If you had to, could you fly an aircraft with asymmetrical flaps, a loss of elevator cable or make a box canyon turn in tight quarters? It’s much better to find out the answer to these questions in a controlled environment, such as a Redbird Flight simulator, than out in the real-world at crunch time. That’s why Redbird has added these three scenarios to Redbird Pro, an app designed to help pilots build good procedural skills and proficiency in challenging situations.
Each scenario takes pilots through challenging, potentially emergent situations with an experienced CFI as their host.
For each scenario, the app prompts pilots to perform a preflight briefing, conduct a flight, review their score for the scenario, and debrief it with the host CFI.
The concept of the app is to help pilots maintain and improve their proficiency with the convenience of a mobile app and within the safe environment of a flight simulator.
The first new scenario, “Asymmetric Flap,” places pilots in a situation where they must manage an airplane with only one flap extended. This scenario is led by Eric Crump of Red Eye Aviation. The scenario challenges pilots to takeoff, fly, and land with asymmetrical flaps. Remember, the wing with the most flap deployed generates more lift as well as more drag, so the pilot will find themselves fighting an uncommanded rolling tendency.
In the “One Snapped Cable” scenario, the pilot loses elevator control and needs to use alternate means of controlling pitch in order to make a safe landing. In this one, led by yours truly (in addition to being a technical editor and staff writer at FLYING, I’m a certified flight instructor), I offer several tips, including: trim and power are your friends—be judicious with both.
Rich Stowell of the Learn to Turn program hosts the “Box Canyon Turn” scenario, which forces pilots to troubleshoot a flight where they find themselves boxed in with few discernible exit strategies. The scenario gives pilots a step-by-step guide on navigating their airplane out of a box canyon without becoming part of the terrain.
Even if pilots do not have access to a Redbird simulator, the Redbird Pro app has a Chair Flight feature that puts them in the flight deck with a pilot from the Redbird team who walks them step-by-step through each scenario.
Pilots can download Redbird Pro from the App Store or Google Play to access the complete library of flight simulator scenarios in the app. The new scenarios are available now, and Redbird plans to release several more in the coming weeks.
