The Best Gift - December 2008
Gene Benson
This is the season when lots of folks are frantically trying to find the perfect gifts for the ever-expanding list of designated recipients. I will risk criticism of sexism with the observation that the female segment of the population peaks on the frantic scale about four weeks earlier than the male segment. I have also noticed that the male segment does not reach the same ultra high peak, possibly because the male peak is delayed until at least December 23 and typically does not involve the extra burden of five hundred dozen cookies and the planning of thirty-nine social events.
Score on the frantic scale aside and regardless of gender, we all want to deliver a gift that will be favorably received by our loved ones. The teenager might be happier with a gift card from a hip clothing retailer than with a handmade sweater. Teenagers aside, a gift that comes truly from the heart is usually appreciated much more than one that looks like the fulfillment of an obligation.
Are you ready to hear an idea for the ultimate gift? Do you want something that will endear you to a spouse, significant other, and/or adult children? Here it is! (Drum roll please!) Give the gift of a safer you!
I’m serious. Anyone who cares about us pilots will appreciate it if we are a little safer. It doesn’t matter whether that special person is a spouse, offspring, or just someone who would be sad if we weren’t around. Both pilots and non-pilots alike will appreciate this gift.
Now let’s make sure that this gift is properly expressed. It’s very important to make sure that the recipient appreciates our thoughtfulness and doesn’t think this is just something that we thought up because we forgot to go shopping.
First, decide on a plan that will actually have some benefit to safety. Perhaps vowing to complete an advanced or master phase of the FAA Wings Program might do the trick. How about vowing to finish that instrument rating or get current on instruments if already rated but rusty? Or maybe it’s the airplane rather than the pilot that needs to be safer. Getting those deferred maintenance items taken care of might make for safer flying.
Whatever it takes to improve safety, if only by a small increment, should be appreciated. Packaging is everything so make up a nice certificate stating exactly what you are going to do, how it will make your flying safer, and that you are doing this out of love. Present it with a smile and a hug and watch what happens.
Oh, just one more thing. Make sure this isn’t misunderstood as a scheme to spend more time and money on flying. In relationships, just like in aviation, the approach is important. Avoid using a phrase such as, “Dear, I love you so much that I’m going to do a complete avionics upgrade on the airplane.” Present the certificate immediately after giving a more traditional gift such as diamond earrings or new golf clubs as the case may be. Having to sleep in the hangar will probably not improve aviation safety.
I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!
Safer Flying – On the Cheap! - November 2008
Gene Benson
Let’s find some good news in the general aviation accident rate. Let’s see, here’s some! The vast majority of general aviation accidents result form some form of pilot error. Yes, that’s good news because we can do something about it. We couldn’t do much about the accidents if they were mostly caused by airplanes disintegrating in flight or by alien spaceships smacking us into the ground. We can and must work on becoming more proficient pilots.
Regular readers of this space know that I am a huge proponent of recurrent training. In an ideal world, at least an ideal world according to me, all pilots would go off twice a year for a week of recurrent training that included seminar type discussions, live instructor lectures including analysis of recent accidents, computer-based interactive instruction on a variety of topics, and plenty of full-motion simulator training. Unfortunately, my idea of an ideal world is too costly and time consuming for most pilots who don’t earn their living by sitting behind an instrument panel. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy some of the advantages of recurrent training without trading large amounts of money and time.
One element of recurrent training that makes the concept work is found in the name. The adjective “recurrent” comes from “recurring”. Yep, doing something on a frequency schedule. We go for a dental checkup, an oil change, a flight physical, and other important things on a frequency schedule. Tooth decay is bad but having an accident in an airplane is worse so let’s find time for some recurrent training too. A few hours, four times a year, can dramatically increase proficiency and decrease the probability of having an accident.
Here’s the cheap part. First, become part of the new FAA Wings Pilot Proficiency Program if you haven’t already done so. The new program got off to a rocky start a couple of years ago but most of the kinks have been worked out. Despite the fact that the website could be a little more intuitive, the program design is solid. It creates a recurrent training program tailored to the profile that you enter. If you haven’t tried it yet, or more likely, if you tried it and gave up a year ago, give it a second look at www.faasafety.gov. And, unlike most things in aviation, it’s free!
The next part of my plan isn’t free, but it’s very inexpensive, especially by aviation standards. Get a PC based flight simulator program, make sure your computer has the power to run it adequately, get a controller of some kind, and find a fellow pilot or two to work with. Take turns being the pilot while another person is the facilitator/air traffic controller. Others can simply observe or play the part of a pilot-rated passenger. The facilitator will create a flight and set up the simulation program. Weather can be programmed at various stations along the way and equipment failures can be added as the flight progresses or programmed in to occur after a given amount of time. The flight can be paused for discussion if desired. This won’t improve stick and rudder skills but it will provide valuable work in decision-making and will produce many other benefits. The camaraderie is just a side benefit!
This is definitely not a substitute for training in the airplane but it can help slow the deterioration of the cognitive aviation skills during periods when flying isn’t practical or possible. An added benefit is that emergency and abnormal scenarios can be addressed in simulation so that they have been worked through should they occur during an actual flight.
If you think this is a really dumb idea, then that’s all for this month. I’ll try to have something more interesting next month. But, if you think this might work for you, read on to find out more about the technology needed and costs involved.
Great! You’re still with me! OK, here’s what to do. Obtain a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator X and install it on a computer with enough horsepower to run it adequately. The minimum system requirements printed on the box are probably a little too minimum for serious flying. You don’t need a machine designed for serious gaming, but the eight year-old computer abandoned to the basement for the last three years probably won’t hack it. I recently upgraded a household computer to be a dedicated Flight Sim machine. It now has a Pentium D chip running at 2.66 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, and a graphics card with 256 MB of RAM. That provides enough power to run the various graphic settings at near their max values and still have smooth flight operation. A slightly lesser machine would be OK if the graphic settings were to be turned down a notch or two.
