In this episode, Victoria explains how she hired a flight instructor and aircraft on a daily rate in order to complete her Commercial Certificate flight training, Rick did his very first flight review and shares the full story in detail, Carl tells us how you can avoid doing a flight review ever again by substituting other training and proficiency courses, the FAA Wings Program, Special Use Airspace, our Picks of the Week and much, much, more!
Thanks for listening to the Stuck Mic AvCast and don’t be bashful, help us spread the love by Liking Us on Facebook! As always, you can submit your questions and feedback via blog comments, Twitter, Facebook, or email and we’ll be sure to answer them on the air!
As is typical in the busy New York area I was waiting near the gate for my flight to arrive. One of the ramp workers saw me in my uniform and excitedly announced he was getting started with flight training soon. His excitement was contagious and I could not help getting excited for him and his dream of becoming an airline pilot.
After we began talking I mentioned I still fly general aviation aircraft and share his excitement about flying every time I get in the air. He then turned to me and asked if there was any advice I had for someone starting flight school and are there any books he can read to better prepare for class. I said I sure did have advice.
Be Prepared
To make your flight training more productive and less expensive you should do two things, prepare yourself and prepare your friends and family. Preparing yourself means becoming immersed in all that is aviation, such as reading this blog, and reading any materials the school sends you before you get to class.
Flight training can be intense and progress at a fast pace especially if you are enrolled in an accelerated training program. While you are training you will need to concentrate on your studies and your flying. Your days can be up to twelve hours long including flight training sessions, simulator sessions, ground school, and studying.
The first person you should talk to concerning this is your family and friends. Explain your dream of learning to fly and that you will need to concentrate on your studies. This may mean missing out on certain family functions or holiday parties. It also includes not being able to hang out with your friends as often as you would like.
It is also important to let your family and friends know your unavailability is only a temporary situation. You may even ask them to help you by having them check up on your progress and ask for words of encouragement.
Before you arrive at the flight school you should read all materials they send you and study everything you can before you arrive. Many times the training materials will include items to memorize. One of the best ways to get ready for training whether flying a 747 or a single engine aircraft is to have all numbers and procedures memorized before you arrive at training.
What to Read : Blogs, Books, and Magazines.
I recommend becoming an avid consumer of all things aviation. You will find the more you read the more you learn. It is amazing the many new formats of educational learning materials. Now wherever we go we can learn something about aviation.
Free learning
There are many commercially available materials that are wonderful in teaching you how to fly. If you are preparing to attend a flight school they may provide books and training materials in advance of your first lesson. If not there are some great free learning opportunities on the internet some of which you can download.
There are many free websites that include free information about flight training and careers. The site you are reading right now is one of them. Many of these websites also have podcasts so that you can listen on your mobile device. If you subscribe to many of the educational aviation newsletters, websites, podcasts, and YouTube channels you will find yourself becoming immersed in all things aviation.
Of course I endorse podcasts since I am cohost of the Stuck Mic Avcast where we talk about learning to fly, loving to fly, and living to fly. There are also many other podcasts out there that share their knowledge and all you need to do is click here to see the aviation podcasts available for free on Itunes.
All these free books are available in a more readable format and can be purchased as a hard copy or an electronic book. Here are the books I suggested as listed at Amazon.com:
Magazines are also a great way to keep up with current events and learn flying techniques from knowledgeable instructors. One of my favorites is Flight Training Magazine and if you go to their website you might be eligible for a free six month subscription. Other magazines I read which increase my flying knowledge include, AOPA Pilot, EAA Sport Aviation, Flying Magazine, and Aviation Safety. There are many more that I read, however for techniques in mastering the basics of flying these are my favorite.
Conclusion
If you are getting ready to start your training to become an airline pilot I congratulate you because you are obviously a person who is not afraid of a challenge and taking the initiative to start flight school is commendable. You will find you will learn lessons during flying that you can use in your every day life especially concerning decision making.
There are many things you can do to prepare yourself for your upcoming flight training. Most importantly you should prepare your family and friends letting them know you are about to embark on a challenging journey towards obtaining your pilot certificate. The next most important thing to do is prepare yourself by learning as much about flying as you can. Below is a list of links to sites I feel are the most helpful towards your preparation for flight training.
Welcome to the amazing and magical world of flying!
There was a time not long ago when we began talking about this “new” technology that would not rely on ground based navigational facilities. It would let us fly anywhere and depict our position with amazing accuracy. This new technology was called Global Positioning System or GPS and is now used by everyone from parents driving their children to sporting events to children finding the closest game store using their smart phones.
When GPS was first conceptualized most did not realize the many ways it could be integrated into our everyday life. As we know the FM based Non Directional Beacon (NDB) is not always reliable and the least accurate type of approach to use. Those of us flying at small out of the way airports thought the NDB was a God send because we could get home even if it wasn’t VFR.
Due to inaccuracies of NDB’s I often found myself having to land at an alternate airport even thought the ceilings may have been 800 feet. With GPS and WAAS, Wide Area Augmentation System, I can now fly a precision approach down to 200 feet to airports in areas that five years ago I could not get into. Now I ask “What would I do without GPS?” when a few decades ago I never heard of GPS.
