Blog Elements : Flight Training Central

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Log your flights with photos and video

May 13, 2013/in Having fun/by studentpltnews

We’re all required to log our flight times and landings to prove FAA currency, but this only tells part of the story of a flight. Here you’ll learn how you can record a more memorable experience from your flight by using a smartphone or portable cockpit camera to capture the sights and sounds.

Question authority – and ATC

May 3, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Many new pilots regard Air Traffic Controllers with a mix of respect and fear. So it’s only natural that we trust them and want to follow their instructions no matter what. But as Ben Franklin famously said, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”

Log your flights with photos and video

May 13, 2013/in Having fun/by studentpltnews

Question authority – and ATC

May 3, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Log your flights with photos and video

May 13, 2013/in Having fun/by studentpltnews

One of the interesting things about the flight training process is that each individual’s experience will be different. We all train at different airports, fly different types of airplanes, and work with different instructors. The journey towards the certificate will be unique to each person as well – including the weather you’ll experience, the transient airports you’ll visit, and the people you’ll meet along the way. Of course your logbook will document the basic facts about your training and experience, like aircraft type & registration numbers, the identifiers of the airports you visit, and detailed flight times. While the logbook entries satisfy the requirements of the FAA, there’s so much more you can document along the way.

Photo Journal

Digital cameras were just gaining popularity when I started flight training in 1999. Growing up I was always interested in photography, so I made sure to always have my big Sony with me for every flight. And today it’s even easier with the great quality pictures that can be quickly taken with an iPhone, Android or other smartphone. Looking back I’m glad I made the effort to take hundreds of aviation photos, from the day of my first solo to the ATP checkride, and of many trips in between. Here are some ideas for pictures to take when the opportunity arises:

Aircraft – get photos of each of the aircraft you fly, both of the exterior and instrument panel.
People – I keep a photo record of all my instructors, along with the friends and family that I’ve taken flying, with the airplane in the shot of course.
Milestones – first solos, certificates, and new ratings; these are a must for the photo journal.
Dynamic Weather – look for interesting cloud formations, distant thunderstorms and morning valley fog.
Scenic Airports – I like to get shots both from 1,000’ above the airport looking down, and another on short final (who would have guessed Meigs Field in Chicago was going to close when I took the picture above in 2003?)
Sunsets/Sunrise – these never get old, and the dynamic colors make each one unique.
Cockpit shots – it’s always fun to get shots of the altimeter the first time you’re above 10,000’, a picture of the GPS screen on international flights when crossing the US border and shots of groundspeed indications with an exceptionally strong tailwind (how else is someone going to believe you were doing 180 knots in a Cessna 172???)

Video Log

Ten years ago you would have had to spend thousands of dollars to get mediocre video (by today’s standards) from the cockpit. Now for as little as $299 you can get a GoPro portable HD camera that easily mounts just about anywhere in the cockpit and records high-quality HD video. For those who want the best picture and sound, you can spend a little more to add the NFlightcam Kit for GoPro, which adds a lens filter to eliminate prop distortion and an audio cable to record the intercom and ATC audio. Once you have a camera set up, here are some ideas for what to shoot:

Takeoffs/Landings – position the camera out the front for an exciting pilot’s view at interesting airports.
Pilot & Passengers – mount the camera so that it records you flying and the passenger riding along – great especially for someone’s first flight in a GA airplane.
Terrain – position the camera pointed out the side window towards the wing when climbing or descending through mountainous terrain.
Instrument Panel – this makes for great review for instrument students during training.
Flight Training – mount the camera in a way to see either the flight controls, or outside the window to review your performance after flight lessons.

The NFlightcam accessory kit for iPhone helps you stabilize and set up the iPhone for video shooting.

For those that already have an iPhone, consider using this to record the video from your flights. The iPhone 4S and 5 both record full 1080p HD video that often looks as good or better than dedicated video cameras. You’ll want to secure it in the cockpit for a stable picture, and to do that I’d recommend the NFlightcam accessory kit for iPhone. This includes a mounting cradle, prop distortion reduction filter, and an audio cable to record intercom and ATC audio from the flight. The main drawback with recording video on the iPhone is that you’ll need to have some free space available on your phone to store the video. To give you a frame of reference, 10 minutes of video recording on the iPhone requires about 1.4GB of free space.

One last important point – make sure to back up your pictures and video files. You’ll most likely transfer them first to your computer for organization and review. I highly recommend you then back these memories up to either an external hard drive, or to an online “cloud” based storage. Computer hard drives don’t last forever, and your flight photo journal and video logs would be impossible to replace.