The flight simulator program price is about forty dollars for the standard edition and fifty dollars for the deluxe. As far as I can see, the main difference between the two is that the deluxe edition includes a G-1000 cockpit. The flight simulator program comes with a limited number of general aviation airplanes, but there are plenty more available for download from a variety of sources. Most of them are free. There are also a number of websites dedicated to desktop simulation that have lots of information on creative ways to use the program, links to downloads, and forums for technical help.
Some sort of control device will also be needed. Nothing that you do with a PC based simulator program will improve your stick and rudder skills so a joystick will be sufficient. I like my Saitek ST290 Pro that I purchased locally at a store that rhymes with hall-dart for less than twenty dollars. If you want to be more realistic, you can buy the full yoke, throttle quadrant, and rudder pedals. I purchased the yoke and throttle quadrant since I am now using this in one of my seminars. I skipped the rudder pedals because I didn’t want to give the impression that I was addressing flight-handling issues. There is a setting in the simulation program for “auto rudder.” I liked the Saitek joy stick so well that I stuck with that brand for my other controls. I wasn’t disappointed. They are sturdy and have lots of additional switches and buttons that can be programmed for things like flaps and gear. At the time I purchased my yoke and throttle quadrant about four months ago, the set cost about one hundred thirty dollars. I bought mine online from a company named for a jungle and better known for selling books.
So there you have a recurrent training program “on the cheap.” Less than one hundred dollars will get you started with the program and a joy stick. You’re still in for a real bargain in the cost/benefit ratio even if you buy a new computer and all the control peripherals. Buying everything at top-of-the-line standards would still come in at well under a thousand dollars. The cost of operation is a few hundred watts of electricity versus a few hundred gallons of avgas. And, you can “fly” all you want on those stormy winter days when the airplane is best left in the hangar.
The Best Season - October 2008
Gene Benson
Autumn has always been my favorite season for flying. Summer is my favorite season overall, but jumping into an airplane that has been parked in the hot sun and having to taxi while wiping perspiration out of my eyes isn’t one of my favorite activities. Taking off into MVFR conditions caused by summer haze and having to deal with the threat of air mass thunderstorms doesn’t rank very high in my opinion either. Welcome autumn! The temperatures are more moderate, at least here in our part of New York and the cumulonimbus are all but gone. The air is clear so that we can look at those great fall colors.
Even the airplane seems to like autumn. Those long, laborious takeoff runs on those high density altitude summer days give way to shorter ground sprints and steeper climb angles.
So let’s get out there and enjoy fall as only aviation people can! Those who live in this part of the planet are very much aware of what kind of flying weather is on the way over the course of the next few months. Fall flying is a great time to go out and practice those “stick and rudder” skills that might not have been visited in awhile. For example, descending spirals aren’t practiced very frequently but can be a life-saver in the event of a fire in flight.
Increasing flight handling skills can be particularly helpful if there isn’t going to be much winter flying. Skills deteriorate over time but can be brought back rather quickly. Honing skills now will provide a fresh starting point and will help to ensure a higher level of proficiency for that cold, clear, crisp, and windy winter day. It will also provide for a higher level of proficiency when spring arrives.
The shorter days of autumn also provide for more opportunities for night flying. Autumn night proficiency flying is generally more comfortable than winter night proficiency flying. Autumn nights can be chilly but winter nights can be downright frigid. Night flying requires more preflight planning than does flying in the daylight. Routes, even local ones, must be planned and studied so that the elevation of obstacles and terrain can be known thus avoiding a CFIT accident. Fuel must be carefully planned lest it get very quiet in the airplane. Running out of fuel during the daylight can be catastrophic, but experiencing fuel exhaustion in the dark is unthinkable. In many ways, night flying presents more challenges than does instrument flying. When we fly on instruments, we frequently break out of an overcast a thousand or more feet above the runway but we will never break out of the dark night. Any pilot who does not regularly fly at night should go out for some proficiency work in night operations with a qualified and proficient flight instructor.
Proficiency flying in autumn can be lots of fun in addition to increasing safety. It lets the pilot get ready for winter flying or helps to reset the clock on skills that will be needed in the spring. Sure, flying is costly today, but having an accident due to lack of proficiency is even more expensive or even worse.
Next month I’ll let you in on a way to help maintain some proficiency in procedures very inexpensively on days when flying is not an option.
Oh, the Humanity! - September 2008
Gene Benson
Oh, the humanity! That phrase, passionately spoken by reporter Herbert Morrison as he covered the Hindenburg disaster changed the future of aviation. The public’s faith in the huge Zeppelins as a viable means of transatlantic travel was destroyed along with the airship on that May morning in 1937. Even today people recognize the event as a horrible catastrophe in which 36 people lost their lives.
Fast forward to the present. The summer of 2008 saw an airliner crash in Madrid, Spain killing 154 people, a turboprop crash in Utah killing 10 people, an airliner crash in Kyrgyzstan killing 65 people, a business jet crash in Minnesota killing 8, a single-engine airplane collide with mountains in Colorado killing a family of four, a single-engine airplane crash into a house in Oregon killing two onboard and three on the ground, another single-engine airplane crash into a house in Nevada killing one onboard and two in the house, a multiengine airplane crash in Alabama killing four, a single-engine airplane crash in Massachusetts killing three, still another single-engine airplane crash in New Mexico killing five, and yet another single-engine airplane crash in Utah killing three, and the list goes on and on. A query of the NTSB accident database for the period June 20, 2008 through the date of this writing, August 25, 2008, for fatal accidents involving airplanes yields sixty-two results. That’s not sixty-two fatalities but rather sixty-two fatal accidents of which many involved multiple fatalities. That number will climb since it takes a few days or more for the preliminary reports to be posted. The Hindenburg disaster dominated the news throughout the world for weeks. A multiple-fatality aviation accident today will be newsworthy for only a day or two unless it directly impacts a local media market.