Similar to the development of GPS many of us don’t really understand ADS-B and how it can benefit us. I think you will find, as I did, that when ADS-B is fully operational we will find both safety and operational benefits.
What Is ADS-B
Mode C Traffic Advisory on Steroids.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast, ADS-B, service is being implemented in the national airspace system and as its name implies it relies on input from aircraft. Properly equipped aircraft will transmit their position, velocity, and altitude approximately every second. This data is then transmitted or broadcast to all aircraft.
ADS-B equipped aircraft will be able to read this data and display the position of other traffic. Similar to Mode-C equipped aircraft ADS-B is not dependent of ground based facilities. An ADS-B equipped aircraft near another ADS-B equipped aircraft can read this data directly from the other aircraft’s transmission.
This is like having a Mode-C traffic advisory software on steroids. Of course this information is only advisory in nature but it sure widens our traffic awareness. It has been proven in tests that we see traffic quicker if we know the direction and altitude of the traffic before we begin scanning the horizon.
Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance Systems, TCAS, are great tools for avoiding collision between two aircraft in flight. A large drawback of TCAS is the fact it is very expensive and is normally only installed in small jets and airliners. TCAS has limitations as to its range from the receiving aircraft.
TIS was the next best relatively affordable option for smaller aircraft in that it required the instillation of a Mode-S transponder and is now integrated into much of the new avionics packages. One shortcoming of TIS through Mode-S is that it is available in terminal areas and only those that have the capability. But eventually these will go away.
Through the Next Generations Air Traffic Control System, NextGen, ADS-B will be made available in a much wider area including almost the entire United States. Furthermore, with ADS-B you will be able to see aircraft many more miles away than any of the current traffic information systems.
With the ability to know an aircraft’s position many miles before it comes into our field of view, we can now begin looking in the direction of the other aircraft and begin planning accordingly many miles before a potential conflict. ADS-B will make looking for traffic much easier.
Free Weather All The Time
Another wonderful benefit of ADS-B is the weather broadcast over the Flight Information System, FIS-B. Free of charge the system currently transmits Aviation Routine Weather Reports (METARs), Special Aviation Reports (SPECI), Terminal Area Forecasts (TAF), and NEXRAD Radar Maps.
A New ACARS System or Text Messaging For The GA Pilot
Most air carriers and some other operators use a communications system that can send text messages between the aircraft and the company’s flight operations personel. The system is referred to as the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System. The ACARS system can be set up to automatically send and receive information such as time of takeoff and landing, weather information, and send aircraft system status information.
With the new Flight Information System Data Link, FISDL, commercial vendors can provide their customers with data such as customized weather and other tracking information such as the ACARS system used today. Since the communication system is provided by the government, many different vendors can supply data along the same network. This will give the user the option to retrieve their weather from various sources such as is available with many GPS devices today.
Limitations
The NextGen air traffic control systems will provide some valuable enhancements to safety and communications with the pilot in command but there are some limitations. First, and most importantly the current system of traffic avoidance is for informational purposes and will not provide for any avoidance maneuvers but it sure is nice to know who is out there.
Weather and other textual information can be provided through the Flight Information System (FIS-B) implemented by the FAA within ADS-B but there is a line of site limitations. There are two methods of data transmission Universal Access Transceiver, (UAT) and 1090 ES.
The Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) is part of the ADS-B network and operates on 978 MHz which is a line of site frequency. Stations are being installed throughout the United States to transmit FIS-B information but complete coverage will be a few years coming. The UAT is intended for aircraft operating below twenty four thousand feet.
For aircraft operating above eighteen thousand feet a 1090 MHz extended squitters are being installed. Again these are line of site devices. For the pilot operating the aircraft the system essentially operates similarly and will not require action by the pilot to use either system.
Conclusion
ADS-B when it has been fully implemented is definitely for me. Two of my favorite features while flying general aviation will include the ability to receive weather and traffic information that is not only radar dependent. Both of these will increase situation awareness and safety. After the demonstration given by the FAA on NextGen and ADS-B I am optimistic this will be large leap forward in the enhancement of safety.
After researching ADS-B and having the FAA sell me on the system I find myself asking two questions. Why didn’t we do this sooner and how much is it going to cost me to install it in my aircraft?
With a 2013 schedule nationwide coverage of the Flight information service and the anticipated decrease in the cost of the equipment in my aircraft, I am now looking strongly at replacing XM weather with the new flight information system. I hope to have a better understanding in a future article as to the cost and capabilites of FIS-B in comparison to XM weather.
As someone who enjoys all things technical I was excited to see ADS-B advertised for use on the Ipad. Now that gets me excited about the future of ADS-B and its various implementations in our cockpit.
Episode #5 was all about you, an entire episode of answering listener mail. We had some great questions and submissions and really enjoyed taking time to answer them. Please continue to submit your questions and feedback via blog comments, Twitter, Facebook, and email and we’ll be sure to answer them on the air! And remember we have 2 flight instructors that can answer your flying questions, too.