For more information on using video cameras in the cockpit, check out Sporty’s in-depth webinar on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knEShv4Yp9Y

Question authority – and ATC

May 3, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Many new pilots regard Air Traffic Controllers with a mix of respect and fear. They seem to be a divine voice, unseen but all-knowing, orchestrating the movements of dozens of airplanes from a dark room. So it’s only natural that we trust them and want to follow their instructions no matter what.

But as Ben Franklin famously said, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” Franklin may have meant that in a revolutionary way, but the same basic idea still applies today. Whether it’s a kid questioning his parents or a driver talking to the police officer who pulled him over, there’s nothing wrong with double-checking that the authority is correct (just be respectful about it).

Trust but verify, as they say.

This same philosophy applies to pilots and ATC. While most controllers are outstanding at what they do, they are human–and humans make mistakes. When we’re talking to ATC, it’s all too easy to assume they’re in control and you don’t need to think anymore. Resist that temptation. You are still pilot in command, and the one ultimately responsible for the safety of your flight.

Here are just a few scenarios where you should be especially alert:

Line up and wait–At some airports, you will be cleared to “line up and wait” on a runway (some controllers may still say “position and hold”). That means you are cleared to enter the runway and line up for takeoff, but you are not cleared to start your takeoff roll until ATC clears you specifically for that. There’s nothing wrong with this procedure, but you should be very impatient (maybe even paranoid) in this situation–you are on an active runway, unable to see any traffic that may be coming in to land. That’s a very vulnerable place to be. So if you’re told to line up and wait and you’ve been on the runway for more than about 20 seconds, don’t hesitate to remind the controller that you are holding in position. He probably hasn’t forgotten, but the last thing you want is an airplane landing on top of you. Some pilots even start a timer when they enter the runway, so they know how long they’ve been there.
Terrain avoidance–You take off and request a left turn on course. ATC approves your request and you start to bank left–ATC said OK, right? You may get away with this in Florida, but certainly not out West and not even in Florida if there’s a tall tower out there. Just because ATC approved a turn, it does not mean they are guaranteeing terrain and obstacle clearance. This is even true for IFR pilots in many situations–see the TWA 514 crash for a good reminder.
Traffic–When you’re in the pattern at a non-towered airport, you probably do a good job of looking in all directions for traffic. After all, you don’t have ATC there to look out for you. But do you relax your scan a little when you’re using VFR flight following? You shouldn’t. While flight following is a great service (use it on every cross country), it’s not infallible. For one, ATC may not see that Piper Cub that doesn’t have a transponder, so don’t mistake a quiet radio for a lack of traffic. Plus, VFR flight following is a lower priority for ATC, whose main job is to separate IFR traffic. If the controller gets swamped with traffic at Big City International, he may not notice a developing traffic conflict in your area. Keep your head on a swivel.
Weather–ATC can be a big help with weather questions, but it’s important to remember that most controllers are not pilots. Their understanding of weather is probably quite different from yours, and in any case, you’re the one who has to fly through it. It’s perfectly fine to ask a controller for his opinion about a line of rain or the latest reported ceilings, but don’t let him make the decision for you. Only you know what the weather looks like out the window, and only you know your personal weather minimums.
Taxi instructions–At busy airports, the taxi clearance can be the hardest part of the flight (“taxi to the hangar via C, E, D2, hold short 35L”). That means you need to be alert and looking outside. It also means you need to be 100% sure of where you’re going and where you’re supposed to be going. Never cross a runway if you are not completely certain that you are cleared to cross it–take 2 seconds and confirm with ATC. It’s better to get chewed out for being unsure than to cause a runway incursion. Another good practice is to always look to ensure the runway is clear. Every time I cross a runway, I look left and right, then verbally confirm “clear left, clear right, cleared to cross.” I trust that clearance, but I like to verify there’s not a regional jet barreling down the runway at me. It has happened before.

I’m not suggesting you start an aerial revolution, or you refuse ATC clearances just because they’re inconvenient. After all, ATC is there to help us, not punish us, and only they know the big picture. But a smart pilot retains a bit of skepticism, and is never afraid to key the mic if he is uncomfortable.

Aviation has a good safety record precisely because everyone double checks everyone else. The stakes are simply too high to be complacent.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Log your flights with photos and video

Question authority – and ATC

Log your flights with photos and video

Question authority – and ATC

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Log your flights with photos and video

Question authority – and ATC

Email Subscription

Recent Articles