october 2015 - NSAC Downloads

prop talk
North Shore Aero Club
Phone 0800 4 WINGS or 09 426 4273
Email office@nsac.co.nz
Want to learn to fly?
If you’re considering flight training, North Shore Aero Club in Auckland is
the place to start. Students receive top level training as well as help and
encouragement from staff and other members. There are many different
social occasions, competitions and club trips for members to take part
in.
If you like the idea of flying family and friends to an exciting destination
like Pauanui, Raglan or Great Barrier Island for lunch, then this is the
place to start. Book a trial flight now.
We can help you with private and commercial pilots licenses, as well as
multi engine ratings, instrument ratings, aerobatic ratings, night ratings,
aircraft type ratings and conversions. We also handle foreign pilot
license validations and provide a range of ground courses for licenses
and ratings.
President
Joe Smith
Vice President
Treasurer
Robert van Heiningen 027 483 1439
Margaret Smith
027 224 4293
Secretary
Ian Couper
secretary@nsac.co.nz
Club Captain
Christoph Berthoud
clubcaptain@nsac.co.nz
Committee
Kirsty Coleman
Roy Crane
Andrew Crowhurst
Tony Payne
David Saunders
021 704 294
021 340 654
021 266 6656
027 213 1192
021 115 4696
Patron
John Verleun
Manager (A-Cat & Flight Examiner)
John Punshon
CFI (A-Cat & Flight Examiner)
B-Cat Instructors
C-Cat Instructors
Flight Office Manager
Flight Office Staff
Safety Coordinator
Bar Staff
Groundsman
NS Helicopter Training Instructors
Daryl Gillett
Mike Egden
Michael Bach
Rob Woonton
Ming Zhang
Nick Heatley
027 252 5216
manager@nsac.co.nz
021 95 94 97
cfi@nsac.co.nz
09 426 4273
Tim Marshall
Dawson Boles
David Pauw
Laurence Pope
Paul Ryan
Lynn Packer
Nicole Harris
Mike Egden
Brian Clay
Ben Grooten
Caleb Hanham
Sunday-Thursday
Friday– Saturday
Roy Crane
Rachel Button
Bryan Francis
Angela McLaggan
Neither the editor or North Shore Aero Club are responsible for opinions expressed
by contributors to Proptalk magazine.
Daryl Gillett
CFI
Instrument Approaches at NZNE
We have been busy with IFR training at North Shore lately, so it’s about time to remind pilots and members about the instrument approaches at North Shore as it’s
been a while since I last wrote about them.
I’d suggest that it’s fair to say for the most part the average VFR pilot will have ‘no
idea’ about the instrument approaches into North Shore, and many may not even
know they exist. From a VFR point of view those approaches are depicted on the
VNC’s (well the approximate location of the final approach path anyway) as an extended purple ‘teardrop’ shape. In the case of NZNE they’re also explained in very
basic terms in the AIP Volume 4. Both approaches at NZNE use GNSS navigation
and to be flown require appropriately certified and approved GNSS units (as well as
the pilot also being qualified!). The approaches are known as ‘RNAV (GNSS)’
approaches.
So what can you expect if an aircraft is engaged on one of the RNAV approaches?
Typically, aircraft will join straight in for the into wind/in-use runway – although sometimes they might fly the approach for the opposite runway, then ‘break-off’ to ‘circle’
for the into wind runway (more on this later). The following main points summarise
instrument approach operations at NZNE runway 21 and 03:
Runway 21 – aircraft engaged on the RNAV approach will join via long final. The
approach commencement point is called ‘UPLIN’, which is 10NM to the northeast of
NZNE.
Runway 03 – aircraft engaged on the RNAV approach will join via a long final leg
which is offset to the left of the extended
runway centreline to avoid Whenuapai’s
airspace (in other words, the approach is at
an angle to the runway, and to the left of the
normal final approach path). The approach
commencement point is called ‘MABDA’,
which is 8NM to the west-southwest of
NZNE.
Circling – if you hear an aircraft “circling” it means that aircraft will be entering the
circuit pattern for the active runway in accordance with the prescribed circuit direction
(all left-hand at NZNE), instead of landing straight-in off the approach. Aircraft may
overfly the runway (as if they are going-around), and then turn left to fly downwind.
Or aircraft may break off the approach then position to join the circuit downwind for
the opposite runway.