It was a clear VFR day, winds were light and variable with a maximum speed of six knots. This was a perfect day for golf in a mountain resort in North Carolina. But what was to be a fun golf outing ended in tragedy. While landing at the fly-in community the plane bounced twice and attempted a go around. The plane then departed the runway destroying three airplanes and damaging two others. All aboard perished. My friend was to golf with them that day but fortunately he decided not to go.
Wanting to better understand the accident, I attempted to discuss the situation with my friend. I did not get very far due to the emotional pain which resurfaced when either the pilots name or the accident was mentioned, so I did my own research into the accident. After reading the NTSB report I discovered this was a go around accident, many of which end in a fatality as it did for my friend’s golf partner.
Landing Accident Is Safer Than A Go Around Accident
(click image to enlarge)
It comes as no surprise that the highest number of accidents occur during landing while transitioning from a three dimensional environment to a two dimensional one. In 2009 29.5 percent of all accidents were during landing. Even though these are the most numerous types of accidents, landing accidents only have a 1.7 percent risk of a fatality. Much of this is due to the aircraft speed being relatively lower and the aircraft control maintained until the impact.
Go arounds on the other hand are much different. Go arounds accidents although few in number, result in a 20 percent chance of fatality because of the uncontrolled nature and speed at which many of these crashes occur. So why don’t we practice more go arounds? Maybe because the number of go around accidents are very rare with only three percent of the total accidents attributed to go arounds. Or maybe we don’t realize that doing a go around improperly may not cause an accident but can cause damage to the airplane and an expensive maintenance bill.
Why we need to practice go arounds.
Even though few fatalities result from go arounds we seem to be doing a poor job when we execute a go around, especially in complex aircraft. This speaks volumes to both training and towards recurrent training. Don’t feel bad because airline flight crews also have difficulty performing go arounds.
I spend much of my time going between a jet and a single engine aircraft. Most of the go arounds I see in single engine aircraft have been better and I think it might be due to the fact that single engine pilots do more go arounds per hour flown. In the jet I might fly a thousand hours between go arounds but in the single engine it might happen every fifty to one hundred hours. And when I’m instructing they happen almost every day.
I find the more complex the aircraft and the more crew members involved in flying the aircraft, rejected landings have a lower probability of being performed properly. For example, I was flying a jet into Newark Airport in IMC, instrument meteorological conditions, and we where told to go around because we were to close to a Boeing 757 in front of us.
I pushed the thrust full forward and pitched up. I then asked the monitoring pilot for flaps retraction to the takeoff position. It is here that the person I was flying with froze. I could tell he was angry that we had to go around and knew he was now disengaged from flying the airplane.
As I called out the procedures for the monitoring pilot to perform I had to do most of the task myself until I finally said to him, listen don’t worry about why ATC made us go around, let’s fly the plane. Afterwards, we retracted the flaps and gear on schedule as the plane climbed and received vectors back to the airport for landing.
It not only is the pilot monitoring in a multi crew situation that can get in trouble. The flying pilot’s job is to control the plane. But as you will see the flying pilot can also become disengaged from the task of flying as is demonstrated in my next example.
On approach to Houston I was the monitoring pilot. On the ILS at about two thousand feet above the ground we were told to go around because we were too close to the 757 in front of us. I noticed the flying pilot doing nothing so that is when I said go around . Still he did not do anything but he did call for maximum thrust and to retract the flaps.
The only problem is we were still pointed towards the ground and a jet at maximum power with the nose down accelerates very quickly. So that is when I turned to him and said in a calm but direct voice, “could you please just point the nose up so we aren’t heading towards the ground”. I think this finally broke his translike state and he finally pointed the nose upwards.
How To Perform Better Go Arounds
As you can see pilots of all skill levels have problems with rejected landings so don’t feel bad if you might be experiencing a problem with the go around maneuver. To better prepare yourself I have a few suggestions. First, practice your rejected landings from all altitudes and positions during your approach to landing. Second, never expect a landing always expect a go around. Third, practice your procedures at home with a simulator or by visualizing the maneuver. By the way if you decide to practice while parked in your car you might want to look around and make sure no one is looking. They might think it is strange that you are calling for gear up. Oh and definitely don’t make those cool airplane noises, that always gets people’s attention.
Practicing Go Arounds
The more we practice a maneuver the more likely we will accomplish it correctly. Many times we practice a go around at the same altitude and airspeed, especially during instrument training. Typically we fly to a few hundred feet above the ground with the airport in front of us and then practice our go around. Although this is a great place to start we also need to practice the go around maneuver in other situations.
Next time you are practicing a rejected landing do it from many different altitudes and airspeeds. For example, practice go arounds after you put the first notch of flaps in for the approach prior to alignment with the runway. In this scenario I find many people forget to bring the flaps up until they realize the plane is not accelerating.
You should also be proficient in go arounds before the flare, as you pull the power to idle before landing, and as the wheels touch down.
