As the season transitions from fall to winter and the temperature is consistently below freezing, unique challenges are presented to pilots. Flight training doesn’t need to stop in the winter though; in fact the colder months provide some great opportunities to expand your knowledge on weather and aircraft operations in less than ideal conditions. There are other benefits too, including improved aircraft performance and nearly unlimited visibility on clear days.
Here are some winter weather tips to consider as the temperature gets colder:
Always carry winter weather gear – This first tip may seem like common sense, but I can’t stress enough the importance of carrying cold weather gear when the temperature gets below freezing. Most modern training airplanes provide a comfortable, warm cabin up in the air, even as the temperature approaches 0° F outside. This can cause a false sense of security and lead you into thinking that you may not need the extra clothing layers, gloves, hats, etc. But you have to always be prepared for an emergency landing, which could leave you in cold conditions for hours or even days. And the most important piece of cold weather gear? A cell phone of course.
Don’t rule out frost after you land – Most flight schools and aircraft owners are very conscious about frost forming on the airplane when left out on clear nights when the temperature is close to or below freezing. If your flight needs to get out early in the morning, the airplane should be hangared overnight and pulled out just before departure. There’s another time when frost can sneak up on you though, causing a delay if you’re not prepared. Let’s say you takeoff just before sunrise and head to another airport not too far away to visit the airport diner. When you come back to your airplane 30 – 60 minutes later, there’s a good chance you’ll find a fresh layer of frost on the wings and tail.
Practice takeoffs and landings on contaminated runways – Just because the runway at your airport has residual snow or slick spots doesn’t mean you have to cancel your flight lesson. In fact, ask any Alaskan bush pilot and they’ll probably tell you that landing on snow-covered runways is the norm rather than the exception in the winter. After a winter storm passes you’ll want to wait for the airport maintenance crew to clear the majority of snow from the runway. Then determine the braking action from the published NOTAM or from airport officials, which will be described as Good, Fair, Poor or Nil. If you and your instructor determine runway and braking conditions are suitable, continue on with your lesson. You’ll quickly learn the importance of speed control on final approach and how to make real-world use of the soft-field takeoff and landing techniques. Just be sure to taxi at slower than normal speeds and keep an eye on the wings when maneuvering near tall snow banks.
Review cold weather procedures for your aircraft – There’s probably a good chance you haven’t reviewed your aircraft’s cold weather normal and emergency procedures since last year (unless you had an FAA pilot checkride over the summer). I like to make it a habit each fall to pull out the POH for each aircraft I fly and review cold weather starting limitations, normal procedures and emergency checklists pertinent to cold weather ops. You should commit to memory temperature and battery limitations, starter duty cycle limits and the first few items in the checklist for an engine fire during start.
Recognize aircraft and engine limitations in cold weather – When the temperature is below freezing you’ll want to be more cautious about how you operate the aircraft engine. A good procedure is to avoid making sudden power changes as temperatures drop below 20°F and below. This means staying away from maneuvers like touch-n-gos, simulated engine failures and stall recoveries when the temperature is that cold.
Call ahead for cold-weather airport services – This tip is one to remember during your entire flying career. If you’re making a cross-country to another airport in the winter months and need some type of service from the FBO, call ahead first to verify it will be available. Don’t assume that because a particular FBO is at a large airport that they will have hangar space, engine pre-heat or other cold-weather service instantly available to you.
Make reports about the conditions you experience – In my flying experience the best weather reports don’t come from the National Weather Service, but rather from the pilots currently in the air and reporting the weather conditions they’re experiencing. These pilot reports (PIREPs) will provide you with actual temperatures aloft, cloud coverage and tops, and turbulence and icing reports, all packed into just a few lines of data. As an instrument pilot in the winter, I pay close attention to the icing reports (or lack thereof) to help determine cruise altitudes and where there might be moisture-free air between cloud layers. Make it a point to contribute to the system and relay your flight conditions to ATC when time permits. And don’t get in the habit of only making PIREPs when you experience unfavorable conditions — some of the most useful PIREPs are the ones describing flight above the cloud layers in smooth air.
It seems like every pilot is obsessed with making better landings, and why not? No matter how safely we conduct a flight, our passengers will judge us based on the final five seconds. Plunk it on and you’re a bad pilot; gently kiss the runway and you’re an ace. It’s unfair, but it’s reality.
Making great landings consistently is easier said than done, and it’s easy to fall for the latest “miracle cure.” I won’t offer any of those, because good landings result more from practice, discipline and hard work than quick fixes. But sometimes the right visualization is the key: if you can truly understand all the interrelated events that happen during landing, it’s easier to make the correct control inputs. Since everyone thinks a little differently, what works for you may not work for another pilot. That was certainly true for me.
Early in my flight training, I was really struggling with landings – like most student pilots. The takeoff went fine, the pattern was smooth and the initial approach was stabilized. But the last 25 feet was all over the place, often ending with a balloon and then a hard landing.
My flight instructor told me it was perfectly normal, but that didn’t make me feel much better. He offered a number of tips you’ve probably heard: fly a stabilized approach, focus on the end of the runway, make smooth control inputs. All of these are good tips, but they weren’t enough for me to consistently grease the landing.
Then one day he hit on the concept that made it all click for me. I was trying to do about five things simultaneously, in a matter of a few seconds: stop the descent, increase angle of attack, bleed off airspeed and stall the wing 2 inches above the runway. That’s a lot to ask of any pilot, especially one with 10 hours. Instead of this hopeless effort, my instructor suggested I break the landing into three distinct phases: final approach, roundout and flare.
