Earlier this week I witnessed something not all that common in general aviation – an FAA Ramp Check. If you’ve never heard of a ramp check, that’s not surprising as again, it’s not a common occurrence in general aviation. But at the same time, while not the most pleasant topic related to your flying, it’s important to know what a ramp check entails and more importantly, to know how to properly manage a ramp check.
It’s also important to know exactly what will be expected of the pilot as well what to expect from the FAA. So while many pilots will fly a lifetime and not experience a ramp check, it’s something that we’re all subject to as pilots. It could happen anywhere at anytime and is officially an investigation of your own flight operation.
By definition, a ramp check is surveillance of an airman, operator, or air agency during actual operations at an airport or heliport. It’s conducted by FAA to ensure that you are conducting flights safely and in compliance with regulations. Although generally friendly and straightforward, some result in counseling or correction letters and in the worst case scenario, enforcement actions against the pilot.
A ramp check may occur when an inspector observes unsafe operations in a traffic pattern or ramp area or is notified by ATC of an unsafe operation. They can also occur randomly as part of FAA’s normal surveillance. The latter is what is typical of most non-commercial ramp checks.
A typical check will involve an inspection of the pilot’s airman and medical certificates as well as photo identification, aircraft documents and a walk-around inspection. The inspector is NOT authorized to board the aircraft without permission, but is able to look through open doors or windows.
If you’re a Student, Sport or Recreational pilot required to carry evidence of logbook endorsement, the inspector will also review this information. The inspector may use a job-aid which is a good thing as it means a standardized check. While few pilots would enjoy such an experience, a positive and diplomatic attitude is generally helpful.
Related to aircraft documents, the inspector will want to review the Airworthiness Certificate to ensure it’s visible, on-board and matches the aircraft’s tail number. The registration certificate should also match the aircraft tail number and inspectors are now examining registration expiration dates since all registrations must be renewed. The POH must also be on-bard to ensure the pilot has access to the aircraft’s limitations as well as required markings and placards. Current weight and balance information for the aircraft may also be reviewed.
In the unlikely event that a discrepancy is found, it must be noted on the job aid and discussed with the operator. The inspection continues unless a discrepancy is discovered that would affect safety or result in a violation of an FAR. If this were to occur, an FAA Condition Notice (8620-1) may be issued. Discrepancies concerning airworthiness or registration certificates will also be brought to the attention of the operator, documented and referred for any follow-up action.
Recommendations if you’re subject of a ramp check – be courteous and cooperative. Also be busy. Inspectors are not authorized to delay a flight; however, most are very respectful of this requirement and will likely only request a check at the conclusion of a flight.
Do not volunteer more information than what is required. Remember, no matter how “friendly” this process may appear, anything you say or do may be used against you. And finally, keep in an easily referenced location at least the following information: Medical, Pilot Certificate & Photo ID / Airworthiness / Registration / Flight Manual / Weight and Balance Data.
If you’re curious, the ramp inspection I witnessed took place right here at Sporty’s Academy. It was part of FAA’s random surveillance. Two inspectors arrived on-site and in a very courteous manner, simply stated they were there to conduct a single inspection of a training flight conducted under FAA Part 141. The inspectors patiently waited for a flight to return meeting those requirements and used the opportunity to educate both the student and instructor on what occurs as part of a ramp check. In this instance, it was indeed positive and educational. No discrepancies were noted and the entire process took less than 5 minutes.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/05183447/Eric-Sean-Airplane1-300x168-1.png168300studentpltnewshttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngstudentpltnews2013-08-07 15:30:182021-06-08 19:23:48FAA Ramp Checks – Know Your Rights
Flight school, albeit fun, can be a real drag. I can recall fretting over the next “turns around a point” lesson for the fourth time. Don’t get me wrong, any chance you have to get in the air and burn some 100LL is a great day, but looking at the upcoming lesson outline would often have me praying for a rain out.
The cure for my boring outlook on the next lesson came one day from my instructor who also wasn’t thrilled about having to teach the same lesson to four students on the same day. He introduced me to the marvel of the airport cafe.
Upon my arrival at the airport, my instructor commented “you want to do lunch?” My first thought was that he was asking me on a date. “You’re really not my type, but I could go for some fast food before we head up.” Little did I know, lunch was actually going to take place as part of the flight lesson.
Scheduling a three hour flight block, we took off with the intent of doing some basic maneuvers. Heading out to the practice area, we started on the boring stuff: turns around a point, turn to heading, climbs, descents, etc. Leveling off after ten minutes of doing what seemed to be random maneuvers, he asked me where we were. As basic as that may sound, I wasn’t exactly prepared to answer at this point.