For a complex aircraft you should practice go arounds in all configurations to include wheels down on final and just prior to putting the landing gear down. The procedure should be the same for all configurations. As a matter of fact there are three things I do in all airplanes that I fly so as not to forget anything.
Go Around Procedure
No matter what plane you fly you will need to complete three primary tasks:
Power Up- bring the power to full by moving the throttle or thrust lever forward. If you are not producing full power you may not have completed your before landing checklist so verify that the mixture and propeller controls are also full forward.
Pitch Up - make sure you are not heading towards the ground and rotate the airplane to a climb attitude. Don’t over rotate because you might stall but make sure you are climbing.
Clean Up - bring the flaps to the proper go around position. This will normally be around 10 to 20 degrees on most airplanes but consult your airplane operation handbook for the proper setting. After you are climbing this would be a good time to also get the gear up. Once climbing and at a safe altitude you will need to retract the remainder of your flaps. As you can tell this is a three step process in a complex airplane. Many instructors teach this procedure as Flaps, Gear, Flaps. The second flap retraction may also include opening the cowl flaps if you have them installed.
After you have powered up, pitched up, and cleaned up the airplane it is important to perform the after takeoff checklist. The checklist will catch the items you might have forgotten during the go around. I use a checklist but also back it up with an after take off checklist I have been using for years, the GIFT checklist. Gear, Indicated Airspeed, Flaps, Transponder and Throttles. You can read more about this check list by clicking here.
There are some common mistakes made during go around. First is not verifying full power. Maybe you have not pushed the mixture control or the propeller control all the way in. Some people as a habit push all controls forward. Most of the time this will work but at high altitude airports full rich mixture may not produce full power.
The second most common mistake I see is the pilot not reconfiguring or “cleaning up” the aircraft after initiating the go around. I spend much time in aircraft with 40 degrees of flaps and if you don’t retract the flaps to at least 20 degrees the airplane will not climb especially on a hot humid day. Also, after climbing I see many pilots forget to retract the flaps completely and then they overspeed the flaps. At the very least leaving the flaps down will burn extra fuel.
The same problem we have with flaps we also have with landing gear. Forgetting to bring the gear up may be a bigger problem because with many airplanes the gear must be retracted at a lower speed since the gear motors may not have enough energy to overcome the wind resistance. This is an awkward position to be in but if you find your speed above the gear retraction speed then you will need to slow and get the gear up.
Conclusion
The majority of airplane accidents are during landing and very few result in a fatality, whereas go around accidents have a much higher fatality rate. To reverse this trend we need to practice more go arounds, especially if you fly complex aircraft. This is true for pilots of all experience levels.
I encourage you to review your go around procedures in all the airplanes you fly. Afterwards, practice your procedures at home then take the plane up with an instructor and practice go arounds. You may be surprised at how difficult the maneuver is especially if it has been years since you practiced a go around.
I haven't had a flight review in over ten years but I fly almost every day. Before you get on the phone to the local FSDO to report me for a violation of the regulations remember there are many activities that can substitute for a flight review.
I was reminded of this when my friend Rick Felty told me that he did well on his recent BFR. What he was referring to was what we used to call the Biennial Flight Review and has now been changed to the term Flight Review.
The FAA changed the name of the BFR to Flight Review but many still use the term BFR because old habits change slowly. The term Flight Review reflects a more accurate description of the type of recurrent training required for proficiency and promotes more frequent training.
The regulations under 61.56 require a flight review to have been accomplished in the 24 months prior to your acting as pilot in command. There are substitutions for the flight review which will make you a more competent pilot, learn more, and in some cases it will cost you less than a regular fight review. Before we go into that lets review what a flight review is.
The flight review must:
Be given in an aircraft for which that pilot is rated and by an authorized instructor.
Include logbook endorsed from an authorized instructor who gave the review certifying that the person has satisfactorily completed the review.
Include a minimum 1 hour of flight training.
Include a minimum 1 hour of ground training.
Include a review of the current general operating and flight rules of part 91.
Include a review of those maneuvers and procedures that, at the discretion of the person giving the review, are necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate.
Substitutions:
Glider pilots may substitute a minimum of three instructional flights in a glider, each of which includes a flight to traffic pattern altitude, in lieu of the 1 hour of flight training required.
Flight Instructors who have completed a renewal of a flight instructor certificate under the provisions in Sec. 61.197 need not accomplish the one hour of ground training.
How To Never Do A Flight Review Again
Additional training has proven to make you a safer and more competent pilot. The FAA recognizes this and allows us to substitute certain training for the flight review.
Substitutions for the flight review:
Be a student pilot undergoing training for a certificate and have a current solo endorsement as required by 61.87.
Pass a pilot proficiency check conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a U.S. Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege need not accomplish the flight review.
Satisfactorily accomplished one or more phases of an FAA sponsored pilot proficiency award program.
Pilot Proficiency Check
Thinking of getting that instrument rating or excited about flying on the water and think sea planes look like fun. Once you get your new rating or pilot certificate this can substitute for the flight review. In addition you can use your passing the exam as credit towards your FAA Wings.