Now, go back and reread the last paragraph. Notice how sterile and unemotional it seems even though it states the untimely deaths of many people. Without a Herbert Morrison to point out the “humanity” of an accident, we digest the facts and move on.
But every accident has a deeper story. The crash in Massachusetts that killed three was an Angel Flight mission that resulted in the death of the volunteer pilot and a couple traveling to receive cancer treatment for the 47 year-old husband. The deeper story includes the fact that couple had 4 year-old twins who are now left without parents. The two residents of the house that was impacted in the Nevada crash were an elderly couple who had retired there from New York. The crash in New Mexico cost the lives of a couple and three of their four children. They were enroute to a family gathering to celebrate the high school graduation of one of the daughters who was killed in the crash. The remaining family member, a 21 year-old daughter, was not along due to a job interview. The crash in Utah killed three civic leaders of the same town and left a total of nine children without fathers.
Here’s your assignment for this lesson. Select a five-day period. Each day of the period do an Internet search for “plane crash.” Take note of the accidents involving fatalities, including the towns or cities where the victims lived. Over each day, do another search for the local newspapers covering the hometowns where the victims lived and read any follow-up articles that appear. Continue to read follow-ups for several days. There we can find the “humanity.”
Wow, what a downer! You will find stories of horrific death and life-changing injuries along with accounts of orphaned children and other personal tragedies. We can’t do anything to reverse these unfortunate events. Realistically, even though many of us are actively working to reduce aviation accidents, they will continue to occur. What we can do is to take steps to reduce the likelihood that we will be the cause of bringing tragedy to our own families.
The accidents of this summer are too recent to have probable cause findings released yet. It’s a fair bet that when those findings are released, they will almost universally reveal that the pilot in each of these accidents made a poor decision. Perhaps the poor decision was in electing to depart under present conditions. Perhaps it involved deciding that a particular maintenance problem would be OK for a little while longer. Perhaps it was in deciding that a takeoff calculation was not necessary for this departure. Maybe it involved deciding to continue the flight under deteriorating weather conditions.
How can we improve our decision making so that we don’t become a headline? Nothing will guarantee that we won’t make poor decisions but a recurrent training program can help improve our decision-making skills. That doesn’t mean that all pilots should enroll in one of the expensive programs aimed at the pilots of business jets. For a limited time only (the time isn’t really limited, but that’s how the infomercials sell things) you can have a custom recurrent training program designed for free! I guess it’s really not free because our tax dollars are paying for it. That’s all the more reason to use it! Simply go to www.faasafety.gov and enroll in the new Wings program. The current program is new and it got off to a rocky start. If you looked at it a year ago and gave up, give it another try. I admit to being less than enthusiastic about it at first but now I’m a big fan. If the program is followed in the way it was intended, it will make each participant a safer pilot. I guarantee it! If you have any difficulty with it, email me at gene@genebenson.com and I’ll get you on the right path. I guarantee that too!
Frankie Was a Visionary - August 2008
Gene Benson
Forty-one years ago this summer the calendar reported that the year was 1967. I was contemplating the beginning of my junior year in college. I was frantically studying a Jeppesen instrument flying manual so that I could take my knowledge exam (back then it was called the “written”) before I had to immerse myself in the likes of “Conditioning and Learning”, Physiological Psychology”, and “Abnormal Psychology”. It was not considered cool to study anything without the accompaniment of an AM radio blasting the current “Top 40” hits. Frankie Valli held the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in early August 1967 with his single, “You’re Just Too Good To Be True.” I thought at the time that Frankie was crooning about his dream girl. Apparently he was just far ahead of his time and was singing about the various electronics that would be available to pilots shortly after the turn of the 21st Century.
The instrument training airplane that I flew in 1976 had a directional gyro (now called the heading indicator) that was designed to look like a magnetic compass. Like the compass, the pilot had to turn away from the desired heading. This and the artificial horizon (now called the attitude indicator) were powered by a venturi tube mounted on the outside of the fuselage. Since the system relied on airspeed to generate the necessary vacuum pressure, these two instruments were not accurate until the airplane had climbed to a few hundred feet. Needless to say, we did not do any low IFR departures.
Now many of our instrument panels are adorned with electronic displays ranging from a portable GPS unit to a complete glass panel such as the Garmin G1000. We can accurately determine our position with a glance at a moving map. If the engine sounds a little rough we can push a button and locate the nearest airport. Many units include a terrain awareness feature that warns us if we are getting too near terra firma. Some units have near real-time weather overlays and some will warn us of traffic nearby. We can also install units that will monitor many more aspects of engine operation than would be humanly possible without a flight engineer.
Yep, Frankie was looking ahead to present-day electronics when he said, “You’re just too good to be true.” His lyrics also included the statements, “Can’t take my eyes off of you” and “Pardon the way that I stare.” He sure saw a problem coming!
Modern aviation wizardry has the potential to make general aviation flying much easier and safer than it was in 1967. The easier part has probably been achieved but the safer part isn’t a given. “Can’t take my eyes off of you” would be a good refrain for some pilots who now spend way too much time looking at the electronic display at the expense of other necessary tasks.