A key point to note is as detailed in the AIP circuit traffic retains Right of Way, unless
the approach is flown in IMC (instrument Meteorological Conditions) – the same rules
apply to any aircraft joining the circuit. However the problem is that when an IFR
flight is on approach in IMC with no visual reference, the pilot/s cannot see and avoid
VFR traffic or manoeuvre the aircraft away from the approach path. In such situations
when the cloud base is at or below circuit height, aircraft in the circuit pattern should
plan to avoid the approach area. Appropriate radio communication between aircraft
should allow for adequate separation. When a potential conflict exists (when an IFR
aircraft is flying the approach for the runway not in use), the IFR aircraft must give
way when in visual conditions – for NSAC operations all instrument instructors will
maintain a good awareness of other affecting traffic and sequence into the circuit accordingly.
Well in a nutshell that’s an overview of the instrument approaches at North Shore for
the VFR pilot. I do admit that this may all seem a little complicated, but at least having a basic awareness of the instrument approaches will improve your understanding
of what IFR aircraft might be up to, and importantly how your flight might be affected.
And remember, if you ever need advice, or wish to discuss any scenario further – just
nab an instructor, they’ll be happy to help.
Metflight GA
As a lot of you will be well aware, the ‘Metflight GA’ general aviation weather briefing
facility is now free to access (again) to Private Pilots. A few years ago the service
became ‘user pays’ which of course meant access to information that is critical to
flight safety was even harder to obtain. Through much lobbying via the general aviation community, and organisations such as Flying NZ, the system is again available to
all pilots free of charge.
Following on from my article last month regarding weather assessment, now that the
appropriate information is freely available to all pilots I hope it will be well utilised. A
pilot pre-armed with all relevant information prior to flight will no doubt be safer for it.
To access weather information using Metflight GA, all you need is a valid pilot licence
– go to: metflight.metra.co.nz to find out more.
South Island Trip 2015
I believe a full report will be contained within this issue of Prop Talk, however I would
like to sincerely thank those who worked tirelessly on its organisation, namely Laurence Pope, and of course Tim, Cassie, and Candice also.
It was a fantastic trip, and although we were at the whim of the weather for periods
throughout the week, we did manage to get just about everything we wanted to
achieve done. Thanks to a great group of aviators and aviatrix’s it was a pleasure to
be involved.
Daryl
President’s Report
Joe Smith
Well here we are into a new year of club
business, what shall we receive from it.
Good times with good results from all
quarters would be something we would all
appreciate.
to be totally business nor does it mean we
have to abandon our roots, just update
them a little. That in itself causes concern
amongst some of us, however we have to
live and work with the times. It has been
said many times that to stagnate is to stall
How to attain that is problematic as we
or slowly decline. We have seen a few
are such a diverse mix of personalities,
aero clubs cease to be over the last few
we all have one thing in common, we all
years whilst we have prospered. That is in
love flying it is our passion and we love it.
part because we have had prudence and
It is good for the soul, poor for the pocket,
planning.
but that is what binds us.
Enough I hear the cry and so be it and
The bond we share is a good bond, and
onto more good things. NSAC is priviat times of difference we could remember
leged to host the FNZ Regional competithe bond.
tions this year starting on the 27th NovemThere have been expressions that the
ber. It would give the club a boost if as
club is straying from its core relevance of many members as possible could help
being a club that I suggest is of necessity put the club in a good light for the 3 days.
in some regard. The observation is not
That could take the form of just turning up
lost on the members of the committee.
for an hour or two to chat to and welcome
For the club to move into a new more
both competitors and guests that is one
aggressive world it has to have a busithing we could all do as a club, I will be
ness like attitude to the future if the club is there, will you?
to survive. That does not mean we have
Club trips, the members that participate
on club trips are generally the same people give or take a few. I have in this magazine of ours asked on numerous occasions for the Club Captain to have more
support from the members. Early next
year we will have the Great Northern Air
Race, we would like to see at least 25
aircraft and as many crew as possible, it
is a club event that is patronised by members of other clubs. We would welcome
our own members to support the event
and make a statement we are a club.
Wings Dinner, here is an opportunity for
some established members to welcome
new members into our fraternity, make an
effort to support them at this very special
event. It is very special this year as the
venue is the Pullman Hotel in the CBD.
We will be greeted by Basil Fawlty and
his staff. There will be a 3 course dinner
and lots of fun. The event is on the 14th
November at 7pm, dress is Suit and Tie.
Please make a special effort to be there.
Similarly we would like to see a Vintage
Day at least once a month during the
summer with members supporting the
event by participating in trying their skills
in a vintage machine. We are lucky as a
club to have a good variety of classic aircraft and a very willing, skilful, number of
pilots to titillate your interest. After the
exhilaration a get together around the
BBQ and an enthralling evening chatting
about and sharing the experience should
round the day off nicely.
