Making the transition to a more complex aircraft

by John on February 8, 2012

Pilot Martin Griggs recently posted a great question on the Ask a Flight Instructor site about making the transition to a more complex aircraft or a multi-engine aircraft:

How many hours should I have before I transition to a TAA aircraft and or a multi engine aircraft. And then to a Meridian / King Air? I am a 100 hour pilot working on my instrument rating and deciding between a future purchase of a Meridian or King air and my current instructor is just an old ASEL INST CFI.

Gary Moore responded by pointing out that its about proficiency, ability and attitude rather that the number of hours. However, he also added that a “Meridian and/or King Air is a far cry” from where Marin is currently but he could begin the move whenever he wanted to.

On the other hand, Matthew Waugh pointed out that it matters little what other pilots think as what really matters is what the insurance company thinks! Nevertheless, he added that Martin does not need a large number of hours to fly those aircraft – just professional simulator training.

Finally, Jim Foley noted the definitions of TAA and complex aircraft with the later being aircraft having “retractable landing gear, controllable pitch propeller(s) and adjustable flaps” while the former are equipped with at least a “moving map display, IFR approved GPS navigator and autopilot.” Jim also commented that he got his complex endorsement after less than 2 hours in a 172RG and he added that while flying a TAA does not require an endorsement, its nevertheless a good idea to be very familiar with the systems as statistics indicate higher accident rates with TAAs for pilots who lack proper training. 

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The Super Bowl of private jet rentals

by John on February 7, 2012

On Sunday, the Super Bowl for American football was held in Indianapolis (Indiana) and already before the game, there were predictions that this year’s Super Bowl would break all records – for the number of private jets arriving to ferry sports fans to the game. Specifically, the Wall Street Journal’s Wealth Report editor Robert Frank went on WSJ’s Mean Street to say that 600 private jets went to the Super Bowl two years ago, 700 last year and that 900 were expected to show up this year.

The reason? Besides the fact that there is limited commercial service to Indianapolis, the New York Giants were playing and of course, they would have an incredibly wealthy fan base of hedge fund managers and Wall Street types who can afford to take a private jet to the game.

However and with so many unused private jets lying around due to the recession along with plenty of anti-private jet sentiment, seat prices on a private jet to the Super Bowl could be purchased for the 1 1/2 hour flight from NYC for only $1,500 each way.

The catch? Since no Wall Streeter wants to be caught dead having to spend Sunday night in Indianapolis, there were predictions of at least 1 to 2 or even 3 hour delays on Sunday night to clear all those private jets for take-off. Hence, we wonder if the private jet companies (or those renting them) have factored that into prices!

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The WASP trainee alphabet

by John on February 6, 2012

Hat tip to the Winged Victory Women in Aviation Webzine for posting this Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) trainee alphabet by Mary Hart. No doubt its still useful for student pilots even today!

A is for Airplane a gadget designed
For scaring the student plumb out of her mind.

B is for Brakes on the same which is splendid,
But use them too sharp and you’ll end up upended,

C is for Compass installed with much cost
In function best suited for getting you lost.

D is for Details you mustn’t forget,
Like safety belt fastened or parking brake set.

E’s Elevators affixed to the tail;
If not used in time nothing else will avail

F is for Flaps, which are tricky and fickle,
But without these addenda, you’d be in a pickle.

G’s Gosports, which surely need no introduction;
They’re for learning new cuss words’ and other instruction

H is for Headwind, built in or external:
In violence unequalled, in purpose infernal

I is for Instruments–none of them care to
Tell you a thing–take their word if you dare to.

J is for Jolts which you get in the air
And the height that you had which is no longer there.

K is for Kicks which are aimed at the rudder;
The way these are given make a check pilot shudder.

L is for Looking and all of that drivel!
Rebuild your neck, pal, so’s to make it full swivel!

M is for Motor; if it quits, you can bet you
De Lawd’s on your side, for Green Pastures will get you,

N is for Nose which is always surprisin’
By never remaining upon the horizon

O is for Off, which is where for the switches
When, parked, or you’ll hear from those strict sons of—Texas

P is for Pilot; that’s you—on condition
You don’t spin too low or not check your ignition.

Q is got questions -that need understanding—
Clean forgot by the time you have come in from landing

R is for Rudder, to use in each antic;
It drives airplanes sideways, the rest of us frantic.

S is for Slipstream to complicate matters
With torque, until everyone’s mad as mad hatters.

T is for Throttle, controlling the go-juice;
Without this device trying to aviate’s no use.

U is for Up, and the Upper the better;
For the higher you are the more spots you can set her.

V is Velocity; nothing can stop it;
Once you’ve too much, you must climb up to drop it.

W’s Wobble-pump—use debatable
It aids most in making the starting quite hateable.