Pilots still must, when in VFR conditions, look for traffic. Even an electronic unit with traffic avoidance capability will only detect traffic that has the necessary equipment. That vintage Cub or new LSA almost certainly is not so equipped. Most units do not manage our fuel and will continue to show a course direct to fuel exhaustion. Head-down, button pushing is also a great way to induce vertigo and cause the pilot to take a quick final exam on unusual attitude recovery. The list goes on.
This is not to say that these gadgets aren’t great. They can be terrific tools when used by a competent pilot who is proficient in their use, and who does not substitute electronics for good airmanship. Here are some suggestions for safely using these tools:
- Thoroughly learn to use whatever devices are in the airplane before starting the engine. This might require a few minutes in the case of a simple hand-held GPS or it might require many hours in the case of a glass cockpit display. Familiarity with the unit will greatly reduce the amount of time necessary to perform the tasks. It will also eliminate the substantial amount of time wasted in trying to make the unit do something that is not within its capabilities.
- Do thorough preflight planning. The ability to jump in the airplane and go is enticing since navigation is so simple when following a moving map. Incidents of pilots getting lost are way down but incidents of fuel exhaustion, VFR into IFR, and accidents related to density altitude seem to be on the increase.
- Invest in a short cross-country flight with an instructor. Ask the instructor to critically evaluate your procedures, including preflight planning and your work with whatever electronics are in your favorite airplane. Make sure that the instructor is familiar with whatever equipment you plan to use.
The latest electronic equipment can make our flying easier, safer, more economical, and more enjoyable. But, it must be thoroughly understood, used correctly, and not used as a substitute for good airmanship. Frankie also saw the potential problems when his lyrics said, “Trust in me when I say: Oh, pretty baby, don't bring me down, I pray.”
Too Much Air - July 2008
Gene Benson
Regular readers of this page might recall that my January 2008 article proposed some aviation related New Year’s resolutions. Wait, what are regular readers? Are they people who read my articles every month or are they folks who eat a diet high in fiber? But, I digress. Sorry, fleeting thoughts come from too many hard landings. Anyway, one of my proposed New Year’s resolutions was to provide a little extra fuel cushion this year. Hooray for everyone who is doing that. Shame on those who have run out of fuel short of their destinations. Unfortunately, there are way too many “shame on you” stories.
Perhaps it’s not politically correct in today’s society to be critical of our fellow pilots. Expecting someone to take responsibility for his or her actions is widely frowned upon. Saying that a pilot crashed due to fuel exhaustion might be harmful to his or her self-esteem for those pilots who survive. Or, it might be disparaging to those who are no longer with us. So, never wanting to be irreverent or politically incorrect, I will not say that a crash was caused by fuel exhaustion. I will refer to the phenomenon in a less judgmental way. The fuel tanks acquired too much air.
Allowing the fuel tanks to acquire too much air is not a practice limited to inexperienced pilots. In fact, the contrary appears to be the case. What appears at this point to be a totally avoidable accident occurred recently near my home. The NTSB has issued only the preliminary report and the facts could change through the course of the investigation. But, it appears that a 15,000 hour airline captain allowed too much air to accumulate in the fuel tanks while providing dual instruction in a Cessna 172. Both the instructor and the student received very serious injuries when the ensuing emergency landing was unsuccessful. The NTSB preliminary report says, in part, “Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed approximately 1 gallon of fuel was observed in the right tank, and 1 quart of fuel was observed in the left tank. The fuel tanks were not compromised and there was no indication of a fuel leak in the fuel system. No fuel was observed in the fuel line from the fuel tank to the fuel strainer.” The NTSB preliminary report also notes that the student told the FAA inspector that the flight departed with 6 gallons of fuel in each tank. The preliminary report also states that the accident flight was 1.1 hours in duration.
Reference to a 1973 Cessna 172 Owner’s Manual (the accident airplane was a few years older so data might be slightly different) yields some interesting information. First, the manual states that 2 gallons of fuel is unusable in each tank. So if the student is correct in his report that the flight departed with 6 gallons in each tank, the total usable fuel onboard was 8 gallons (12 gallons total with 4 gallons unusable). The Owner’s Manual is skimpy on fuel consumption numbers for low altitude, training operations. The best information from the Manual indicates a fuel consumption, with proper leaning, to be 7.2 gallons per hour at 2500 feet and 65% power. If all these numbers are correct, the engine should have been able to make noise for 1.1 hours, exactly the duration of the flight according to the preliminary report.
This is only one serious accident apparently caused by too much air in the fuel tanks. Space doesn’t allow discussion of the many such accidents each year. There is no telling how many such accidents are narrowly avoided. I have heard countless stories from line workers over the years of airplanes being refueled with a quantity just shy of the total fuel capacity.
What’s the bottom line? Take a little (or more than a little) extra fuel. Yep, it costs fuel to carry fuel. But, a Cessna 172 or any other light, single-engine airplane isn’t a jumbo jet. Just four extra gallons of fuel would have provided this crew with about an extra 30 minutes of flight time at the cost of carrying only an additional 24 pounds. Was the airplane not fueled because it would have taken too long? I don’t know about this case but I have seen that happen and I admit that I have been tempted to do it myself. Let’s see, 10 minutes to get fuel versus weeks of hospitalization recovering from life-changing injuries. I think I’ll wait for the fuel.
Gatekeepers - June 2008
Gene Benson
I was recently invited by the FAA to give a presentation at a required training event for designated pilot examiners (DPEs). My talk was titled, “Do No Harm!” That title was taken from the oath administered to new physicians in which they are admonished to always leave their patients in better condition after their treatment than before. My presentation featured several reconstructions of accidents where the actions of CFIs and DPEs had been a contributing cause. Yes, there have been accidents, even fatal ones, on checkrides.