Looking out the window, I didn’t see anything that looked familiar. And my instructor’s grin indicated that I was on my own to figure it out. Dialing up the ADF (starting to show my age), I turned to a heading that would take us back at our home airport. He promptly put an “Inop” sticker over the indicator and told my to try again using the visual landmarks around us.
Admittedly frustrated, I reluctantly consulted the chart. I found the one airport not too far from home base next to a large river and concluded that we’ve wandered over near Middletown Ohio (MWO). After locating the appropriate frequency, we made a position report. I barely released the PTT switch when my instructor pulled his favorite lever: the throttle. “There goes your engine. Now what?”
Best glide, turn towards the field, verify wind direction, make a plan, communicate…not bad for a newbie. It wasn’t my best landing and I ended up using 3800 of the 4000 feet available, but we got it down.
“Taxi over behind that old row of hangars.” Now I’m confused, but he definitely knows something I don’t. After shutting down the engine, I notice a gate in the fence and a Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant on the other side. That’s when it hit me that we had a fly-out lunch. There was nothing special about this particular greasy spoon, and if you were in a car, you probably wouldn’t even consider stopping. But traveling there by airplane made it special and we accomplished a host of valuable learning experiences in the process.
To this day, my favorite flying missions are food related. I’ve become a biscuits and gravy connoisseur at airport diners and an expert on blueberry pancakes. And it was all because I had a creative flight instructor who may have sensed that I needed something a little different to maintain my motivation.
So my challenge to students and CFIs is to be creative. There’s a lot that can be accomplished in the course of a fun flight to have lunch.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/05183133/airport-cafe-urbana1-300x225-1.png225300studentpltnewshttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngstudentpltnews2013-07-26 10:00:112021-06-08 19:23:48Flying for Fun
Over the past 3 years pilots have been quickly transitioning to a paperless cockpit, using the iPad as an electronic preflight and in-flight resource. The iPad allows pilots to reliably organize and display sectional charts and airport directories, view GPS moving maps, and organize PDF documents all in one location. Student pilots have found this to be a great resource too, using it to keep all the tools for learning at their fingertips right alongside the required navigation charts. In this move towards a paperless cockpit, I’m also seeing more and more pilots transition their pilot logbooks to an electronic format, instead of relying on the traditional paper books.
I personally made the move to an electronic logbook about 6 months ago after 13 years of flying, and there’s no turning back for me. Here are a few of the benefits I’ve realized:
Ease of data entry – With the popular logbook programs available today, you can enter the data on your smartphone, iPad or computer, and all the information stays synced between the devices. Before when I relied on the paper book I found myself forgetting to add times right after a flight. Now I just enter the times right on my iPhone as I walk away from the airplane.
Data security – Logbook records are extremely important for pilots, containing irreplaceable details on all your flights. I’ve known several pilots who have lost their logbooks over the years, and it caused many headaches when they went to apply for professional flying jobs. With an electronic logbook your data is backed up online and very secure.
Instant flight analysis– One of my favorite features of an electronic logbook is the application’s ability to analyze your flight times. You can instantly determine your landing, night or instrument currency, and get reminders about upcoming requirements, like a flight review.
Flight time reporting – Electronic logbooks allow you to easily manipulate your flight data, making it easy to see how much time you have in a particular type of airplane, or how many times your visited a particular airport. The reporting functions allow you to quickly export this data, which you’ll find particularly useful down the road if needed for insurance applications when flying larger airplanes.
There are several electronic logbook programs available, and the best one I’ve come across is LogTen Pro from Coradine software. This program runs great on an iPad or iPhone, and is also available for Mac computer users. It’s a very intuitive program, and even includes a way for your instructor to sign the logbook electronically on an iPhone or iPad. Another option is a program called Logbook Pro, which offers PC, Android and Kindle versions, in addition to those for iPhone and iPad.
I think it’s a great idea for new student pilots to start out from scratch with an electronic logbook, since it’ll keep your data organized and secure from the day you start flying. If you’re a brand new student pilot and and want to test out the concept first, consider logging your times in a free Microsoft Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet. Then once you decide you like the idea of logging your times electronically, it’s an easy step to later import that data into a more capable program like LogTen Pro.
One concern I often hear comes from pilots who have lots of time logged in paper books, and think they need to go back and re-enter all their past flights line by line into the new electronic logbook. While you can certainly do that, my recommendation is to go back and just enter the last 6 – 12 months, which will establish a good recent history in the program. Regardless of how many flights you decide to transfer (if any at all), make sure to enter the totals from each column in your paper logbook as the starting numbers in the new electronic version, so the cumulative times remain accurate.
