You can't land when even the birds are grounded

It is awful to read about skilled pilots trying to land in the fog, way below minimums. Even trying unsuccessfully to land in heavy IFR conditions at an airport with only an Rnav approach. You don't believe me? Go to the December 09 NTSB reports. One pilot on a short business flight in Texas in a Bonanza tried to land in 1/4 mile visibility with an indefinite ceiling flying a presumed RNAV approach with 1300 ft minimums. This guy had all the ratings including ATP, Instr. instructor etc. He augured in 750 ft off the runway. What was he thinking?

The next one was also in Texas in a Pa-34. Another qualified pilot (on paper): Commercial-Instr.-Instructor. There was no published instrument approach at this airport and the nearest reported weather reports were about 20 miles away. Although they had almost VFR weather there, it was unknown at the desired destination. Anyway it did not deter this maniac from trying to make up his own approach and land in uncertain conditions. He was observed by approach control to desend to 700 ft and then disappear from radar. He crashed in a body of water killing the occupants. That was irresponsible.

The moral of the story is not to second guess the weather and fly only published approaches observing all the Notams and not busting minimums. This latter thing, busting minimums is a classic killer and part of the "get home itus" syndrome. I remember a case of that I had several years ago when trying to return to Kenansville,NC from Raleigh in my C-340. I got so close but at minimums couldn't see a thing. Fog! Rather than try again, sometimes that works, but it was dark out and unlikely to improve so I returned to Raleigh and rented a car to get home. Frustrating yes, but I lived to write about it.

So if you want to avoid the above fates, don't try to beat the system. Rather, follow the rules, use good sound judgement and live to fly another day.

Keep it on the runway

The recent AA faux pas in Jamaica, almost going for a bath rather than a simple landing, reminded me of an early flight of mine that ended in a bad way. I was trying to land a Cessna 172 at NY38, Nedrow Air Park, a 2100 ft. paved runway with 50 ft trees at the north end. The field is no longer there ( I wish it hadn't been there then). Anyway I came in too high and fast and couldn't stop on the runway even by standing on the brakes. Unfortunately no reverse thrust available on the 172. However forward momentum was arrested by a well placed tree at the south end of the runway. I was lucky then to learn several lessons about landing. Lessons that stayed with me for the rest of my flying career.

So what were those pilots thinking as they tried to land a 737-800 with a questionable strong tailwind and a wet runway? Both of these factors: tailwind and water on the runway can significantly increase stopping distance of a landing airplane. These factors become much more critical if you are too high and too fast. In fact every 2 knots of tailwind will increase the landing distance (over no wind) by 10%. Standing water on the runway can increase the stoppping distance required by as much as 15%. So adding these things together makes for a challenging landing requiring speeds to be precise and touchdown as close to the threshold numbers as possible (not halfway down the runway).

According to Blake & Elliot in commercial aviation there is only one overrun per 3.6 million flights. They also state that 42% of commercial aviation accidents occur during final approach and landing.

So to avoid being a statistic when landing a pilot must plan his/her approach carefully keeping the following in mind. Fly the proper approach speed for plane configuration( no flaps to full flaps), wind conditions on the runway (allowing for gusts, head or tailwind etc), runway condition( dry,wet or icy). And of course length of runway including obstructions.

May your next landing be smooth and uneventful.

Are you ready to go?

Preflighting the plane isn't something pilots talk about much, not unless they are discussing some of the potentially disasterous things that may have happened to them. Things like forgetting to take the tow bar off the nose wheel before taxiing, or checking the fuel level in the tanks, or peeking around in the engine compartment when checking the oil level and finding an oily mechanics rag or a wrench. You get the idea now. An ounce of prevention may eliminate many pounds of pain later.

So what is a good plan for preflighting most singles and light twins? I used to start mine at the entrance to the cabin or cockpit. Then do a counter clockwise walk around the plane. starting out looking at the flaps(first lowering them) and ailerons, actually moving them and checking the hinge pins etc. Next, as you walk around the wingtip, check the lights and then the leading edge including the stall warning. If the master is on, when you flick the stall warning lever it should sound in the cockpit. Sounds like a lot, but if you move steadily and do it regularly it should only heve taken you less then a minute so far. Next of course is checking the fuel, both looking in the fill port to verify level of gas and to go under the wing and drain the sump. Don't just drain and dump, but actually look at what drains out into the cup (not just drain it onto the tarmac). You might have all water in the cup rather than fuel or a mixture. If in doubt, drain it again. Also when under the wing check the tires for inflation and tread. Look at the brakes-rotor and brake pads, or for leaking brake fluid. You never know when you might just badly need those brakes.