If there is a club spirit let it show by participating in club events, keep a good eye
on the club Captains weekly update, he
works hard for little reward at times.
Microlights there is, or has rather, been a
growing interest in microlights. This is a
form of aviation the committee and management will be researching in the coming months. We have some very keen
proponents of the class amongst us and
we will be consulting with them.
In future there will be spare copies of the
committee meeting minutes available, as
soon as they are ratified at the subsequent committee meeting, at the reception for members to collect.
So in conclusion we have a really excellent club let’s be proud of it and show it.
The Rambler
Meeting Dates
Committee Meetings
Tuesday 6 October 2015 7.30 pm
Tuesday 27 October 2015 7.30 pm
Tuesday 24 November 2015 7.30 pm
Tuesday 26 January 2016 7.30 pm
Tuesday 23 February 2016 7.30 pm
Tuesday 29 March 2016 7.30 pm
Tuesday 26 April 2016 7.30 pm
Tuesday 24 May 2016 7.30 pm
Tuesday 21 June 2016 7.30 pm
Listening Post Meetings
Sunday 1 November 2015 3pm
Sunday 14 April 2016 3 pm
Sunday 26 June 2016 3 pm
Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 26 July 7.30 pm
Glass Cockpit Instrument Rating
Garmin G1000
Cessna 172 ZK-XOX
Start your instrument rating
now in NSAC’s newest aircraft!
Call NSAC on 0800 4 WINGS or 09 426 4273
Email office@nsac.co.nz
From the Archives Committee
The NSAC Archives Sub Committee have found the minutes of the first meeting of
what will be NSAC. They have very kindly enclosed these minutes and some pictures
of the land where the airfield is now located to be published in Proptalk.
27 June 1963
Minutes of the meeting called by Jack Greville to form a Steering Committee for the
purpose of forming an Aero Club on the North Shore.
In Attendance:
Jack Greville
Ted Robinson
Peter Rushton
Barry Abrahams
George Richardson
Murray Houston
Sel. Goldsworthy
Peter Hutton
Apologies:
Were received from Roger Poole.
Business: Mr Jack Greville explained that his intention in calling the meeting was to
gain support for the idea of forming an aero club serving members on the North
Shore. General discussion followed, covering the difficulties pertaining to North Shore
residents who wish to fly from Ardmore. The meeting was unanimous on the desirability of operating an aero club on the North Shore and agreed that the pro-tem name of
this club should be called the “NORTH SHORE AERO CLUB”.
Land where the airfield now sits,
probably taken by Jack Greville
The Steering Committee comprising all those present, resolved the following:

That the club be a non-profit incorporated society to provide flying training & experience, and aircraft–hire facilities for approved members.

That suitable areas for an aerodrome be sought out at: - (a) Long Bay (b) Albany
(c) Dairy Flat (d) Whenuapai.

That membership be not less than 20 (TWENTY) active flying members.
Associate members unlimited.

That the type of aircraft to be primarily considered for members use, be a PA18,
radio equipped (second hand).

That Jack Greville write on behalf of the committee, seeking the use of
Whenuapai Airport as a temporary measure.
Election of Officers: The following officers were elected unopposed: PRESIDENT:
Jack Greville
SECRETARY:
Peter Hutton
Next Meeting At J. Greville’s residence Wednesday night 7:30pm 24/7/63
Meeting closed at 10:30pm
A book recording the history of the
Club’s first fifty years is in the
process of being written, and any
information that would assist in this
endeavour would be welcomed.
The Archives Sub-Committee is
already in possession of a
complete set of newsletters
commencing with the very first one
issued in 1963 but would
appreciate any other Club related
memorabilia, such as news
clippings, maps, advertisements,
photos and videos, that members
wish to donate to the Club
archives. If you are able to assist in
any way please make initial contact
with Ivan Prince
ivan.prince@xtra.co.nz
Milestones
Ben Aldred
Michael Fraser
Thai Lim
Solo
Solo
Solo
Paul Matheson
Chris Walker
Stephen Raynes
Solo
Solo
PPL
David van
Zwanenberg
Jason Haakman
Andrew Jones
SEIR
C Cat
PPL
Welcome to our new members!
Colin Barlow
Tuen Chun Lee
Keela Baty
Raymond Leslie
Matthew Foot
Ashleigh Mincher
Raffi Ghazzi
Robert Short
Andrew Harris
Russell Simister
Matt Hence
Graham Thomas
Dallas James
Findlay Tyack
Elliot Knight
Jamie Wagner
Aaron Kurte
Garry Walker
Andrew Lawrence
Yu Yao
30 minute Intro flight $295
Student Loans available!