So let’s hear from you, which type of logbook are you currently using?
[polldaddy poll=”7252187″]
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/05183127/LogTen-Pro-main.jpg400400studentpltnewshttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngstudentpltnews2013-07-17 12:37:492021-06-08 19:23:48Going paperless with your logbook
There’s never a good time for something to break, especially in aviation. But things do break and airplanes do require care and service, so if there were a theoretical “good” time for something to go inoperative, surely it’s after completing a mission when there’s time to consider options and have any squawks dealt with in an appropriate manner. And even make alternate plans for the next trip if need be.
A great deal of time, effort and thought (appropriately so) is invested in the time-honored tradition of the pre-flight inspection. After all, the PIC does have the final say as to whether the flight will go. But…in the interest of convenience, safety, less headache and less disappointment, the best time to discover that your airplane needs attention is the lower stress environment of post-flight.
What’s new or different in a post-flight inspection? In terms of exterior inspection, it should be the same. You’ll want to use the same deliberate flow around the exterior of the aircraft checking for anomalies along the way.
In terms of interior inspection, while I’d hope we’re bringing back everything we left with, this would be a good time to take a look through the flight bag. Need any spare batteries? Flashlights in good order? Charts and/or databases current?
And how about the condition of the interior – windows clean? Fire extinguisher charged? Trash collected? Finally, master switch off? Flight plan closed?
Consider a checklist for the post-flight duties. It will take just a moment to jot down the critical items you’d like to check before securing the aircraft and will ensure your next flight starts off on the right foot.
There’s nothing worse than a surprise during pre-flight that could have been caught at post-flight. Do yourself a big favor and get in the habit of good post-flight inspection.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/05183141/preflight1.png7751038studentpltnewshttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngstudentpltnews2013-06-28 10:00:402021-06-08 19:23:48You’ve Heard of the Pre-Flight, but what about the Post-Flight?
This summer, my family and I have decided to take a number of mini-vacations centered around our enjoyment of roller coasters and amusement parks.
Living in Southwest Ohio, we are close to a top roller coaster destination in a park known as Kings Island. Kings Island is home to the world record holding wooden coaster known as “The Beast” along with a number of other award winning coasters and rides. It was the home to one of my favorites, Son of Beast, but alas it is no more, but I digress. The park is part of the Cedar Fair family of amusement parks which includes the world renowned roller coaster destination, Cedar Point, on the shore of Lake Erie in Northern Ohio.
Since Cedar Fair is a family of parks, they have an option to get a platinum level pass which allows parking and entry at all of their parks. We decided to opt for that pass this year.
During the month of June, we have had the opportunity to visit 2 parks outside of our home park.
On one trip, we elected to use a general aviation airplane; on the other, we elected to drive our mini-van. This blog will compare those trips.
Driving to the park would have taken about 7 ½ hours without breaks or stopping for gas but we wanted to visit this new park to us in a single day. Flying to Charlotte Douglas in a Piper Aztec was a less than 2 hour flight.
We departed the Sporty’s/Clermont County Airport early in the morning and arrived in Charlotte about 45 minutes before the park was scheduled to open. The kids had barely made a dent in the battery life on their electronic games.
Storm systems had moved through the Charlotte area the night before but we only encountered a layer clouds in the area when we arrived. Other than some stations reporting marginal weather due to clouds and visibility, there was little to see on the ADS-B supplied weather in the cockpit.
Wilson Air Center had our rental car ready at a great pilot rate and supplied us with directions to the park since my wife and I had both forgotten to grab the auto GPS from our van in Ohio.
The trip to the park was quick and easy and the kids enjoyed the day trying out the new coasters and rides. My mother, who first introduced me to roller coasters back before there were many height limitations, also enjoyed the trip. The Intimidator and Afterburn coasters were family favorites.
The trip back to Clermont County was smooth and uneventful, which is how I like my flights to be. We all slept in our respective beds that evening after a fun filled day of adventure.
Kings Dominion by Van
The second trip took a bit longer. The drive to Doswell, Virginia, the home of Kings Dominion, is around 8 hours from our home with no breaks or stops. We elected to start our drive after my wife got home from work and stopped after about 5 hours at a motel in West Virginia. Since this park is just over an hour south of Washington, DC, and the kids had never been, we finished the drive to a DC Metro station the next morning and spent the first full day of our trip walking around our nation’s capital in the rain.
After that full day and a nearby tornado, we finished the drive to our motel within easy walking distance of Kings Dominion.
