night flight - Pilatus Owners and Pilots Association

THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATION, SLOW ONSET HYPOXIA
PILATUS OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION SPRING 2013
NIGHT
FLIGHT
One major difference
between flying in
the daytime and
flying at night
PLUS
THE GREAT
AMERICAN
AIR SHOW
STEPPING
UP TO A
PC-12
FLYING
WITH A
WOLF
GET SMART
ABOUT
COCKPIT
TRAFFIC
Conflicting understanding
of conflict situations
Using General
Aviation to make
the world a
better place
W I N T E R
2 0 1 2
P OPA
M AG A Z I N E
1
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CONTENTS
PILATUS OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION
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•
SPRING 2013
•
VOLUME 16, ISSUE 1
12
18
36
50
DEPARTMENTS
6
FROM THE PRESIDENT
8
NEW & NOTABLE
11
ONBOARD LADIES CORNER
34
MIPAD
This time around, we have a new app from a well-recognized
name in avionics and major upgrades to a pair of
popular electronic flight-bag apps for the iPad.
BY JOHN D. RULEY
36
WEEKENDERS
46
ASK LANCE TOLAND
Training to be the focus of 2013.
BY LANCE TOLAND
48
SEND LESS TO THE IRS
There are taxes to be saved and recovered
BY HARRY DANIELS, CPA, CFP, PFS, CVA
54
TEST YOURSELF
FEATURES
12
NIGHT IN THE FLIGHT LEVELS...AND BELOW
There’s usually only one major difference between flying in
the daytime and flying at night.
BY BUD CORBIN
18
THE GREAT AMERICAN AIR SHOW
Our unique way of enjoying aviation.
BY LYN FREEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL BOWEN
22
STEPPING UP
Transitioning to the PC-12 from a piston single.
BY JOHN RULEY
28
GET SMARTER ABOUT TRAFFIC INFORMATION.
“A collision at sea can ruin your day.” — Anonymous.
BY PAUL K. SANCHEZ
42
SLOW- ONSET HYPOXIA
A most dangerous scenario.
BY DR. PAUL W. BUZA
50
FLYING WITH THE WOLVES
Using an airplane to make the world a better place speaks
to the heart of General Aviation.
BY JACK LONG
From the President
D
During the last quarter, Everett Clark, one of our advisers for the past three
and a half years, decided to leave PlaneSense, where he served as director of
operations, to follow his personal agenda. PlaneSense is the largest fractional PC-12 operator with more than 30 PC-12 aircraft. Everett has been a
critical influence helping us transition from an organization tailored to the
owner/pilot to one focusing equally on the professional pilot. In light of the
shift of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft from owner-flown to pro pilot-flown aircraft,
this transition has been important and effectively implemented.
We are fortunate that Ray Torres, the new director
of operations at PlaneSense, has joined POPA to
replace Everett as an adviser representing the pro
pilot. Ray is a retired Air Force colonel where he had
extensive pilot and leadership billets including wing
commander and safety officer experience. Ray has
been with PlaneSense for the past four years as a PC12 captain and safety officer. POPA is very fortunate
to have Ray’s experience as a pro pilot adviser.
During the last week of January, Flight Safety
started operating its PC-12NG level D full-motion
simulator equipped with the Honeywell Primus Apex
avionics suite. Joe Howley and I spent a day experiencing this new simulator and associated courseware.
In a word, it’s amazing. This simulator is identical to
flying an NG, as one should expect. The critical factor
is that this simulator provides survival training so the
pilot can experience conditions outside the normal
comfortable flight envelope. Flight Safety will provide
a number of training options including an 11-day
initial and a five-day recurrent course. Pricing is
approximately twice the alternative options with the
benefit of more extensive adverse scenario training.
Last quarter,
POPA unveiled
its new and improved website.
This new website is more user
friendly and
contains more
content focusing on the safety
aspects of flying
and maintaining the PC-12.
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Also, Flight Safety has just announced its intention
to build a second PC-12 simulator for the PC-12-47
(Series 10) aircraft that is scheduled to be operational
in the second quarter of 2014.
Last quarter, POPA unveiled its new and improved
website. This new website is more user friendly and
contains more content focusing on the safety aspects
of flying and maintaining the PC-12. Also, we are
instituting a Pilatus Pilot Proficiency Program which
will give PC-12 pilots the opportunity to receive
recognition for supplemental training. This program
is intended to encourage all PC-12 pilots to strive for
optimal competence throughout the year.
Our agenda for POPA 17, our annual convention May 31- June 1 in Monterey, Calif., is in its final
stages of completion and is shaping up to provide a
plethora of appropriate and timely content. We look
forward to seeing you there.
“POPA … We Elevate the Pilatus Experience”
SPRING 2013 VOLUME 15/ NUMBER 4
POPA BOARD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Laura Mason
Phone: 520.299.7485
Fax: 520.844.6161 Cell: 520.907.6976
Laura@PilatusOwners.org
PRESIDENT
Pete Welles
VICE PRESIDENT
Joe Howley
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Brian Cleary
BOARD MEMBERS
Jack Long
Dan Muller
BOARD ADVISORS
Ty Carter, Bob MacLean
Ray Torres, Phil Winters
Tom Aniello, Piotr “Pete” Wolak
AJ PUBLICATIONS STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Lyn Freeman
MANAGING EDITOR
Michelle Carter
SENIOR EDITOR
Bill Cox
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Hans Lubke
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
William Henrys
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Nina Harris, Paul Simington, Katrina Bradelaw,
Paul Sanchez, Wayne Rash Jr.
ART DIRECTOR
Robbie Destocki
PHOTOGRAPHY
Paul Bowen, Mary Schwinn,
James Lawrence, Lyn Freeman, Jodi Butler,
Gregory L. Harris
PUBLISHER
Thierry Pouille
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Sophie Pouille
PRODUCTION MANAGER, U.S.
Guillaume Fabry
ADVERTISING SALES
Thierry Pouille, +1 561.452.1225
AD SALES COORDINATOR
Anais Pouille, 1+ 561.841.1551
CORPORATE OFFICES
1931 Commerce Lane, Suite 5
Jupiter, FL 33458
Telephone: 561.841.1551 Fax: 954.252.3935
FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS,
REPRINTS, BACK ISSUES
please log onto www.PilatusOwners.org
CONTACT THE EDITOR:
Lyn@AJPublications.com
CONTACT THE PUBLISHER:
Thierry@AJPublications.com
©2012 Pilatus Owners and Pilots Magazine is published quarterly.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without written
permission from the publisher is prohibited.
Please send comments to the attention of the publisher.
PRINTED IN THE USA.
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New Products
IRIDIUM EXTREME
SATELLITE PHONE
Great for pilots who would like to use their Blackberry
or iPhone to send email or text messages enroute, and
the Iridium Extreme features clear voice calling no matter
where you are on the planet! The Iridium Extreme also
features a unique emergency feature — a button that
when pressed sends your GPS position to emergency
providers and lets you communicate with them as help
arrives. The GPS position can also be sent in messages or
emails, or your position can be displayed on an online map
for your family and friends to track your progress. This
package comes with a prepaid e-voucher for 500 minutes
over a period of a year — a value of almost $750 in itself!
This is state of the art for satellite communications.
The short wait is back!
You may have had a passing sigh of disappointment in 2008 when the Polaroid camera
bit the dust and went the way of the carrier
pigeon. Something was just so cool about
snapping a picture and then literally watching it appear on the film. Proof positive that
analog photography still has a place in the
viewfinder, a company called Impossible
manufactures brand new film for your Polaroid! And if you no long have your “instant”
camera, these folks will happily sell you a
“new” (aka refurbished) Polaroid. The new
film has rich, saturated colors and frankly
looks better than the old stuff we miss. For a
whole bunch of info and a shot at Polaroidinvented photography, log onto The-Impossible-Project.com or call 212.219.3254.
DUAL IS THE ONE
The portable Dual XGPS170 ADS-B in receiver provides ADS-B weather and traffic
broadcasts to a variety of compatible EFB apps (sold separately) for display on an
Apple iPad, Android tablet or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. The little box
receives and displays the FAA’s Traffic Information Service Broadcast, which is traffic information obtained from ATC radar and broadcast from ground radio stations.
The XGPS170 can also receive ADS-B position reports directly from nearby aircraft
operating on 978 MHz. Even more, that new Dual XGPS170 offers Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) which provides information from the National Weather Service,
including NEXRAD radar, as well as winds
aloft, pilot reports and other valuable
weather services. FIS-B also includes
information on temporary flight restrictions and special use airspace. Find
more at aviation retailers everywhere.
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Break me if you can
Grab a rugged, waterproof, shockproof,
freeze-proof COOLPIX AW100 with 5x
Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens and 16-MP
CMOS sensor to record action photos and
Full HD (1080p) movies. Life on the road
deserves GPS + Electronic compass, so the
COOLPIX AW100 has these too. Is there
really any reason not to step up to his newest
compact digital camera from Nikon? Find
the details at NikonUSA.com.
SPORTY’S
BEST
HANDHELD
RADIO
Introducing the all-new
SP-400 from Sporty’s.
It’s simply the most powerful portable radio you
can buy — like having a
complete standby radio
stack in your flight bag.
The SP-400 makes a reliable backup for emergency use, but it’s also
perfect for listening to
ATIS, getting clearances
before engine start or
just monitoring local traffic. The unit also has full
VOR and ILS capabilities.
THE POCKET PANEL WITH
SOME ATTITUDE
Dynon introduced one of the most talented attitude indicators in the business, the
new D1 Pocket Panel portable instrument. The 3.5-inch x 3.25-inch box truly does
fit in your pocket. And at a moment’s notice, the device will rely on its onboard
EFIS, the same technology used in the rest of Dynon’s product inventory, to give
you highly accurate attitude information. Additionally, a built-in GPS receiver
offers ground speed and track (heading), GPS altitude and vertical speed, turn
rate, slip/skid ball and a dimmable screen for night flight. With over four hours of
lithium battery life, the D1 Pocket Panel also connects to the ship’s power via a DC
electrical adaptor. Hard to beat this device’s many talents! Get all the information
when you call or click on DynonAvionics.com or 425.402.0433.
Get wired
The new BatteryMINder can get rid of a ton of trouble for the certified airplane pilot.
The new wiring-solution trailer plug is an aviation-grade polarized connector. Second,
it enables a legal, certified airworthy installation of a fused-wiring harness with a mating plug to access the ship’s battery. Third, the BatteryMINder relocates the outputregulating temperature sensor, eliminating the need for its approval on the airframe.
Hand the wiring kit to your A&P and, voila, you’ve got a quick disconnect/connect
point that fully complements the product’s Plug-N-Play design. No FAA form 337
required. To order call 859.233.4599 or log onto AudioAuthority.com.
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OnBoard
LADIES CORNER
GREAT READS FOR
ON THE ROAD
No One is Here Except All of Us
by Ramona Ausubel
An achingly lyrical tale of a Jewish village that chooses to
reinvent its entire world to protect itself against the impending Nazi arrival. Ausubel’s novel is concerned with family history, communal memory and the power of the imagination
and maintains an uncanny, sometimes troubling, aura of
innocence throughout.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This tale of the aftermath of a woman gone missing will keep
you up reading all night just so you can get to the very satisfying, very chilling ending. One of the most critically acclaimed
suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this
can’t-put-it-down masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly,
terribly wrong.
