-sticked" to a safe landing. Weather avoidance capability? Not so. I have the same, if not better, weather avoidance equipment in my Cessna 210 than many airliners have. Besides, the airliner has to maintain a schedule. The GA pilot typically does not. From a basic machine reliability perspective, the airliner and the GA aircraft are both inherently safe. There is One Common Difference . . . the Skill and Proficiency of the Pilot! The message is sweet and short. If we general aviation pilots wish to experience the same high level of flight safety enjoyed by our airline pilot brethren, we must train to the same high level of proficiency. Unless we do this one thing, efforts to reduce the GA accident rate by safety minded organizations such as AOPA and its Air Safety Foundation are just blowing in the wind! No amount of video tapes, DVDs, safety seminars, and interactive websites can possibly improve the proficiency of a pilot who will not get into the cockpit and rigorously train at least twice a year. To believe otherwise is, frankly, naive! Hopefully, we will all begin to train as frequently and as vigorously as airline pilots. If not, there very well may come a time (soon) when such training becomes a requirement to maintain our flying privileges. Surprisingly, the impetus for this requirement may NOT come from the FAA. Instead, it could come from the aviation insurance industry. Forces within this industry have already shut down a number of FBOs and, likewise, made it impossible to obtain hull and liability insurance on some training and rental aircraft. Don't believe it? Try to rent a float plane, tail dragger, or even a light twin! You can't do it. Wanna purchase a Lancair 400, Cirrus SR22, Mooney Bravo, or even a light twin. The insurance rates are outrageous today. Tomorrow, they may be unobtainable for all but the very, very wealthy, unless we do something significant to dramatically take general aviation out of the glue factory.
My instrument students know that the quickest way to end an instrument training flight prematurely is to forget voicing the "5T's" each time we pass an enroute, approach, or missed approach fix. That's right . . . this flight over (and yes, I'll be paid for the balance of the scheduled training session, thank you)! I came to accept this rather harsh policy after growing weary of repeatedly reminding instrument students of what to do next after passing a fix. They would invariably forget to start a timer, or reduce power for the required descent, or to twist the OBS to the inbound course, or advice ATC when entering or vacating a hold in a non-radar environment, or whatever. Each of these omissions can be disqualifiers on the instrument checkride. When Things Get Tough in the Clag . . . Every experienced instrument pilot has one time or another fallen behind the airplane. A "take-no-prisoners" air traffic controller, working his second shift after fighting with his wife 14 hours earlier, starts issuing an amended clearance at machine-gun speed right after you dropped your pencil. This can start things going downhill in a hurry! Even the sharpest human brain in the flight school has limited capacity. Before you know it, you're playing "catch up" with a machine hurling you and your passengers through opaque skies at better than 130 knots. There's no instructor or co-pilot by your side to help sort things out. What you do (or do not do) next can have a direct bearing on the outcome of your flight. This is that very point in the life of a pilot where the quality of his or her instrument instruction will come home to roost. He better have a catch-up plan in his pocket. The "5 T's" is one of the best plans around!
Bill Law was a 20,000 hour Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) with ATP, CFII, Multi-engine land and single-engine sea ratings. From an experience perspective, Bill was about as good as it gets. He was well liked by all who knew him and he was respected for his many aviation talents and skills. Bill was flying his own PA31-P (Piper Navajo). This particular light twin is known for its complex six tank fuel management system. Here's How the NTSB Summarized the Accident:
Fuel burn calculations coupled with the crash scene investigation revealed that outboard tanks were nearly run dry. Here's what the Navajo, P model, POH has to say about fuel management . . .
