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The Brightline Flight Bag

Brightline Bag The Chopper Chick (that is, the blogger behind The Adventures of a Chopper Chick) has discovered the Brightline Flight Bag. This compact (12" x 10" x 9") bag contains two main compartments and 25 specialized pockets that can hold everything a pilot can possibly carry. Other features include the ability to zip apart into two separate bags, color coded zipper pulls and an isolated storage area for a fuel tester. The bag can also easily hold two headsets and is just the right height for navigation charts.

For further information, downloadable brochures and even a video, just click on the Brightline Bag website. The bag can be ordered online for US$129 plus shipping and sales tax (for US residents).

When an engine fails after takeoff

In a detailed two part series, Max Trescott covers what every pilot needs to be aware of: What to do when an engine fails after take-off. In part one (Turn Back to the Runway or Land Straight Ahead?), Max points out that a pilot’s first instincts (return and attempt an airport runway landing) is completely wrong:

One problem with relying on instincts in this situation is that the decision making process required is the exact opposite of the learning conditioned into a pilot by hundreds or thousands of hours of flying experience. During most flights, 100% of our efforts are dedicated to returning the airplane to the airport without a scratch. Why? Because scratches are expensive and nobody wants to spend money they don’t have to. Also, if the airplane returns without a scratch, then we’ll surely arrive without one too.

[Read more…] about When an engine fails after takeoff

Top 10 things every pilot needs

GATS Jar Jason Schappert of mOa.com has posted an entry listing and further detailing the top 10 things that every pilots needs to own. The items he listed include: 1) FAR/AIM (latest edition), 2) Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), 3) current charts, 4) GATS Jar (used to sump fuel and safely pour it back into a fuel tank), 5) E6B, 6) INOP covers, 7) AOPA subscription, 8) a good headset, 9) handheld radio and 10) handheld GPS.

Jason also points out that there are some things that a new pilot will need right away and other things that a new pilot can wait to get (but cannot wait to long to get). With the above items on hand, a new pilot is ready to safely take to the sky.

The circle-to-land maneuver

Circling-to-Land ManueverJohn Ewing has posted a detailed entry on Aviation Mentor concerning the difficult and tricky circle-to-land maneuver – a maneuver that is considered to be risky enough that many freight operators prohibit their pilots from performing it at night or from doing it at all. However, at some airports where runways lack a straight-line approach, pilots have no choice but to use the circle-to-land maneuver. Furthermore, pilots must demonstrate circle-to-land maneuvers on instrument rating practical tests and proficiency tests.  

To show the difficulties associated with the maneuver and what can go wrong when it is not properly performed, John starts by mentioning a recent accident involving a Learjet performing the maneuver and includes several excerpts from accident reports covering the incident. He then proceeds to give step by step instructions and tips for performing the maneuver and for minimizing the risks involved.

However at the end of the entry, John concludes by saying that if you end up missing your approach the first time around, you might just be better off landing at your alternative airport choice rather than risk a second approach as second approaches also entail risks. Good advice worth heeding.

For further reading about the circle-to-land maneuver, check out other tutorial postings from Hal Stoen or posted on Wally’s TERPs Page.

Flying car or motorcycle designs

AFA Sokol A400 The Wall Street Journal recently reprinted an article from www.mentalfloss.com that outlined several modern flying car or motorcycle designs (Up, Up, and Away! Seven Modern Flying Car Designs). Designs profiled include the AFA Sokol A400, The Milner AirCar, Macro SkyRider XR2, Samson SkyBike, PAL-V One, Parajet SkyCar and Terrafugia Transition. I particularly like the the Sokol A400, which looks like a sports car and is projected to retail for US$300,000-400,000.

However, the designs profiled are still largely in the engineering design or prototype stage. Nevertheless, for anyone who has ever dreamed of having a automobile that can also fly, that dream will soon be a reality.

Learning to fly the Cirrus SR-22

image I converted to the Cirrus just over three years ago. I use this wonderful plane for most of the trips on my blog GolfHotelWhiskey.com.