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
A veteran of the Iraq war, Powers places that conflict at the
center of his impressionistic first novel, about the connected
but diverging fates of two young soldiers and the trouble one
of them has readjusting to life at home. A young private and
his platoon struggle through the war in Iraq but find no peace
at home in this powerful and moving first novel about the
frailty of man and the brutality of war.
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
The stories in this collection are about love, but they’re also
about the undertow of family history and cultural mores, presented in Díaz’s exciting, irresistible and entertaining prose.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
(Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity)
by Katherine Boo
This extraordinary moral inquiry into life in an Indian slum
shows the human costs exacted by a brutal social Darwinism.
This National Book Award-winning study of life in Annawadi, a Mumbai slum, is marked by reporting so rigorous
it recalls the muckrakers, and characters so rich they evoke
Dickens. The slum dwellers have a skillful and empathetic
chronicler in Boo, who depicts them in all their humanity
and ruthless, resourceful glory.
The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
The town of Pagford appears to be an English idyll, with a
cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies
behind the pretty facade is a town at war. Rich at war with the
poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with
their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils..Pagford is
not what it first seems.
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F L Y I N G
A T
N I G H T
NIGHT IN T
LEVELS...AN
The Cessna 425 Conquest 1 below and around me hums reassuringly in the frigid night sky
above northeastern Canada. Somewhere down there, in fact, practically everywhere down
there, residents of the Maritime Provinces hunker down in their houses against the onslaught of winter, minus 20 degrees C in skies as clear as Chablis.
Here at FL270, OAT is a frigid minus 37 C, but I’m warm and comfortable in the cockpit
of “my” Cessna twin, racing toward St. Johns, Newfoundland, at five nm a minute. This
will be my first international stop on a seven-day, 10,000-nm trip from San Diego, Calif., to
Johannesburg, South Africa.
On the panel before me, some 35 instruments glow red, impassively informing me that
I’m transiting Canada at 27,020 feet, turning 1800 rpm and pulling 920 pounds of torque
from each of the Pratt & Whitney, PT-6A turbines. Fuel is flowing at 202 pounds/engine/
hr, and both ITTs are steady below 660 degrees C. According to the GPS, I’m only about an
hour-and-a-half out from St. Johns, gaining on land’s end at 305 knots with help from an
obliging jet stream-assisted tailwind.
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HE FLIGHT
ND BELOW
THERE’S USUALLY ONLY ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLYING IN THE DAYTIME AND FLYING AT NIGHT. QBy Bud Corbin
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Night in the Flight Levels… and Below
Night flying behind one or two turbines
has always held a certain easily definable
attraction not shared with piston aircraft.
Not only is it smoother and quieter, there’s
the psychological encouragement of turbine
reliability, all the more reassuring when the
airplane is wrapped in moonless black sky
and it’s flying over inhospitable terrain.
Like most pilots who’ve been tasked with
night flying in a turbine single or a piston
twin, I’ll take the turbine every time. Unfortunately, people do buy airplanes in winter as
often as in summer. (“No, sir, I don’t deliver
across the Atlantic in January. If you’re willing
to wait for May or June…” “Click.”)
One of the realities of delivering airplanes to Europe in winter is that, by definition, most of your flying is in the dark of
day as well as the dark of night. I’ve been
fortunate to deliver a dozen single-engine
jet props across the Atlantic, and they’ve all
been good rides.
Flying in the dark actually has a few advantages over daytime aviating. Traffic is often
easier to spot at night; radio chatter is usually
limited; the alternating green and white
beacons of airports are readily identifiable;
and the runways are less congested. With the
sun long since rolled beneath the horizon,
there is no glare to worry about. The sky is
usually smoother, and visibility both inside
and outside the cockpit is better. Instrument
scanning is easier and, though ground detail
may be less visible, well-lit airports and towns
tend to stand out at night rather than fading
into the haze of daylight.
Conversely, fatigue is more prevalent after
the sun has gone to bed, and the monotonous
hum of the engine is more sleep-inducing.
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Clouds and generic weather most often
become invisible in the dark, and judging pattern altitude and flare height is more difficult
without daylight’s convenient visual cues.
Since there’s less to see at night, most pilots don’t fly in the late PM on a regular basis
unless they’re being paid to do it or are on
business, so the majority of aviators manifest
less proficiency when the sun goes down.
Weather can be more often a factor at night,
even if it’s usually more benign, because
pilots tend not to fear what they can’t see.
During the day, we’re all smarter than to fly
straight into the side of a thunder-bumper,
but at night, that can happen unless you receive a good weather briefing and avoid such
stupid pilot tricks by finding another route
or taking a bus.
Perhaps surprisingly, the U.S. makes no
licensing distinction between day and night
flight. In apparent recognition of the heightened risk, other countries have the equivalent
of night ratings. Canada is one, and many
countries restrict night flying to IFR only.
That’s only logical as night flying truly is
instrument flight, most often relying on some
form of radio navigation. Pilotage becomes
difficult in the dark when you have a hard
time seeing the landmarks that may be so
prominent in daytime. Dead reckoning also
may be ill-advised because of the invisible
effects of wind drift.
No matter where you fly, three reasonable
accommodations at night are to fly higher,
plan for greater fuel reserve and route yourself
to stay closer to airports. Turboprops have a
natural advantage in all three areas. By their
very nature, turbine engines must fly high to
realize reasonable fuel economy and perfor-
mance, and the absence of daylight makes
even higher altitudes reasonable.
All three of the pressurized, production
turboprops can reach FL300 (when properly
RVSM equipped), and that provides an edge
if the flame goes out. Additionally, the P&W
PT-6As do their best work in the rarified air
up high.
Similarly, jet props typically are fitted with
high aspect-ratio wings that provide excellent
glide characteristics, the better to reach an
airport in the unlikely event that something
does fail. Most piston aircraft enjoy an L/D of
about 8:1, but turboprops often score 10:1 or
better. That means a glide from 5.5 miles high
to near sea level would make available some
540 square miles of landing choices.
Flight planning to include more airports
below may not seem as important with the
reliability of a turbine out front, but you’d
be surprised at how little distance you add
by flying a slight zig-zag course to remain
within gliding distance of airports rather
than just file IFR GPS-direct. ATC is less
likely to have an objection to what appear to
be meandering flight plans at night because
traffic is so much lighter and there’s less
chance of conflict.
No matter what type of aircraft I’m flying at
night, I always keep one of my two GPSs on
the nearest airport page, providing an instant
reference to landing sites in the order of their
proximity. Yes, if you’re above FL180 when
things become quiet, you can always ask for
help from the controller, but my friendly
Garmin automatically keeps me aware of the
best landing sites.
Traditional wisdom suggests it costs fuel
to haul fuel you don’t need, but it only makes
Night in the Flight Levels… and Below
sense to fly with extra reserve at night to provide options you might not otherwise enjoy.
Keep in mind if you’re forced to land short of
your destination for any reason, you may not
always be able to buy fuel at an unexpected
stop late at night, so it’s only good planning to
carry more than you need.
By now, every pilot knows about the feud
between the eye’s rods and cones. Rods are
in the center of the eye and are less sensitive
to light than the cones, clustered around the
outer edge of the eye. The cones contribute
primarily to peripheral vision at night, but
since they’re more sensitive, the standard trick
is to avoid looking directly at where you think
a light should be, but rather look off-center
and let the cones pick up the weak light. As
you approach the destination, the rods will
begin to register the light.
It’s inconceivable that any pilot could plan
a night flight without at least two flashlights,
but one item some pilots forget is a camp
light. This straps to your forehead and points
anywhere you’re looking. I carry one on
every flight, day or night, in case I need to
look under a panel, inside a cowling or some
other dark place. Mine is a Coleman, and it’s
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cleverly fitted with white and red LEDs, as if
designed specifically for a pilot.
It’s always more critical to update your
altimeter setting frequently at night, especially
when you’re entering a pattern. Turboprops
will nearly always have at least three altimeter settings; point of departure, 29.92 above
18,000 feet and destination. ATIS, ASOS or
AWOS recordings can provide you with a
current altimeter, or you can secure the same
information from a nearby airport.
If standardized patterns are important
during daylight, they’re absolutely essential
at night. Conventional patterns should be the
rule, and straight-ins are definite no-nos.
No matter how long the runway, I try to
keep my patterns tight in the dark, flying
slightly higher than normal. I didn’t have the
benefit of Navy aircraft carrier landing training so I fly a fairly religious rectangular pattern starting at 1,000 feet or more, descending
only after turning base and final. Inexplicably,
some instructors teach that you should begin
descent on downwind while flying AWAY
from the airport. Personally, that sounds
counter-intuitive, but it’s especially so at night.
I don’t start the descent until after I turn base,
90 degrees from the runway. I also use the
same approach speed as during daylight, trying to maintain a constant number all the way
through the approach.
Most pilots use a landing light for its
named purpose, but some instructors recommend leaving the light off, at least some
of the time. The landing light tends to focus
the pilot’s attention on what is directly in
front of the airplane and sometimes results
in a premature flare. Just as with helicopter
pilots who are instructed always to focus on
the horizon during a landing, lowering the
helicopter slowly to the skids, many instructors recommend night fixed-wing landings
be made by focusing on the convergence
of runway lights at the end of the runway
rather than the overexposed pool of light
directly ahead.
Single-engine turbines such as the Pilatus
PC-12, TBM-850 and Piper Meridian have
the benefit of reliability that piston twins can’t
even approach, and that gives the turbines an
edge. It’s important to remember, however,
that night flight in any airplane has one
distinct disadvantage compared to daylight
operation. It’s dark.
Which of these would you prefer?
Every time you use your aircraft, you are reminded that fuel is your highest variable
operating cost. Do you feel you are getting the price you deserve? Don’t you deserve
more than just posted rates?
Working closely with POPA, we have developed a program that offers its members exclusive
benefits that include guaranteed special pricing with no minimal uplifts, card fees, or
admin fees on third-party charges in the U.S. As a member, you will have 24/7 access to
expert assistance, fuel estimates worldwide, and discounts on other trip support services
offered by Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. It’s all part of our shared purpose: the
success of your trip.
Start getting more today! Call or go online to apply: uvair.com/popa.
N. America (866) 864-8404
„
Worldwide (713) 378-2708
„
uvair.com
AMERICAN AIRSHOW HISTORY
THE
GREAT
AMERICAN
AIR SHOW
The Great American Air Show
Deck: Our unique way of enjoying aviation
By Lyn Freeman
OUR UNIQUE WAY OF ENJOYING AVIATION. QBy Lyn Freeman QPhotography by Paul Bowen
It’s hard to imagine a world in which no one had ever seen an airplane
before, but that was exactly the world into which the Wright brothers
launched a 12-second fewer than 100 years ago. While the event occurred
on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, N.C., the impact of their accomplishment quickly spread around the world.
In Europe. flying was immediately the domain of science, initiating
classical studies of lift, aerodynamics, performance and endurance. But
in the United States, the advent of powered flight was received in way
that was peculiarly American. The marvel of flying raced through American culture with epidemic excitement. It was the beginning of the Great
American Air Show.