My presentation was just a little more than one hour, a small part of an all day event. As the day unfolded, the term “gatekeeper” was used numerous times by the several presenters. The group was told that the CFI must be the “gatekeeper” to make sure that all pilots are competent in their skill, knowledge, and decision-making.
By mid afternoon, my stomach was getting an uneasy feeling. I reviewed what I had eaten for lunch and decided that since I had passed up the chilidog for the turkey sandwich on wheat bread, food wasn’t at fault. That gnawing in my gut must be from what I was hearing. If the CFI is the gatekeeper, why had my research found so many instructional accidents in the past five years? Who is keeping the gate on the gatekeepers? The FAA? Hardly. They don’t have the staff necessary to perform even the most basic level of oversight.
Then I had my epiphany. Most accidents, whether or not involving instruction, are not caused by a lack of skill or knowledge. They are also not caused by a lack of decision-making skills. Pilots making poor decisions cause accidents. How’s that again? There is a difference between having the ability to make good decisions regarding any aspect of a flight and actually making a good decision. A flight instructor can test the ability of a student to make good decisions but cannot effectively determine whether the student will actually make good decisions once certified.
Here is an example. An instructor may begin a cross-country flight into an area of deteriorating weather to determine if the student can evaluate the weather and make an appropriate decision on whether to continue, divert to an alternate airport, or return to the departure airport. From my experience as a flight instructor I can state that 99% of the time the student will make an appropriate decision. But that is an artificial environment in which the student advances only by making the safest possible decision. The real environment encountered once the pilot is certified has many outside determiners. The pilot’s decision may be influenced by the need to get to the destination on time, the costs associated with diverting to an alternate location, ego, machismo, or others factors.
So my point is simply this. Neither the flight instructor nor the designated examiner can really be the gatekeeper. We must all be our own gatekeepers. We have the tools to make the right decisions. We must make those appropriate decisions every time we fly.
I will relate a brief personal story. In the late 1970s I was a faculty member at an aviation college in Florida and I supplemented my income by flying part-time for a charter company. I was required to take a Part 135 checkride with an FAA inspector. As luck would have it, I drew the inspector with the hard-posterior reputation. I was nervous about the ride and I tried really hard to do everything by the book. The inspector really put me through the wringer and I was drenched when the ride was done, even though it was a cool day by Florida standards. During the debrief, the inspector not only told me that I had passed, but told me that it was one of the best rides he had given. Before my head could swell too much he said that he wanted to give me some advice. He told me that he was well aware of his reputation as being tough to please. He said that he was also aware that I probably wasn’t as diligent when not on a checkride. Then came the advice. He said, “If you want to have a successful career in aviation and live to get old, make believe that I am in your jumpseat on every flight and make all your decisions accordingly.” Those words stuck with me through more than 15,000 accident-free flight hours.
So in summary, I learned early in my career to be my own gatekeeper and I would encourage all pilots to do the same.
Beware the Sunshine! - May 2008
Gene Benson
It’s May in Central New York. The flowers are out, the leaves are on the trees, and even the Sun should be visible more frequently. This is real good news for most of us who have endured another winter in our part of the world. It is even better news for those of us who like to fly VFR and enjoy the sight of all those new green leaves and lush green fields.
But in aviation, like in most of life, things that are predominately good often come with a slight downside. Sunshine makes this list. We are all familiar with the dangers of flying in conditions of low visibility and low ceilings. We all know the dangers of thunderstorms. But we might not be aware that sunshine also is a contributing cause to many accidents.
If we are flying VFR we must be able to see. Flying directly into the sun seriously interferes with our ability to see traffic or obstacles directly ahead of us. Numerous accidents, both midair collisions and collisions with obstacles, can be at least partially attributed to sun glare.
The best way to minimize the midair collision hazard when flying into the sun is to make frequent S-turns. This will allow the pilot to change perspective on the direction of flight. Raising a wing to make the turns also increases the visibility of the airplane to other pilots.
The danger of colliding with an obstacle is always minimized by thorough flight planning. The only sure way to avoid hitting things is to maintain an altitude above them. A tragic accident a few years ago in California happened when a Cessna 182 collided with a radio transmission tower just outside the traffic pattern. The airplane was flying directly into the sun at the time of the collision. The accident could possibly have been avoided had the pilot studied the charts and been aware of the tower and its height.
The heating effect of the sun on different surfaces has also contributed to accidents. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that pilots’ lack of awareness to the heating effects of the sun has contributed to accidents.
We all know that when subjected to strong sunshine, dark colored surfaces heat up more readily than light colored surfaces or water. The warmer surfaces produce rising air or updrafts. What goes up must come down, so the light colored surfaces or water will be found under downdrafts. These effects should be considered when planning a takeoff or a landing.