60 minute Intro flight $590
Come and join our 2016
intake. Contact us
on info@helitraining.co.nz
09 426 8748
helitraining.co.nz
From the Manager
Hi all,
Well, it’s been a busy couple of months around the club but I’ll keep it very brief.
You may have noticed that there have been a
few developments at the Northern end of the
aerodrome, specifically, the construction of the
new taxiways. Taxiway 9 is now concreted all
the way from Gate 9 (Postman Road) past
Flightline and through to the existing main taxiway running the length of the field. The taxiway
running north south in between Smith Tech Air
and Composite Helicopters has also been concreted providing a link to the Apron and taxiways
in front of Monz. This has been a much anticipated project and we’re really pleased to see it complete after all this time.
TZK has also come back on line after being
away getting overhauled and it has also
been completely repainted from its old blue
and red markings. It now features the same
green and white design as TZL. It is now
available for bookings, so make sure to give
reception a call on 0800 4 WINGS to make
a booking. TZH is next up for the extreme
make over and we look forward to seeing it
in the same colour scheme as the others in
the next couple of months.
I often hear and receive requests from various quarters requesting a little more information on all arrays of general matters that the club deals with. It is quite impractical
to keep every single member 100% up to date on all the nitty gritty developments but
please remember, I’m only ever a phone call or email away from a cup of coffee and a
chat and happy to answer any questions you may have. All my contact details are at
the front of Proptalk.
I look forward to seeing some of you at the upcoming Listening Post meeting.
John Punshon
General Manager
South Island Trip 2015
This trip was amazing! It was my first trip with NSAC, and I don’t think it could have
gone any better. I better start by saying thank you on behalf of the whole group to
Daryl and Laurence for planning the whole thing, which definitely wasn’t an easy task,
especially since the weather changed our plans a couple of times! Also a big thank
you to Candice and Cassie, who were organising buses/awesome places to eat during the trip. It was an absolutely massive trip and a very busy week with lots of flying
to lots of different places in the South Island.
Our week began at North Shore, nice and early, as the weather was supposed to
deteriorate later in the day. Original plans had been to travel to Wanganui and have
lunch at the aero club there. Instead we decided to head to Paraparaumu for lunch.
The first leg of the trip couldn’t have been better, we headed down the west coast
(cutting straight across to miss out going around New Plymouth) and down the coast
to Paraparaumu. Once landed, we had a very quick stop (due to weather!), just long
enough to fuel up, have a quick bite to eat, and get a briefing for the next leg. The
next leg went to Kaikoura, which was our stop for the night. Luckily Tim was the first
in the group and was radioing back and letting us
know where to go so it wasn’t quite as bumpy
(Thankfully I only hit my head on the roof once!).
We landed in
Kaikoura, and
went off to dinner
(which was really
good) at a place
called the Green
Dolphin.
Day Two we had the first of many cooked breakfasts
and then it was out to the airfield. Today we were
heading to Omarama for lunch and then Wanaka. For
the majority of this leg we flew high level and went
over the mountains, before descending down into the
MacKenzie Basin and past Lake Tekapo, which
looked amazing and down to Omarama. We had
lunch at the Wrinkly Ram, and at a far more leisurely pace than the previous day!
Once back at the airfield, we had another briefing about the next leg to Wanaka. This
leg was short and sweet! Took off and went through the Lindis Pass and then came
around the corner and there was Wanaka. Once all the aircraft were put away we
caught the bus to our hotel, which was right on the edge of Lake Wanaka.
Up for breakfast on Day Three at the hotel, then back on the bus and out to the aerodrome. After preflighting, Daryl gave us a briefing about what we were doing for the
day, which was to head to Invercargill and then on to Stewart Island. After getting
airborne, we were supposed to track down Lake Dunstan, over Cromwell and then
through the gorge and over the Clyde Dam. Unfortunately, a couple of planes continued straight instead of turning left at Cromwell, reported poor weather and decided to
turn around. Meanwhile a couple of planes had tracked the
correct path, were at Alexandra and wondered why the other
aircraft had turned around (no one realised they were in the
other valley!) After this things all got a little confusing, and we
ended up back on the ground at Wanaka for lunch! Once
lunch had been completed, we all received a debrief on the
importance of tracking the correct valley and making sure
that you know where you are, which is always a valuable
lesson to learn. We returned to the aircraft and decided to
head up to Haast. In hindsight it was probably a good thing
we didn’t make it to Invercargill, because this flight was probably my favourite out of the whole trip, the weather was amazing and the scenery was
fantastic. It was pretty amazing to fly down those valleys with all the other aircraft
around as well! A couple of aircraft stopped at Haast, but the rest of us headed back
to Wanaka. Later that evening the bus picked us up and took us to the Cardrona Hotel for dinner. The food was really good (as it was the whole trip!).
