Flying Lessons - 091231

©2009 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All rights reserved.

FFLLYYIINNGG LLEESSSSOONNSS for December 31, 2009

suggested by this week’s aircraft mishap reports FLYING LESSONS uses the past week’s mishap reports to consider what might have contributed to accidents, so you can make better decisions if you face similar circumstances. In almost all cases design characteristics of a specific make and model airplane have little direct bearing on the possible causes of aircraft accidents, so apply these FLYING LESSONS to any airplane you fly. Verify all technical information before applying it to your aircraft or operation, with manufacturers’ data and recommendations taking precedence.

If you wish to receive the free, expanded FLYING LESSONS report each week, email “subscribe” to mastery.flight.training@cox.net.

FLYING LESSONS is an independent product of MASTERY FLIGHT TRAINING, INC. www.mastery-flight.training.com This week’s lessons:

In many airplanes the in-flight amperage of ice protection devices will not register on an ammeter or alternator loadmeter, however. The preflight check in the POH of many multiengine airplanes calls for throttling one engine back to below the alternator/generator operating range in order to see any needle movement when the other engine is at run-up speed.

In an electrically powerful single-engine airplane you may actually have to turn off the alternator before individually turning on the pitot heat for the ammeter/alternator loadmeter movement to be noticeable.

In flight, when the alternator is developing rated power, there may not be any needle movement at all.

What would you do? NASA’s latest Callback provides several scenarios from the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), asking readers the question: what would you have done? Read Callback #360 and test your own decision-making skills.

See http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/docs/cb/cb_360.pdf

In the same way you can learn from any NTSB report. For example, see this accident report and thoughtfully consider, “what would you have done?” Try it with any mishap report you read. www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20091214X94945&key=1

Questions? Comments? Email me at mastery.flight.training@cox.net

DEBRIEF: Readers comment on past FLYING LESSONS Retired Pan Am captain and frequent FLYING LESSONS debriefer Lew Gage writes about last week’s discussion of a preflight check of ice protection equipment:

Regarding your mention of feel-checking the pitot heat function during the preflight, that check only proves the heat may be working at that instant. The only thing you know from the results of that check is that the pitot heat either does or does not work at the moment of the check, not if it is working while in flight. The only practical way to know if the pitot heat is working when we really need it (in flight) is to monitor the current draw with an ammeter installed in the circuit. [The] installation of an ammeter is quite simple and anyone that does flying in clouds with icing conditions present is betting the odds if relying on the preflight feel check.

Yes, yes, I know it has been done by feel check for years, but I also know of accidents or near accidents that happened due to an unknown inop pitot heat system.

Thanks, Lew. That’s a good reminder to closely monitor electrical output regardless of the inflight circumstances. In many airplanes the in-flight amperage of many ice protection devices will not register on an ammeter or alternator loadmeter, however if the owner installs a dedicated ammeter to each piece of anti- and deice equipment it is possible to attain a higher level of awareness. So you’re right—the ground check is not the only way to tell, but it is an essential part of checking and verifying proper operation of ice protection equipment.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

December’s Question of the Week #4:

Michael J. Wolf, president and chief operating officer at Sporty's Pilot Shop, has a feel for how general aviation as a whole is faring in the economic downturn. By studying their sales history, Wolf says the company can spot trends early. One observation they've made for 2009 and what you might expect to see going into 2010 is that because of the economy, “Pilots are flying ‘smarter.’ Which means less.” December’s Question of the Week #4, then, is:

Take an honest look at your logbook before you answer: Did you fly more, less or the same number of hours in 2009 as you did in 2008? If there was a difference, how much more or less did you fly in 2009? What caused the difference?

Win your choice of a Mastery Flight Training hat or the instructional DVD Those Who Won’t:

Avoiding Gear Up and Gear Collapse Mishaps. Answer this Question of the Week to be included in the random drawing for December. Copy and paste the question with your response to MFTsurvey@cox.net…then come back to read the rest of FLYING LESSONS. December question of the week #3 was: What new flying skill do you want to learn in the coming year? Here are some of your responses:

The very ordinary ‘Vx Climb Out’ leads directly to the safe and rather simple execution of an earlier and safe ‘RETURN TO FIELD’ [RTF] that is touted as so dangerous and to be avoided at most costs! Crash landing into a local back yard swimming pool is better than a stall/spin from 300 to 500 feet, but worse than a very safe ‘180 & RTF’. Remember, if your climb gradient is less than your Vbrg Gradient (‘Best Rate Of Glide’), regardless of when you make a 180 back to the field you are NOT going to make the departure end of the runway if your turn back!

Pilots, do you need to practice any of these skills? Instructors, will you include these tasks in the training you provide in 2010? Let us know at mastery.flight.training@cox.net. Fly safe, and have fun!

Thomas P. Turner, M.S. Aviation Safety, MCFI

2008 FAA Central Region CFI of the Year

FLYING LESSONS is ©2009 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. Copyright holder provides permission for FLYING LESSONS to be posted on FAASafety.gov. For more information see www.mastery-flight-training.com, or contact mastery.flight.training@cox.net or your FAASTeam representative.