We explored the park and its attractions over the next couple of days before making the drive back to Ohio once again. Without a doubt, Intimidator 305 was a family favorite at this park. Beyond the NASCAR theming, it is a completely different ride than the one that shares the root of its name at Carowinds and it is one of only 3 Giga coasters in North America. The kids also enjoyed Volcano: The Blast Coaster and an older coaster known as Avalanche.
During the drive home we encountered the edge of some weather that had caused problems the night before in Ohio and would later cause Kings Dominion to close early. We were also slowed for quite awhile by an accident that had nothing to do with the weather. The GPS led us down some winding and twisting roads that really threw off its time estimates, especially at night with wet tires. The kids passed the time with DVD after DVD until we arrived safely at our cozy and welcoming home.
Piper Aztec Vs Dodge Grand Caravan
These two trips were comparable in distance. Now that they are in the past, I’ve have had some time to reflect on both journeys.
As you can well imagine, there is a difference in cost when travelling by Aztec vs. Grand Caravan.
Based on our current rental rates, about 4 hours in an Aztec would run just over $1100. The ramp fee at Wilson Air Center was $25 since I didn’t need fuel and the rental car with fuel was less than $50 for the day. You could fly for less in a smaller airplane but would need to plan for a bit more time. I had 4 passengers with me so I needed the additional seats. The cost for this trip would be around $1200.
Our Grand Caravan got about 21 miles per gallon while on the trip. Taking out the side trip to DC, we were looking at just over 1000 driving miles or about 50 gallons of gas. Gas averaged $3.75/gallon for the trip for a cost of around $187.50. While not a direct cost, I would estimate wear and tear cost at around $200 (half of the difference between standard mileage rate and cost of gas) for this trip. For a single day at the park, 2 hotel nights would likely be needed at around $75/night. This trip would have a direct cost of around $350 plus you would be looking at additional meals away from home and wear & tear on the vehicle. The total cost for this trip with these items factored in would be around $700.
Time is where the Aztec wins hands down. The Aztec trip could be and was completed in a single day. The van trip would take 2 ½ – 3 days. For this reason, Mom was able to get away and join us on the Aztec trip but couldn’t get away for the van trip.
When it came to the two modes of transportation, both had their advantages and disadvantages but I think that my daughter summed it up best when asking about our next mini-vacation in a few weeks, “We are going to fly there, aren’t we?“
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/05183131/Carowinds-2013-06-001-Med.jpg8461500studentpltnewshttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngstudentpltnews2013-06-19 16:34:542021-06-08 19:23:48A Tale of Two Trips
I always have a plan B. Typically, when flying, I also prefer to have a plan C and D in case of an emergency or if things don’t go according to plan. This could mean simply taking into account nearby airports along your route in case of emergency, filing an alternate when flying IFR (even if the regulations don’t require it), or any other contingency whether major or insignificant. My point is to always have an “out” when flying.
Having an out is more important, and harder to come by, when your flight involves weather. For example, en route or destination thunderstorms, icing or high winds all demand fuel planning, alternate airport examining, terrain consideration, and possibly a review of holding procedures. If, in some cases, a plan B is not available, consider flying on another day.
More than 10 years ago when I was a brand new instrument flight instructor, I was asked by a friend to help him fly a 172 from Madison, WI (KMSN) to its new owner in Shreveport, Louisiana (KDTN). My friend was a commercial, instrument rated pilot who worked as a ramp controller for a local airline. On the side, he made money and built flight time all around the country flying any recently purchased aircraft to its new owners.
The flight he asked me to accompany him on was forecast to include low IFR conditions (less than 1,000 feet ceilings and 1 mile visibility). He was current to fly IFR but felt more comfortable having me there to share the workload. And he offered to split the money he would make. I was excited to build flight time, especially some actual IFR, and to make some extra money. Because he worked for an airline, we were able to fly standby that night to KMSN.
We woke early the next morning to a thick fog – worse than forecast. The cab brought us to the airport. We inspected the airplane, the documents, and the maintenance records while waiting for the weather to improve. We loaded our bags on the airplane. Everything was unfolding as expected except for the weather. It was worse than forecast for the entire route offering limited legal alternate airports to file (FAR’s require 600 foot ceilings and 2sm visibility for an airport with a precision approach).
We were able to find a fuel stop at the halfway point with an alternate nearby, both of which had precision approaches. The same was possible for our destination. So far, we were legal to fly. But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it is smart. Most of our route had ceilings less than 400 feet and less than 2sm visibility, and the tops of the clouds were above flight level 180. We delayed the departure hoping the weather would improve, which it did not. It was time to make a decision.