So What Went Wrong? Apparently, and for some unknown reason, the pilot ignored his own POH instruction and commenced his descent on the onboard tanks despite the fact they both were below 1/2 capacity. Not only was this instruction contained in his POH, his descent checklist required that he switch to the inboard tanks before beginning a descent. There was also a placard required on the fuel gauges warning the pilot not to use the outboard tanks for take off or landing. There are Abundant Lessons Here for All of Us ! ! ! The lessons here are profound. Even with 20,000 hours of flight experience, any of us can fall victim to an operational oversight. This is why we have checklists! It is also why we should know and understand the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) of every airplane we fly . . . especially complex airplanes such as the Navajo. That is also why all required placards are supposed to be properly affixed and complied with. Next Lesson . . . Stuff happens - even to the best of us. This is why scenario-based training is an important component of any flight training program. For example, ANYTIME an engine stumbles or quits altogether, the very FIRST thing any pilot should do is consider the fuel selector switch. If indicated, immediately switch fuel tanks!!!!! Had the pilot performed this simple maneuver, the outcome of this tragic flight might well have been different. The PA31-P Navajo has six fuel tanks with an inherent quirky characteristic that limits the utility of the outboard tanks. Recurrent, scenario-based training in this model aircraft would keep the proficient pilot well-aware of the need to manage his fuel properly . . . especially when drawing fuel from the outboard tanks. Thank you Ken Beyea! My own instrument instructor, Ken Beyea, always insisted that I check "Gear Down" just before landing the trusty Piper Warrior I was training in. I would always say, "Ken, this airplane has a fixed gear. It is ALWAYS down." He would always reply, "Someday you'll fly a retract. What you learn NOW will benefit you later!" Ken was right. Today I fly a retract . . . and I've never forgotten to put the gear down. Final Lesson . . . for Flight Instructors You might be
training in a Cessna 172 with a fuel selector position
labeled "BOTH." Don't use this position. Instead,
insist that your students manually select RIGHT or LEFT.
This will instill a greater awareness of fuel management issues
that will help them when they graduate to airplanes like the
PA31-P Navajo!
He worked for eight different airlines, of which only one still exists. He is type rated, F-27, CV-580, BAC1-11, B-737, DC-8/55/61/62/63; L-1011, and B-747. His personally owned aircraft is an Aviat Husky. Remarkable Tales . . . Captain Champoux penned two poignant letters that I reprinted here (with his permission). One, titled "TRAMP STEAMER," tells of his unique experiences piloting a DC-8 freighter to third-world nations around the world. The other, titled "A Young Boy's Dream," describes the fulfillment of Captain Champoux's childhood dream to fly. These are brief, but remarkable tales that you will enjoy reading. Click on the links below to open each of these letters: "TRAMP
STEAMER" If you would like to learn more about Capt Champoux, you can reach him at gchampou@videotron.ca
I looked squarely in the face of my errant pilot and instantly saw an expression of doubt as we lined up on the extended center line. Right rudder on a left turn? He didn't seem to comprehend my instruction. He must have thought that I had lost my mind! Practicing the Circling Approach . . . There is no escaping the fact that the circling instrument approach carries more risk than any other maneuver in the book . . . . for two reasons. First, it is performed close to the ground, generally at around 500' AGL (one-half the traffic pattern altitude). Second, due to restricted visibility, the turn needs to be kept tight. Get the picture? Tight turn, close to the ground! It is here that that the phrase "coordinated flight" takes on a spiritual meaning with life preserving consequences. The safety margin for pilot error is about as narrow as it gets! That's why instrument pilots should practice circling approaches often . . . and every CFII should emphasize them throughout their training process. Source of the Confusion . . . Day one, lesson one - every primary student is taught that the rudder pedals are connected to the airplane's rudder, that moveable control surface attached to the vertical fin. And every primary student who has ever operated a boat knows that it is the rudder that makes the boat turn. Ergo . . . it is the rudder (and the rudder pedals) that make the airplane turn, right? WRONG! Of course, wrong! Well trained instructors know, of course, that it is never a good idea to overwhelm a new student with too many technical details (such as "adverse yaw, uncoordinated flight, stall/spins"), so the hapless student begins his flight training career never really comprehending the true purpose of the lowly rudder. The principle of "Primacy of Learning" causes this mistaken belief to take on a life of its own. Training Aircraft and Airliners Contribute to the Confusion !! Both Mr. Cessna and Mr. Piper knew what they were doing when they first designed their stable training platforms. They designed in such flight stability that students could, for the most part, mash their way around turns in a totally uncoordinated fashion and still survive. Thus, the importance of the rudder in these basic trainers (Cessna 150s/172s and Piper Cherokees) is inherently difficult to appreciate. The folks at Boeing and Airbus Industries had the same thing in mind when they designed the heavy iron that makes up a large portion of the airline fleet. Integrated flight management control systems make light work of necessary rudder input by the cockpit crew. These airplanes turn, bank, and remain coordinated largely through the miracles of computer science. So What Happens When the Primary Pilot or the Airline Pilot Transitions to the High Performance Single or Light Twin? All of a sudden, the rudder pedals take on new significance! Abuse (or ignore) these babies, and he or she as a whole lot of airplane going through the air sideways . . . . Ask any WWII pilot what it was like when they transitioned to the P-47 or P-51. Big motors, little wings, lots of torque, P-factor, gyroscopic forces, and slip stream effect sent the unwary air cadet to an early grave. Sadly, the same happens today when one either neglects or abuses the rudder pedals. Learn to Fly Like Louie Does!