Day Four was a very short flying day. The plan was to head straight to Queenstown
for the day. I was in MAS (a C182) for this trip. It was fairly difficult conditions for
those flying as there was a pretty big, gusty crosswind. It was very exciting this afternoon as we it snowed for about 5 minutes! Dinner tonight was at Lone Star, and afterwards a few of us went for some drinks as there was no flying the next day.
Day Five was a day off in Queenstown. Everyone split up today, with some choosing
to go up and ride the luge which turned a bit competitive by some of them and I heard
that Team Hull won. Just because I hadn’t eaten enough food, I spent my day having
some more! Started with fried chicken and waffles for breakfast! It was amazing. Then
I had half of a Fergburger for lunch. I then had a bit of a wander around Queenstown,
and then back to the hotel to relax before dinner, which was at Jervois Steak House,
and was absolutely amazing!!
Today the weather was suitable enough for us to head
to Invercargill, so off we went, down to the bottom of the
South Island. We had a very brief stop in Invercargill,
just long enough for Daryl to give us a briefing about
Stewart Island, and then we were off even further South.
We caught a minivan to the pub for lunch and then went
on a mini tour of part of the Island, and then it was back
to the airfield to head back to Invercargill. I went in CAH
this time, another C182 and due to a bit of a problem with the radio we couldn’t get to
Invercargill so went to Omarama. From Invercargill/Omarama (depending on which
plane it was) we tracked up past Lake Pukaki and into Mt Cook for the night. It was an
amazing place, and there was snow on the ground so
the first thing I did was start throwing snowballs! We
stayed at the Hermitage this night which was amazing and all the rooms at this hotel look out at Mt
Cook.
Day Seven we knew it was going to be a late start as
the weather wouldn’t let us leave in the morning,
which left enough time for a walk and some snowman building. At about lunchtime we
headed out to the airfield and got the planes ready to head to Rangiora and then on to
Blenheim for the night. Original plans were to track out of the MacKenzie Basin via
Burke’s Pass, but the cloud wouldn’t let us over, so we tracked down Lake Benmore
and then over Lake Aviemore onto the Canterbury Plains (this was definitely not the
most comfortable trip, it was a bit rough!) and then tracked up to Rangiora, we spent a
lot of the time on this leg dodging showers, and
the visibility wasn’t the greatest so we decided that
it would be best to leave the aircraft in Rangiora
for the night and we got a bus up to Hanmer
Springs for the night.
The last day we were up pretty early to have our very last breakfast and get the bus
back to Rangiora. Once at Rangiora we were briefed on the plan which was to go to
Paraparaumu for lunch and then back to North Shore. It was a pretty bumpy flight
from Rangiora up to Paraparaumu. Once we reached Paraparaumu we went to the
Kapiti Aero Club and they had put on a BBQ lunch for us! I think we were all pretty
appreciative of that!! Then we were back in the air, and tracking North Shore exactly
the same way we had tracked down.
I had an amazing time on this trip, and got to
see so much of the country I had never seen,
and go further south than I had been before! I
must say thank you again to Daryl and
Laurence, and I can’t wait for South Island
2016!!
Upcoming Events
PPL Flight Radio Telephone
Operator Night Classes
3 November 2015
Guy Fawkes Bonfire
7 November 2015
PPL Ground Course
9 November 2015
Wings Dinner
14 November 2015
Basic Mountain Flying Ground
Course
14 November 2015
PPL Human Factors Night
Classes
24 November 2015
Tim’s Training Titbits
What am I launching into?
Imagine you are about to embark upon an overseas holiday. What things would you
want to discover before your departure? How about…
What airline, what terminal, what time, what currency, what language, what clothes,
what equipment and what immunisations do I need? In other-words you want to be
well prepared, well informed, and aware of potential risks before you launch. And
exactly the same can be said every time you launch an aircraft.
During your initial pilot training you would have been introduced to the concept of
performing pre take off brief to prime your mind on how
to deal with an aborted take off and an engine failure
after take off. As the years have gone by the content of
this brief has grown a little, and testing officers conducting professional flight tests (CPL, IFR, C Cat) are
expecting a more formalised departure brief.