Next is a biggie, checking the engine compartment(s). Oil level is primary, but while the cowl or access port is open give the whole compartment the once over as possible. I know some models only have an opening to check the oil level. But if you can look for oil splatter or leaks, loose ignition cables and foreign objects as rags etc. During the spring check for bird nests, a real fire hazard.

Now as you round the nose look over the pitot and any other probe, radome etc. The nose wheel should be looked over and if there are gear doors check them too. Checking the left side of the plane is a repeat of the right. Walking back to the tail look over the fuselage, verifying that the static ports are clear. At the tail, remove all gust locks and move the elevator and rudder to see if they are free and that the hinges are intact. At some point check all the external lights.

Getting into the cockpit now you should be ready to start your before engine start check, to be discussed in another blog.

Enjoy another fun, safe flight. Those 5 to 10 minutes you just spent on exterior preflight may have saved your plane, life or both!

Incidentally I ran across an excellent preflight article at :firstflight.com

It's busy up there

For all the hours I spent in the cockpit, I can't ever remember being bored. There are just so many things that need to be done, overseen and thought about. To even think of entertaining myself with a video or computer game is unthinkable. Hey, but that's me.

So what is there to do? I'll give some examples of the myriad tasks that one can do. First and foremost fly the airplane. That means keep it upright at the desired heading and altitude and free of dangerous conditions such as ice and turbulence. To do the latter requires paying attention to the ever changing weather. That means updating your preflight weather via the radio or using some newer on line technique now available. Part of the problem with the more sophisticated planes is that they can be largely automated. The autopilot takes care of heading, altitude and aids in landing, but it can't think for you. If there is "traffic" at your 12 o'clock and five miles you must be looking out to avoid a midair. That means staying in touch with the ground facility that is watching over you e.g. approach control or center. Another reason to listen to the appropriate radio facility is that there might be an emergency such as a plane in distress that " center " is having trouble hearing and hopefully you can help. That has happened to me. One day center was having trouble communicating with a pilot who was in need of a clearance. I was asked to try and reach the pilot. As I was successful, they had me relay it to the grateful pilot. Made me feel useful and not bored. Also, a conscientious pilot will monitor 121.5, the distress frequency when able. Who knows one day you might be in trouble and need help. There are many examples of airline pilots helping out in cases like this (that is if they are not too busy with nonsense).

Other basic vital tasks include monitoring fuel status. Is there enough aboard to reach the destination with adequate reserve? If flying in IFR conditions is there enough fuel to reach the destination, and if the weather sours and you can't land, fly to the alternate, land with 45 minutes of fuel in reserve?

And so on. Believe me it never gets boring. Especially if you enjoy being up there and take your flying seriously.

That's my old airplane

It was an eerie, awful feeling to read about the recent crash with four dead in South Carolina. The plane, N62635, a Piper Aztec was one I had flown for over 700 hours years ago in Elmira,NY. It was a forgiving plane if not a bit slow and heavy. It had all the bells and whistles for IFR flight, including some de-ice capabilities. Basically a great plane to fly if you weren't in a big hurry.

The crash apparently occurred right after take-off. There was a post crash fire with no survivors. According to the NTSB immediate post crash report the plane was inverted and off to one side of the end of the runway. So what was the most likely cause?

It certainly sounds like an engine out shortly after take-off. The worst time for a twin. Wheels coming up, not a lot of excess speed over stall and slowly accelerating. So what is one supposed to do. The old wisdom was if the gear is on its way up you are committed to fly. A pilot must immediately: identify the dead engine, verify and feather. Sounds easy but are you mentally prepared? When did you last practice the procedure with an instructor? The stopwatch is ticking, not many seconds can pass without definitive action. Wait too long and a stall and quick spin in are imminent. All said, there are no guarantees to a safe outcome. Afer all, there is a risk to flying that cannot be reduced to zero.