Almost from the outset, Americans couldn’t get enough of aviation. Black
and white silent films like The Air Ship Fugitives and The Air Pilot played
to standing-room-only houses. In 1910, the runaway best selling novel was
Come, Josephine, in My Flying Machine. Americans were hungry to see
something it had never seen before — those amazing men and their flying
machines. The city of Baltimore offered $5,000 to the first “lunatic” who
would fly an airplane across their city. Like believers centuries before who
clung to the idea that the world was flat, it was a time when many people
didn’t believe that flying was possible. So, the sight of even the simplest
aircraft flying overhead was nothing short of a miracle.
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Great American Air Show
ALSO IN THE
LIFE OF A
BARNSTORMER
+ Barnstormers frequently added
mothballs to their gasoline, believing
it would improve performance.
+ Airplanes used automobile gas, which
was filtered through a chamois to
remove water.
+ Barnstormers were frequently shot
at as they flew. During prohibition,
many people believed the “revenuers”
were using airplanes to scout for
moonshine.
Not only was there no shortage of enthusiasm for the new phenomenon, there was
also no shortage of men and women who
fancied themselves as pilots. After all, there
were no pilot’s licenses then, and many
wanna-be’s merely taught themselves how
to fly. The most daunting task was not
flying itself, but getting your hands on an
airplane. And once you got one, you had to
find a way to make a living.
The answer was barnstorming, a word
which originally described traveling plays
or political speeches (frequently taking
place in a barn) but was quickly adapted
to describe the “gypsy pilots” who traveled
the country putting on shows and offering
airplane rides. This was the beginning of
the great American air show.
This sudden onslaught of flyers was fueled by the American public’s absolute fascination with aviation. Even in the early days,
it was not uncommon for 30,000 to 50,000
people to turn out to watch an exhibition of
flying skills. For many, it was a first glance
at powered flight, and it would change their
world forever. At one such “exhibition” in
Los Angeles, a young Amelia Earhart was
so awestruck, she begged her father to buy
her an airplane ride.
Other names associated with these early
aviators are surprisingly familiar. Like the
Stinsons — Marjorie, Eddie, John, and
Katherine, who in 1912 at age 17 became
the country’s youngest female flyer. The
next spring she would begin a barnstorming tour through Louisiana, Texas, North
Dakota, Montana, Michigan, Missouri and
Coney Island, N.Y. She took along her
older brother Eddie as mechanic, a job for
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which she compensated him by teaching
him to fly. Katherine gave up the air show
circuit when she married at age 25, but
Eddie Stinson continued the family tradition, barnstorming across the country and
eventually beginning to sell the airplanes
which still bare his name.
The greatest boost for the barnstorming phenomenon came the end of the First
World War. Glenn Curtis, who had spent
his time dreaming of using the new-fangled
gasoline-combustion engine to build
motorcycles, found himself in a front row
seat to build airplanes for the United States
military. His JN4-D, later nicknamed the
Jenny, cost the Army $5,000. But after the
war, the wood and canvas bi-planes were resold to the public for as little as $200. It was
just what aviation needed to explode.
By the 1920s. nearly 600 barnstormers
crisscrossed America at any one time, and
aviation was getting big enough to spawn
the first non-cockpit jobs. After buzzing the
town and turning final to land in a farmer’s
field, the flyers were nearly always greeted
by a host of young awestruck enthusiasts
willing to do anything to be near aviation.
Sound familiar?
Frequently a local boy was hired to sleep
near the airplanes and guard it. Small rodents looked at the aircraft as wonderful new
nesting territory, and cows apparently loved
the glue (dope) that held the planes together.
Unattended airplanes could actually be
damaged by a nighttime of serious licking.
Job descriptions also included keeping the
airplanes clean from the cow manure the
props tossed up, and one young man is actually known to have agreed to become a wing
walker and parachute jumper. When he had
saved enough money, he bought his own
Jenny. His name was Charles Lindbergh.
Barnstorming was not the only offshoot
of aviation that led to the modern American air show. Contests and challenges were
established to attract these barnstorming
pilots. In 1920 alone, $2 million in prize
money was offered for a variety of aerial
feats, among them a $25,000 reward for the
first flight from New York to Paris. After a
series of attempts to cross the pond ended
with airplanes falling into the Atlantic, Asa
Redman, a 1920s barnstormer, shrugged
off the critics with a statement typical of
the barnstormers laissez-faire: “The ocean
isn’t half full of aviators yet.” It would be
seven more years until barnstormer Charles
Lindbergh would trade his Jenny for a Ryan
and collect the prize.
Air racing was another lucrative variation
that drew in a huge number of pilots. One,
the colorful Col. Roscoe Turner, who had
dazzled the crowds with his Falling a Mile
in Flames stunt, left barnstorming to take
a shot at the unimaginable cash prizes air
racing put on the table. Though a first-place
finish proved illusive to many, the pure
adrenaline of air racing was enough.
Fred Crawford, who worked with Turner
said, “It’s 10 o’clock in the morning and
the process server arrives at the airport to
seize Roscoe Turner’s plane for debt. The
boys service his plane out of sight, and he
flies the race and wins it and has the money
to pay off his debts. Now that’s how we
financed aviation.”
One racer described the competition as
saying, “Air racing may not be better than
your wedding night, but it’s better than the
second night.”
It was in the 1920s and ‘30s that barnstorming, contests and air racing began to
show the first signs of what we now consider
an air show. As the novelty of flight became
more commonplace, traveling barnstormers
banded together to enhance the variety of
showmanship. Flying circuses were now the
rage. Pilots arrived in colorful flying suits
or whipcord breeches, waxed mustaches
and high-top riding boots, offset by leather
helmets, long flowing scarves and goggles.
They looked exactly like the American
public thought pilots should look.
In the spirit of the circus-like atmosphere, pilots often thought of themselves
as “performers,” with air-show posters and
handouts boasting of appearances by Diavalo, Supreme Daredevil of the Air, Upside
Down Pangborn and the Flying Witch.
Barkers encouraged the crowd to buy a
ticket and come inside, watch the show, and
take your first airplane ride.
“We will take you high or low, fast or
slow, any way you care to go. Fly over your
house. See who’s visiting your wife! We have
special flights for mother-in-laws.”
The advertising delivered what it
promised, airplanes and flying. In 1927, the
Gates Flying Circus sold 100,000 airplanes
rides to first-time flyers, and in the decade
of 1920-1930, it is estimated more than 10
million people took their first airplane rides
with barnstormers.
As competition for the air show-audience
grew, so did the complexity of the stunts.
Eddie Angel of the Angels’ Flying Circus,
specialized in the Dive of Death, jumping
out of airplane after dark with a flash light
and not opening his parachute until he
could see the ground. Cliff Rose of the Cliff
Rose Death Angels wore batman wings
and performed loops and spirals during a
parachute free fall. Gladys Ingle shot arrows
at a target while standing on the top wing
of a Jenny and later perfected jumping from
the wing of one plane to another in the
air. Walter Hunter of Oklahoma’s Hunter
Brothers Flying Circus used to drop from
airplanes onto haystacks, without wearing a
parachute at all.
LISA PARDUE, A MODERN
AIR SHOW PERFORMER,
OFFERS THESE TIPS ABOUT
WING-WALKING:
1. Don’t.
2. If you do, use a bi-plane.
3. Make sure the pilot is capable of
flying a person on a wing. If you’re not
sure, refer to the first item.
4. Prepare yourself. Your next 50 wingwalks will not be like the first. You are
not likely to “get used to it.”
5. Do not practice in weather below 75˚
6. Do not expect to get rich.
7. Do expect constant and multiple
bruises and to be pelted with bugs.
8. Realize that you are about to do
something almost no one else wants
to do — and for good reason!
It’s no surprise that a fair number of these
early aviators died with their boots on. Ormer Leslie Locklear’s name was nearly a household word and was universally acknowledged
as the best wing-walker in the world — until
he fell. Lincoln Beachey, who would touch
down and take off from inside a building,
was also the first aviator in the U.S. to loop
an airplane, an accomplishment he repeated
more than 1,000 times — until he pealed his
airplane’s wings off in front of 50,000 people
in San Francisco. Harriet Quimby, the first
American aviatrix, was killed when she and
her passenger fell out of an airplane during
an exhibition over Boston.
But the flying circuses were not be discouraged. Reacting to the fact that morbid
curiosity would draw a crowd, promoters
would sometimes hire an ambulance to
race onto the field with its lights and sirens
blaring. Another popular stunt was to se
send
an airplane up with a human dummyy in tthe
cockpit. The aircraft would perform a loop,
and suddenly a body would fall out and
tumble all the way to earth.
But as the Roaring ‘20s came to a close, the
popular image of the daredevil pilots gave
rise to a grumbling discontent. The airplane
shifted from an “unbelievable marvel” to a
“fool killer.” In 1926, Congress passed the
Air Commerce Act, placing the idea of pilot
licenses and aircraft under the more stringent
control of the federal government. Soon to
follow were regulations restricting wingwalking at or above 1500 feet (so high that
nobody could see it), and participants were
required to wear parachutes. Legislation also
required fencing to restrain the crowd at air
shows, and insurance premiums skyrocketed.
While the days of the rag-tag barnstormer
were coming to an end, the impact these
early flyers made is alive and well.
An estimated 20 million people attend
air shows throughout North America
each year. In fact, air shows are the second
most attended spectator sport in the U.S.,
succumbing only to baseball. Six-time national aerobatics champion Patty Wagstaff
acknowledges the tremendous debt the air
show owes to its earliest performers. “Many
of the maneuvers I perform at air shows
were originally explored and perfected by
those early pioneers of aviation. All of us,
from the grandstands to the flight line, owe
them all a tremendous debt.”
If nothing else, the barnstormers introduced aviation to America. Their romance
and infectious enthusiasm for flying
undoubtedly set the stage for the public’s
grassroots acceptance of the airplane, leading to any number of applications, from air
mail to air transportation. When aviation
pioneer Leonard Brooke Hyde-Pearson
died in a plane crash, he had left a letter to
be opened on the event of his death. He left
these thoughts to his fellow pilots, “When
we fly, we are fools, they say. When we are
dead, we weren’t half-bad fellows. But every
one in this aviation service is doing the
world far more good than the public can
appreciate. We risk our necks; we give our
lives; we perfect a service for the benefit of
the world at large. They, mind you, are the
ones who call us fools. But stick to it, boys.
I’m still very much with you.”
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T E S T
F L I G H T
STEPPING
L
TRANSITIONING TO THE PC-12 FROM A
PISTON SINGLE. QBy John Ruley
UP
Last fall, my long-time flight instructor
Larry Askew asked if he could have a
word with me. It’s been hard to get on
his schedule lately, as he’s now spending
more than half his time as a one-man
corporate flight department in charge of
N846PW, a PC-12/47.
We stepped outside the local flight
school for privacy, and Larry told me that
he had an unusually long flight coming
up: A hunting trip that would involve
flying from Modesto, Calif., (KMOD) to
Stevens Point, Wis., (KSTE), with stops at
Sandpoint, Idaho, (KSZT) and Bismark,
N.D., (KBIS) — total flying time about
6.5 hours each way. Add in unpredictable fall weather and he’d decided that
taking along a co-pilot might be a good
idea. He’d talked this over with the aircraft
owner, who agreed, provided Larry could
come up with a pilot willing to fly for free.