Not in the Wings program? It is simple to sign up for and is fun and educational. Read more about the Wings program below.
For those who must pass a proficiency check for the operator you work for, be it an airline or charter operation, you can substitute this check for a flight review. The proficiency check will also count towards the FAA Wings Program.
FAA Wings Program
The FAA Pilot Proficiency Program, or Wings program, is one of my favorite FAA sponsored activities. The FAA along with the aviation industry has realized recurrent training reduces the accident rate dramatically.
The Wings program includes both learning activities and flight tasks to be accomplished for credit towards obtaining one of the levels in the Wings program. After completing a level of the Wings program you may substitute this completion for the flight review.
It is easy to sign up for the program and is free. The FAA safety seminars count as credit towards obtaining a level of the Wings so if you have been participating in these seminars you should sign up so you can get credit.
I encourage pilots who fly charter or for the airlines to also become involved with the program especially if you are planning on getting back into general aviation. Your proficiency checks can be used as credit towards the Wings program.
To learn more about the FAA Wings program go to FAASafety.gov. And click on register. I will also be producing some instructional videos on how to use and navigate around FAASafety.gov.
Conclusion
The flight review is the minimum requirement set forth by the FAA. Using the substitutions for the flight review I have described above will make you a more proficient pilot, in some cases cost less, and most importantly you will be constantly learning.
At a minimum I hope you will sign on to the FAASafety.gov website and set up a profile with the Wings program. If you have any questions concerning the Wings program please feel free to contact me. Look for future blog posts on how to use the Wings program and their website.
Built during WWII, Bartow Municipal Airport is self sustaining with a rich history as a fighter training base. Whether you arrive in Bartow by land or air you should visit the inviting new terminal building and restaurant.
You will find yourself relaxing in one of the rocking chairs watching the planes take off and land. This is a great place to take your family and is entertaining for kids of all ages.
The following is a video history of Bartow Municipal Airport and is the first in our new Aviation Heritage Series collection. I hope you enjoy.
It was a beautiful machine now standing proudly basking under the fluorescent light of the immense hanger. Though not alone the B-25 Mitchell bomber stood out amongst the more modern jets, it’s guns protruding from the nose.
For a brief moment I felt alone imagining myself flying such a classic and historic aircraft into China off an aircraft carrier. Most said it couldn’t be done but this airplane and the brave men who flew it took off from the USS Hornet, bombing Japan in an attack which surprised the allies as much as the Japanese.
My feeling of being alone waned as I felt I was being watched, and sure enough out of the corner of my eye I saw someone approaching. As the person walked towards me I noticed he had a docent identification tag and because I was curious I said hello to this gentlemen.
I related to him how shocked I was to find this amazing museum on such a remote part of the airfield. Like most airfields with large buildings you don’t know what you will encounter until you roll back the hanger doors. In this case I simply walked through the entrance to the museum and saw the dozens of model airplanes hanging from the ceiling and I knew this is where I would spend the rest of the day.
After introducing myself I told the docent I had the whole day to explore the museum. He turned to me and said “do you want to see something special”. Now he really had my curiosity peaked. Next he said “ever been in a P-47?” Of course I chimed back never but I have always wanted to fly one. “Well” he said “why don’t we climb into one right now?”. He proceeded to tell me that the museum has open cockpit days allowing visitors inside the cockpit and cabin of many airplanes on display. This is normally one of their busier days.
“I bet it is” I quipped not wanting to show how excited I was to sit in the P-47. He lowered the rope surrounding the aircraft and let me climb in. As I gingerly positioned myself in the cockpit, I noticed how austere a WWII fighter must have been. Because of the exposed control cables and no insulation I knew this was a machine for combat and not a jaunt around the pattern on a clear afternoon.
I must have spent fifteen minutes looking over all the controls and switches when he said do you want to see more. I said of course. He said if I wanted he could show me around the whole museum. I immediately accepted.
Every so often something wonderful happens during this serendipitous journey we call life and meeting this docent and the hours he spent with me exploring this wonderful museum was a day I will treasure as one of my better memories.
As we made our way through the four main exhibit areas I discovered some of the many gems the New England Air Museum has on display. From the Republic Sea Bee to a Lockheed Electra which was to be used to make another attempt at Amelia Earhart’s flight. There is something for all of us to see and experience in this museum.
One of the most wonderful aspects of this museum is that it not only teaches us the important role aviation had in our history but it explains many aviation concepts. As a matter of fact there are many displays geared towards learning concepts such as how an airplane flies and how an aircraft engine works.
I found these educational displays could apply not only to a younger audience but also to those just learning to fly. For the more learned there are also some very interesting exhibits especially when it comes to aviation history.
Pratt Whitney and Sikorsky are not far from the museum and their presence at the museum is noticeable. I love the many engine displays and the cut out displays showing how aircraft engines work.
I have not seen this many helicopter displays since my visit to the National Helicopter Museum. Sikorsky has donated many of the exhibits and there is a very interesting display on the development of hovering flight.