On one level, it’s an easy plane to fly and it has many safety systems. On another level, it is sophisticated and complicated with advanced systems. The secret to relaxed flying is preparation and training. This article contains a few tips for would-be Cirrus pilots.

First a bit of background, I’m based at Denham in England and I fly with Freeflight and TAA UK. I have just over 600 hours, a JAR PPL and an FAR CPL/IR.

  1. RTFM. Read the frakking manuals. It costs nothing but time and this is how I started. Both TAA and Freeflight have a full set of manuals on their websites but you’ll have to register online to access them. You really need to learn a lot of this and I found that writing key points on index cards helped this process.
  2. Get a good instructor. This is the most important thing, of course. I did my Cirrus conversion with John Page at TAA UK and he is an excellent instructor.
  3. Use simulators. Use Flight Simulator X, Eaglesoft’s SR22 model and Garmin’s 430 simulator to get familiar with the basic systems. TAA has a sophisticated Flight Sim setup where you can get used to the ‘buttonology’. Don’t worry so much about how to fly the plane, concentrate on learning how the systems interact and what different buttons do.
  4. Ground school. Do lots. Spend time with an instructor understanding how the plane works. I also spent a few hours at a maintenance company with a Cirrus engineer seeing how all the sytems are maintained and what the plane looks like with the skin off. This was invaluable.
  5. Start on an SR-20. The SR-20 shares the same basic flying characteristics and avionics with its more powerful sibling. I trained on an SR-20 and it’s a good intermediate step from entry-level Pipers and Cessnas.
  6. Engine management. It will pay you to learn how to operate the engine in an economic and safe way. Not only can you get more miles per gallon but you can extend the life of the engine. It’s a complex subject but learning when and how to lean the engine is essential.
  7. Get your priorities right. Aviate, communicate, navigate, Garminate. Set up as much of your route, SID, approach etc. on the ground before takeoff. It’s very easy to spend a lot of time in the Cirrus head down playing with the avionics.
  8. Join COPA. The Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association is a very active club dedicated to the Cirrus group. Their magazine is always interesting and the online forums are a great learning resource. Although correlation isn’t causation, COPA members are significantly less likely to be involved in a Cirrus crash. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
  9. Go solo slowly. Don’t finish your conversion and then fly three friends on a long trip. Build up your solo experience slowly. Consider flying with other Cirrus pilots before you start taking passengers. You want to appear (and be!) calm, efficient and in control when people trust their lives to you. Make your mistakes in private!
  10. Use enroute legs to practice. Long airways legs give you plenty of hours to experiment with the avionics. I use the second Garmin 430 in the planes I fly to practice various scenarios: checking airspace, calculating descent rates, finding the nearest airport etc. etc. Make a checklist of exercises before you go and practice each one until you are fluent in it.
  11. Aeronautical Decision Making. More systems mean more choices. It’s a good idea to think through various scenarios in advance. For example: when would I pull the chute? Would I use it over water? What would I do if ATC requested maximum speed on an approach? What would I do if my PFD failed at a critical point (this happened to me)? Etc. The FAA’s Risk Management Handbook (PDF) is a good place to start.
  12. Preflight planning. Besides planning my route carefully and all the usual stuff like NOTAMs and weather, I like to do a weight and balance calculation and risk assessment before I go. The workload in a Cirrus can be quite high so the more you can prepare in advance the easier it will be in the air.
  13. Treat the plane like a small airliner. The objective is to have standard, high-quality procedures for every step of the flight to achieve maximum consistency.
  14. Get an instrument rating. The Cirrus likes long-range, airways trips. In Europe, this means getting an instrument rating. It will also teach you better control and accuracy in your regular VFR flying. See my article: How to get an FAA Instrument Rating.
  15. Get a commercial licence. Getting my CPL helped me improve my core flying skills and it taught me a lot about flight planning and my responsibilities to my passengers. See my article: How to get an FAA CPL.
  16. Go to CPPP. The Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program is essential post-graduate school for Cirrus pilots. It includes nine hours of ground instruction and about six hours of flight instruction. Do your conversion, get some hours and then take this weekend course. I’ve done it twice and I learned a huge amount every time.
  17. Ongoing training. I like to do a training session with an instructor every three months or so.