X marks the spot where the landing gear hit;
Three points was the aim but two points was what lit

Y is for yes which is all you can say
When the board says a check ride is headed your way.

Z is for zealous, our attitude truly
If held to the end we will graduate duly.

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Best of the Web

by John on February 5, 2012

Two New Skycars From Moller International. The developer of the Skycar aircraft, Moller International, Inc, has announced that it has completed the initial design phase for two new Skycars – both of which may qualify under the FAA’s Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. Company officials noted that they are excited about the opportunities presented by their two-passenger Skycar 200 LS, two-passenger Neuera and single-passenger Skycar 100 LS models. For further information, check out Moller.com.

Cessna Mustang #400 Moves Off the Assembly Line. In other aircraft news, General Aviation News has noted that Cessna Aircraft has recently rolled its 400th Citation Mustang off the assembly line at its Independence (Kansas) facility. The Citation Mustang is the world’s first fully certified entry-level business jet with Mustang #400 coming a little more than five years since the very first delivery back in November 2006.

Ohio to Alaska – By Swift. Meanwhile, Air Facts Journal has a great trip report written by Marvin Homsley about his flight in his Swift (N61PK) from Toledo, Ohio all the way up to Homer, Alaska in August 2011. Marvin noted that when making a long trip like he did in a Swift, you will need to pack light with “one small bag for clothes and a slightly larger one for money” as its “very expensive in Canada and only a little better in Alaska….”

Cape Cod to Cape Horn – In a Cessna Skyhawk. If flying to Alaska does not suit your fancy, how about a trip from Cape Cod to Cape Horn in a Cessna Skyhawk to raise awareness about a good cause? Chris McLaughlin, a former Boeing 747 captain with British Airways, nearly died in early 2010 from liver and kidney failure. However and during his recovery, he and wife Corine began planning an epic journey to celebrate life as well as raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. The pair created a website, Flight4Lives.com plus Facebook/Flight4Lives where you can follow their journey and learn how more about organ donation.

Face Full of Wheat. In other trip report news, Arty Trost of the Let’s Go Flying Blog has written a trip report about heading home from Oshkosh that ended with the following picture and a “to be continued” note:

image

We will make the assumption that he was not in any way hurt in this incident but it looks like he at least got a face full of wheat when it happened!

Rescuing a Mooney Trapped Above the Clouds. If ending upside down in a wheat field is not scary enough, AVweb has a podcast that includes the audio of what happened when a Mooney pilot got stuck above the clouds and began to run out of fuel. Luckily, controllers at the Seattle tracon helped the pilot to safely land.

“The Crazy Man of the Air.” For history buffs, General Aviation News has a lengthy article about Charles K. Hamilton, who became famous in 1910 for thrilling the crowds and for trying just about every kind of flying machine imaginable at the time – including kites, balloons, and dirigibles. Ironically and after 11 years of flying, Hamilton died at age 28 – of tuberculosis.

Snow From an R/C Plane. Finally, Geek Wire has an article about how 17 year old aviation buff Zach Sweetser attached a camera to an R/C plane to take pictures from the air when storms recently blanketed the Seattle region in snow. Zach apparently has a love for anything related to flying and is considering several aviation career options.

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The coolest aviation (and marketing) video on the web

by John on February 4, 2012

Hat tip to Paul Bertorelli for finding and posting a link on AVweb to this really cool animation and very clever marketing video depicting the history of aviation. The video begins with Leonardo da Vinci’s flying dreams and does not even get to the Wright Brothers until about 1 minute into it. At the very end, the video turns out to be a marketing piece for Utah Valley University’s Aviation Science program. Talk about a great way to attract would be students and future pilots!

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What to do after you get a pilot’s license?

by John on February 3, 2012

If you are thinking about getting a pilot’s license but you are still not convinced that it’s the best use of both your time or your money, perhaps you need a few ideas about what to do AFTER you get your pilot’s license. Hence, North America based pilots might want to take a look at a recent post by John Zimmerman for Air Facts Journal where he came up with the following top 10 list of things to do once you have a pilot’s license:

    1. $100 hamburger flight.
    2. Night flight over a city. 
    3. Fly a taildragger out of a grass strip.
    4. Take a kid for his or her first flight.
    5. Go on a flying family vacation.
    6. Low and slow cross country in the Fall. 
    7. Fly an actual instrument flight. 
    8. Fly something different.
    9. Go to the Bahamas or Mexico.
    10. Oshkosh!

Obviously some of the above items like eating “$100 hamburgers” or going to to the Bahamas or Mexico are better suited for pilots across the pond. However and if you are a UK pilot, why not a trip over to France to savor some fine France cuisine or better yet, a long holiday weekend in sunny Spain? And while Oshkosh is no doubt the event to attend if you are a general aviation pilot, why not instead make a special trip over to the Paris Air Show – the world’s oldest and largest air show?