A symbol of a more gentile time in American history, the large four engine flying boat sits proudly on display looking as if we should board her and take to the sky. Originally part of the flying boats or “clippers” operated by American Overseas Airways and Pan Am, these gentle giants lumber to the sky carrying their passengers in the utmost of luxury. A cross between cruise liner and airplane I could only imaging what it must have been like to fly on one of these wonderful planes.
This plane was owned by Charles Blair, the husband of the famous actress Maureen O’Hara and was flown under the name Excambian. This former Chief Pilot for Pan American Airways left his job to start his own airline. Occasionally Maureen O’Hara would work as a stewardess on the flights operated by her husband. It was eventually her bidding to allow the museum to have the historic and beautiful flying boat.
Charles Blair died in a tragic accident when one of his engines on a Grumman Goose exploded in flight. Ms. O’Hara took over the company and was the first female president of a U.S. Airline.
Each display has a history and many times an interesting story similar to the flying boat. I could have spent hours listening to the many amazing histories behind each of the artifacts, but the day was running on and I was wanting to see the crown jewel of the museum.
Entering a new hangar, the floor buffed to a shine in which I could see my reflection, I move towards the mammoth B-29. The skin of the aircraft, a shining polished aluminum, added to the spectacular stance this large bomber took as it stood as if ready for battle.
It is rare to find such a beautiful restoration especially of a B-29. Years prior I met Paul Tibetts and his engineer and bombarder at an air show but never imagined the incredible size of the machine that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The B-29 “Jack’s Hack” is on display in the 58th Bomb Wing WWII Memorial and as with any memorial, I entered the chambers with reverence and remembrance of those who bravely fought during WWII.
The 58th Bomb Wing was the first unit to take the B-29 into combat in WWII. The 58th “flew the hump” over the unforgiving terrain of the Himalayan Mountains to forward air bases in China. Later the bomb wing was relocated to Tinian where the first atomic bomb took off to drop the historic payload destroying the city of Hiroshima.
To truly learn the developments in aviation from both a historic and technical aspect one must experience it. The New England Air Museum allows the visitor to experience aviation history and learn about the wonders of flight and the trials of the pioneers of aviation. Connecticut will always play a significant role in aviation history and development of new technologies in flight. Find out why by visiting the New England Air Museum.
Victoria returns from her 2 week long adventure to obtain her Commercial Pilot certificate to join us on Episode 4. Tune in to hear about her intensive flight training, how she contracted a flight instructor on a daily rate, and flew her bottom off to reach that Commercial ticket on her 7th day of training.
Other topics include:
1. Navigating thunderstorms
2. Thunderstorm avoidance
3. What to expect if you’ve flown into a thunderstorm
4. Learning about gust fronts
5. The danger of downdrafts
6. Windshear and low level windshear awareness
7. Co-hosts stories of thunderstorm encounters
8. What are you waiting for? Listen below!
But wait, there’s more! Listen in for our picks of the week where each of the co-hosts shares an aviation related product, service, and/or website that they’ve found to be interesting or helpful.
Rick – Martin-Baker Ejection Seat Test videos
Carl – Pappy Boyington Field, A Campaign to Honor a Hero DVD
Victoria – The Aviatrix Aerogram
Len – iPad2
PS – don’t forget to click that “LIKE” button and share this episode with you other pilot friends!
The large hook echo on the weather radar confirmed reports of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes as we flew towards Cincinnati. The tops of the storms where lower than our maximum cruising altitude so it seemed like we would have no problem flying over the storms. All was good until we where airborne and saw how quickly the storms where growing.
My coworker was fairly new to weather flying and did not seem at all disturbed by the oncoming weather. I said we need an exit strategy in case this storm becomes so severe that we cannot fly through it. We decided our best route would be a turn to the southeast if we found that we could not pass the large line of building storms.
As we navigated our way around the storms I notice a hole but it was now closing up. Since the line behind us was closing and the one in front of us was starting to close I knew we where in for a rough ride. I picked the area with the thinnest radar returns and pointed our nose toward them. Since we where still in a climb I was hoping we would make it over the tops or at least not be in the storm for very long.
As we penetrated the thunderstorm the vertical speed indicator immediately increased to over four thousand feet per minute. The ride became rough but nothing more than moderate turbulence. Then we suddenly began to rise even faster and the airspeed began to increase to redline. I then told my coworker to call out any sudden decreases in airspeed because we where in a large updraft and to expect a sudden downdraft shortly. Having been through many storms I new the next maneuver would be to pitch the nose down and put in full power to recover before we stalled.
I had to continually pull the nose up and reduce power to keep from over speeding the aircraft. Even though it seemed like an eternity, about 30 seconds later the airspeed began to drop like a rock. I pitched the nose down and put in full power. I continued to push down on the nose but still saw the airspeed dropping, getting closer to the stall speed. As I began to push further forward on the yoke the airspeed suddenly stopped and reversed direction. “Oh good we are getting out of that down draft.” We had lost over fifty knots in my recovery and where coming very close to having the stick shaker go off.