To an experienced pilot, that may sound embarrassingly obvious. But to me, it was a breakthrough. While these three phases happen in quick succession, they are separate and the goal of each is different.
Final approach: be stabilized by 500 ft. AGL (on glide path, at proper approach speed and descent rate less than 700 fpm) or go-around and try it again. It is exponentially harder to make a good landing if you don’t cross the threshold in the right “energy state,” meaning at the right speed and altitude. Too little energy and you’ll stop flying too soon and plunk it on; too much and you’ll float or balloon.
Roundout: you can’t land without first arresting the descent, so don’t be in a hurry to start pulling back and getting the wheels on the ground. As you cross the threshold, gently pull back to slow or even stop the descent and get stabilized over the runway. This was the phase I was really missing, as I went right from the approach to touch down. It really helped my landings to focus on rounding out before I started to flare. It may only take a second or two, but it matters.
Flare: now for the part most student focus on, where you increase angle of attack and gently touch down. Since you are already stable over the runway and your descent has been slowed, you can carefully feel for the runway – no need for quick control inputs. And the tip to look at the end of the runway is really important here, since it will offer the proper visual cues.
An important corollary to this tip is to be patient: just set the right pitch attitude and wait. Don’t keep pulling back on the yoke if the wheels don’t hit the runway immediately, as that’s a great way to balloon. In a typical training airplane, a 4000 ft. runway is plenty long, so wait for the final few knots of airspeed to bleed off as you feel for the runway. Forcing it on never works.
In larger airplanes, this tip can be modified slightly – and bush pilots may scoff at such a slow motion landing. But for most pilots on most runways, breaking the landing into three phases and being patient will go a long way. It may even be enough for your passengers to clap.
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It’s that time of the year again; time to change the clock back 1 hour. The end of daylight saving time marks very little in aviation by itself. The immediate effect is having to change the amount of time that you subtract from UTC. At our flight school Sporty’s Academy, we are currently -4 Hrs UTC, but after Nov 1st when we return to standard time, we will revert to -5 UTC.
The most common difficulty experienced as a result of the time change are the time conversions while interpreting encoded weather reports and forecasts. The end of daylight saving time also signals the nearing of winter for most in the country. While cold weather flying topics will have to wait for another post, this time of year does limit the amount of daylight flying that we have access to. With those reduced daylight hours, we need to begin to prepare for our night flying activities.
Equipment –
To fly safely at night requires that a pilot be properly prepared for the occasion. The first item that most people think of are flashlights. Having the correct and operable flashlight is a must on any night flight and will assist in preflight, cockpit organization, navigation (chart/map reading), and as an emergency backup just to name a few. Since each of these functions requires a different type/intensity of light, it is a good idea to carry a flashlight that has both red and white functions, along with varied intensity settings. I like to carry a headlight and a hand flashlight, but use whatever works best for you.
Preparing for a potential electrical failure at night not only requires a flashlight, but also a handheld transceiver. You might be thinking that talking to ATC is the least of your worries in an emergency, but having that assistance can be a life-saver if the time comes. In addition, most non-towered airports have pilot -controlled lighting that requires a certain amount of “clicks” on the radio to activate the runway lighting. You never want to be forced to land on a dark runway.
If you are using digital charts on the iPad, take a closer look at this in-depth article from iPad Pilot News for proper iPad preparation.
Regulations –
Pilots who are preparing to fly at night already know there are additional equipment requirements for night flying per the regulations (FAR 91.205 (c)). This list covers the minimum equipment required to fly at night. In addition to the FAR minimum, don’t forget that some aircraft manufacturers also include a Kind of Equipment List (KOEL) that might provide for additional equipment that is required during night operations. I have always adopted a simple rule of thumb when it comes to night flying; if something is broken, don’t go flying.
Beyond equipment requirements, we also have other regulations to consider specific to night operations. Perhaps only in aviation could we come up with three different (and often confusing) definitions for the same word, night. The numerous definitions for night are in reference to the requirements to operate navigation lights; when you are able to log night experience; and when you must complete your landings for currency in order to carry passengers at night.
Let’s look at each requirement:
Navigation Lights – per FAR 91.209 (a) – you cannot operate an aircraft without operating lighted position lights from sunset to sunrise.
Recent Flight Experience – per FAR 61.57 (b) – no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period of 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise, unless in the proceeding 90 days, that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise.
Logging Night Time – per FAR 1.1 – the definition of night time for the logging of night experience is the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight as published by the American Air Almanac, converted to local time.
Each one of these is fairly simple and straight forward. The only detail that pilots often forget is to recall that night landing currency (in order to carry passengers) requires landings be made to a FULL STOP. In addition, one parameter often interpreted incorrectly, is the time for civil twilight. Before the advent of the internet, you would have to locate a printed copy of the American Air Almanac and find the time table for your local area. Thanks to modern access, you can visit a simple website and provide your closest major city for the correct local times (be careful to convert for daylight saving time).
So…you may be wondering why the confusion for some pilots. The answer comes in this scenario. Let’s say that we are going for a local night flight in Cincinnati, OH on May 2nd. After reviewing the table for the American Air Almanac, we discover that local sunset (adjusted) is 20:32 and the end of evening civil twilight is 21:01.
In this scenario we would could begin logging night time at 21:01, but the landings we are practicing wouldn’t count towards recent landing experience requirements until a pattern circuit began after 21:32 local. There would be 31 minutes of logged night flight time at which time any landings performed wouldn’t count toward carrying passengers.
