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Learn to love the wind

April 16, 2014/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Pilots spend a lot of time worrying about the weather, and for good reason–it’s a factor in many general aviation accidents. But while nasty things like thunderstorms and in-flight icing get a lot of attention, more flights are affected by wind than any other weather phenomena. It deserves serious attention.

Unlocking the PTS

April 7, 2014/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

When most students hear the term “PTS” they might think of a training acronym, an obscure part of their aircraft, or a list to buy at the grocery store. Rarely is the correct term, Practical Test Standards, their first thought. The PTS is unfortunately a rarely used, little understood document by the student. Most students’ knowledge of […]

Learn to love the wind

April 16, 2014/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Unlocking the PTS

April 7, 2014/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Learn to love the wind

April 16, 2014/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Wind is rarely fatal, which may be why it’s often ignored, but it can do serious damage to airplanes on takeoff or landing. Losing control of the airplane in a gusty crosswind may not lead to injuries, but it will certainly ruin your day. At the very least, high winds discourage pilots from flying—most of the flights I’ve canceled as a pilot were due to high winds.

So if you’re going to get good utility and enjoyment out of your pilot certificate, you need to embrace the wind. That doesn’t mean you should blast off into a 35 knot crosswind, but it does mean you’ll eventually need to become proficient at dealing with different wind conditions. You’ll be a better pilot and you’ll have more fun flying.

While I won’t bore you with a rehash of basic crosswind techniques, here are some lessons I’ve learned for windy flights:

Crosswind component matters more than overall wind speed. 20 knots of wind may sound like a lot, but if it’s steady and right down the runway, it’s probably no problem at all. In fact, a steady headwind can actually make landings easier in some airplanes, as you have something to work against. A 20 knot crosswind, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. You shouldn’t cancel a flight just because you see 20 knots on the METAR; read the whole story.
Gusty winds are the worst. Given the choice between a steady 20 knot crosswind and a 5 knot wind gusting to 20, I would take the steady 20 knots. When the wind is steady, you can set up your crab or slip on final approach and fly it all the way to runway. When the wind is gusty, it takes constant corrections to keep the airplane lined up with the runway—it’s flat out hard work. When you practice landings, make sure to go out (with a CFI) on a day where there are some gusts so you can learn how to handle them. It’s a very different experience.
Understand the big weather picture. This tip applies to almost all flights, but many pilots don’t consider it when talking about wind. High winds caused by a fast-moving cold front can behave very differently from those caused by afternoon heating on a warm spring day. Knowing what’s driving the wind conditions will help you anticipate the conditions aloft (including turbulence) and forecast how they might strengthen or weaken. You can practice this skill without ever flying: just watch the surface weather charts and the METARs throughout the day to get a sense for how different weather systems affect surface winds. You’ll be less likely to get surprised by a bad TAF if you know how to read the signs.
Crosswind landing skills erode faster than almost any others. If I don’t fly for a month, the first thing I notice is how bad my crosswind landings are. It’s 80% physical and 20% mental, which is the exact opposite of most flying skills. You simply have to practice it continuously if you want to be proficient. If you’ve been out of the cockpit for a while, be sure to go out and practice crosswind landings before taking that big trip.
Tailwheel airplanes do make you better at crosswinds. I won’t lecture you about how magical tailwheel airplanes are, or how only “real pilots” fly them. They’re different, not better or worse. Having said that, five hours of instruction in a Cub or a Citabria will certainly do good things for your crosswind landing skills. When I checked out in a tailwheel airplane, it really helped me understand the different forces at work and how to use the rudder most effectively. Even if you don’t get the endorsement, consider logging some time.

Your personal minimums—or the ones set by your flight instructor—are the final word on whether you should fly or not. If you’re not comfortable with the conditions, you shouldn’t fly, regardless of what the airplane’s demonstrated crosswind component is. As you’ve likely heard before, it’s better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than in the air wishing you were on the ground.