With this in mind we have been introducing a departure
brief that can be used by all levels of training, consistent with what we have been
teaching for years, but with a small number of new elements to increase situational
awareness during the departure. Here is an example, based on the acronym DWIETT
D – Departure
W – Weather
I – Intentions
E – Emergencies
T – Terrain
T – Threats
What kind of departure am I performing
(If IFR you would brief the SID)
How will the weather affect my departure
Based on the departure and weather, what are my intentions
How will I deal with an aborted T/O and EFATO etc.
Are there any issue with terrain and obstacles
Are there any unusual threats that may affect the departure
You will find a labelled with DWIETT affixed within all the club aircraft.
This style of brief can also be used for briefing arrivals.
It only takes a moment to review these key elements and doing so will ensure you
have a much better idea of what you are launching yourself into.
Cheers.
Tim Marshall
Great Northern Air Race
2016
Anniversary Weekend 30 January-1 February 2016
Proposed Route:
Day 1: North Shore- Whitianga- Rotorua
Day 2: Rotorua- Matamata– Kerikeri
Day 3: Kerikeri– North Shore
Planes are already being booked for this,
so make sure that you give the office a call
on 0800 4 WINGS so you don’t miss out,
and get started on your costume!!
Safety
Well, winter’s now over. The days are getting
longer, the westerlies are becoming friendlier
and the apron is getting busier. What an ideal
time to talk about apron safety!
The apron at North Shore as we all know is
limited with space and on a pearla of a day,
parking space can be harder to find than at
Westfield during Christmas. This means the
space between aircraft is limited and the
ideal recipe for damaging aircraft.
Around 8 years ago, after the apron was
paved and yellow lines were painted to maximise the space available. These lines when
used correctly, allow for efficient use of space
but as a result, reduces clearance between
wingtips, noses and tails of aircraft. This is
why it is vitally important that when using
the apron (either to park or to taxi past), your
aircraft is kept at or below a fast walking
pace, you taxi on the yellow lines and you
watch your wingtip clearance closely.
When parking aircraft, nose wheels need to
be centred on the yellow lines and inside the
painted yellow box. This may mean slight
adjustments may be necessary after shutdown for a) the more parallax perplexed
pilots among us who park to the side of the
centerline or b) when parking behind aircraft,
stopping well short of the aircraft in front and
pulling your aircraft forward to the yellow
box.
your wingtips are out of danger. You will
need to watch out for aircraft parked too far
forward, too far back or either side of the
centreline. The greatest danger area that
causes this type of risk to our aircraft is when
taxiing between the hanger and the tails of
the parked aircraft on the apron. During
times when the parking area is full, the space
available to taxi down this gap is limited.
When an aircraft is parked too far back or the
taxiing aircraft is not on the centreline is
when the accidents are occurring. This has
been a problem area which has caused a
number of issues in the past so please take
the utmost care around this area.
During the next few months, more and more
of us are expected to be using our apron.
Pedestrians and aircraft don’t mix well and
with an increasing number of pilots and passengers expected to use the apron, it creates
a large hazard that we all need to be careful
of. To help reduce the risk of accidents happening in and around the apron, here are a
few tips to help keep you and your passengers safe:
Taxi no faster than a fast walking pace. This
will give you plenty of time to stop or adjust
your path if required and give you more time
to check your wingtips as you taxi.
Brief your passengers before entering the
apron and escort them to and from the aircraft. As pilot in command, they are YOUR
However, being a studious aviator and taxiing
responsibility.
on the yellow lines does not necessarily mean
Always treat propellers and rotors as ‘LIVE’.
Walk behind aircraft and always be cautious
of aircraft that have people inside. Try to
make eye contact with them so they know
you are around.
Taxi on the yellow lines. Although this reduces risk of collision between your aircraft and
other objects, having a designated traffic
route allows an element of predictability for
pedestrians.
Avoid parking too close to clubhouse. Nothing worse than opening up the gate to the
apron to be greeted with a propeller!
Ultimately, it all leads to having a high level
of situational awareness. If we can all practice this, our apron safety record will be kept
intact.
Tiger Moths
Brian Lecomber's name will be well known to most readers as one of the UK's
foremost aerobatic pilots and for his thought-provoking, and drolly humorous, series
of aviation articles which have been published in a range of aviation journals over
many years. He has also written several successful
novels. Brian flew with the Rothman's aerobatic team
before establishing his own commercial air show display
company, "Firebird". If you Google his name you will
find much about his career and his writing.