In short, make sure that if you are going to log a night landing in your logbook that it also meets the requirements for 1 hour after sunset or make a notation that it doesn’t count to be sure you are in compliance with the regulations.
Emergencies –
While I could devote an entire article on the topic of night emergencies, keep in mind that our actions and checklists generally don’t change since we are at night. What does change are the complications that night brings with required electrical power to operate and see safely, limited outside visual definition (e.g. is that a field or a lake?), and cockpit organization and viewability. Take the necessary time to sit with a CFI and review your aircraft’s emergency and abnormal procedures and discuss what changes or complications exist in a night scenario. Then, go out and fly some of these scenarios to put this into practice.
The dreaded engine failure at night is often the most discussed and feared. While there is no one procedure that can adequately prepare you for all possible off airport landings at night, your local CFI will have suggestions and practice scenarios that you can help you prepare to minimize some of the uncertainties.
Night flying isn’t all work and no fun. Most of my night flights over the years were smooth flights with amazing visibilities and quiet ATC chatter. Nothing compares to a beautiful sunset from the sky and flying along into the night hours and watching the city lights come to life.
Here’s to your next night flight. Enjoy!
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“Sporty’s Clermont County Airport, automated weather observation, 1823 Zulu weather, winds 310 at 13 peak gust 19…wind direction variable 230, 360…” I was turning final for Runway 22 at I69 and made another brief check of the AWOS on Comm2 in the Sporty’s 172LITE I was ferrying back from the paint shop. I knew things were about to get busy. The swirling winds meant a best case scenario of 13 knot winds nearly straight down the runway with only a 2 knot right crosswind to a worse case of nearly 20 knot crosswind from a freshening wind during the round-out and flair for landing.
Hundreds of pages, thousands of blogs and an incalculable number of bulletin board posts have been written on how to consistently land a light aircraft. Some strongly advocate a “crab approach” and others are just as adamant about the “slip approach.” This video (below) showing mighty airliners struggling with strong and shifting winds (I don’t know the demonstrated crosswind component of any of the depicted aircraft but this author considers any crosswind whereby the observer can see the left side of the airplane while filming from the right side of the runway, or visa versa, as strong.) It is important to note that the low slung nacelles housing the engines on many airlines preclude any slip near the ground and their landing gear are designed to survive the tremendous side-loads encountered in a crab to the ground landing. The GA airplanes we fly likely aren’t.
For us little airplane guys, whether single or twin, tail-dragger or nose-dragger, it is imperative that at the moment the wheels touch the runway, the longitudinal axis of the aircraft is aligned with the ground track and the aircraft is not drifting laterally to the left or the right. Violating these tenants can result in: 1) Uncomfortable side loads. 2) Premature departure from the runway. 3) Damage to airport equipment –signage, lighting, etc. 4) Landing gear failure. 5) Airframe damage. 6) Any combination of the above causing substantial damage to the pilot’s ego and/or flattening of his or her wallet.
First a little bit of good news. The winds are almost always more unruly at 500 feet AGL than they are near the ground. Friction with the ground will encourage the atmosphere to slow down and diminish turbulence. Any notion of “I can handle this” on short final will likely improve during the round-out and flair with the exception of variable gusting winds that can’t seem to make up their mind which way and how hard they want to blow.
Sir Isaac Newton in the late 1600’s postulated the notion of inertia – an object tends to keep doing whatever it is doing unless acted upon by unbalanced forces. Now you would think that would mean that once you got the airplane heading straight in a landing it would continue straight down the runway and it would – until you consider the lack of balance in the forces acting upon it. Lift is decreasing; drag will decrease dramatically as the airplane slows and descends into ground effect; a crosswind means more force is coming at the airplane from one side than the other; and the aircraft’s tendency to weathervane increases as its speed slows and the headwind component fades into the crosswind.
Another consideration is that during a gust, the aircraft will tend to maintain groundspeed causing the airspeed to increase, thus increasing lift. When the gust subsides, the airspeed will decrease, lift will also decrease and may require a burst of power to prevent the airplane from settling prematurely or forcefully onto the pavement. Needless to say, a crosswind landing will require the pilot’s full attention and it’s not a time to be engaged in conversation or answering a text.
So how did I handle this landing? Count me in the crabbing approach enthusiast category. Although I had no passengers this time, the un-coordinated flight of a slip will have your passengers leaning and wondering what is going on. Airplanes are built to be stable about the roll axis so why not take advantage of the engineers work for as long as possible? Besides, whatever control inputs are required to maintain the appropriate slip at 250 feet probably won’t work during the flair.
My airspeed varied widely with the gusts from 55 to 65 knots after extending 20 degrees of flaps. Normally I am a full flap, full stall landing kind of guy, but reducing flap deflection will increase the stall speed and therefore, landing airspeed. The aircraft’s ability to land straight on the center line in a crosswind is determined by its rudder effectiveness. Run out of rudder authority and the airplane will start to turn into the wind regardless of any other control inputs. Increasing the landing speed will make the rudder more effective until (hopefully) there is enough weight on the tires to provide adequate friction with the runway to keep everything going straight. The landing flair is NOT the time to be timid with control inputs.
Feel free to go stop to stop with rudder control to keep the airplane’s longitudinal axis aligned with the runway and aileron input to stop any drifting from side to side. During the flair, looking as far down the runway as possible helps keep the centerline between my knees and everything aligned. An important part of any landing – especially a stiff crosswind landing – is to be prepared, indeed spring loaded, for a go around. And a go-around could begin even after you have 1, 2 or 3 wheels on the ground.