But once you have your license, you should get some quality instruction from a CFI and push up that personal minimum. If you cancel a flight every time the wind tops 10 knots, you simply won’t fly much. Even if you’re conservative, you may get trapped some day when you return to the airport and find that the winds have picked up to 18 knots. Better know how to handle them, lest you ruin a wonderful day of flying.

Unlocking the PTS

April 7, 2014/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Most students’ knowledge of the PTS comes directly from their instructor and is mostly limited to things like “+/- 100 Ft and 10 kts”. This unfamiliarity is a disadvantage to the student. Now I’m not suggesting that the PTS is the greatest book to curl up and read on a Tuesday night, but the information contained in the PTS was not just written for your instructor or examiner – it was written for you too!

When conducting stage checks (similar to a check ride) for our flight school, I am often surprised by students who seem shocked when I ask a question along a topic line or their performance procedure on a specific maneuver. When they ask me “Should I have known that?” my answer always comes back in reference to the PTS. And as a near certainty, they claim familiarity with the document, but “I’ve never read it.”

The PTS is the ultimate cheat sheet, the key to the test, the inside guide on what to do, and the behind the scenes guide to your check ride. Do yourself a favor and pick it up for more than a passing glance. To help you in that endeavor, I want to discuss the parts of the PTS and how best to use it for your training preparation.

Introduction Section – The front of every FAA PTS contains several sections prior to the standards for that particular examination. This is not something to pass over. Inside the introduction are discussions about how the check ride is to be conducted, procedures to be used during the oral and flight portion, all the references used for the entire test, and the general standards for passing or failing the test. Things learned from the introduction section might be…

Did you know that the examiner is supposed to try a realistic distraction at key times to determine if your focus remains on the task at hand? Sounds a little like a dirty trick, but if you know that it is coming, it takes the surprise out of things.
There is a list of many items that are being tested and evaluated, but are NOT listed in the areas of operations section. These items include aeronautical decision making, checklist usage, and collision avoidance, just to name a few.
All tolerances listed in the PTS are performance standards on “good flying conditions”. I have seen many students get upset and ultimately distracted by minor variations from published tolerances as a result of turbulence, or other outside forces, and this distraction caused them to ultimately fail, yet they were inside passing standards due to the conditions of the day.

Areas of Operations – This is the section that most students are more familiar with and include all the required tolerances for performance for all maneuvers, knowledge areas, and procedures to be tested during the test. In addition to the numerical standards, this section also covers all the key elements that are to be demonstrated and tested. This would include steps to be performed during the maneuver, knowledge elements for flight maneuvers and ground items, and decision making criteria.

Take the time to review each element of all required maneuvers. Many times students will learn a maneuver and through the process of repetition, they change or exclude certain elements. The PTS will help keep required items correct.

Learning the tolerances for each maneuver is a great practice, but remember that the numerical tolerances are not the only item that is being evaluated.
Be familiar with all tasks, but note which can be combined or selected from the list.
Always strive to perform your best, not just inside the specified tolerance for the maneuver.
As you and your instructor prepare for your checkride, review all elements of the Areas of Operations both on the ground and while flying reviewing for your checkride.

Given that the PTS can be a dry and somewhat lengthy document, consider using additional resources to help you review and gain proficiency from the PTS. There are many choices but here are a few: The Sporty’s Complete Learn to Fly Course has an interactive PTS study guide that incorporates video training segments that cover the required PTS items; Individual maneuver manuals sold by Sporty’s, Jeppesen, or ASA cover many aspects of the PTS; Dedicated PTS study guides sold for that purpose.

Hopefully, you and your instructor will incorporate the PTS into your entire training and not just on the last two days before your check ride. There are many examiners out there that like to test or emphasize their particular interest from their flying experience, but their evaluation of your performance is limited to the items listed in the PTS, so don’t worry too much about who your exact examiner is. Lastly, even though the PTS spells out all items in specific detail, remember that your goal is to become a safe, competent pilot, which is not just the sum of slow flight and steep turns.

Safe flying,

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Learn to love the wind

Unlocking the PTS

Learn to love the wind

Unlocking the PTS

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Learn to love the wind

Unlocking the PTS

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