No joke, your physical body is no different than that little free-rolling ball in the inclinometer. For example, if your body (butt) feels like it is being pushed to the outside of a left turn, you are skidding the airplane (too much left rudder input). If your body (butt) feels like it is falling to the inside of a left turn, you are slipping the airplane (too little left rudder input). Developing Louie's high level "seat of the pants" sensitivity takes a long time. Until you acquire it, KEEP your eye on the ball!
One of the big joys I experience in preparing this bi-weekly aviation newsletter is the many e-mail messages I receive back from aviators and aviation enthusiasts from literally all over the world. Many of you share your unique interests and flying experiences.
Occasionally, I learn of a flying opportunity or activity that may be of interest to all of our readers. This week I learned about Flying Paws, a non-profit organization that provides air transport services for rescued animals. I thought you might find it interesting! Flying Paws is always looking for volunteer pilots and airplanes . . . and contributions! If you love animals and love to fly, they can use you!!!! Click HERE to learn more about Flying Paws.
This particular setup is installed in a Piper Saratoga owned by Steve Barnes and one of his law partners, Brian Goldstein of Buffalo, NY. Steve and Brian (pictured below - click on photo to enlarge.) quickly learned that getting this equipment installed was the easy part. Getting it paid for is something else again. But the real hard part, according to the proud owners of this new equipment, was becoming proficient in its many uses, particularly in hard IMC. Getting Down and Dirty with this Equipment . . . So they did what EVERY TAA pilot should do. Steve and Brian engaged an experienced CFII (in this case, me) and spent three hours in the air putting this equipment through its paces. The first thing we did was to plug in a three point flight plan terminating with a GPS LNAV/VNAV approach. Enroute, we performed a number of likely IFR scenarios including an ATC reroute and a direct-to assignment. We configured the approach both as published and with radar vectors. Watching the GPS 480 controlling the glideslope on the HSI was amazing to see! We then shot a several autopilot coupled and uncoupled conventional ILS's with a circle to land approach.
More TAA Training to Come . . . Recognizing that REAL learning only takes place in the REAL environment, Steve, Brian and I are scheduled to fly later this month into the NYC TRACON airports. These will be Westchester (KHPN), KJFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. Time permitting, we will also be going down to Philadelphia International. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate by giving us very low ceilings and a mile or two of visibility! Too Busy to Train?????? Few people I know can match the incredibly demanding schedule maintained by Steve Barnes and Brian Goldstein. Steve is a named partner in Cellino and Barnes, which is one of the largest personal injury law firms in Upstate New York. Brian is both a physician and an attorney partner in the same firm. If they have time to engage in regular recurrent training, we ALL do!
As John points out below, no make-believe ground based simulators or foggles were used in his training. Instead, a large, opaque hood was used to encapsulate the cadet pilot in the cockpit of an actual AT-6. You checked your compass heading, set the gyro, and applied full throttle. That was it! Now that's the kind of flight training I like!
True story . . . the name of the other pilot is changed to protect the innocent. I and a high time former military pilot were chatting away as we were making our approach to the Buffalo/Niagara International airport several years. He was at the controls of his airplane and I was performing my role as a conversational passenger in the right front seat. He and I are good buddies and we talk often about politics, sports, weather, and aviation. The Buffalo approach controller interrupted our lively discussion on the subject of what makes planes fly. The controller cleared us for the visual approach and instructed us to call the tower. My friend acknowledged the call . . . while he and I kept chatting away about power versus pitch. I complimented my friend on his "greaser" landing. As we rolled to a stop, the approach controller called again and suggested we call the tower "RIGHT AWAY!" "Oh oh," said my pilot friend! I replied, "Did you ever call the tower prior landing?" "No," he replied. "I thought you did." Understandably, the tower controller had a hint of discontentment in his voice when we called him on the roll-out. The controller said, "Next time you decide to land here, would you let the tower know first, please. We'd really appreciate that!" A Classic Error of Omission . . .