I was flattered that he thought of me.
As it turns out, I wasn’t able to make
that long flight with him because of family
medical issues. (Larry took a a former
Part 135 pilot with experience in turbines
and Midwest winter flying instead.) But
I did prep work and have now logged
several hours in N846PW on a number of
shorter flights. It has been a tremendous
learning experience.
I should mention that Larry offered me
this opportunity in part because he knew
I, as an aviation writer, couldn’t resist.
And because I’m an instrument-rated
pilot with a fair amount of experience in
a variety of airplanes, more than 1,000
hours, mainly in piston singles but also
some dual in twins. I also have a lot of
cross-country experience and attended
high-altitude training (including time in
a hypobaric chamber) at Beale Air Force
Base a few years back.
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Stepping Up
I assumed I’d only be able to log dual
time in the PC-12 as a student under Larry’s
supervision but was surprised (and delighted) to learn that I could actually log time
as PIC. Since the PC-12 weighs less than
12,500 pounds and has a propeller, a type
rating is not required. My instrument rating
qualified me for operations in Class-A airspace, above FL180. But one catch tripped
both of us up: Despite my high-altitude
training, I did not have the endorsement
required for operations in airplanes capable
of flight above FL250. As a result, my first
flights in the PC-12 were logged as student
dual under instruction and, after reviewing the appropriate FARs and high-altitude
operational considerations (see FAA
Advisory Circular 61-107A), Larry added a
high-alttitude endorsement to my log book.
Since then, I’ve been able to log PIC time
whenever I’ve had the controls.
BIG BOOKS
The PC-12 has by far the largest POH I’ve
ever seen, bigger than those for the twins
I’ve trained in. Larry also loaned me the
books from SimCom’s initial training
course. The sheer volume of material looked
overwhelming, which I confessed to Larry
in an email. His response is worth quoting:
“I know what you’re going through — a
combination of ‘lemme at it’ and ‘Lordy,
what have I gotten myself into?’ Just take it
slow and remember to breathe!”
That was good advice. Self-study wasn’t
a substitute for classroom (and simulator)
training given by experts, but by the time
I got in the airplane (on the ground, with
external power available) I wasn’t quite so
overwhelmed. Here are some things that
stood out to me as different from my past
experience.
The idea of following the checklist has
been drummed into me from my first
flying lesson and, while Larry has always
recommended memorizing some of the key
things for emergency use, that was never
an excuse for not following the printed
checklist. So imagine my surprise when he
started with a memorized “flow” beginning
with the pilot-side circuit breakers, working
his way around both sides of the panel and
the center console, and eventually resulting
in an engine start.
I was already familiar with turbine-engine
theory, but had no past experience operating
one. Once started (with one hand guarding
the condition lever and a wary eye watching out for runaway engine temperature)
the PT-6 is actually easier to use than most
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high-performance piston engines, offering
single-lever power control and the blessing
of a reversible pitch prop (beta range). I had
not realized that reverse can be used on the
ground while taxiing. It’s an amazingly useful feature that I got used to very quickly.
Cabin pressurization is something I’d
learned quite a bit about during my highaltitude training course, so I understood
the theory, and the PC-12’s system running
in normal mode is nearly automatic, only
requiring you to set your target altitude
before climbing or descending. The quickly
donned masks on the flight deck were, of
course, a new experience.
As an instrument-rated pilot who
regularly operates in Class-B airspace, I was
already comfortable with ATC procedures,
and that made me a useful member of the
flight crew on my very first flight. I handled
the radios and observed Larry doing the
flying from Modesto to Medford, Ore.,
(KMFR). The following day, I did the flying while he ran the radios for me. That’s
consistent from what I’d read in a book
called The Turbine Pilot’s Flight Guide,
which detailed the respective roles of Pilot
Flying (PF) and Pilot Not Flying (PNF), and
provided some suggestions about how to
use flow and checklist together effectively
with a challenge-response approach.
The PC-12 is, of course, a T-tail airplane.
I’ve had experience in T-tail pistons, so
wasn’t surprised by the need to pull a bit in
order to rotate. All the extra buttons on the
yoke were confusing at first, and trying to
do the pusher override test from the right
seat isn’t a simple exercise. Once in the air,
the PC-12 feels to me like a bigger, betterclimbing version of a retractable piston
single. The flight procedures are generally
quite similar, at least until you hit the flight
levels and reset the altimeter to 29.92.
Flight planning and navigation — at least
on the flights I’ve taken so far — have been
simpler than I expected. Larry generally
files GPS direct (either to the destination
airport or to the initial approach fix for an
instrument procedure) and is usually either
cleared as filed or given an additional fix on
departure. He selects a cruise altitude based
on winds, but generally will opt to go high
unless the flight is very short because performance in this class of airplane improves
with altitude.
Descents take some planning. Larry has
the Garmin GNS 530W in N846PW set up
with a VNAV profile that alerts us when
a 1000 FPM descent is required. At that
point, he starts preparing and, if ATC hasn’t
cleared us down by the time 1500 FPM is
needed, then he calls them. Fortunately,
there’s no risk of shock-cooling the PT-6,
so once cleared down, you can pretty much
set as fast a descent rate as you want, and
just pull back enough power to keep the
airspeed below barber pole (or redline as
you reach denser air).
Barber pole is just one of several things in
the panel that were new to me (and would
probably be new to most single-engine
piston pilots). I’ve flown other airplanes
with flight directors and horizontal situation indicators (HSIs), but the PC-12 is my
first with an attitude and direction indicator
that adds angle-of-attack and (on a preci-
ew es
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Stepping Up
sion approach) graphical runway depiction.
And the electric HSI, which can be set in
arc mode and can overlay the radar, goes
well beyond what’s in the panel on the old
Cessna Skylane that I usually fly.
I’ve been impressed with Larry’s ability
to pull off impossible-looking short approaches. It’s not unusual to find ourselves
five miles from the airport and still 3,000
feet above ground, usually because ATC
has assumed we’re going to perform an
instrument approach or is vectoring us for
downwind. If visibility is good and winds
are light, Larry will ask the tower for a
straight-in to the runway in the direction
we’re headed and, most of the time, he gets
cleared for it. That can require a steep turn
or two with a big rate of descent, but gets
us on the ground as quickly as possible
without compromising safety.
However steep the descent once it’s
stabilized on the approach, the PC-12 is a
surprisingly easy airplane to land. Before
our first flight together, Larry told me that
the trailing-link gear makes him look good,
and I agree. My very first landing in the airplane was a greaser. Once all three wheels
are down and the flaps are up, a pull on the
power lever back into beta does an amazing
job slowing the airplane down while saving
the brakes.
I am very glad that my first three flights
in the airplane (all between Modesto and
Medford) were long enough to provide a
reasonable amount of time in cruise. After
takeoff, the inevitable ATC vectors and
hand-offs, getting to the flight levels and
setting cruise power, it’s nice to have a break
for awhile.
The PC-12 was the first airplane I’ve
flown with flight-into-known-icing certification. I’ve had two encounters with ice
(light, fortunately) in piston singles that
gave me a healthy respect for the danger
this involves. The PC-12’s capabilities make
winter flying a much less risky undertaking
though, of course, they are not a license to
fly into heavy ice and just sit there.
As I write, Larry and I just completed
a short flight (less than an hour in the
air) from Modesto to Sacramento, Calif.
(KSAC), and back. This was anything but a
relaxing experience, despite unexpectedly
clear weather that allowed us to cancel our
IFR flight plan and proceed VFR. The short
distance kept us at relatively low cruise
altitudes, 12,500 feet out and 11,500 back,
but we stayed at those altitudes for only a
few minutes. The rest of the time was spent
climbing or descending and dealing with
highly congested ATC frequencies. After
sending our passengers on their way, Larry
told me, “I need some time to decompress!”
There’s a lot more I could mention: learning to use the flight director and advanced
autopilot features like airspeed hold and
control-wheel steering, dealing with external power, ground handling (this certainly
isn’t an airplane you can just man-handle
around by yourself!) and, of course, the
amazingly clever ways the Swiss designers set up the airplane to make a pre-flight
walk-around both easy and thorough. I
wish most of the piston airplanes I’ve flown
allowed as good a routine look at the engine
and critical systems!
Larry’s been kind enough to tell me that
I’ve been of help on some of these flights.
An extra pair of eyes to look for traffic and
a second experienced pilot to handle radios
or give the pilot a break can be very handy.
He also tells me that he’s learned quite a bit
in the process of mentoring me. (We are
both still trying to figure out the on-board
radar.) Working out the roles of pilot and
co-pilot has been a learning experience
for Larry and for the various pilots who’ve
flown right seat with him.
If you’ve read this far and own and/or
fly a PC-12, I’d like to make a suggestion:
Offer the right seat to some of the pilots you
know. It will be a pleasant adventure and
learning experience for both of you!
John D. Ruley is an instrument-rated pilot and
freelance writer based in central California. He’s a
volunteer pilot with www.ligainternational.org, which
operates medical missions in northwest Mexico and
with Angel Flight West, which provides free transport
for medical patients. You can reach him by email to
jruley@ainet.com.
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what pilots see
when they dream.
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T R A F F I CS C
IN
EF
NO
A RR M
I OA T
T IEOSNT
GET SMARTER
ABOUT
TRAFFIC
INFORMATION
“A COLLISION AT SEA CAN RUIN YOUR DAY.”
— ANONYMOUS. QBy Paul K. Sanchez
Something that all of us have is a fear of conflict.
The conflict, of course, is where one or more
aircraft have failed to “see-and-avoid,” and we
end up with a “near-mid-air” or, unfortunately, a
“not-so-near-mid-air” collision.
Admittedly such collisions do not happen
very often, but it is not likely that many of the
people involved walk away. So each time we
are in the air, we have an equal responsibility to
safely avoid other aircraft, but does that diminish our fears that the other pilot is keeping to
his responsibilities? And can we recognize his/
her (or our) mistake before it becomes both
our permanent problem?
INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES VERSUS VISUALLY SEEING OTHERS
An IFR clearance will never guarantee separation from all other aircraft. It
will guarantee separation from another IFR aircraft (usually three miles horizontally or 1,000 feet in most TRACONs) but, when both IFR aircraft are in
visual conditions, the responsibility for both pilots is still to “see-and-avoid.”
Now what happens if one aircraft is in the clouds (on an IFR clearance) while
the second aircraft is 500 feet below the clouds. Is that sufficient for “seeand-avoid” even though neither one can see the other? What happens if the
IFR aircraft is instructed to descend through the clouds to a lower altitude?
Will the 15 seconds of visual conditions be enough to visually acquire the
conflicting situation?
SECTORS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Let’s start off with some understanding of right-of-way rules in aviation. Like
everything else in aviation, the rules we have today were used on the water
first for many hundreds of years beforehand. What is different in aviation is
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Traffic
the closure rate. On the port-side of an aircraft is the red navigation light which has a
viewable area of 120 degrees from the nose
to the rear. Inconveniently, that is where
the pilot-in-command sits most of the time
in airplanes. Any airplane in that is in that
120-degree red sector and can see your red
navigation light has to yield to you because
he literally has a red light looking at him.