After we landed and taxied to the gate in Cincinnati the storms began to roll over the field closing the airport. I was glad we landed before the storms hit the field. I later discovered over thirty people on the ground has lost their lives in the storm system that we just flew through.
Having knowledge of how thunderstorms develop and what to do if you find yourself inside a storm is important if you want to survive an encounter with one of these large aircraft grinding machines. So how did I know we where going to have such a large downdraft? Well lets review the weather theory behind thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms : Three Ingredients
Like baking a cake there are certain ingredients necessary for a thunderstorm to form. The first ingredient is unstable air. Second, add some moisture. Third, some type of lifting action is necessary.
The most severe thunderstorms normally form in front of strong cold fronts but severe storms can form anywhere we have the three essential ingredients. Thunderstorms that form on their own and are not associated with a cold front are called air mass thunderstorms and can be as severe but usually don’t last as long as those associated with a cold front. Storms associated with frontal activity are normally more persistent and affect large areas of the country. These storms are referred to as steady state thunderstorms and by their name you can tell they are very persistent.
Photo Credit: FAA.gov
(click image to enlarge)
Hazards
Thunderstorms contain a combination of hazards to aircraft which include moderate or greater turbulence, hail, structural ice, heavy rain reducing visibility, lightning, and wind shear. If this isn’t enough to make you want to fly around a storm I’m not sure what would. But if this isn’t convincing enough lets review the hazards.
Turbulence and Wind Shear
Severe thunderstorms are natures’s aircraft grinders having caused aircraft to lose critical control surfaces and even wings. This alone is a good reason to stay well clear of these storms. If you do find yourself inside even a small thunderstorm you can encounter severe or greater turbulence. The most severe turbulence is in the shear between the updrafts and downdrafts as was the case in my flight above.
Even if you avoid penetrating a severe thunderstorm you can still experience severe turbulence. Turbulence has been encountered by aircraft thousands of feet above the thunderstorm and 20 miles laterally from a severe storm. This is a good reason to stay more than 20 miles away from storms.
Gust Fronts
Photo Credit : FAA.gov
One day while waiting to take off the tower calls and says all departures are stopped because of an approaching gust front. The gust front is the air which flows outward from a large thunderstorms or line of storms and can be up to 15 miles ahead of the precipitation. At times radar can pick up the gust front especially if there is a roll cloud associated with the gust front. The roll cloud is the top of the outflow of the gust front and can be very turbulent. The best thing to do in this case is wait out the passage.
Low Level Wind Shear
Associated with thunderstorm and the gust fronts are sudden changes in windspeed and direction near the ground, called low level wind shear. The gust front and the passing of the storm over the airport causes low level wind shear both as they arrive and as they move away from the airfield.
Low Wind shear due to thunderstorms are hazardous to all aircraft because the change in the wind direction and speed can dramatically affect the performance of the aircraft. Winds can change from a headwind to a tail wind and with the velocity changing 50 knots or more. If you are caught close to the ground during a wind shear event you may never be able to recover. As you can see in the picture below you don’t want to be in the position of plane number 3 trying to climb while being pushed to the ground.
Image Credit : FAA.gov
(click picture to enlarge)
Microbursts
Some of the most dangerous wind shear events associated with rain showers and thunderstorms are microbursts. I’ll never forget seeing the damage done by a microburst near my home. Many large trees where blown down in one direction and the younger more flexible trees where bent with their tops permanently stuck into the ground.
Normally a microburst is up to one mile in diameter and one thousand feet vertically. Typically a microburst will last 15 minutes. Downdrafts of up to 6000 feet per minute can be produced by these microbursts. This is another reason to avoid these microbursts since most aircraft cannot climb faster than the downdrafts in a microburst.
The best way to avoid a wind shear is to wait until the storm or gust front passes. Keep in mind that wind shear can occur at any altitude and in air that seems clear. This many times is the case under rain showers and dissipating storms which only produce light rain.
During my early flying career I remember seeing such a rain shower with only light rain coming down in a shaft from underneath. Since it was only light rain and it looked very small I thought I might try and fly underneath. That was the wrong decision. Such a small rain shower created moderate turbulence in what was an otherwise smooth day. Luckily I was a few thousand feet above the ground and was not in much danger. This was a particularly bad decision because I had passengers on board. My desire to save a few minutes caused more work at the end of the flight since I had to clean the plane after my young passenger in the back seat got sick.
No matter how light the rain may seem it is a good idea to circumnavigate any shafts of rain coming from the bottom of any cloud. A few more minutes of flight time is all it normally takes to make the difference between a good flight and a very bumpy one.
If you fly out of an airport with wind shear detection systems and there is a wind shear alert you should postpone your departure at least fifteen minutes and up to thirty minutes for stronger wind shear. These systems are called low level wind shear alert systems (LLWAS) and are normally installed at larger airports.
The LLWAS includes Anemometers positioned around the airport. If the difference in wind speed between any two sensors is 15 knots or more the LLWAS will issue a warning. If you are taxiing out to the runway and you get a low level wind shear alert it is a good idea to wait a good thirty minutes before departing.
Low Level Wind Shear Rule: “15 for 15 and Double for more”.