Sadly, Brian passed away on 24th Sept. Proptalk is
fortunate to have permission from Brian to reprint any of
his material and has generously provided the
manuscript of his last (unpublished) anthology, from
which we have already published one piece.
This article came via well known NZ aviation scribe, Mike Feeney, who was a close
friend of Brian.
Thank you, Tiger…
Should a trainer be the most difficult aeroplane you ever fly? There is certainly
a case for it…
I learned to fly in a Tiger Moth. I’ll re-phrase that. I learned to fly in every aeroplane
I’ve ever flown – but initially it was a Tiger Moth. It took me a long time, because I had
all the natural aptitude of an orang-utan. I subsequently instructed on the cursed thing
for about 1,000 hours. So I ask pardon of the many Tiger enthusiasts out there – or
actually, fact is, I don’t. If I wanna be rude about the Tiger Moth, then I feel entitled so
to be rude. I have what they call carnal knowledge. Of course, the Moth is an icon in
Britain. Stand in any High Street and catch a Tiger blattering overhead, then look
around at the people on the street. You’ll find a good many looking up – particularly
the older folk. Oh yes, the Tiger is certainly an icon – it’s what all our Boys in Blue
trained on before the Battle of Britain, after all…Well, yeah. But that doesn’t make it a
good aeroplane. Or does it? Bear with me on this. I might be about to reconsider an
old dislike.
There is indeed much to dislike about the Tiger. It has no brakes whatsoever and the
ground-steering is via a tailskid which is vaguely connected to the rudder and sort of
ploughs into the grass a bit. If the shoe of it breaks off – a not uncommon occurrence
with a Tiger – then the bit it’s bolted to ploughs in a bit more and actually makes life a
little easier for the pilot, if not for the engineers who have to repair it. Bring on a
difficulty? Certainly. Try landing the bloody thing on a hard runway with a 10-knot
direct cross-wind component. To quote Clint Eastwood, “You have to ask yourself –
do you feel lucky, punk?” Oh, it can be done, with skill and low cunning – but easy, it
ain’t. . No, the Tiger was designed for grass runways. Okay, so was practically
everything else in the 1930’s. But the Stampe and the Stearman and the German
Jungmann did at least have sort of courtesy brakes. Not only that, but the Tiger is
picky about landing attitude. It you wish to three-point it, it’s one of the few aeroplanes
which sits on the ground at practically full-stall angle, so you have to get it dead right
with the stick coming back hard at the last moment. Flare an instant too late and the
device will bounce like an elephantine tennis ball. Flare a foot too high and it will plop
onto the deck like an elephantine bowel movement.
“Ailerons like a swinging pub-sign…”
And then there’s the roll-rate – or rather the
almost total absence thereof. You can slow
-roll a Tiger – but it will take you 12
seconds, which is a very long time, and if
you get the rolling attitude even slightly
wrong during any one of those seconds the
thing will dish out most embarrassingly during the last quarter of the roll. If not before.
This abysmal roll-rate is courtesy of a pair of ailerons which have all the aerodynamic
subtlety of a swinging pub sign. Rolling they are not good at – but in creating aileron
drag they have at least an A-level, if not a University degree. Take your feet off a
Tiger’s rudder pedals, whack on (say) left aileron – and the nose immediately yaws off
to the right as aileron drag overcomes all else. This results in a flying machine with all
the natural co-ordination of a guy leaving the local Indian at midnight with a vindaloo
and eight pints inside him. Which means the pilot has to provide said co-ordination
himself by harmonic activation of hands and feet. Perhaps that’s why the biggest instrument on the Tiger Moth’s panel, right in front of the pilot’s hooter, is the excellent
old Reid & Sigrist turn and slip indicator.
So. The Tiger was – and is – a lousy aeroplane. But was it a lousy trainer…? Well,
maybe not so. Again, bear with me.
Over the years I have chatted with many WWII pilots. Less so recently, for obvious
reasons. But many. Sometimes the talk turned to their first flights in Hurricanes, Spitfires, Mustangs, etc. First flights which were perforce made solo – there being no twoseater versions of same available at the time – and frequently at the age of 19 with
somewhere between 100 and 200 hours flying experience. These always-exhilarating
rites of passage were liberally seasoned with nervous sweat, certainly – but all the
old pelicans I’ve ever met managed to return their Hurricanes or Spitfires to Mother
Earth in a condition fit for further service.