Consider this scenario. It is late afternoon in Central New York and we are planning a takeoff from an airport that is near a lake. Our departure will take us over the water immediately after takeoff. Now anyone who has had the pleasure of swimming in one of our beautiful lakes will know that “warm” is usually not used to describe the experience. Since it is late afternoon on a sunny day, the asphalt runway will be quite hot. The substantial difference between the temperature of the lake and the temperature of the runway will be adequate to set up a thermal situation. A column of air will be rising from the runway and a column of air will be descending onto the lake surface. Let’s say that it is such a beautiful day that we have invited a couple of friends to come along for the ride. Let’s also say that the airport presented the wonderful surprise of having the lowest fuel price around so of course we topped off the tanks. Now we are right at maximum allowable gross weight and the density altitude is as high as the fuel prices. We consult the performance charts and find out that we will use about three-fourths of the runway to get airborne. Since there are no obstacles off the departure end, we decide that we will be fine. Our takeoff roll begins with the airplane being a little slow to accelerate. As airspeed builds we manage to lift off with surprising ease considering the conditions. We pass over the airport fence and breathe a sigh of relief that the airplane is performing better than the charts indicated. We enjoy the better-than-expected climb rate as the lakeshore passes beneath us and we head over the water for a scenic view. But wait! What happened to our rate of climb? We are holding the attitude to produce the best rate of climb airspeed but we are beginning to descend! We pitch up slightly to attempt a climb at the airspeed for the best angle of climb. We’re still descending! What if we hit the water? We don’t have flotation equipment since we were never intending to be out of gliding distance to land! Everybody knows that a fixed-gear airplane will flip over when it contacts the water! “Hold on everybody! We’re going in!”
That’s a frightening scenario that every pilot would like to avoid. What might cause something like this to happen? The airplane is helped into the air and on its initial climb by the hot, rising air over the runway. Once over the water, the downdrafts take over and make the airplane attempt to climb at its own rate minus the rate of the downdraft. If the climb rate was to be only 300 fpm and the downdraft was anything in excess of that number, the airplane will descend.
So get out there and enjoy the sunshine, but do a little advance planning to avoid having a dark cloud ending to an otherwise sunny day.
Surviving the Free-for-All - April 2008
Gene Benson
We are fast approaching the pricey food season. You know what I mean. There will be the traditional hundred dollar hamburgers (though they might be the hundred-fifty dollar hamburgers this year) and the two hundred dollar pancake breakfasts. This is truly the best time of year for those of us who enjoy flying for its own sake rather than just as a means of getting from point A to point B. Many of us spend considerable time in researching interesting “point Bs” so that we can justify a cross country flight. So let’s watch this site for news of upcoming events and let’s get out there and support the dedicated people who toil long hours so that we can enjoy a weekend flight garnished with a bit of cholesterol.
But let’s make our flights to and from these culinary extravaganzas as safe as possible. Many of the best events are held at non-towered airports. If you’ve been flying long enough that your initial pilot certificate was printed on paper you probably recognize the term “uncontrolled airport” that was replaced by the less offensive, but also less accurate term, “non-towered”. Perhaps the term “chaotic airport” would more aptly describe some airports on a morning when the sky is clear and the pancakes are hot. The level of risk is increased at these events so the level of pilot vigilance and caution must also be increased.
Non-towered airports attract a wider range of aircraft and pilots than do their towered counterparts. It is common to see an ultralight airplane, an amateur-built two hundred knot airplane, a light twin, a small helicopter, a biplane out of the 1930s, and several Pipers and Cessnas all in the pattern at the same time. Some of these aircraft will be equipped with the latest avionics and some will be completely unencumbered by radio equipment. Most of the pilots will be conducting themselves as true professionals and a few will be completely lost and confused. One or two might even be acting like complete jerks. The demeanor and professionalism of the pilots frequently fails to correlate with the level of their certificates or the amount of flying hours that they have.
The increased risk of operating at non-towered airports was illustrated in March of this year when a pilot flying a high-performance, amateur built airplane apparently failed to follow traffic pattern procedures and other good operating practices and collided with an airplane that was taxiing to the active runway. Three people died in this tragedy at a Florida airport. Perhaps the pilot of the airplane that was hit could not have avoided the accident, but the accident illustrates that not all pilots follow proper procedures and that the rest of us must be alert for that.
All this being said, let’s look at some ways in which we can improve our defensive flying abilities at non-towered airports. First and foremost, scan, scan, and scan some more. Remember that not every flying machine will be where we might expect it to be and that not all pilots will be communicating their position. Ask everyone in the airplane to help watch for traffic. Also remember that different airplanes will, by necessity, fly different size patterns. Be sure to scan a wide area.
Let’s make sure that we are part of the solution and not part of the problem. Be sure to use recommended practices for pattern entries and position reporting. Turn on every available exterior light when nearing the airport and before departure. Keep all lights on till at least 10 miles from the airport. Personally, I would also be dropping flares if I could.
Be sure to know the correct CTAF and make position reports. Be sure to begin and end each transmission with the airport name since several airports usually share the same frequency. When stating your position on a pattern leg, also include “left” or “right” in your transmission. Make position reports just prior to making turns in the pattern. An airplane in a turn is much easier to see than an airplane in level flight. If your airplane doesn’t have an operating radio, use a handheld transceiver.
Be sure to descend to pattern altitude before entering the pattern. This will cause many of the airplanes to appear above the horizon and be more visible. If it is necessary to over fly the airport, do so at 1000 feet above the pattern altitude, or 2000 feet AGL. This will help to prevent conflict with large or turbine airplanes that normally fly the pattern at 1500 feet AGL.
When departing, avoid taxiing into position and hold. That practice might save a minute or so on departure, but will prevent you from seeing any traffic approaching from behind. After takeoff, climb at an angle that will permit visibility over the nose. Make slight s-turns as you climb out. This will improve your visibility while also making it easier for traffic to see you.
In summary, non-towered airports can pose a greater risk to safety than their glass-hatted cousins. The increased risk can be largely mitigated by being alert and following a few additional safe-operating practices. The burgers are juicy, the pancakes are hot and the coffee is, well… better than most airport coffee. Get out there and enjoy!
Welcome, Spring! - March 2008
Gene Benson
March is the month during which we welcome spring. At least officially we note the date on our calendars. But, for those of us in Central New York, the real spring hides somewhere to the south of us for a few more weeks.