From the air the pilot can choose to make another approach and hope the winds are better. Another option is to find another runway with more favorable winds. But the go around must be executed at the first sign of control loss. When the aircraft is heading through the weeds destroying landing lights along the way – all other options are automatically eliminated.
I have done it. Often pilots have a tendency to relax once the tires are on the pavement. My tailwheel experience has taught me that the flight is never over until all the parts have quit moving and this adage is applicable to tricycle airplanes as well – especially in a crosswind!
While it is true that tricycle geared airplanes sit on the ground with a near zero angle of attack, the wings can build sufficient lift during a gust to launch back into the air, so the correct flight control position should be vigilantly maintained until you get to the hangar or tie-down (remember to “turn” into a headwind and “dive” away from a tailwind). Raising any flaps deployed (you may elect to make a no-flap landing in a stiff crosswind) as soon as practical will reduce lift and decrease the chance of a gust taking the airplane (or half of it) airborne.
If you are a student pilot and nearing your check ride, insist to your instructor to devote a lesson (or more) to crosswind landings and takeoffs. If you are an experienced pilot whose crosswind skills have gotten a bit rusty (if they ever existed), find a flight instructor or trusted mentor to explore your crosswind envelope. Remember the demonstrated crosswind component listed in the POH is not regulatory, but your FBO or flight school may have rules about exceeding these limits.
Indeed most landings will involve some crosswind. Honing your technique by landing precisely in the small crosswinds will pay dividends as the winds freshen. Crosswinds are a fact of piloting life, resolve to become the master of – rather than a slave to them.
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Whether talking about flight training or any other type of training, in most cases, proper preparation can save you a lot of frustration and money. The only time that I can think of that it won’t help is if you happen to study the wrong material and you have to unlearn your home study materials.
In a recent post on paying for flight training, Chief Radtke briefly touched on being prepared as a way to save money on your flight training. This post will expound on that information, get into a few more details, and offer some additional suggestions.
What Should I Study?
Recently, I spent a week at SkyBlue Jet Aviation, a flight school in Stuart, Florida, that offers jet transition training using an Advanced Aviation Training Device and the actual jet aircraft. In my case, I went there to earn my Citation 500 type rating. After deciding on the school for my training, one of the first things I asked was, “What should I know before I arrive?” My training coordinator at the school obliged with an email containing several documents and instructions for studying them.
“What should I study?” or “What should I know before I arrive?” should also be questions that you ask of any flight training organization before you start. If your contact at the school or the flight instructor that you are planning to spend your hard earned money with can’t provide you with or direct you to material to review before your training, I would suggest looking for another flight training provider.
As Chief Radtke said in his article, you should “own your training experience.”
Find out what type of aircraft the flight training organization will be using, including the make, model, and year. If multiple aircraft will be used, find out what the school or instructor uses for their standard aircraft. Use this information to obtain a copy of the appropriate aircraft flight manual or pilot information manual. The flight school should be able to steer you to the correct document. Depending on the aircraft, some manufacturers post a PDF of the manual on their website. You may also be able to obtain a copy from a reputable aircraft manual dealer.
At Sporty’s Academy, we direct new primary students to begin studying our “Learn to Fly” course prior to arriving for training. If a student walks in the door and wants to start tomorrow, we will get them started with the “Learn to Fly” course material immediately in conjunction with the flight training. We also encourage them to become familiar with our maneuver’s guide. This may make less sense to the student prior to training but is very valuable for “chair flying” or practicing between flights once the training has begun.
Experience has shown that students who study both before and during their flight training are more likely to have a successful outcome and smoother training experience. Time spent studying pays off in both shorter training and reduced costs.
Getting the study suggestions directly from the training provider will help to ensure that you don’t have to unlearn any bad information obtained from another source.
While my own week in Florida was very intense and my instructors did a great job (thanks all!), arriving as well prepared as I could and spending a few extra hours each evening at the hotel, along with an excellent course of instruction, made my final checkride a success. I didn’t see much of the beach that week but that was not why I was there. I had a mission to complete and I owned my training experience.
I hope that you will own your training experience as well.
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Whether for a career, recreation or both, you need a plan
For those considering a career as a professional pilot, you’ll be excited to know that Boeing continues to predict strong demand for professional pilots. Boeing’s highly regarded Pilot and Technician Outlook, updated for 2015, projects that over the next 20 years, the world will require 558,000 new commercial airline pilots. This forecast represents a 4% increase in pilot demand over its 2014 forecast. Yes, it’s hard to imagine a more opportune time to embark on an aviation career.
No matter your ultimate aviation goal, whether it recreation, business, career or simply a new adventure, everyone must solo. The first solo is followed by a variety of certification pathways depending on your ultimate destination. Each path requires varying levels of investment.
As the adage goes, it takes money to operate an aircraft, and while there are innovative new concepts to help control the rising costs of pilot training (everything from less expensive re-manufactured aircraft to alternative energy sources), we shouldn’t expect dramatic decreases in the costs associated with flying airplanes. Instead, let’s be realistic about what it’s going to take and make a plan to get there.
Do your homework. Research and learn what the real investment will be (in both time and money) to accomplish your pilot training. The time investment is often overlooked due to the more obvious financial challenges of learning to fly. But allotting the right amount of time and garnering the support of your personal network of friends, family and other loved ones, will have a profound impact on your monetary investment.