The pilot can’t stop in the air but he can
certainly alter his track or altitude so that he
can maintain a safe distance from you. In
fact under FAR 91.113 (b) says:
“…When a rule of this section gives another
aircraft the right-of-way, the pilot shall give
way to that aircraft and may not pass over,
under, or ahead of it unless well clear.”
So it appears that most airplane pilots are
sitting on the side of the aircraft (port-side
120-degree red sector) that they do not
have to yield, and unfortunately they are
not sitting on the side of the aircraft to see
what they should yield to. Better keep your
eyes open as much as you can on the right
(starboard) side. So 120 degrees to the
right of your nose in the area where you
have to yield to all airplanes except those
overtaking you. If someone sees your green
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starboard aspect, he does not have to yield
and is expecting that you can see him and
thus yield yourself.
And of course that leaves the 120-degree
sector behind you, meaning any aircraft
that can see your white tail sector is overtaking you and thus has to yield to you.
And you hope that the other pilot sees you
because you have zero chance of seeing him
overtaking you.
EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS
OF OBSERVATION
Now that we’ve established the concept
of who is supposed to yield to whom in
converging or overtaking situations, how
do both pilots keep aware of what the burdened aircraft has to do? In fact, how does
the pilot see what is going on with aircraft
on his starboard side (his own yield-side)
and even the ones behind him?
Average human visual acuity is about
1.76 feet/nm. Which means on a very
good day a pilot should be able to tell the
contrasting difference of black/white lines
1.76 feet apart from each other at one
nautical mile. If the object is not black and
white (such as a white airplane against
Santiago blue sky), then the visual acuity is
even less. Also compounding the problem
is that seeing the aircraft is not the same
as being able to recognize the threat. You
have to discern whether it is a port/starboard/aft aspect you are looking at, and
what the relative motion is.
So herein lies our unfortunately not-soobvious problem. How do we look at the
right place in the sky for something we do
not know is there? And how do we determine how much of a threat this aircraft is?
Well, in this case, this is where technology perhaps does not deliver the day, but
certainly gets us closer to the calendar.
Traffic-advisory systems (TAS) have been
with us in one form or the other for 25
years now. The idea is simple enough but
the equipment requirements (and price)
were the biggest barrier. The equipment
on your aircraft simply interrogates (two
times a second) other transponders within
a 30 nm radius, gets replies (thus knows
the range/bearing) and displays the replies
on your screen. Be it your multi-function
display, Garmin GNS480/GNS530/
GTN750 or whatever, the software on the
TAS shows the location on your moving
map or traffic page, calculates the threat if
it will be <500 feet/nm within 35 seconds.
That’s a lot of information.
Well, information like that certainly
helps in pointing out where the other aircraft are (360-degree interrogation area)
but whether we have to yield or not is still
our decision. How much can that help?
In spite of the green/red/white lights we
talked about earlier, let’s say we are flying
during the daytime in clear weather (the
kind that draws out the most number
of aircraft). Now how far away can we
see another aircraft and recognize the
aspect (port/starboard/aft) to determine
whether we are meeting/overtaking?
With a traffic-advisory system (L-3
Avionics Skywatch, Avidyne TAS600
series, Garmin GTS800, or Honeywell
KTA870), the aircraft around you (some
systems offer up to 60 aircraft at <60 nm)
are tracked and then displayed. Usually only the eight most threatening are
displayed so the pilot is not overloaded
with traffic hordes. To make things even
simpler, all target positions are updated
two times a second so you can see the
relative motion of each aircraft.
side. How much longer until it happens? Look at the distance. If the range
is decreasing .1 nm/second the closure
rate is 360 knots and each nautical mile
separation will be gone in 10 seconds. If
there is no bearing change, there will be
no distance remaining between you and
the other aircraft. Believe me there is not
much future in that kind of conflict.
EVADING THE QUESTION?
No doubt we should be looking for the
aircraft as much as possible, but shall we do
nothing and continue on our merry way
knowing that the other aircraft is converging on the port (left) side and therefore
has to yield any way? Are we going to have
faith that the other pilot can see us (when
we can’t see him) and realize that he has to
SAFETY
RELATIVELY SPEAKING ABOUT
MEETING OTHERS
Now comes the assessment part. Your
traffic-advisory system has told you about
another aircraft that does not yet fit the
warning profile (<500 feet/1 nm in <35
seconds) but you are concerned that it
does not seem to be moving very much
on the screen (little bearing change). The
aircraft is more than three miles from
you so you can’t see it yet nor determine
aspect. Well, anytime there is a target on
your TAS display that shows little bearing
change but decreasing range, the only
thing in doubt is how much longer before
the warning is annunciated.
We need to determine the relative motion (if any), and we can’t see the target
outside yet. Let’s use the software to do so
then. On the GNS530 or GNS430 NAV
page 2, push-in the small knob on the
right to bring up a cursor. Move the cursor to the target on the screen and “tag”
it. On the screen, the target’s distance/altitude delta is shown. But more importantly in the upper left corner of the screen is
the target’s bearing/distance and how it is
changing two times a second.
This is where we have to trust the
“math” a bit. If the bearing is decreasing
(045°M, 043°M, 040°M, etc) the closest
point the aircraft will be to you is on your
port (left) side. If bearing is increasing
(045°M, 048°M, 050°M) then the aircraft
will pass you on the starboard (right)
EDUCATION
SAVINGS
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to set up your profile, sign up
to receive email notifications
and renew your membership.
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contact POPA
at 520.299.7485
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about the POPA / UVAir Fuel
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S P R I N G
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Traffic
alter his track/altitude to pass “well clear”
of us? My suggestion is that having the
right-of-way does not have to mean being
an NTSB report. If the separation distance is going to be gone in 60 seconds,
then let’s make sure that the closest point
of approach is as far way as we can.
If the other aircraft is on the port (left)
side converging toward you, you make
a 45-degree turn (with ATC clearance if
on an IFR clearance) to the left. Lo and
behold, the separation distance is now
getting larger. The reason is that with
your 45-degree turn toward the aircraft,
you changed the time for “closest-pointof-approach” to right now. Once the
aircraft has crossed your nose you could
turn back on course and you’d never close
in on him again.
This method would also hold true
for converging aircraft that are on your
starboard (right) side. Since you would
rather not wait till at 1 nm before seeing
the aircraft and then taking action to keep
clear, you have the opportunity to assess
the situation beforehand, using your TAS
for additional information.
CONTROLLING YOUR DESTINY
AT UNCONTROLLED AIRPORTS
Now comes the reality most of us would
not like to admit. There is a greater risk of
air/ground conflicts at airports (towered
or non-towered) than on an airway. The
reason, of course, is more aircraft are
concentrated in a smaller area (less than
three nm and less than 1,000 feet AGL).
So what we do then is use the same tool
even though we are on the ground. After
leaving the FBO, we self-announce on the
common frequency that we are on the
taxiway. At the same time as we listen to
the CTAF, we are looking on the screen for
other transponder aircraft and determine
what the traffic situation is. How many aircraft are on the downwind already? Which
aircraft are more than three nm away
but inbound? And, of course, are there
any aircraft in the pattern that are not
self-announcing on the CTAF (no radio
or wrong frequency, etc). We can count up
the number of aircraft with transponders
and look for them outside when we are
on the taxiway. In fact, we can even confer
with the aircraft on downwind to see about
leaving before they turn their to their baseleg. Remember aircraft on the ground have
to yield to aircraft that are landing so it
behooves us to know who is out there and
what their plan of action is.
Alternatively, when we are landing, we
can see other aircraft on the ground (if
their transponder is replying), ones on the
taxiway near the runway, and those that
are on final that we would have to yield to
ourselves. We can be even more cautious
about the ones we see on the ground who
aren’t using the CTAF to announce their
intentions.
The same technique can be used at
towered airports as runway collisions have
occurred there as well. In most cases, the
controller had cleared both aircraft on the
same runway at the same time. The trafficadvisory system is the tool that can point
out the controller’s mistake.
Paul K. Sanchez is CFII-MEI based in Florida. Contact
him at sanchezpaulk@mac.com.
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MiPad
ELECTRONICS
MyWingMan
Sporty’s E6B app offers a simple, forms-based interface for aviation calculations and conversions.
ONE NEW APP AND
TWO MAJOR UPGRADES
M
THIS TIME AROUND, WE HAVE A NEW APP FROM AN A
WELL-RECOGNIZED NAME IN AVIONICS AND MAJOR UPGRADES
TO A PAIR OF POPULAR ELECTRONIC FLIGHT-BAG
APPS FOR THE IPAD. By John D. Ruley
MyWingMan from Honeywell Bendix-King is an impressive electronic flight-bag
(EFB) app that offers a highly customizable user interface, tap-and-drag flight
planning/editing, DUATS weather briefings and much more. The app’s map
interface provides the usual range of VFR sectional and IFR low- or high-altitude
en route views, with transparent overlays that can include weather (radar, satellite, METAR/TAF, winds aloft) and other info including fuel prices and TFRs.
A unique scrolling “function wheel” control quickly selects one of eight
operating modes. The app includes predefined performance data for common
piston singles, and it’s easy to set up equivalent data for turboprops, though
the app only supports a simple model, using average climb/cruise/descent
airspeeds and fuel flows, that doesn’t take into account temperature and other
factors. Clever smart route and smart altitude functions allow you to optimize
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for time en route and fuel burn.
MyWingMan also offers a unique, animated
G-meter, based on the iPad’s built-in accelerometer,
and a synthetic vision feature that offers a “chase
plane” view by default; a forward view comparable
to that offered by many glass panels is available
with an optional portable AHRS. For IFR users,
MyWingMan offers geo-referenced approach
plates with aircraft-position display. The app is also
compatible with Aspen’s Connected Cockpit which
should allow editing and uploading flight plans to
IFR-certified GPS navigators including BendixKing’s KSN-770.
MyWingMan requries an iPad 2 or better (iPad
3 recommended) and as much memory as you can
buy. The terrain database is huge! As with most EFB
apps, a data subscription is required: $99 per year for
a VFR-only subscription or $149 for both VFR and
IFR charts. Coverage includes the continental US,
Hawaii and Puerto Rico. According to the web site,
“Europe and other geographic areas are being evaluated” for possible future coverage. The web site also
suggests that in-flight weather using “ADS-B and
other data sources” and support for the iPad Mini
and potentially Android platforms are planned.
You can download a 30-day free trial from the
iPad App Store or browse BendixKing.com for
more information.
iPad users who prefer Jeppesen instrument charts
have a major upgrade in Mobile Flight Deck (FD)
2.0, which offers a radically revised user interface
that at first looks like a complete change, but isn’t as
extreme once you get used to it. Most of what used
to be at the top of the display in the default en route
view has been moved to a “drawer” so it doesn’t
obscure the chart until needed, and icons to change
views, select the chart display theme, etc., have
been moved to the left-hand edge of the display.
That makes room for a new set of icons covering
significant new features: Weather information can
now be overlayed on charts, including icing, radar
with echo tops and lightning, color-coded surface
observations, turbulence and winds aloft. Also new
are text notes covering operational issues related to
specific NavAids or airspace, regional issues for geographic areas and reference issues that apply to large
areas. With those, Jeppesen says the FD app now
completely duplicates the information available on
paper charts. The route finder now supports SIDs
and STARS, and the app can send/receive routes to/
from GPS navigators that support Aspen’s Connected Cockpit.