I had been playing out scenarios in my head. Engine failure/fire in IFR conditions, although unlikely, should be considered and discussed with your instructor. I thought about electric fire/failure, and how that would affect our flight. The maintenance records showed no problems with the airplane and I even spoke with the mechanic about any aircraft squawks.
After examining the weather depiction chart, my biggest concern was that from the minute we took off from KMSN, we could not make it to VFR conditions in any direction for the entire day’s forecast. If we lost our electrical system, we had no communication, no GPS, no VOR, no NDB, no backup GPS, and no hand held radio. We had only our pitot static and vacuum systems, which offer an altimeter for altitude and heading indicator for heading. If you lost your electric system, your plan B would be to get to VFR conditions and find an airport to land. We were facing IFR conditions along our entire route without a backup Nav/Comm to navigate. We had no “out” in an emergency.
Chances are we would be fine. Everything would probably work well, but I still didn’t feel comfortable. I told my friend what I thought and he agreed. After waiting until noon to begin the flight, we decided to call the new owner to tell him we weren’t coming. The new owner was not happy. He was a pilot and had been checking the weather as well and didn’t understand why we wouldn’t go.
The airline flight back to Cincinnati proved the weather was in fact true to the forecast for all of the Midwest. The Regional Jet carried us through solid IFR. We only saw the ground for a couple minutes; the first few hundred feet after takeoff, and the last few hundred feet before touchdown. But deep down I still felt like maybe I was too cautious – that I missed out on a great flying experience and that we disappointed the airplane owner.
A few days later, my friend called me to tell me he flew that 172 to KDTN. He flew it down on a beautiful day with no clouds and unlimited visibility. Yet the tone of his voice said there was more to the story. “But I lost my alternator shortly after departing KMSN,” he said. I was shocked!
What if we had flown on that IFR day? An alternator failure isn’t a total electric failure. But the best we could have done is declare an emergency, ask ATC for a heading to the nearest airport with a precision approach. Then turn off our master switch until the time when we expected to arrive. After turning the master switch back on, we may have had enough electric power left in our battery for an attempt at a precision approach to land. But thankfully, we had avoided that nightmare scenario.
Flying in IFR conditions, when rated to do so, is the best way to build your experience and stay proficient. If you’re flying as single pilot, I strongly suggest doing so with an autopilot you know how to use well. Every time you fly you will need to plan for many different potential scenarios. After that sobering experience, I always take time to study the weather depiction chart to determine the best direction for VFR conditions in case of an electric failure.
While this is just one consideration for one scenario, for your own safety, always have an “out.”
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/05183153/Abbotsford-at-minimums.jpg592896studentpltnewshttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngstudentpltnews2013-06-10 10:45:012021-06-08 19:23:48Always Have an Out
FAA Ramp Checks – Know Your Rights
/in Personal stories/by studentpltnewsIt’s also important to know exactly what will be expected of the pilot as well what to expect from the FAA. So while many pilots will fly a lifetime and not experience a ramp check, it’s something that we’re all subject to as pilots. It could happen anywhere at anytime and is officially an investigation of your own flight operation.
By definition, a ramp check is surveillance of an airman, operator, or air agency during actual operations at an airport or heliport. It’s conducted by FAA to ensure that you are conducting flights safely and in compliance with regulations. Although generally friendly and straightforward, some result in counseling or correction letters and in the worst case scenario, enforcement actions against the pilot.
A ramp check may occur when an inspector observes unsafe operations in a traffic pattern or ramp area or is notified by ATC of an unsafe operation. They can also occur randomly as part of FAA’s normal surveillance. The latter is what is typical of most non-commercial ramp checks.
If you’re a Student, Sport or Recreational pilot required to carry evidence of logbook endorsement, the inspector will also review this information. The inspector may use a job-aid which is a good thing as it means a standardized check. While few pilots would enjoy such an experience, a positive and diplomatic attitude is generally helpful.
Related to aircraft documents, the inspector will want to review the Airworthiness Certificate to ensure it’s visible, on-board and matches the aircraft’s tail number. The registration certificate should also match the aircraft tail number and inspectors are now examining registration expiration dates since all registrations must be renewed. The POH must also be on-bard to ensure the pilot has access to the aircraft’s limitations as well as required markings and placards. Current weight and balance information for the aircraft may also be reviewed.
In the unlikely event that a discrepancy is found, it must be noted on the job aid and discussed with the operator. The inspection continues unless a discrepancy is discovered that would affect safety or result in a violation of an FAR. If this were to occur, an FAA Condition Notice (8620-1) may be issued. Discrepancies concerning airworthiness or registration certificates will also be brought to the attention of the operator, documented and referred for any follow-up action.
