Aviation Safety

When you get right down to it-the ground, that is-precise knowledge of local weather is the single critical factor determining whether your three-hour instrument flight is going to have a happy ending. Youll either get an easy peek at your flight-storys last page or itll become a cliffhanger at decision height, followed by a missed approach. Naturally, weather has a significant effect on the critical few minutes of an instrument approach (even a VFR approach), as well as our decision-making process.

Autopilots are a fabulous workload management tool. In a busy, single-pilot cockpit they quite literally can be a lifesaver. Weve come to accept their precision and dependability. Theres a growing viewpoint that a functioning autopilot is an essential requirement for all instrument flight-many pilots I know say they would not contemplate IFR without an autopilot.

Establishing someones basic medical fitness for flight has long been a prerequisite for pilot certification. Before even going far beyond initial lessons, primary students should have obtained at least a Class III FAA medical certificate, which is a requirement before their first solo.

Declaring an emergency apparently isnt what it used to be. Recently, an airline crews uncertainty about their available fuel led them to declare, but thats when events got murky (see sidebar on page 6). Since then, a lot of people have gotten into the act of discussing this event, including the controllers union. All of which has led many of us to think about the process and ramifications of declaring an emergency.

If youre reading this article, chances are you are not the kind of pilot who would intentionally cut off someone off on final. You probably wouldnt attempt to verbally bully a nervous solo student into rushing her pre-takeoff checklist because your IFR clearance void time is ticking away. But what can you do if you find yourself wingtip to wingtip with such a self-absorbed and potentially dangerous individual?

The modern piston-engine airplane is really a technological marvel. For not that much more in fuel than a large SUV, one can operate an airplane in and through most weather conditions, over long distances and with navigational accuracy unheard of just a few years ago. At our fingertips are all kinds of aeronautical data and weather graphics. We have airborne sensors alerting us to thunderstorms and nearby airplanes. With the right equipment, we can send e-mail or make telephone calls, all from the comfort of our left seat.

Just a few weeks after I received my Private certificate, I was using a C172 for pattern work at my home airport, just north of Detroits Class B. As I reported on the downwind leg, I heard a Bonanza reporting two miles west. “Okay,” I thought, “Ill be on base shortly; hell be number two behind me.” Reporting base, and declaring myself “number one” for the runway, I was not too surprised to hear the Bonanza pilot report downwind behind me.

“On final,” states an unidentified submitter, “the student selected 30 degrees flaps; a loud pop was heard, the r/h flap came down to 30 degrees, but there was no movement at the l/h flap. The aircraft landed without incident. Investigation revealed the swaged ball end broke from the remaining cable (p/n 0400107-146).” The submitter suspects high time and cycles as contributing factors to the failure.

Slamming the FAA over its made-for-airlines user fee scheme is quite fashionable right now among the various general aviation alphabet soup organizations. Although nothing on the horizon could do as much damage to general aviation, its important to understand an underlying reason the FAA gives for its user-fee proposal is to fund the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NGATS.

Overall, I think “Engine-Out IFR Approach” (April) provides some good advice on the topic. Additionally, its a good mental exercise to go through on the ground prior to a flight-sort of a what-if scenario. However, there are a couple of things that I was surprised were not discussed and which would make the approach even easier.