Jeppesen FD’s Terminal Chart feature now
defaults to a full-page view with a rotation option so
that you can easily switch vertical charts to horizontal orientation or vice-versa to match your display.
And they’ve added a highlighting function that
allows you to draw with your finger, putting color
future versions.
(light green by default) over text you wish
display remains available by
For more information,
to emphasize, circle an area of concern,
tapping an on-screen button.
etc. Kudos to Jeppesen for recognizing that look for Jepp FD on the iPad
Less obvious updates include
App Store.
while the iPad reduces the need for paper,
a runway proximity adviser
ForeFlight Mobile 4.7 has
it can still be essential for backups: The
feature that will pop-up ontools menu now has a print icon that sends undergone a less extreme
screen warnings (and provide
update, but still includes a
the current chart to an Apple AirPrintaudible warnings in a comcompatible printer. Jeppesen is also among facelift that will surprise users
patible bluetooth headset),
when they upgrade. The dethe first aviation app vendors to support
on approach or entry to a
fault Maps view now includes
the new iPad Mini.
runway threshold, integration
an edit screen that provides
Jeppesen FD still isn’t a complete EFB
with X-Plane flight 10 flighta graphical summary of the
solution: The flight-planning funcsimulation software so that
ForeFlight Mobile 4.7
selected route and simplifies
tion doesn’t offer time en route or fuel
you can practice with Foreupdates to cruise speed,
calculations and, while
Flight on the ground, and minor upgrades
altitude, fuel burn, selection
the new weather features
to the scratchpad, which remains useless
of related IFR procedures
are a welcome addition,
in my humble opinion. A really useful new
(SIDs, STARS, etc.) and
they’re only available on
Binders feature lets you save collections
identification of ATCthe ground. There’s also no
of instrument charts for quick access. For
assigned routes. Tapping on
built-in capability to retrieve
more information, see the iPad App store
the altitude pops up an altia DUATS (or equivalent)
or browse ForeFlight.com/ipad/.
tude adviser that works very
briefing that would cover
John D. Ruley is an instrument-rated pilot, freelance
much like the smart altitude
synoptic weather, SIGMETS
writer and recent graduate of the University of North
Dakota Space Studies graduate program (Space.edu).
feature in MyWingMan. The
/ AIRMETS, NOTAMs and
He’s also a volunteer pilot with LigaInternational.org,
old navigation log view that
TFRs, but I’m impressed with
which operates medical missions in northwest Mexico,
and Angel Flight West (AngelFlight.org), which offers
used to appear at the top of
the improvements and look
free air transportation to medical patients. You can
the
ForeFlight
Mobile
map
forward to more features in
Jeppesen FD’s Terminal Chart
reach him at jruley@ainet.com.
Jeppesen FD’s Terminal Chart
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Hot Spots
TRAVEL
{
G O T T A
G E T
A W A Y
THE BARD BECKONS!
Live theatre without the pomp at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. BY MICHELLE CARTER
F
eeling the urge to flavor your flying
with great theater? Set your GPS
for Ashland, Ore., (KS03) where
the 79th season of the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival is set to launch in March.
Over 2013’s nine-month season, three
different stages will offer Shakespeare’s
Taming of the Shrew and three other Bard
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favorites as well the world premieres of
two new works and timeless plays like A
Streetcar Named Desire and My Fair Lady
— 11 productions in all.
Three stages are needed because the festival is a destination theatre company. Visitors come from long distances and want to
see more than one play when they come.
}
Each stage is a “machine” for presenting
plays and can be turned, in a few hours,
from a balcony in Verona, Italy, to a dacha
in 19th Century Russia.
The festival has a college English teacher
to thank for its birth. In 1935, Angus
Bowmer went to Ashland businessmen
with the idea of offering Shakespeare for
everyone. They were skeptical but they
gave him $500 with the understanding
that they would schedule boxing matches
before each performance “just in case.”
The boxing fell away, and the plays went
on and on. Now it takes a budget of $26
million to fund the 780 performances for
400,000 playgoers every year.
Over the years, the small community of
Ashland has built itself around the festival
with a plan that practically demands that
you walk. The town square is lined with
great restaurants and shops, and the walk
along rushing Ashland Creek has been
developed with an eye to the spectacular
scenery of Lithia Park, local art and good
food. Because Ashland is a one-industry
town, every hotelkeeper and restaurateur
arranges services to enhance the festival
experience.
Backstage tours led by actors in the
company add a special dimension to the
Ashland experience, and they can be
scheduled when you order tickets. The
tours provide answers to all sorts of questions: What happens on the outdoor stages
when it rains? “Well, you’re likely to see
actors in ponchos performing for an audience in garbage bags.”
Did I mention the casual attire? Leave
your tie at home but do bring a jacket. It
can get chilly at night.
The festival web site offers pages of
B&Bs and inns, most within walking
distance of the stages, and its trip planner
allows you to work in a bus trip to historic
Jacksonville or a raft trip on the Rogue
River or skiing on Mt. Ashland.
Small wonder the uncontrolled Ashland
Municipal Airport (with a 3,600-foot runway) offers acres of tie-down space and a
web cam at AshlandOregonAirport.com so
pilots can check the weather on the ground.
They’re ready for a group fly-in or the solo
theater enthusiast with a weekend to spare.
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reduce pilot workload, and get
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The Evolution Flight Display
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around you with capabilities like
Evolution Synthetic Vision, XM
weather, traffic, terrain, and
obstacle displays.
Aspen Avionics delivers the
industry’s best value, with Class
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starting about $18K.
Evolution 1500C3:
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Time for Downtime.
aspenavionics.com/evolution1500c3
Copyright 2012-13 Aspen Avionics Inc. ”Aspen Avionics,” “Evolution Flight Display System,” “Connected Panel,” and the Aspen Avionics
aircraft logo are trademarks of Aspen Avionics Inc. All rights reserved. U.S. Patent No. 8,085,168, and additional patents pending.
S P R I N G
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ECO-WHALING
IN BAJA WATERS
Grays come right up to the boats at
Laguna San Ignacio BY MICHELLE CARTER
R
eady to get face-to-face with gray
whales in the Laguna San Ignacio
sanctuary in Baja California and
then head back to four-star spa comfort for
the night? Then schedule a personal fly-in
to Loreto, Mexico, settle into La Mision
Boutique Hotel and then fly or bus to
Laguna San Ignacio for a pango (skiff ) ride
out in the lagoon for a two-and-a-half hour
meet-and-greet with the whales.
From December through March, the
once-endangered gray whales return to
the warm, shallow waters of the lagoon
on the west coast of the Baja Peninsula to
give birth and prepare their calves for the
10,000-mile trek back to summer feeding
sites in the Arctic Circle. The lagoon, which
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extends 16 miles into the desert, is the jewel
in the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve and is
recognized as the last undeveloped nursery
and breeding ground for these whales.
The whales come up to
the boats because they
are as curious about us
as we are of them and
only then do they encourage us to touch and interact with them — not
the other way around.
During the heyday of whaling in the
mid-19th Century, the treacherous sand bar
shoals and shallow passages of the lagoon
kept all but the boldest captains out and created a natural sanctuary for the gray whales
which were approaching extinction. Now
the benefits of eco-tourism (and a World
Heritage Site designation) provide more
stable protection for the whales and the
community of 100 or so who co-exist comfortably with the lagoon’s winter inhabitants.
“These are eco-adventures that support
local fishermen and families through low
impact tourism activities,” said Stephanie
Rousso, a wildlife biologist and guide, at
Laguna San Ignacio.
“However, we don’t like to use the term
‘petting.’ Petting sounds like a circus,
aquarium or Sea World. This is a natural
area and we respect the whales, the mothers
and their calves and the local families that
provide the service.
“The whales come up to the boats
because they are as curious about us as we
are of them and only then do they encour-
age us to touch and interact
with them — not the other
way around. We don’t go out
there to touch them unless
the whales show they want it
by coming up to the boat.”
Come prepared with
water shoes, pants that you
can roll up, sunscreen, a
hat and layered clothing
since it can be downright
cold in the morning and
hot in the afternoon. And a
camera, oh, yes, a camera!
The photos that accompany
this article were all taken by
visitors on their first Laguna
San Ignacio adventure.
If you’re flying south of the border for
the first time, be sure to acquaint yourself
with ADIZ requirements and how to file
for eAPIS, the Electronic Advance Passenger Information System, for international travel both into and out of the U.S.
The Loreto Airport (MMLT) is a towered,
international facility, but the 20-minute
flight to Laguna San Ignacio will take you
to a private, packed-sand airstrip 4,333
feet long that can be difficult to recognize
since it blends in with the surrounding
area. Call (52) 615.107.9593 to let them
know you’re coming.
If you’d rather not test your soft-field
landing and take-off skills, buses or taxis
are available.
IF YOU GO...
LA MISION HOTEL
Phone: (52) 613.134.0350, ext. 617
LaMisionLoreto.com
BAJA EXPEDITIONS DE MÉXICO
La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Outside Mexico Toll Free: 800.843.6967
BajaEx.com
LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO AIRSTRIP
26°50°55° N 113°08°26°W
(52) 615.107.9593
AridaWhaleWatchingBaja.com/airstrip.htm
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FLY RIGHT IN FOR THE ROUND-UP
Wyoming guest ranch’s welcome starts at its own airport. BY MICHELLE CARTER
W
hen Bob Kaplan and wife Laurence sold their separate (but
competing!) businesses 12 years
ago and launched Red Reflet Ranch resort
in Wyoming as a retirement project, “we’d
never actually been to a guest ranch. So we
didn’t have any preconceived ideas,” Bob
Kaplan said. “We just built what we knew we
would want, and it’s worked out pretty well.”
The Kaplans started with a working cattle
ranch on more than 27,000 acres in the Big
Horn Mountains and moved into the original ranch house to oversee the 25 major
constructions which transformed the ranch
into an upscale retreat that allows guests
(usually no more than a couple dozen) to
plan their personal holiday from a dizzying
array of offerings — horseback riding, fly
fishing, tennis, shooting, trail rides, ziplining, swimming and hiking.
Early on, the Kaplans, both private
pilots for more than 40 years, designed
and built an airport on the ranch with a
paved and lighted 5,000-foot runway and
an FAA-maintained GPS. “This is very easy
mountain flying at 4,600 feet. You land east
and takeoff west on a sloped strip.”
They keep their own Citation 501 han-
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gared there, “and we’ve got
a retired military pilot and
mechanic, Anthony
Cirincione, who’s an
A&P” as the full-time
airport manager.
He will go up with
you in your plane to
pass on the secrets of
mountain flying — or
help you get a glider,
seaplane, helicopter or
jet rating if they’ve been
on your bucket list. If
you’ve ever wanted to
build a vacation around
flying, this is the place.
But above all, Red
Reflet (pronounced reFLAY) is a working ranch with 400 head of
purebred black Angus cattle. The herd is a
“mother-cow” operation, and the calves are
born in April/May. When calves are shipped
off in November, most of them are headed
for Whole Foods Markets where they’ll
become some of the store’s all-natural beef
raised in an approved “kind and gentle”
manner.
The now-renovated ranch
house and three chalets
provide five-star accommodations, all designed
to exploit the drop-dead
gorgeous scenery with
floor-to-ceiling views.