Recommendations if you’re subject of a ramp check – be courteous and cooperative. Also be busy. Inspectors are not authorized to delay a flight; however, most are very respectful of this requirement and will likely only request a check at the conclusion of a flight.
Do not volunteer more information than what is required. Remember, no matter how “friendly” this process may appear, anything you say or do may be used against you. And finally, keep in an easily referenced location at least the following information: Medical, Pilot Certificate & Photo ID / Airworthiness / Registration / Flight Manual / Weight and Balance Data.
If you’re curious, the ramp inspection I witnessed took place right here at Sporty’s Academy. It was part of FAA’s random surveillance. Two inspectors arrived on-site and in a very courteous manner, simply stated they were there to conduct a single inspection of a training flight conducted under FAA Part 141. The inspectors patiently waited for a flight to return meeting those requirements and used the opportunity to educate both the student and instructor on what occurs as part of a ramp check. In this instance, it was indeed positive and educational. No discrepancies were noted and the entire process took less than 5 minutes.
Flying for Fun
/in Personal stories/by studentpltnewsThe cure for my boring outlook on the next lesson came one day from my instructor who also wasn’t thrilled about having to teach the same lesson to four students on the same day. He introduced me to the marvel of the airport cafe.
Scheduling a three hour flight block, we took off with the intent of doing some basic maneuvers. Heading out to the practice area, we started on the boring stuff: turns around a point, turn to heading, climbs, descents, etc. Leveling off after ten minutes of doing what seemed to be random maneuvers, he asked me where we were. As basic as that may sound, I wasn’t exactly prepared to answer at this point.
Looking out the window, I didn’t see anything that looked familiar. And my instructor’s grin indicated that I was on my own to figure it out. Dialing up the ADF (starting to show my age), I turned to a heading that would take us back at our home airport. He promptly put an “Inop” sticker over the indicator and told my to try again using the visual landmarks around us.
Admittedly frustrated, I reluctantly consulted the chart. I found the one airport not too far from home base next to a large river and concluded that we’ve wandered over near Middletown Ohio (MWO). After locating the appropriate frequency, we made a position report. I barely released the PTT switch when my instructor pulled his favorite lever: the throttle. “There goes your engine. Now what?”
Best glide, turn towards the field, verify wind direction, make a plan, communicate…not bad for a newbie. It wasn’t my best landing and I ended up using 3800 of the 4000 feet available, but we got it down.
To this day, my favorite flying missions are food related. I’ve become a biscuits and gravy connoisseur at airport diners and an expert on blueberry pancakes. And it was all because I had a creative flight instructor who may have sensed that I needed something a little different to maintain my motivation.
So my challenge to students and CFIs is to be creative. There’s a lot that can be accomplished in the course of a fun flight to have lunch.
Going paperless with your logbook
/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnewsOver the past 3 years pilots have been quickly transitioning to a paperless cockpit, using the iPad as an electronic preflight and in-flight resource. The iPad allows pilots to reliably organize and display sectional charts and airport directories, view GPS moving maps, and organize PDF documents all in one location. Student pilots have found this to be a great resource too, using it to keep all the tools for learning at their fingertips right alongside the required navigation charts. In this move towards a paperless cockpit, I’m also seeing more and more pilots transition their pilot logbooks to an electronic format, instead of relying on the traditional paper books.
I personally made the move to an electronic logbook about 6 months ago after 13 years of flying, and there’s no turning back for me. Here are a few of the benefits I’ve realized:
There are several electronic logbook programs available, and the best one I’ve come across is LogTen Pro from Coradine software. This program runs great on an iPad or iPhone, and is also available for Mac computer users. It’s a very intuitive program, and even includes a way for your instructor to sign the logbook electronically on an iPhone or iPad. Another option is a program called Logbook Pro, which offers PC, Android and Kindle versions, in addition to those for iPhone and iPad.
I think it’s a great idea for new student pilots to start out from scratch with an electronic logbook, since it’ll keep your data organized and secure from the day you start flying. If you’re a brand new student pilot and and want to test out the concept first, consider logging your times in a free Microsoft Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet. Then once you decide you like the idea of logging your times electronically, it’s an easy step to later import that data into a more capable program like LogTen Pro.
One concern I often hear comes from pilots who have lots of time logged in paper books, and think they need to go back and re-enter all their past flights line by line into the new electronic logbook. While you can certainly do that, my recommendation is to go back and just enter the last 6 – 12 months, which will establish a good recent history in the program. Regardless of how many flights you decide to transfer (if any at all), make sure to enter the totals from each column in your paper logbook as the starting numbers in the new electronic version, so the cumulative times remain accurate.