A good rule of thumb concerning wind shear is to do what I call “15 for 15 and double for more”. What this means is that if the wind shear is either reported by another aircraft or a wind shear detection device and the wind shear is up to 15 knots then I will wait at least 15 minutes. Any wind shear 15 knots or greater I will double the amount of time and wait thirty minutes.
Hail
Image Credit : FAA.gov
Many refer to the severe turbulence associated with a thunderstorm as an airplane grinder. If severe turbulence is the meat grinder than hail is the tenderizing mallet of airplanes. Hail is formed when super cooled droplets are lifted above the freezing level in a thunderstorm and then the droplet freezes. When the droplet freezes other droplets will now attach to it and freeze causing it to grow bigger.
Once the hail grows large and heavy enough to overcome the updrafts the hail will begin to fall. This hail can damage the skin of the aircraft and potentially penetrate and destroy sections of the aircraft especially the leading edge of appliances, wings, and nose cones.
As hail descends on a hot day it may melt and become rain. Don’t be fooled into thinking the storm is not producing hail. All thunderstorms can produce hail even if there is rain at the surface since as you climb to cooler air you might encounter hail. Furthermore, if you can fly above a thunderstorm you may encounter hail near the top and around the storm especially in the anvil. Hail can be thrown above and outward from a large thunderstorm, so give the larger storms lots of room.
Icing and Super Cooled Large Droplets
Anytime you are in visible moisture and the temperature is at or below freezing the aircraft is susceptible to icing. The updraft in a thunderstorm can carry large droplets above the freezing level and cause super cooled water droplets to form. These super cooled water droplets will freeze on impact and can form some of the most hazardous icing at times coating the surface of the airplane in a sheet of clear ice in a matter of seconds.
These super cooled water droplets and all ice for that matter can be encountered in moisture to -15 degrees celsius. Below -15 the water normally will sublimate and turn into Ice crystals.
Lightning
Airplanes are designed to survive a lightning strike but not without damage. Lightning can puncture the skin of the aircraft which can be problematic on a pressurized airplane. More likely the lightning and static discharges associated with the lightning can effect the electronic equipment in the airplane.
At times electronic equipment can be damaged to the point of being unusable. It sure would be a bad day if your GPS was damaged due to a lighting strike and the only approach available at the airport is a GPS approach.
Another good reason to avoid all lightning is to avoid a very costly avionics or aircraft repair. As many of you know the avionics in some small planes is worth almost as much as the plane itself.
Engine Water Ingestion and Air Blockage
Flying through large rain storms seems like going through a car wash with the water pressure on high. The amount of rain can cause turbine aircraft engines to ingest enough water to stop combustion., a condition called a flameout. Most turbine engines suggest your turning on the igniters while in heavy precipitation to make sure the engine continues to stay lit.
For those of us who fly piston aircraft, the water can saturate the air filter to the point that no more air can pass through. I always imagine my engine breathing through a water soaked rag when I am in heavy rain and prepare myself to use the alternate air if needed. The alternate air is not filtered but is not normally in the direct airflow so that no more water or other materials will be ingested.
Preflight
Before any flight we must always do a preflight inspection of our aircraft. Just as important as inspecting the aircraft before flight is obtaining and analyzing the weather before we take off. There are many online, televised, and in flight tools you can use.
A great place for most to start your preflight is hours before by watching televised weather channels. Two of my favorites are the weather channel and the weather network while flying in Canada.
Since I’m not one who wants to wait for the special features or commercials to finish while watching the weather on television I normally turn to the internet for my first look at the weather. The page I go to first for an overview of convective activity is the radar page on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) website.As a matter of fact this is my home page on my web browser so every time I use the internet I can take a quick view of the radar. If something spurs my interest I will investigate further.
For an overview of using AviationWeather.gov for thunderstorm avoidance please view the video below or on my youtube channel. This is the first in a series of educational videos I will be producing. I hope you find them entertaining and educational.
Video : Part 1 to using AviationWeather.gov for Thunderstorm Avoidance.
Video : Part 2 to using AviationWeather.gov for Thunderstorm Avoidance.
Conclusion
Flying in and around thunderstorms can be hazardous but with knowledge you can navigate your way to your destination safely and comfortably. The best plan of action is to give thunderstorms a wide berth and realize that due to the limitations of your aircraft you may not be able to fly until the thunderstorms have passed your destination or cleared your route of flight.
As is typical in the busy New York area I was waiting near the gate for my flight to arrive. One of the ramp workers saw me in my uniform and excitedly announced he was getting started with flight training soon. His excitement was contagious and I could not help getting excited for him and his dream of becoming an airline pilot.
To make your flight training more productive and less expensive you should do two things, prepare yourself and prepare your friends and family. Preparing yourself means becoming immersed in all that is aviation, such as reading this blog, and reading any materials the school sends you before you get to class.
I haven't had a flight review in over ten years but I fly almost every day. Before you get on the phone to the local FSDO to report me for a violation of the regulations remember there are many activities that can substitute for a flight review. 