Your continuity of training is of paramount importance in reaching your goals. At Sporty’s Academy, we recommend at least a two to three day per week commitment to ensure adequate retention and also to allow for proper time in between lessons for preparation. In short, this is the most efficient utilization of your time and money.
Regarding the dollars and cents, often time perspective pilots mistakenly follow shamefully misleading information regarding costs based on minimum FAA training requirements. While not impossible, reaching a certification milestone at minimum experience requirements in today’s age of more complicated aircraft with greater capability in more complex airspace, is not likely. And “minimums” certainly shouldn’t be used for financial planning purposes.
A better method is to base your planning on average training time. If you’re not able to gather this information from the flight school you are considering, that could be a bad omen. Also any personal connections you may have with existing pilots who can say with certainty how much time and money it took to accomplish their training would be invaluable. As a point of reference, averages can range from 50-70 hours for a Private pilot certification. So let’s discuss steps you can take to get to the low end or below average training time.
Prepare yourself. The phrase I like to use with new and perspective flight training customers is to “own your training experience.” There are numerous resources available to pilots to assist in the training process and lower the time and money to completion. It’s a matter of understanding what’s available and utilizing the material effectively. Most impactful will be the use of a complete home-study or distance-learning program as ground school and to complete the FAA written test as well as a flight preparation resource.
While there are differing schools of thought, I support the approach of completing a complete home study course prior to engaging in the in-airplane training phase. This will not only provide a solid footing and more educated view of the process, but also allow you to complete the FAA written testing component so your 100% attention can be focused on the flight training component. And I’ve seen this process work well for pilots of all different backgrounds.
Once you’ve completed your home study, the home study doesn’t end. Consider as a standing homework assignment to always be looking forward in the syllabus and when you come upon a topic to be introduced on the next lesson, attempt to become an expert by referencing your home study course or the various FAA or other online documents related to that topic. The presence and use of a syllabus (or training course outline) is critical and should not to be compromised. If you’re unsure of whether you’re following a training outline, of if the instructor or flight school has difficulty in producing its syllabus, this would be yet another red flag.
While referenced above, it’s worth reiterating that maintaining a regular training schedule to ensure effective continuity is imperative to a successful and enjoyable learning experience. The training industry typically experience high turnover among flight instructors, but a reputable flight school should be able to manage any changes of instructor. And that is a question you may wish to pose when evaluating training facilities.
Paying the bills. Now that you’ve determined what it will take in terms of time and money, the next step is ensuring the funding is in place to see your training through. While it’s necessary to have an accurate estimate of what the entire learning experience will cost, keep in mind that it doesn’t need to be paid up front. Most schools will accept payment as you progress for services rendered. Be skeptical of any organization requiring fees to be paid ahead of providing the service.
If you don’t have the current means or option to save in order to fund your training out of pocket, consider a financing source. There could be personal connections through family or friends that would be willing to invest in your success. There are some flight training institutions that have financing options available directly. Also consider Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) – the largest pilot association in the world – which also offers financing for flight training through AOPA Finance.
Scholarships are available for pilot training. If you’re enrolled in a career program through an institution of higher learning, scholarship opportunities are more numerous, but they still exist for everyone. Once again, I’ll point to AOPA as a potential resource for both a directory of potential scholarship sources and also Future Airline Pilots of American (FAPA) and Women in Aviation International.
A few words of wisdom on scholarship applications:
Carefully review scholarship requirements to ensure eligibility before applying
Be meticulous in reviewing forms and items that must be submitted with applications and be accurate in your completion
Stand out in the crowd – include background, service and experiences that are uniquely you
Don’t procrastinate – if required to obtain a letter of reference, start early and don’t expect those who may offer recommendations to be able to deliver a polished letter on a day’s notice
Respect the deadlines – deadlines do not mean post marked. Allow enough time for your applications to arrive well ahead of deadlines
Establish goals and work around obstacles. A worthy exercise in beginning your journey is take inventory of your goals and priorities. If you’re like most, you can’t exactly slide pilot training into an already busy schedule so most likely, there will have to be some give and take in life’s commitments. The inventory will help you identify those activities that can be placed on hold in order to meet your goals.
Establish both short and long-term goals to help maintain your focus. Your list of goals should be a work in progress. Make modifications when things progress better than planned and when things don’t go as well as planned. Everyone will experience a learning plateau. Use task lists, calendars and other support mechanisms to effectively manage your time. As much as aviation seems like an individualized activity, a network of support can be a major boost.
Enjoy the experience. Remember, the training experience is only the gateway…a means to the real beginning. The freedom, adventure and rewards of aviation are just beginning at pilot certification. For the health of mind and body, take the time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re headed. Coming to the airport should not always be about the next lesson. Involve yourself in the aviation community and get to know the pilots around you who can also offer support. After all, the airport is a fun place to be.
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Winter weather flying refresher
/in Tips and technique/by StudentpltnewsHere are some winter weather tips to consider as the temperature gets colder:
The one tip that finally helped me land better
/in Tips and technique/by StudentpltnewsIt seems like every pilot is obsessed with making better landings, and why not? No matter how safely we conduct a flight, our passengers will judge us based on the final five seconds. Plunk it on and you’re a bad pilot; gently kiss the runway and you’re an ace. It’s unfair, but it’s reality.