So let’s hear from you, which type of logbook are you currently using?
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You’ve Heard of the Pre-Flight, but what about the Post-Flight?
/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnewsThere’s never a good time for something to break, especially in aviation. But things do break and airplanes do require care and service, so if there were a theoretical “good” time for something to go inoperative, surely it’s after completing a mission when there’s time to consider options and have any squawks dealt with in an appropriate manner. And even make alternate plans for the next trip if need be.
What’s new or different in a post-flight inspection? In terms of exterior inspection, it should be the same. You’ll want to use the same deliberate flow around the exterior of the aircraft checking for anomalies along the way.
In terms of interior inspection, while I’d hope we’re bringing back everything we left with, this would be a good time to take a look through the flight bag. Need any spare batteries? Flashlights in good order? Charts and/or databases current?
Consider a checklist for the post-flight duties. It will take just a moment to jot down the critical items you’d like to check before securing the aircraft and will ensure your next flight starts off on the right foot.
There’s nothing worse than a surprise during pre-flight that could have been caught at post-flight. Do yourself a big favor and get in the habit of good post-flight inspection.
A Tale of Two Trips
/in Having fun, Personal stories/by studentpltnewsThis summer, my family and I have decided to take a number of mini-vacations centered around our enjoyment of roller coasters and amusement parks.
Living in Southwest Ohio, we are close to a top roller coaster destination in a park known as Kings Island. Kings Island is home to the world record holding wooden coaster known as “The Beast” along with a number of other award winning coasters and rides. It was the home to one of my favorites, Son of Beast, but alas it is no more, but I digress. The park is part of the Cedar Fair family of amusement parks which includes the world renowned roller coaster destination, Cedar Point, on the shore of Lake Erie in Northern Ohio.
Since Cedar Fair is a family of parks, they have an option to get a platinum level pass which allows parking and entry at all of their parks. We decided to opt for that pass this year.
During the month of June, we have had the opportunity to visit 2 parks outside of our home park.
On one trip, we elected to use a general aviation airplane; on the other, we elected to drive our mini-van. This blog will compare those trips.
Carowinds by General Aviation
Driving to the park would have taken about 7 ½ hours without breaks or stopping for gas but we wanted to visit this new park to us in a single day. Flying to Charlotte Douglas in a Piper Aztec was a less than 2 hour flight.
We departed the Sporty’s/Clermont County Airport early in the morning and arrived in Charlotte about 45 minutes before the park was scheduled to open. The kids had barely made a dent in the battery life on their electronic games.
Storm systems had moved through the Charlotte area the night before but we only encountered a layer clouds in the area when we arrived. Other than some stations reporting marginal weather due to clouds and visibility, there was little to see on the ADS-B supplied weather in the cockpit.
Wilson Air Center had our rental car ready at a great pilot rate and supplied us with directions to the park since my wife and I had both forgotten to grab the auto GPS from our van in Ohio.
The trip back to Clermont County was smooth and uneventful, which is how I like my flights to be. We all slept in our respective beds that evening after a fun filled day of adventure.
Kings Dominion by Van
After that full day and a nearby tornado, we finished the drive to our motel within easy walking distance of Kings Dominion.
During the drive home we encountered the edge of some weather that had caused problems the night before in Ohio and would later cause Kings Dominion to close early. We were also slowed for quite awhile by an accident that had nothing to do with the weather. The GPS led us down some winding and twisting roads that really threw off its time estimates, especially at night with wet tires. The kids passed the time with DVD after DVD until we arrived safely at our cozy and welcoming home.
Piper Aztec Vs Dodge Grand Caravan
These two trips were comparable in distance. Now that they are in the past, I’ve have had some time to reflect on both journeys.
As you can well imagine, there is a difference in cost when travelling by Aztec vs. Grand Caravan.
Based on our current rental rates, about 4 hours in an Aztec would run just over $1100. The ramp fee at Wilson Air Center was $25 since I didn’t need fuel and the rental car with fuel was less than $50 for the day. You could fly for less in a smaller airplane but would need to plan for a bit more time. I had 4 passengers with me so I needed the additional seats. The cost for this trip would be around $1200.
Our Grand Caravan got about 21 miles per gallon while on the trip. Taking out the side trip to DC, we were looking at just over 1000 driving miles or about 50 gallons of gas. Gas averaged $3.75/gallon for the trip for a cost of around $187.50. While not a direct cost, I would estimate wear and tear cost at around $200 (half of the difference between standard mileage rate and cost of gas) for this trip. For a single day at the park, 2 hotel nights would likely be needed at around $75/night. This trip would have a direct cost of around $350 plus you would be looking at additional meals away from home and wear & tear on the vehicle. The total cost for this trip with these items factored in would be around $700.