The higher temperatures and the lack of snow that is usually associated with spring may still elude us but the longer periods of daylight are still there to enjoy. Even Daylight Savings Time begins during March. The longer days get those juices that call us to the airport flowing.
Let’s enjoy our spring flying but let’s make sure that we survive it to enjoy the beauty of Central New York flying during the summer and fall as well. Here are some important considerations.
Let’s think about the condition of the airplane. Has it been sitting idle for a while? If so, the cowlings and inspection panels must be opened up to make sure no critters have decided to make the airplane their address. This applies whether the airplane has been tied outside or stored in a hangar. The condition of wiring and gaskets must be checked. It’s a good idea to get an oil change and then do a thorough run-up. Following the run-up, the engine should be shut down and a check for leaks should be completed. Seals and gaskets tend to dry out with lack of use and a bad seal discovered on the ground is much better than one discovered during flight. The tires should also be inspected for any signs of rotting or damage. Of course, the remainder of the airplane should be inspected thoroughly as it should be before any flight.
Next let’s think about the condition of the pilot. The regulations allow a pilot who has a current medical certificate and flight review or appropriate Wings credit to fly solo without regard to other recent experience requirements. It may be legal to hop in the airplane after a four-month absence and take off but it isn’t very wise. A little dual instruction regarding maneuvering flight, some takeoffs, landings, and go-arounds is a smart investment. This instruction can also be counted toward Wings proficiency.
Let’s think about airport condition. High snowbanks might remain alongside ramps, taxiways, and runways. Potholes may start to appear in the most annoying places. Extra caution must be taken while taxiing.
Finally, lets think about spring weather. It is hard to think about March without thinking about gusty winds. If it has been some time since a gusty crosswind landing has been made, it might be a good idea to get some dual on a day when the wind is screaming. Such a day shouldn’t be very hard to find in March. Freezing precipitation sometimes forgets to check the calendar and makes an appearance in spring. Instrument pilots are aware of the hazards of freezing rain and do a pretty good job of avoiding it. Freezing drizzle can be a different story. It can occur in reasonably good VFR conditions. All it takes is a light drizzle and a temperature inversion with below freezing temperatures at the present altitude and warmer temperatures above. It is hazardous but easily avoided. A check of the Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecast will tell whether or not there is a temperature inversion. If there is no inversion, there will be no freezing drizzle.
So let’s get out there poke some holes in the sky! Let’s just take every possible precaution to make sure we can keep on doing it!
Noise Abatement and Midair Collisions - February 2008
Gene Benson
A joke has been going around the Internet. If you’re a pilot, you’ve probably received it more times than a spam message offering cheap pharmaceuticals. If not, it goes like this. An airliner at 30,000 feet is instructed by ATC to make a turn that will take it off course. When the captain angrily questions ATC as to the reason for the turn, he is told that it is for noise abatement. His agitated reply is to question what kind of noise problem there could be at 30,000 feet. The controller’s calm reply is, “Do you know how loud it is when two 747s collide head-on?” This month’s column is devoted to decreasing the noise pollution that results from two general aviation airplanes colliding.
On January 20, 2008, a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 150 collided while flying over suburban Los Angeles California. Five people died, including one person on the ground. On December 8, 2007, a Cessna 152 and a Piper Twin Comanche collided over the Florida Everglades. Both pilots, the sole occupants of their airplanes, were killed. On October 21, 2007, a Piper Saratoga and a Cessna 152 collided in the traffic pattern over Farmingdale, New York. Miraculously, both airplanes landed safely and there were no injuries. On May 11, 2007, A Beechcraft Bonanza and a Cessna 172 collided about two miles north of Blue Ash Airport near Cincinnati, Ohio. The flight instructor and student aboard the Cessna and the pilot of the Bonanza were all killed. On March 8, 2007, a Cessna 210 and a Cessna 172 collided in the traffic pattern at Boerne, Texas. Both pilots and a passenger escaped injury.
All of these accidents occurred in good weather and during the hours of daylight. The experience level of the pilots varied from a solo student pilot in the Everglades crash to a flight instructor in the Ohio accident and up to a 9000-hour airline transport pilot in the Texas crash. All pilots were properly certificated and met recent experience requirements. Though the final accident reports have not been completed for all of these accidents, it does not appear that there were any violations of the regulations. The pilot of the Twin Comanche involved in the Everglades crash was on an IFR flight plan and was in communication with ATC. In fact, he had been informed of the traffic.
When we fly VFR we operate in a see-and-be-seen environment. When we fly IFR in VFR weather conditions the same rule applies. But wait. All pilots know that already. So why do airplanes keep running in to each other?
The answer to that question is actually quite simple and has two parts. First, we can’t be looking outside all the time. Engine and flight instruments must be monitored. Radios must be tuned. Charts must be folded or the GPS must be referenced. Fuel tank selectors must be repositioned. The list goes on. Second, it isn’t always easy to see traffic even when we’re looking for it. Every pilot has had the experience of being warned of traffic by ATC and never seeing the other aircraft. Summer haze converts all aircraft into stealth machines as far as visual detection is concerned. Aircraft at a lower altitude become nearly invisible when set against irregularly colored terrain. A white airplane against snow-covered terrain simply disappears.
So it’s easy to see (pardon the pun) why midair collisions occur. It’s not so easy to fix the problem. The FAA could require all aircraft to be equipped with collision-avoidance equipment just as they required nearly universal installation of ELTs in the 1970s. That won’t happen because of the uproar that would ensue from the powerful alphabet groups as well as from aircraft owners and operators. The problem would not be totally solved even if this expensive solution was mandated. Of course, the number of midair collisions would probably decrease due to the benefits of the system, but also because fewer people could afford to fly. That’s not an acceptable solution.