Making great landings consistently is easier said than done, and it’s easy to fall for the latest “miracle cure.” I won’t offer any of those, because good landings result more from practice, discipline and hard work than quick fixes. But sometimes the right visualization is the key: if you can truly understand all the interrelated events that happen during landing, it’s easier to make the correct control inputs. Since everyone thinks a little differently, what works for you may not work for another pilot. That was certainly true for me.
Early in my flight training, I was really struggling with landings – like most student pilots. The takeoff went fine, the pattern was smooth and the initial approach was stabilized. But the last 25 feet was all over the place, often ending with a balloon and then a hard landing.
My flight instructor told me it was perfectly normal, but that didn’t make me feel much better. He offered a number of tips you’ve probably heard: fly a stabilized approach, focus on the end of the runway, make smooth control inputs. All of these are good tips, but they weren’t enough for me to consistently grease the landing.
Then one day he hit on the concept that made it all click for me. I was trying to do about five things simultaneously, in a matter of a few seconds: stop the descent, increase angle of attack, bleed off airspeed and stall the wing 2 inches above the runway. That’s a lot to ask of any pilot, especially one with 10 hours. Instead of this hopeless effort, my instructor suggested I break the landing into three distinct phases: final approach, roundout and flare.
To an experienced pilot, that may sound embarrassingly obvious. But to me, it was a breakthrough. While these three phases happen in quick succession, they are separate and the goal of each is different.
An important corollary to this tip is to be patient: just set the right pitch attitude and wait. Don’t keep pulling back on the yoke if the wheels don’t hit the runway immediately, as that’s a great way to balloon. In a typical training airplane, a 4000 ft. runway is plenty long, so wait for the final few knots of airspeed to bleed off as you feel for the runway. Forcing it on never works.
In larger airplanes, this tip can be modified slightly – and bush pilots may scoff at such a slow motion landing. But for most pilots on most runways, breaking the landing into three phases and being patient will go a long way. It may even be enough for your passengers to clap.
Time to change the clocks
/in Tips and technique/by StudentpltnewsIt’s that time of the year again; time to change the clock back 1 hour. The end of daylight saving time marks very little in aviation by itself. The immediate effect is having to change the amount of time that you subtract from UTC. At our flight school Sporty’s Academy, we are currently -4 Hrs UTC, but after Nov 1st when we return to standard time, we will revert to -5 UTC.
The most common difficulty experienced as a result of the time change are the time conversions while interpreting encoded weather reports and forecasts. The end of daylight saving time also signals the nearing of winter for most in the country. While cold weather flying topics will have to wait for another post, this time of year does limit the amount of daylight flying that we have access to. With those reduced daylight hours, we need to begin to prepare for our night flying activities.
Equipment –
To fly safely at night requires that a pilot be properly prepared for the occasion. The first item that most people think of are flashlights. Having the correct and operable flashlight is a must on any night flight and will assist in preflight, cockpit organization, navigation (chart/map reading), and as an emergency backup just to name a few. Since each of these functions requires a different type/intensity of light, it is a good idea to carry a flashlight that has both red and white functions, along with varied intensity settings. I like to carry a headlight and a hand flashlight, but use whatever works best for you.
Preparing for a potential electrical failure at night not only requires a flashlight, but also a handheld transceiver. You might be thinking that talking to ATC is the least of your worries in an emergency, but having that assistance can be a life-saver if the time comes. In addition, most non-towered airports have pilot -controlled lighting that requires a certain amount of “clicks” on the radio to activate the runway lighting. You never want to be forced to land on a dark runway.
If you are using digital charts on the iPad, take a closer look at this in-depth article from iPad Pilot News for proper iPad preparation.
Regulations –
Pilots who are preparing to fly at night already know there are additional equipment requirements for night flying per the regulations (FAR 91.205 (c)). This list covers the minimum equipment required to fly at night. In addition to the FAR minimum, don’t forget that some aircraft manufacturers also include a Kind of Equipment List (KOEL) that might provide for additional equipment that is required during night operations. I have always adopted a simple rule of thumb when it comes to night flying; if something is broken, don’t go flying.
Beyond equipment requirements, we also have other regulations to consider specific to night operations. Perhaps only in aviation could we come up with three different (and often confusing) definitions for the same word, night. The numerous definitions for night are in reference to the requirements to operate navigation lights; when you are able to log night experience; and when you must complete your landings for currency in order to carry passengers at night.
Let’s look at each requirement:
Each one of these is fairly simple and straight forward. The only detail that pilots often forget is to recall that night landing currency (in order to carry passengers) requires landings be made to a FULL STOP. In addition, one parameter often interpreted incorrectly, is the time for civil twilight. Before the advent of the internet, you would have to locate a printed copy of the American Air Almanac and find the time table for your local area. Thanks to modern access, you can visit a simple website and provide your closest major city for the correct local times (be careful to convert for daylight saving time).
So…you may be wondering why the confusion for some pilots. The answer comes in this scenario. Let’s say that we are going for a local night flight in Cincinnati, OH on May 2nd. After reviewing the table for the American Air Almanac, we discover that local sunset (adjusted) is 20:32 and the end of evening civil twilight is 21:01.
In this scenario we would could begin logging night time at 21:01, but the landings we are practicing wouldn’t count towards recent landing experience requirements until a pattern circuit began after 21:32 local. There would be 31 minutes of logged night flight time at which time any landings performed wouldn’t count toward carrying passengers.
In short, make sure that if you are going to log a night landing in your logbook that it also meets the requirements for 1 hour after sunset or make a notation that it doesn’t count to be sure you are in compliance with the regulations.