Oh, I know that wasn’t universally the case – of course it wasn’t – but first-flight-ontype accidents were in fact remarkably rare. One old boy explained it to me like this:
“We’d learned to fly in Tiger Moths. Which taught us aircraft handling. When I got into
a Hurricane I was worried about everything. The systems – endlessly complicated to
us back then – the undercarriage, the flaps, and especially taking off and landing.
Turned out that taking off and landing were the least of our problems. If you could
land a Moth, you could land a Hurricane – the Moth was actually more difficult. And if
you could slow-roll a Tiger you could certainly roll a Hurricane or Spitfire”.
Hmmm, I thought. Must be something in that…
“To the Devil with handling qualities…”
Pilots who’d been on the British Commonwealth Air
Training Plan – that wonderful scheme whereby
thousands and thousands of future warriors learned
their calling not in the UK but in the far-flung reaches
of Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand
– and incidentally had a ball doing it, which they
were entitled to because for so many it was the last
ball of their lives – said much the same thing. Mostly
they trained ab initio on Tigers then moved on to the Harvard for advanced training.
The contrast could hardly have been greater. The British took the Austin 7 approach
to a primary trainer – keep it simple, build it cheap, make it strong enough to absorb a
great deal of clumsiness but also slow enough to roll up into a fairly shock-absorbing
ball in the event of a terminal mishap. And to the Devil with handling qualities. While
the Yanks took a sort of Buick view – build it nearly four times the weight, roughly four
times the power, shove in all the complications of retractable gear, flaps and hydraulics, and to hell with the fuel-burn. Heck, gas was only a coupla cents a gallon…
The combination proved remarkably successful. Pilots trained on the Tiger had little
difficulty converting onto the Harvard. And pilots trained on the Harvard had little difficulty converting to Mustangs and Spitfires.
Maybe all this was all intentional. Or maybe it was just happenstance. I don’t know.
Natural cynicism inclines me to suspect the latter. But I don’t know.
But these are the facts.
The Tiger Moth is a cantankerous flying machine. It has no natural co-ordination of its
own – so you the pilot have to learn co-ordination. Like it or not. You have to make
your feet work. Like it or not. It is difficult to land – so you have to learn several techniques and subtleties of landing. Like it or not. It is difficult to roll, so you have to learn
to roll properly. Like it or not.
Is this the essence of a good trainer?
Well, you tell me. It sure made you come at your next aircraft with educated hands
and feet and sense of flying rhythm. The principle – again, whether intentional or not –
was that if you could handle this primary trainer, then nothing else was ever going to
give you a major problem. History says this largely succeeded. Perhaps the final
conclusion of the generation was the old saw that: “The Tiger Moth was easy to fly –
but difficult to fly well”.
My own experience – a crumb on the bird-table – is the same. Having learned on the
Tiger, no other type has ever given me a real problem. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve
sweated plenty enough on types new to me. But I’ve never actually had a real problem flying or landing them. Pitts’es, Extras, the Sopwith Camel (actually far easier
than a Tiger) all caught my attention a great deal… But they all turned out to be not
quite so difficult as the Tiger Moth.
So – this is just Brian’s Theory, okay? Brian’s Theory states as follows:
‘If you learn to fly in a crap aeroplane then you actually learn more real pilotage skills
more quickly. Which, however frustrating at the time, then stands you in great stead
for the rest of your flying life’. In other words, make the trainer more difficult than anything you’re ever going to fly again. Learn to fly in a bastard on the grounds that anything else ain’t gonna be quite so much of a bastard.
It’s just a theory, obviously.
I’d be most interested in contrary opinions on the subject. And in any case I suppose
you could say it’s not really relevant in this day and age where 90 per cent of
aeroplanes are nose-wheel, 90 per cent are as easy to fly as will be the types the pilot
progresses to, and half or more than half of beyond-initio learning isn’t so much flying
the aeroplane as making sense of the electronics and flying the aeroplane at the
same time – multi-tasking, I believe it’s called. Of what possible use is it to a Hawk or
Typhoon or 747 pilot to have the ability to put a ratty Tiger Moth smoothly down into a
cow-pasture in a heavy crosswind…?
Well, I truly don’t know. But a very wise pelican once
said to me: “If you don’t have to think about the
airplane, if you go where you wanna go and do what
you wanna do, and the airplane just comes with you
– why then, and only then, are you truly are a pilot”.
And that means human co-ordination. Well, Tiger
Moth, you are a miserable aeroplane. But for all that I
thank you for what you taught me. I thank you for my
hands and feet, which have co-ordinated my living
and kept me alive ever since.
Brian Lecomber
RIP
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