So if we continue to fly in the same environment with the same equipment, how can we decrease the probability of having a midair collision? My first solution won’t be popular but it will be effective. Avoid non-towered airports whenever possible. Ten years worth of data shows that the majority of midair collisions occur in the traffic pattern at non-towered airports. The old term for non-towered airport was “uncontrolled airport”. Sometimes that term seems to be much more accurate. If you must use a non-towered airport, don’t linger in the pattern practicing touch and goes. Do that where ATC can act as traffic cop. Yes, there have been collisions in the traffic pattern at towered airports. I actually witnessed one in the late 1980s at Oakland, California. But the odds are much better under the watchful eye of ATC.
My second solution is an old one. Communicate with ATC and request traffic advisories whenever possible. But I will go one step farther. Whenever a traffic advisory is issued make finding the intruder priority number one. Don’t assume that ATC will keep you updated. In the Everglades crash mentioned above, the pilot of the Twin Comanche had been warned of traffic. The controller’s next update was followed immediately by the collision. Treat the traffic advisory with the urgency of having a rattlesnake in your bed.
My third solution is to ditch the GPS. Well, not totally but avoid excessive heads-down time that results from going through all the really cool features. That GPS might keep you from getting lost and it might prevent inadvertent incursions into Class B or Class C Airspace. But it also might contribute to the midair collision by seductively luring the pilot’s attention away from scanning the horizon.
My fourth solution is also an old one. Keep looking for traffic. No, don’t go through the motions of craning your head around every few minutes. Really look for traffic. There are more aspects to effective scanning than can be adequately discussed here, but various FAA publications have them well covered.
I have personally had several near-misses, two were extremely close. One was while on an instrument training cross-country with a student. We popped out the side of a big fluffy cumulus and were treated to a very close view of a Piper that was not maintaining the required horizontal distance from clouds. I questioned ATC and was informed that they did not see any other airplanes in our vicinity. The Piper probably had an inoperative transponder and the primary return was lost in the cloud’s high moisture content. That one was not my fault but I would have been equally dead with the offending pilot.
The other close call was at least partially my fault. I was in the practice area with a student. We had done clearing turns and then executed two 55 degree banked turns per the CFI Practical Test Standards. Upon rolling out of the second turn a Beech Baron streaked by only a few feet above us. We were in a low-wing airplane and could not easily see what was to the outside of our turn. Traffic advisories were not available. Both my student and myself, along with the Baron pilot needed to be more vigilant. I talked to the Baron pilot later and he had never seen us. When I described the exact location of the incident, he admitted that he was probably copying down the ATIS onto a notepad at the time.
In summary, the risk of a midair collision is real, even if you try to be conscientious. Think about my suggestions and review the literature that is available. I have only scratched the surface here. Remember, noise abatement is everybody’s concern.
A New Year’s Resolution – Let’s Fly Smarter - January 2008
Gene Benson
It’s once again a new year and time to make those promises to ourselves. I’m going to get more exercise, lose weight, eat better, use less energy, pollute less, spend less money, stop procrastinating, and be nice to rude people. I’m also going to stop complaining about taxes, politicians, personal injury lawyers, the weather, misbehaving children, being inundated with advertising, and getting old.
OK, I lied. I’m not going to do any of that. But, here’s something that I will sincerely try to do. Will you try it with me? I’m going to try and fly smarter. No matter how much skill and knowledge we all have, we can apply it a bit more. No matter how much we say that we always follow safe operating procedures, we all deviate once in awhile. Let’s all try to avoid any deviations from what we know is the safe way to fly.
For example, we know the importance of following a checklist for the critical phases of flight. Let’s try to always do that regardless of what else is going on. For example, On Oct. 31, 2007, an Airline Transport Pilot flying a Pilatus PC-12 on a charter flight failed to extend the landing gear at Crossville, TN. The propeller contacted the runway and the pilot immediately executed a go-around. He landed safely on the next attempt. The propeller was curled 3 inches on each blade. The pilot had an airline background and was accustomed to a crew environment. This was his first flight in the PC-12 without a second pilot. The uncontrolled airport was busy as he approached and he admitted that he rushed through the checklists.
We also know that we need a comfortable fuel reserve. Let’s provide a little extra fuel cushion this year. On Oct. 28, 2007 a pilot departed Hastings, NE for Sedalia, MO in a Cessna 172. He miscalculated the fuel required and subsequently experienced a power loss due to fuel exhaustion. The day got a little better when he realized that he was within range of a large airport. He executed a successful emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base, the home base for the entire fleet of B-2 Stealth Bombers. Chances are that it took much longer to fill out the government paperwork than it would have taken to make an extra fuel stop.
Our instructors all told us to go around if the approach to landing isn’t going well. In the present vernacular, we should go around if the approach isn’t stabilized. There sure is a temptation to try and salvage a bad approach right up till the bitter end with the present high cost of fuel. Let’s strive to be better this year about not pressing our luck on unstabilized approaches. On Aug. 31, 2007 a pilot substantially damaged a Cessna 182Q while landing on the 2700 ft. Dunsmuir, CA. He was diverting due to an alternator problem and reported that he was “hot and fast” on final approach. He touched down long and overran the runway causing substantial damage to the left wing and aft fuselage.
There could be a much longer list of areas where we could be a little safer but it could never be all-inclusive. Let’s all try to be a little more careful in our procedures and give a little bigger cushion when we can. My son tells me that his aviation goal is to never be the subject of one of my seminars. Can I challenge everyone, including myself, to have that as a resolution for 2008?
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