Emergencies –
While I could devote an entire article on the topic of night emergencies, keep in mind that our actions and checklists generally don’t change since we are at night. What does change are the complications that night brings with required electrical power to operate and see safely, limited outside visual definition (e.g. is that a field or a lake?), and cockpit organization and viewability. Take the necessary time to sit with a CFI and review your aircraft’s emergency and abnormal procedures and discuss what changes or complications exist in a night scenario. Then, go out and fly some of these scenarios to put this into practice.
The dreaded engine failure at night is often the most discussed and feared. While there is no one procedure that can adequately prepare you for all possible off airport landings at night, your local CFI will have suggestions and practice scenarios that you can help you prepare to minimize some of the uncertainties.
Night flying isn’t all work and no fun. Most of my night flights over the years were smooth flights with amazing visibilities and quiet ATC chatter. Nothing compares to a beautiful sunset from the sky and flying along into the night hours and watching the city lights come to life.
Here’s to your next night flight. Enjoy!
Corralling the crosswind
/in Tips and technique/by StudentpltnewsHundreds of pages, thousands of blogs and an incalculable number of bulletin board posts have been written on how to consistently land a light aircraft. Some strongly advocate a “crab approach” and others are just as adamant about the “slip approach.” This video (below) showing mighty airliners struggling with strong and shifting winds (I don’t know the demonstrated crosswind component of any of the depicted aircraft but this author considers any crosswind whereby the observer can see the left side of the airplane while filming from the right side of the runway, or visa versa, as strong.) It is important to note that the low slung nacelles housing the engines on many airlines preclude any slip near the ground and their landing gear are designed to survive the tremendous side-loads encountered in a crab to the ground landing. The GA airplanes we fly likely aren’t.
For us little airplane guys, whether single or twin, tail-dragger or nose-dragger, it is imperative that at the moment the wheels touch the runway, the longitudinal axis of the aircraft is aligned with the ground track and the aircraft is not drifting laterally to the left or the right. Violating these tenants can result in: 1) Uncomfortable side loads. 2) Premature departure from the runway. 3) Damage to airport equipment –signage, lighting, etc. 4) Landing gear failure. 5) Airframe damage. 6) Any combination of the above causing substantial damage to the pilot’s ego and/or flattening of his or her wallet.
Sir Isaac Newton in the late 1600’s postulated the notion of inertia – an object tends to keep doing whatever it is doing unless acted upon by unbalanced forces. Now you would think that would mean that once you got the airplane heading straight in a landing it would continue straight down the runway and it would – until you consider the lack of balance in the forces acting upon it. Lift is decreasing; drag will decrease dramatically as the airplane slows and descends into ground effect; a crosswind means more force is coming at the airplane from one side than the other; and the aircraft’s tendency to weathervane increases as its speed slows and the headwind component fades into the crosswind.
So how did I handle this landing? Count me in the crabbing approach enthusiast category. Although I had no passengers this time, the un-coordinated flight of a slip will have your passengers leaning and wondering what is going on. Airplanes are built to be stable about the roll axis so why not take advantage of the engineers work for as long as possible? Besides, whatever control inputs are required to maintain the appropriate slip at 250 feet probably won’t work during the flair.
My airspeed varied widely with the gusts from 55 to 65 knots after extending 20 degrees of flaps. Normally I am a full flap, full stall landing kind of guy, but reducing flap deflection will increase the stall speed and therefore, landing airspeed. The aircraft’s ability to land straight on the center line in a crosswind is determined by its rudder effectiveness. Run out of rudder authority and the airplane will start to turn into the wind regardless of any other control inputs. Increasing the landing speed will make the rudder more effective until (hopefully) there is enough weight on the tires to provide adequate friction with the runway to keep everything going straight. The landing flair is NOT the time to be timid with control inputs.
From the air the pilot can choose to make another approach and hope the winds are better. Another option is to find another runway with more favorable winds. But the go around must be executed at the first sign of control loss. When the aircraft is heading through the weeds destroying landing lights along the way – all other options are automatically eliminated.
I have done it. Often pilots have a tendency to relax once the tires are on the pavement. My tailwheel experience has taught me that the flight is never over until all the parts have quit moving and this adage is applicable to tricycle airplanes as well – especially in a crosswind!
While it is true that tricycle geared airplanes sit on the ground with a near zero angle of attack, the wings can build sufficient lift during a gust to launch back into the air, so the correct flight control position should be vigilantly maintained until you get to the hangar or tie-down (remember to “turn” into a headwind and “dive” away from a tailwind). Raising any flaps deployed (you may elect to make a no-flap landing in a stiff crosswind) as soon as practical will reduce lift and decrease the chance of a gust taking the airplane (or half of it) airborne.
If you are a student pilot and nearing your check ride, insist to your instructor to devote a lesson (or more) to crosswind landings and takeoffs. If you are an experienced pilot whose crosswind skills have gotten a bit rusty (if they ever existed), find a flight instructor or trusted mentor to explore your crosswind envelope. Remember the demonstrated crosswind component listed in the POH is not regulatory, but your FBO or flight school may have rules about exceeding these limits.
Indeed most landings will involve some crosswind. Honing your technique by landing precisely in the small crosswinds will pay dividends as the winds freshen. Crosswinds are a fact of piloting life, resolve to become the master of – rather than a slave to them.
Are You Prepared to Save Money on Flight Training?