Well, how about this scenario? One engine quits right after liftoff, gear starting to come up, you are VFR with a fairly clear path in front (no big buildings) why not just retard both throttles and do a controlled crash straight ahead. No different than if both engines quit on take-off. At least you would have a chance then.

In summary. If you are flying a twin, before you advance the throttles for take-off, think what if an engine quits on take-off? If the wheels are still down then land. If the wheels are on the way up be prepared to feather the dying engine or cut both throttles and land straight ahead as terrain permits.

If my engine quits will I be prepared?

Everytime you get set to shove the throttle or throttles forward for the start of your take-off roll you should be thinking what if my engine quits. If it happens on the ground, easy decision, pull the throttle(s) off and try to stop on the runway. Once one is airborne things change, different choices depending on variables such as: altitude, single or twin, terrain, weather, and pilot skill. But one thing is certain, if you are in a single with a dying engine you will be a glider. I won't get into twin techniques for dealing with this, but will stick to a single.

Let us presume you are just off the runway 500 feet climbing and the engine starts sputtering. Just this scenario, although exact events are stiil not clear, happened last week at UZA ( Rock Hill, SC), an airport I know well as I used to keep my plane there. The plane a high performance turbo-charged single piloted by a pilot with slightly less than 400 hours. Apparently the pilot tried to make it back to the field but instead augered in, totally destroying both pilot and plane. The recommended procedure is to drop the nose to best glide speed as you look for a place to put the plane down. Trying to get back to the airport if you are too low will often lead to just what happened. Attention to airspeed is paramount as that is what is keeping the plane airborne. Too fast and you lose distance available, and too slow you stall. Every plane has a recommended glide speed as a function of gross weight. These speeds should be enblazened in your mind. Depending on the winds aloft, headwind vs. tailwind, the best glide speed will need some modification. With a headwind add 1/2 the headwind velocity to the best glide speed. For a tailwind decrease the best glide speed by about 10-20%.

When near the ground, fly the plane (glider) to a landing. Do not let it stall. Gear and flap positions need to be decided upon as both will affect your glide and how far and how fast you descend.

Ok, well in another scenario, you are at 8500 ft VFR over friendly terrain and the engine quits. So what do you do? Again, keep the plane flying at best glide speed to maximize the time aloft. Look around and choose your landing option early. You might do a circle to make sure there is no ideal spot to put down if you hadn't looked before. Once you have made your choice, set up a normal traffic pattern rather than trying to land straight in. So fly a downwind, base and final leg if able. This is something you are used to and familiarity should help. Whether to lower the gear in a retractable or not depends on how rough things are down there. Flaps will lower your stall speed and plane attitudes and sink rate will change. One author wrote about the aim point you need to establish in the windshield to help you know if you can make it to your destination. Pick a spot down where you are headed. If it starts rising in the windshield you won't make it, and your landing spot will be closer.

Finally as part of your recurrent training practice a simulated engine out from the downwind by bringing the engine to idle. If you don't trust yourself take an instructor with you.

Hopefully your engine will keep on purring, but if it quits you'll be ready to deal with it if you are prepared.

All of a sudden all I could see was an airplane

The recent mid air disaster over the Hudson reminded me of an incident overn norhtern Massachusetts some years ago. I was flying VFR at 9500 in my 1965 Baron heading to Burlington, VT. It was nice and clear with only a few scattered cumulus clouds, really nothing to block visibility at my altitude. I was squawking a VFR transponder code but not in contact with any ATC facility. In that region it would most likely have been Boston Center. But hey it was a Sunday and there shouldn't have been much traffic.

When all of a sudden my view out the windshield changed from blue sky to a Bonanza type single engine plane passing directly and obliquely across my flight path. There wasn't any time to react. This plane had overflown my flight path at a 45o angle from behind. They should have had me in plain sight if they were looking. But they apparently weren't. This was before texting too.

I was so shook up I called Boston Center and asked if they were communicating with the traffic that just had overflown me? They were not working anyone in my area.

The lesson I guess is that you should use all available means to help prevent a mid-air . But, even if you do, you might need Lady Luck to watch out for you. They could have used her last week over the Hudson.