Red Reflet Ranch
operates in all seasons but spring and
fall are the busiest on
any cattle ranch. Call
866.766.2340, and you’re likely to get
one of the Kaplans on the phone. Just
tell Bob or Laurence what you want.
“Anything you can think of doing, we
will arrange it.”
And if it happens on the ranch, it’s
included in the price.
RED REFLET RANCH
10 Lodge Road, Ten Sleep, WY 82442
866.766.2340 • RedRefletRanch.com
EAGLE
AVIATION
contact Karen Nelson
@ PH: 803-822-5586 for more information or visit our gallery at
www.eagle-aviation.com
located at Columbia Metro Airport
CAE in West Columbia, South Carolina
Because the details
do matter...
R
Q&A
By Ted Otto
WINTER 2012 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question #1: What is considered a flap cycle and what are the limits?
Question #1 Answer: A flap-system cycle is movement
from 0 degrees to 15 degrees to 0 degrees, and from 0
degrees to 15 degrees to 40 degrees to 0 degrees.
Maximum number of cycles per hour, up to 25 degrees
OAT, is 10; 25 degrees to 5 degrees is eight.
Question #2: How does the POH describe severe icing conditions?
Question #2 Answer: Severe icing may result from conditions outside of those for which the airplane is certified.
Freezing rain, freezing drizzle or mixed icing conditions
may result in ice build-up on protected surfaces exceeding
the capability of the protected system or may result in ice
forming aft of the protected surfaces.
Question #3: How many ways are we able to utilize the page
function in the FMS?
Question #3 Answer: Page function may be accessed
by pushing the page button on the MF controller or by
pushing the scroll wheel to the left on the CCD.
Question #4: What is “SHOT PEENED” and does your aircraft
have this feature?
Question #4 Answer: Shot-peening is a treatment on the inner
third of the propeller blade. This treatment stops the fatigue
cracks and stress corrosion that typically start at the surface of
the part. The PC-12-47E has shot-peened propeller blades.
SPRING 2013 QUESTIONS
1. What is required of the 47 and 47E if a landing is made with
the a/c weight in excess of 9,921 pounds?
2. When is the oxygen-system shut-off valve required to be on?
3. How long does the cockpit voice recorder retain data?
4. Is there an altitude limitation on the VCCS and, if so, what is it?
S P R I N G
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SCENARIO TEST
SLOWONSET
HYPOXIA
A MOST DANGEROUS SCENARIO. QBy Dr. Paul W. Buza
Scenario-based principles which have
been integrated into a high-altitude
chamber program, using flight-training
devices with simulated ATC, represents
the “gold standard” in teaching aviation
physiology for Technically Advanced
Aircraft (TAA) training. Such training
is particularly useful in teaching pilots
about slow-onset hypoxia.
In light of the Helios Airways accident
in Greece in 2005, it is now certain that
the crew failed to notice that the cabin of
its 737 was not pressurizing on ascent. The
slow onset of hypoxia (defined as oxygen
deprivation that occurs over a period
longer than 10 minutes) while the pilots
were attempting to resolve an alarm issue
soon after takeoff led to pilot incapacitation and resulted in 121 deaths. A similar
event occurred in 1999 when a Lear Jet
carrying golfer Paine Stewart also failed
to pressurize on ascent, incapacitating the
pilot within 15 minutes of takeoff.
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Slow-Onset Hypoxia
Further emphasis in TAA training is
needed to understand the insidious nature
of slow-onset hypoxia because the symptoms are difficult, if not impossible, for the
crew to recognize. This represents the most
dangerous hypoxia scenario in single-pilot
TAA today.
Traditional altitude-chamber and
reduced-oxygen breathing programs emphasize rapid-onset hypoxia at 25,000 feet
when the time of useful consciousness is
two-four minutes. The signs and symptoms
occur rapidly and are easily noticed.
The protocol developed at Southern
AeroMedical Institute models the slow
onset of hypoxia by ascending from 5,000
feet to 25,000 feet over a 10-15 minute
period. Here the signs and symptoms
are more difficult to identify as the
pilot multi-tasks through various ascent
procedures during simulated flight. The
flight profile matches the probable cabin
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ascent pattern experienced by the crew of
the Helios and Paine Stewart accidents. To
date, more than 1,800 pilots have flown
this model for training where the primary
observation is that slow-onset hypoxia,
taking more than 10-15 minutes, leads
to the loss of situational awareness when
compared to explosive or rapid decompression. Hence, we see the need to provide realistic and scenario-based training
for pilots and passengers.
The integration of flight-training devices
within the TBM/SAMI high-altitude
chamber, with real ATC communications
added, creates a more realistic cabin scenario for the pilot in a safe and controlled
environment. Pilots assemble on the flight
deck and check in with ATC for instructions. Simulated flight plans installed in
the onboard computers closely match the
chamber ascent profile to create a model
that realistically matches true cabin-depressurized altitudes.
As the pilot is busy with ascent-related
procedures, the signs and symptoms of
hypoxia as well as subtle neurocognitive
impairments begin to occur. The flight
deck is closely monitored by ATC (who is
also trained in aviation physiology) on a
computer system that displays their images
and cockpit instrumentation often showing significant mistakes in the pilot’s ability
to fly the aircraft.
The pilot’s performance (or lack of
performance) is captured on multi-screen
video for post-flight analysis showing a
significant array of neurological impairments including speech, memory, fine
motor skills and changes in personality.
When sufficient signs and symptoms have
been accomplished, the crew demonstrates emergency procedures by donning
masks and launching an immediate descent while communicating with ATC for
new vectors. The rapid recovery provided
by supplemental oxygen as they follow
emergency descent procedures further
emphasizes the importance of early identification of hypoxia.
SOLO-BASED PHYSIOLOGICAL
TRAINING (SBPT)
Each flight consists of three participants
and lasts about an hour. The pilots are
seated inside the chamber at their flighttraining devices and orientation to the
masks and flight computers is provided.
Various ear-equalization techniques such as
swallowing, jaw movement and the valsalva
technique are reviewed and practiced while
they have their masks on. Management of
trapped gas phenomenon is essential to
avoid debilitating distractions during flight.
Next, audio checks are performed with
headsets on to insure high audio quality since changes in speech patterns is
an early sign of hypoxia. This also allows
pilots to become accustomed to how ATC
will sound and what they are expected
to do once they begin their flight. At this
point, the trainees learn the flight simulator instrumentation including foot and
hand controls.
Once the staff feels that the trainees are
sufficiently acquainted with the chamber
and simulator, the doors are closed and the
trainees don their oxygen masks for the
ear and sinus check. The chamber ascends
to 5,000 feet and descends to 1,000 feet
with close observation to insure there is
no difficulty with middle-ear clearance.
Under the guidance of the supervising
flight physician, the chamber then ascends
to 5,000 feet and the trainees remove their
masks, put on their headsets and establish
contact with ATC. This also allows the
pilots’ blood-oxygen saturation to match
“real world” cabin parameters where typical commercial cabin altitudes range from
5,000-8,000 feet.
When ATC is ready, the pilots begin
flying following ATC-guided instructions.
Soon after, the chamber also begins to ascend without the pilots’ knowledge. During the ascent from 5,000 feet to 18,000
feet, the flight plan is going as expected,
“a normal day in the sky,” until they pass
18,000 feet and ATC begins to change
their original flight plan. Sudden traffic
and unexpected weather requires complex
decision-making and frequent ATC communications, which become more difficult
to handle during slow-onset hypoxia.
As the pilots reach higher altitudes, the
numerous signs and symptoms of hypoxia
as well as neurological impairments are
easily captured on video. Once sufficient
signs and symptoms have developed, the
pilots are instructed to don masks and
begin emergency procedures in which the
dramatic and rapid recovery provided by
supplemental oxygen is easily demonstrated. The pilots remain on oxygen during
descent until 10,000 feet when the masks
can be safely removed. The final 10,000
feet of descent is closely observed to insure
no difficulties with middle-ear clearance.
The entire chamber/simulator session
including the pre-flight orientation lasts
about an hour.
The sessions are conducted so that
all chamber-training objectives can be
achieved in one day. While three pilots are
flying, the remainder of the group observes
ATC conducting the flight operations. On a
large monitor outside of the chamber, nine
different screens show a close facial view of
the pilot, his or her cockpit instrumentation, aircraft position on ATC radar and
true altitude readings. As the pilots fly their
missions, the training staff highlights key
teaching points. As soon as the pilots exit
the chamber, their flight performance is
immediately reviewed as a group, which
often generates spirited discussion among
the trainees and faculty.
This process is repeated two or three
more times throughout the day so that by
the end of the day the key teaching points
about hypoxia are firmly secured. After the
last group is done, the trainers discuss actual events and present different scenarios
for further discussion. During this time,
individual hypoxia profiles are determined
for each pilot by recording his or her signs
and symptoms in the order of occurrence
on a laminated wallet-sized card for easy
review. Based on the profiles, it is possible
to predict who is most and least likely to
respond early to cabin depressurization.
They also watch videos on other hypoxia
situations. At the end, the pilots are issued
their certificates and receive personal CDs
of their flight session.
Experiencing the scenario improves
long-term memory and gives the pilots a
greater ability to recognize the subtle onset
of such a potentially dangerous situation.
Even the most experienced pilots can
succumb to the insidious onset of hypoxia
which can result in loss of situational awareness and incapacitation.
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Ask Lance Toland
TRAINING TO BE THE
FOCUS OF 2013.
W
By Lance Toland
With the introduction of the new PC-12 NG full-motion
simulator at Flight Safety’s Dallas facility, rave reviews have
already flooded into my office. With a higher price point
on initial and recurrent training, compared to SIMCOM,
clients are asking about insurance discounts for full-motion
training. At the present time, none of our markets is talking about premium deviations for stationary or full-motion
simulation. At the end of the day, I doubt seriously if this
will ever be a differential.
The good news is that we have excellent training available across the country at
different price points. At the January Atlanta Aero Club meeting, FSI CEO Bruce
Whitman shared that a full-motion Legacy simulator is in the works. It does not
get any better than this! Think about it: NG and Legacy part 135 operators will
now be able train at FSI and not tie up their assets and risk additional down-time
meeting their six-month check ride requirements.
Training is now and always will be an annual underwriting requirement.
Depending on your particular operation and experience level, you may opt to
include some in-aircraft training with one of several well-recognized training
gurus. This deviation will always have to be approved before the training and,
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typically, your policy will need to be endorsed with
several special stipulations to protect you and your
training facility.
I actually encourage alternating simulator and inaircraft training, especially in the Legacy machines,
because so many different avionics suites are now being installed in place of the original King configuration and Honeywell EFIS. I recently installed Garmin
750s in my PC-12 serial number 381. My plan is to
upgrade further to the Garmin 600 later this year.
Now, with so many options at hand for training, how
can you make yourself look better to the underwriters at renewal? Slipping in an extra session never
hurts. A combination of simulator and in-aircraft
training on an alternating eight-month basis is a good
measure, and it also keeps you in step with your part
91 bi-annual flight review.
Any additional non-PC-12 training helps as well.
I actually do factory rotor-wing sessions in addition
to my annual training, and I try to get in one or two
weather seminars or winter courses if they’re available in the area. If you are participating in any similar
events, make sure your underwriters get a copy of
your completion certificates for your file. Trust me, it
makes a difference.