/in Get Started, Tips and technique/by StudentpltnewsWhether talking about flight training or any other type of training, in most cases, proper preparation can save you a lot of frustration and money. The only time that I can think of that it won’t help is if you happen to study the wrong material and you have to unlearn your home study materials.
In a recent post on paying for flight training, Chief Radtke briefly touched on being prepared as a way to save money on your flight training. This post will expound on that information, get into a few more details, and offer some additional suggestions.
What Should I Study?
“What should I study?” or “What should I know before I arrive?” should also be questions that you ask of any flight training organization before you start. If your contact at the school or the flight instructor that you are planning to spend your hard earned money with can’t provide you with or direct you to material to review before your training, I would suggest looking for another flight training provider.
As Chief Radtke said in his article, you should “own your training experience.”
At Sporty’s Academy, we direct new primary students to begin studying our “Learn to Fly” course prior to arriving for training. If a student walks in the door and wants to start tomorrow, we will get them started with the “Learn to Fly” course material immediately in conjunction with the flight training. We also encourage them to become familiar with our maneuver’s guide. This may make less sense to the student prior to training but is very valuable for “chair flying” or practicing between flights once the training has begun.
Advanced flight training clients are also encouraged to prepare. Depending on their course of training, we may direct them to Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course, So You Want to Fly Twins, Sporty’s Garmin G1000 Checkout course, or So You Want To Fly Gliders, just to name a few. We also have other internal documents, workbooks, worksheets, and checklists that we will ask the student to review before arrival.
Getting the study suggestions directly from the training provider will help to ensure that you don’t have to unlearn any bad information obtained from another source.
While my own week in Florida was very intense and my instructors did a great job (thanks all!), arriving as well prepared as I could and spending a few extra hours each evening at the hotel, along with an excellent course of instruction, made my final checkride a success. I didn’t see much of the beach that week but that was not why I was there. I had a mission to complete and I owned my training experience.
I hope that you will own your training experience as well.
How do you pay for flight training
/in Get Started, Tips and technique/by StudentpltnewsWhether for a career, recreation or both, you need a plan
No matter your ultimate aviation goal, whether it recreation, business, career or simply a new adventure, everyone must solo. The first solo is followed by a variety of certification pathways depending on your ultimate destination. Each path requires varying levels of investment.
As the adage goes, it takes money to operate an aircraft, and while there are innovative new concepts to help control the rising costs of pilot training (everything from less expensive re-manufactured aircraft to alternative energy sources), we shouldn’t expect dramatic decreases in the costs associated with flying airplanes. Instead, let’s be realistic about what it’s going to take and make a plan to get there.
Your continuity of training is of paramount importance in reaching your goals. At Sporty’s Academy, we recommend at least a two to three day per week commitment to ensure adequate retention and also to allow for proper time in between lessons for preparation. In short, this is the most efficient utilization of your time and money.
Regarding the dollars and cents, often time perspective pilots mistakenly follow shamefully misleading information regarding costs based on minimum FAA training requirements. While not impossible, reaching a certification milestone at minimum experience requirements in today’s age of more complicated aircraft with greater capability in more complex airspace, is not likely. And “minimums” certainly shouldn’t be used for financial planning purposes.
A better method is to base your planning on average training time. If you’re not able to gather this information from the flight school you are considering, that could be a bad omen. Also any personal connections you may have with existing pilots who can say with certainty how much time and money it took to accomplish their training would be invaluable. As a point of reference, averages can range from 50-70 hours for a Private pilot certification. So let’s discuss steps you can take to get to the low end or below average training time.
While there are differing schools of thought, I support the approach of completing a complete home study course prior to engaging in the in-airplane training phase. This will not only provide a solid footing and more educated view of the process, but also allow you to complete the FAA written testing component so your 100% attention can be focused on the flight training component. And I’ve seen this process work well for pilots of all different backgrounds.
Once you’ve completed your home study, the home study doesn’t end. Consider as a standing homework assignment to always be looking forward in the syllabus and when you come upon a topic to be introduced on the next lesson, attempt to become an expert by referencing your home study course or the various FAA or other online documents related to that topic. The presence and use of a syllabus (or training course outline) is critical and should not to be compromised. If you’re unsure of whether you’re following a training outline, of if the instructor or flight school has difficulty in producing its syllabus, this would be yet another red flag.
While referenced above, it’s worth reiterating that maintaining a regular training schedule to ensure effective continuity is imperative to a successful and enjoyable learning experience. The training industry typically experience high turnover among flight instructors, but a reputable flight school should be able to manage any changes of instructor. And that is a question you may wish to pose when evaluating training facilities.
If you don’t have the current means or option to save in order to fund your training out of pocket, consider a financing source. There could be personal connections through family or friends that would be willing to invest in your success. There are some flight training institutions that have financing options available directly. Also consider Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) – the largest pilot association in the world – which also offers financing for flight training through AOPA Finance.
Scholarships are available for pilot training. If you’re enrolled in a career program through an institution of higher learning, scholarship opportunities are more numerous, but they still exist for everyone. Once again, I’ll point to AOPA as a potential resource for both a directory of potential scholarship sources and also Future Airline Pilots of American (FAPA) and Women in Aviation International.
A few words of wisdom on scholarship applications:
Establish both short and long-term goals to help maintain your focus. Your list of goals should be a work in progress. Make modifications when things progress better than planned and when things don’t go as well as planned. Everyone will experience a learning plateau. Use task lists, calendars and other support mechanisms to effectively manage your time. As much as aviation seems like an individualized activity, a network of support can be a major boost.