The result, we forgot to call the tower before landing . . . even though we were specifically told to do so by the approach controller. Believe me, if it can happen to us, it can happen to you . . . perhaps with deadly consequences. The Sterile Cockpit Rule . . . In its findings from a 1974 air carrier accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wrote, “…the extraneous conversation conducted by the flight crew during the descent was symptomatic of a lax atmosphere in the cockpit that continued throughout the approach.” The NTSB listed the probable cause as “…the flight crew’s lack of altitude awareness at critical points during the approach due to poor cockpit discipline in that the crew did not follow prescribed procedures.” In 1981, the FAA issued Parts 121.542 and 135.100, Flight Crewmember Duties, commonly referred to as “sterile cockpit rules.” It states:
Good for them/Good for us . . . too! We spend a lot time talking about the remarkable airline safety record versus our lackluster experience in general aviation. Right here is one good reason why! Why not adopt a sterile cockpit rule, too? Every time you begin a descent from the enroute phase, ask your passengers to remain quiet (or press the "pilot isolate" button on your intercom). Turn your attention exclusively to the flying tasks at hand until engine shutdown on the ground.
Obviously, I was
quite moved by Mr. Hopson's impression of my draft book titled,
"Adventures in Flight." In a subsequent e-mail
exchange
By the way, you can open and read "Adventures in Flight" by clicking HERE. That's right . . . Steve is profoundly deaf!!!! Steve went on to say, "The book inspired me because I am attempting to be the first deaf instrument rated pilot in the world and while I may not fly low IFR as often as you have done, I am looking forward to experiencing the excitement of popping out of the clouds to find the runway right in front of me or popping out on top and seeing nothing but blue skies! Thank you for sharing your stories with us!" When I learned
about Steve's unique situation, I wrote and asked him how he
became interested in aviation and what he planned to use his
piloting skills. Here is what he wrote to be (reprinted
here with Steve's permission):
So there's Steve Hopson's remarkable story! If there is anybody out there in a position to assist Steve in his worthy, I am sure he would like to hear from you. You can reach him at sjhopson@yahoo.com He also has a website at http://www.sjhopson.com/.
Instrument students who perform all of their flight training in and around their local home drome seldom, if ever, get to experience Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARS). If this is you, find a CFII who will take you into a big city TRACON and get familiar with STARs! These wonderful little work savers turn what would otherwise be a very complicated affair into a virtual "walk in the park." But you gotta understand 'em!
STARS simplify the approach controller's workload and substantially reduces radio transmissions. The pilot either requests or is issued the appropriate STAR for his intended destination. Here is where an approach certified GPS is worth its weight in gold. You select the STAR from the GPS database, load it, and voila', just follow the pink lines. Pity you if all you have are a couple of VORs. You're going to be twisting OBS/s until blisters develop on the tips of your fingers! On the other hand, if you really want to become proficient on VOR navigation, go out and fly a couple of STARs to your favorite big city airport.
How Do You Include a STAR in your Filed Flight Plan? If you were to fly from Buffalo to KJFK or KHPN (White Plains, NY), you would enter the following route into your flight plan: "Direct DNY.PWL2" Compare that with filing the route without including the STAR: "Direct DNY -
Accident data reveals that there are two stages in a pilot's life where he or she is at greatest risk. The first stage occurs around the 200 hour mark when the pilot has built enough confidence to begin taking flying for granted. The second stage occurs after 10,000 hours when the pilot has acquired enough experience to believe himself invincible in the air! Both stages are real. Both stages are can be deadly. Aside from the logbook, there is another indicator that gives hint to which stage a pilot may be in. That indicator is level of recurrent training he or she engages in. For the 200 hour pilot, he has finished his first one or two pilot ratings and is now out there enjoying his privileges. He's taking trips, exploring his limits of weather flying, and trying things that may not have been covered in his primary or instrument training. He's doing everything but engaging in recurrent training. As for the high time pilot, he no longer requires any recurrent training. After all, he's "been there, done that!" He has every rating in the book. He walks into the FBO, tosses his sunglasses on the counter, and pokes fun at all the young kids learning to fly. He's a legend and he knows it. Beware! For those of us in the middle, who are beyond stage one but haven't reached stage two, we remain cautious. We treat the weather with utmost respect. We don't launch without getting a weather briefing. We skeptically pre-flight every airplane we step foot into . . . looking for defects. We religiously adhere to checklists and the operating limitations included in the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH). Most importantly, we treat semi-annual recurrent training as a holy sacrament. Each Spring, we dust off our rusty flying skills with a biennial flight review (BFR) or instrument proficiency check (IPC). Each Fall, we add a new endorsement to our certificate, e.g., tail wheel, sea, complex, high performance, etc., or we take some aerobatic instruction. We mid-stage pilots are always building our aviation skills on a planned and systematic basis. From a flight safety perspective, it is not the hours in our logbook that count. Instead, it's what is going on between our ear phones that matters most in aviation. We can beat the stage one and stage two data by going out and training, and re-training, and training again! Remember, aviation is terribly unforgiving of any incapacity, oversight, or neglect . . . including over-confidence (stage one) or complacency (stage two).