Time is where the Aztec wins hands down. The Aztec trip could be and was completed in a single day. The van trip would take 2 ½ – 3 days. For this reason, Mom was able to get away and join us on the Aztec trip but couldn’t get away for the van trip.
When it came to the two modes of transportation, both had their advantages and disadvantages but I think that my daughter summed it up best when asking about our next mini-vacation in a few weeks, “We are going to fly there, aren’t we?“
Always Have an Out
/in Personal stories/by studentpltnewsHaving an out is more important, and harder to come by, when your flight involves weather. For example, en route or destination thunderstorms, icing or high winds all demand fuel planning, alternate airport examining, terrain consideration, and possibly a review of holding procedures. If, in some cases, a plan B is not available, consider flying on another day.
More than 10 years ago when I was a brand new instrument flight instructor, I was asked by a friend to help him fly a 172 from Madison, WI (KMSN) to its new owner in Shreveport, Louisiana (KDTN). My friend was a commercial, instrument rated pilot who worked as a ramp controller for a local airline. On the side, he made money and built flight time all around the country flying any recently purchased aircraft to its new owners.
We woke early the next morning to a thick fog – worse than forecast. The cab brought us to the airport. We inspected the airplane, the documents, and the maintenance records while waiting for the weather to improve. We loaded our bags on the airplane. Everything was unfolding as expected except for the weather. It was worse than forecast for the entire route offering limited legal alternate airports to file (FAR’s require 600 foot ceilings and 2sm visibility for an airport with a precision approach).
We were able to find a fuel stop at the halfway point with an alternate nearby, both of which had precision approaches. The same was possible for our destination. So far, we were legal to fly. But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it is smart. Most of our route had ceilings less than 400 feet and less than 2sm visibility, and the tops of the clouds were above flight level 180. We delayed the departure hoping the weather would improve, which it did not. It was time to make a decision.
I had been playing out scenarios in my head. Engine failure/fire in IFR conditions, although unlikely, should be considered and discussed with your instructor. I thought about electric fire/failure, and how that would affect our flight. The maintenance records showed no problems with the airplane and I even spoke with the mechanic about any aircraft squawks.
After examining the weather depiction chart, my biggest concern was that from the minute we took off from KMSN, we could not make it to VFR conditions in any direction for the entire day’s forecast. If we lost our electrical system, we had no communication, no GPS, no VOR, no NDB, no backup GPS, and no hand held radio. We had only our pitot static and vacuum systems, which offer an altimeter for altitude and heading indicator for heading. If you lost your electric system, your plan B would be to get to VFR conditions and find an airport to land. We were facing IFR conditions along our entire route without a backup Nav/Comm to navigate. We had no “out” in an emergency.
Chances are we would be fine. Everything would probably work well, but I still didn’t feel comfortable. I told my friend what I thought and he agreed. After waiting until noon to begin the flight, we decided to call the new owner to tell him we weren’t coming. The new owner was not happy. He was a pilot and had been checking the weather as well and didn’t understand why we wouldn’t go.
The airline flight back to Cincinnati proved the weather was in fact true to the forecast for all of the Midwest. The Regional Jet carried us through solid IFR. We only saw the ground for a couple minutes; the first few hundred feet after takeoff, and the last few hundred feet before touchdown. But deep down I still felt like maybe I was too cautious – that I missed out on a great flying experience and that we disappointed the airplane owner.
A few days later, my friend called me to tell me he flew that 172 to KDTN. He flew it down on a beautiful day with no clouds and unlimited visibility. Yet the tone of his voice said there was more to the story. “But I lost my alternator shortly after departing KMSN,” he said. I was shocked!
What if we had flown on that IFR day? An alternator failure isn’t a total electric failure. But the best we could have done is declare an emergency, ask ATC for a heading to the nearest airport with a precision approach. Then turn off our master switch until the time when we expected to arrive. After turning the master switch back on, we may have had enough electric power left in our battery for an attempt at a precision approach to land. But thankfully, we had avoided that nightmare scenario.
Flying in IFR conditions, when rated to do so, is the best way to build your experience and stay proficient. If you’re flying as single pilot, I strongly suggest doing so with an autopilot you know how to use well. Every time you fly you will need to plan for many different potential scenarios. After that sobering experience, I always take time to study the weather depiction chart to determine the best direction for VFR conditions in case of an electric failure.
While this is just one consideration for one scenario, for your own safety, always have an “out.”