Hence, we want to ask you our readers for any good ideas that would-be UK based pilots or pilots based over on the continent might want to consider doing once they get a pilot’s license. In other words, is there anything unique that you have done once you became a pilot that you would never have otherwise done?

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China’s amazing flying dragons

by John on February 2, 2012

Hat tip to All Things Aviation for finding this amazing video of China’s flying dragons. Apparently and perhaps because its now the Year of the Dragon, some Chinese have designed dragon-like flying suits in-order to soar through what looks to be the valleys and mountain tops of Guilin province or perhaps Sichuan. In fact, they are calling their devices Chinese Flying Dragons and after watching this video, you will probably want one to take with you on your next trip to the Swiss Alps!

Chinese Scenes from BASE-Book – Matt Gerdes on Vimeo.

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Should you learn to fly in an LSA to save money?

by John on February 1, 2012

One important reason that light sport aircraft (LSA) are increasing in popularity is due to the fact that they are cheaper to own and operate. However, should student pilots consider learning how to fly in an LSA rather than a conventional general aviation (GA)? That’s exactly what Sherwyn A asked in a recent question posted on Ask a Flight Instructor. Specifically, Sherwyn A noted that it would cost $90 per hour to do flight training in an LSA verses $115 to $130 an hour in a C172. However, he also added that he would like to:

…fly C172s or similar category and would most likely have to be checked out on the C172 etc later. Would my savings by obtaining the PPL in the LSA be lost by having to get checked out in a C172? What’s typically involved in getting checked out in another aircraft? Should I just pursue the PPL in the C172 to begin with?

Jim Foley responded by writing that it depends because although he has had his pilot license for several years, he finds the Skycatcher LSA slightly more difficult to fly because it feels a bit squirly. Nevertheless, he was quick to add that if it takes 50 hours to obtain a pilot license, that’s $4,500 verses $7,000 plus the cost of transitioning – probably 10 hours or less. In other words, the savings can be considerable.

Curtis Ide then added that it should only take 5 hours or less to do the transition. Since 5 hours with an instructor in a C172 will cost around $1,000, Sherwyn A will come out a few hundred dollars ahead with extra flying hours.

However, Curtis also added that Sherwyn A will need to consider how many of each aircraft his flight training school has. After all and if only one LSA is available, it might be better off doing flight training in a more expensive aircraft as its inevitably that the LSA may be grounded for maintenance or is being used by another student. 

Nevertheless and if you are looking for an affordable option for flight training, by all means its worth considering doing flight training in an LSA.

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Get-there-itis turns a transatlantic flight fatal

by John on January 31, 2012

General Aviation News will often reprint excerpts of accident reports from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), including a January 2010 report involving an apparently British pilot who fatally crashed a Cessna 172 in Maine while on an IFR transoceanic ferry flight.

The 77 year old pilot of the aircraft had more than 14,000 hours and had just had an uneventful flight from Kansas to Maine. The Cessna 172 was equipped with an auxiliary fuel tank that also resulted in the aircraft having a gross weight that was approximately 30% higher than the published maximum gross weight for the aircraft. This additional gross weight was approved under a special airworthiness certificate with certain operating limitations. One such limitation was to “avoid moderate to severe turbulence.”

The pilot himself was anxious to return to the UK because his daughter was having surgery but the Atlantic portion of the flight had been delayed for several days due to poor weather conditions. Before his fatal flight, the pilot obtained a preflight briefing that warned about moderate turbulence below 11,000 feet and moderate ice below 13,000 feet with the freezing level ranging between the surface and 2,500 feet.

The pilot was able to fly 25 miles before turning back because he could no longer maintain an altitude of 6,000 feet plus he was having difficulty controlling the aircraft in turbulent icy conditions. He also reported “uncommanded bank angles in excess of 90°” while at 18 miles from the departure airport, the aircraft descended off the radar and a witness reported seeing and hearing the aircraft overhead before it hit a river.

The pilot’s decision to attempt an Atlantic crossing in turbulent icy conditions in an overweight aircraft not approved for even moderate turbulence nor equipped with a deicing system was ruled as a probable cause for the accident. A contributory factor was the pilot’s “get-there-itis.”

In other words and even if you have 14,000 hours of flying time – never underestimate weather conditions and don’t be in a big hurry to get somewhere if it means compromising safety. 

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Final boarding call for Mr. Al Kyder and Mr. Terry Wrist…

by John on January 30, 2012

Hat tip to WhichAirline.com for posting this video from the Australian comedy show “The Chaser’s War on Everything” which shows just how bad (and perhaps how lax…) airport security has become.

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