Topics Included: Thursday,
April 21, 6pm to 9pm
Western New York's Largest
Aviation Exposition Activities: Young Eagles Airplane Rides • Free Dual Instruction towards completion of FAA WINGS program • Guided tour of Greater Rochester International Airport via luxury coach • Seminars • Exhibitors • Aircraft Display • Aircraft Demonstration Rides • Lots of Free Door Prizes • Nick Tahou Hots (Saturday) • Fly-in Breakfast (Sunday). For more information, click HERE For just about every other aviation event scheduled for Upstate New York, click HERE.
This week's Hundred Dollar Hamburger "Pick of the Week" goes to the Airport Restaurant at the Chautauqua County/Jamestown, NY Airport (KJHW). "The Airport Restaurant" is its official name! Acquired by Bill and Beverly (pictured left) this past December, "The Airport Restaurant" serves up the area's very best beer-battered fish fry ($5.95) every Friday night 'till 9pm. It also puts on a wonderful Sunday breakfast buffet ($5.95). Hours of Operation: Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday: 5:30am to 7pm This is a perfect "Fly-In" location. Park at the Jamestown Airport FBO right next door be a good guy and buy some fuel. The Jamestown Airport is located in the heart of Chautauqua County (BUFFALO VOR 210 degree radial, 40 miles).
Click HERE to see what other readers had to say about the most recent past issue of "Over the Airwaves." Click HERE to view the entire file of reader comments from all previous issues.
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
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Good news (I
think). The NTSB just released its preliminary general
aviation accident statistics for 2004. The good news is,
2004 proved to be one of the safest years ever! 
Turn,
Time, Twist, Throttle,
Talk . . . the mantra of every instrument student!
These are the very five words that can guarantee a sure passage of
the instrument checkride. More importantly, these five words
can save your bacon when things really get tough in the clag.
Western
New York lost a legend in aviation in August, 2004 with a tragic
crash that took the life of pilot Bill Law. Speculation
regarding the cause of this crash was understandably kept to a
minimum until the NTSB released its final report several weeks
ago.
The official probable cause was listed as: "The pilot's
mismanagement of the fuel by his failure to select the proper
fuel tank which resulted in starvation and subsequent loss of
engine power in both engines."
"Yikes,"
I said to myself as the left wing of our high performance single
hung precariously close to stall just 500 feet above the ground
as my student skidded from base to final on a practice circling
approach. "More right rudder," I
yelled as my own feet instinctively came alive to return the
ball from the right side of the inclinometer.
Louie
Nalbone is a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) from Dunkirk, NY.
Louie flies by the seat of his pants. Literally! He
can close his eyes and tell you if the inclinometer ball is
one-half scale to the right or to the left. I often accuse
him of having the most sensitive butt in the business!
Over
the Airwaves reader and WWII P-47 pilot, John Lipiarz,
recently commented upon the stringent standards used by U.S.
Army Air Corps check pilots in the selection and training of
young airmen. In short, if you didn't solo in 12 hours of
dual, you "Maytagged" (washed out)!
The
key players in this scenario was a former military transport pilot
with a gazillion flight hours and a certificated flight instructor
(me) . . . both chatting away on matters unrelated to this
critical phase of flight. You would think that one of us
would know better! Both did, but both were being
distracted by the other during the most critical of all phases of
flight.
soon be completing his
instrument rating! 
The
Aero Club of Buffalo Proudly Presents
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Up for "Over the Airwaves" . . . . .