Now off the subject of training: Several unique situations involving both Legacy and NG operations have
occurred so far this year. Both involved loss of oil.
Each event could have had catastrophic results. I will
explore associated coverage issues in the next publication, and I hope to have a full presentation for those of
you attending POPA2013 in Monterey, Calif.
On location. On budget.
Exceptional training.
Insurance approved.
Tailored to your needs and your schedule.
REGISTER TODAY!
www.AviationTrainingManagement.com
(772) 778-7815
GetATaxReceipt Donate Any Airplane
Contact:
www.BuildAPlane.org
804.843.3321
Help kids learn science,
technology, engineering
and math by building or
restoring real airplanes.
Your contributions are
tax deductible.
www.buildaplane.org
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Send Less to the IRS
FINANCE
DON’T GIVE UP ON
THIS TOO EARLY
I
THERE ARE TAXES TO BE SAVED AND RECOVERED
By Harry Daniels, CPA, CFP, PFS, CVA
If you have a business and you have accounts for buildings, building improvements, equipment, vehicles,
depreciation, repairs, maintenance and supplies on your
books, pay close attention.
On Dec. 27, 2011, the IRS issued new regulations
regarding capitalizing or expensing amounts spent on
the above items. The effective date of the new regulations
was Jan. 1, 2012. Basically, if you have any of the above
accounts, you will be impacted by the new regulations
sooner or later. It will be impossible to avoid them.
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There are a lot of favorable taxpayer points along with
many unfavorable ones, due to the complexity of the
rules in the regulations. The results you get in many
cases will surprise you because they will run contrary
to what you have understood the rules to have been
in the past. As you begin to make the conversion from
the old rules to the new, it is very likely that you will
need to file a special form with the IRS in order to be
in compliance and make the changeover. This is Form
3115, an Application for a Change in Accounting
Method. Even though this change is mandated by the
IRS and the IRS will automatically grant you to right
to switch to their new method, you must file Form
3115 with the IRS stating what provision you are
changing in order to be compliant with the new regulations. You will need to look at every expenditure in
the above-mentioned accounts to determine how they
should be handled to meet the new regulations.
Aviation got a big boost with the new rules. Under
the “safe harbor” provisions, the periodic and recurring annual inspections and TBOs can be expensed
immediately, instead of being capitalized. The new
regulations allow for the expensing of annual inspections and TBOs that an aircraft must have every year
or so in order to maintain the airworthiness
of the airplane. If you modify or improve
the airplane or other equipment while doing standard maintenance, then the cost of
the modification or improvement will be
capitalized while the cost associated with
standard maintenance can be expensed.
Airplanes generally have a five-year tax
life. How many annual inspections are you
currently still depreciating? How many
TBOs are you now depreciating? By changing over to the new regulations, you can
probably charge off in tax year 2012 all the
remaining undepreciated costs associated
with these annual inspections and/or TBOs.
The beauty is that this can be done without
amending any of the prior years’ returns,
whether they are still open or not.
Another positive point: If you have
depreciable assets that have been replaced
(a roof on a hangar or a heating system,
for example), you now can go back to a
previously filed return and write off the
replaced items by filing for a change in
possibly be changes, revisions or modifications to the newly issued regulations
coming in 2013. The taxpayer now has the
option of when he or she wants to shift to
the new regulations as long as the changeover is made by the Jan. 1, 2014.
So this creates the question: When do
you want to make the change?
O. H. “Harry” Daniels, Jr. is a CPA, a CFP licensee and a
certified valuation analyst. He is a partner with the firm of
Duggan, Joiner & Co., Certified Public Accountants, and
can be reached at 334 N.W. 3rd Ave., Ocala, FL 34479,
telephone 352.732.0171, fax 352.816.1370, email OHD@
DJCoCPA.COM. He has held his license as a private pilot
since 1991. This article is available for reprint upon request.
888.386.3596
[[[WO]XIGLMRGGSQ
WEPIW$WO]XIGLMRGGSQ
(1;ˆ9>%ˆ182
As the world’s oldest PC-12 dealer,
Skytech is a trusted and proven
resource. Whether you are buying,
selling or servicing your aircraft, our
experience is your advantage.
By changing over to
the new regulations,
you can probably
charge off in tax year
2012 all the remaining
undepreciated costs
associated with these
annual inspections
and/or TBOs.
accounting method. Again, no amended
returns are required, only a Form 3115
for a change in accounting method. This
could very easily be the case with a hangar
or other building that has a 39-year life.
This could go back to buildings that you
built or purchased in the mid-1970s. You
may be able recover tax dollars now that
you can remove replaced components that
have not been fully depreciated.
In order to protect yourself from a very
harsh provision of the new regulations, you
absolutely, positively, and must have a written
capitalization policy. If you already have one
in your business records, that’s great. If you
don’t, you need to write one immediately.
These regulations were issued on Dec.
27, 2011, with an effective date of Jan. 1,
2012. They are on the books today, but to
make things more complicated, the IRS
announced on Nov. 21 that there would
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GENERAL AVIATION TO THE RESCUE
FLYING
WITH THE
WOLVES
USING AN AIRPLANE TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE SPEAKS
TO THE HEART OF GENERAL AVIATION. QBy Jack Long
A
s I recount great days spent with our
General Aviation aircraft, I wanted to
share a recent trip that was absolutely
fantastic and uniquely possible with GA.
As some regular readers may recall,
I have been doing some volunteer flying organized by LightHawk, an organization a bit like Angel Flight, except they match-up pilots
with conservation-oriented groups rather than medical
patients. It is a match made in heaven for me since it combines two things I love — flying and conservation. Over the
years, I’ve done trips to Belize and Mexico for LightHawk in
addition to several domestic trips.
This recent mission was to transport one Mexican gray wolf
from Brookfield Zoo near Chicago and two more from the
Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis to the Sevilleta (N.M.)
Wolf Management Facility south of Albuquerque. The wolves
were being moved to the area where it is hoped they will be
released, one as a lone male and two as a mated pair.
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Flying with the Wolves
Located in the Chicago suburb of
Bolingbrook, 1C5 is a small airport full
of older position singles and training aircraft with a nice restaurant on
the field and friendly people. It was a
delightful place to visit. Its formal name
is Clow International Airport. I don’t know
of many other “international” airports
with a single 3,600 FT runway, but they
seem proud of the title.
After a nice steak dinner and a good
night’s sleep at a nearby motel, I was up
early Saturday morning. The skies were
clear and the temperature was 0 C. The
Brookfield Zoo folks showed up right
on time with the single female wolf. We
caused quite a little hub-bub with numerous
families with small children wanting a peek
at this rare animal. Evidently, at least one of
the local news stations had run a short story
about the transfer the night before.
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These wild animals
do not like being in
cages, even for just
a few hours. This is
why driving them
or shipping them
commercially will not
work. G.A. is the only
way to accomplish
this mission.
I had not counted on the cold temperatures and had to wait until about 9 a.m.
for some frost to melt off the wings, but
once the wings were clear, I taxied to the
end of the runway, did a full power static
run-up and a flaps 30 take-off. We were
off the ground less than one-third of the
way down the 3,600-foot runway and on
our way. For this leg, it was just me and
the wolf — a little eerie, I must admit.
One hour later, we were on the ground
at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (KSUS) after
a smooth flight through crystal clear skies.
We were met by another reception party
at KSUS of about a dozen people, plus the
two male wolves. The female will get her
pick of the two males for mating and, it’s
hoped, they will enter the wild as a pair.
For the leg from KSUS to Albuquerque (Double Eagle KAEG), I would have
three human passengers in addition to
the three wolves, a wildlife biologist who
would keep tabs on the animals enroute
and a film crew of two who are making
a documentary about the efforts to bring
these animals back from the edge of extinction. They rigged a camera up in the
cockpit (hope I did not screwup!) and filmed the loading,
unloading and some enroute.
The flight from KSUS to
KAEG was beautiful, smooth
air and clear skies the whole
way. As is typical, the wind
was howling out of the west,
so I chose to fly lower than I
normally do at FL180 to reduce
the flight time, given there was
no weather to top and the air
was smooth. (It was actually
more turbulent higher.)
Enroute to KAEG, the handler took down the cargo net
to check the animals. She asked
that I keep the cabin as cold as
possible in order to help calm
the wolves.
Just 3:43 later we were on
the ground at KAEG after crossing the
heartland of America. We were greeted by
several U.S. Fish and Wildlife folks (who
would be responsible for the reintro-
duction of these animals into the wild)
including a veterinarian who checked the
condition of the animals. She said they
looked in good shape, but two of them
had a bit of excessive drooling which
indicated some stress. These
wild animals do not like being
in cages, even for just a few
hours. This is why driving
them or shipping them commercially will not work. G.A.
is the only way to accomplish
this mission.
After warm goodbyes and
wishes of good luck, the animals, film crew and handlers
were off to get the wolves out
of their cages as quickly as
possible. I had a nice cup of
coffee and then was off the
ground and on my way back
to Austin with a nice tailwind.
I nearly made the trip in less
than two hours, but Austin
was landing north, so it was
2:05 total time.
All in all, it was 2,500 NM of good
flying, interesting people and a feeling of
mission accomplished.
Nothing but GA.
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Trivia Tube
TRIVIA
7. The line of invading Allied aircraft on
D-Day formed up to be
a. A thousand aircraft wide
b. Two miles long and nine planes wide
c. In attack position from nine
different angles
8. The first solo flight around the world was
accomplished by
a. Charles Lindbergh
b. Will Rogers
c. Wiley Post
9. The youngest person ever to solo an
airplane was age
TEST YOURSELF
ARE YOU A REPOSITORY OF RIDICULOUS, WORTHLESS FACTS?
1. The Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped
the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, was named
a. After the pilot’s mother
b. After the highest ranking female
officer of the time
c. The bombardier’s high school sweetheart
2. One in five passengers will be
4. How many male passengers think they
could land the plane if the pilot(s) became
incapacitated in flight:
a. 2 out of 3
b. 1 out of 10
c. 5 out of 8
5. The Bonanza that crashed and killed
Buddy Holly was nicknamed
a. Sick on any given flight
b. Drunk on any given flight
c. Snoring because of the low-cabin
pressures
a. Silver
b. Bill Beech
c. American Pie
3. Out of 10 passengers, how many will
claim to be members of the Mile High Club?
6. The most visited museum in the world is
a. 2
b. 4
c. 1
a. The Air & Space Museum
b. The Louvre
c. The Baseball Hall of Fame7.
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a. 10
b. 7
c. 9
10. Thirty-two SR-71 Blackhawks were built
between 1964 and 1998.
a. Twelve were destroyed in accidents.
b. The aircraft holds the record for fastest
aircraft on the planet.
c. If attacked, the SR-71 merely accelerated
to outrun surface-to-air missiles.
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(c)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(c)
All answers are correct.
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awareness, reduce your workload
and extend the value of the aircraft
you already know and love.
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It takes you beyond the realm of checklists
and procedures and delivers the confidence of
knowing you’ve mastered the unexpected.
Visit www.simulator.com to see a video describing
why SIMCOM’s instructors, simulators and training
locations will make your training experience special.
Visit SIMCOM’s website at
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