The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival.
Small angle of arrival, large probability of survival…
Large angle of arrival, not so much…
Awesome “Sense of Flying” video
Hat tip to FlightSchoolList.com for finding and posting this video entitled “Sense of Flying” that will show you what its like to literally fly off a mountain if you had wings. Apparently, Espen Fadnes, the world’s fastest flying human being 2010, had teamed up with Project Managers Goovinn to “communicate the experience of flying” – which this video definitely does a good job of doing!
What’s in your flight bag?
Jason Schappert, the blogger behind MzeroA.com, has written a great post for the Let’s Go Flying blog about what the top 5 most important items pilots need to have in their flight bags. These five items are:
- Headset. Not only is having a headset necessary for flying, its probably better to have your own headset rather than a rented one if you are concerned about what the previous user may have left behind on a rented one. Otherwise, Jason recommends buying an Active noise reduction (ANR) headset because this headset has state of the art noise reduction technology that will make your flying more enjoyable.
- Kneeboard. You will need a stable platform to write on while flying and one that won’t go flying as soon as you hit turbulence. That’s where a kneeboard comes in. Moreover and if you use an iPad, you will need to have a kneeboard to avoid damaging it.
- Charts and Diagrams. Even if you use an iPad, its still smart to keep a few paper charts handy. After all, paper charts won’t overheat or stop working when the battery runs out plus you could even be checked by airport authorities for them before or after your flight.
- Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). Carrying the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) for the aircraft that you will be flying is important because it will contain important information like the weight and balance of your aircraft and its checklists. Likewise, airport authorities might check to see if you are carrying one.
- First Aide Equipment. There is always the chance that you could end up with an airsick or a hypoxic passenger. Moreover and if you are ever forced to land off airport, having a first aide kit will definitely come in handy to deal with any minor injuries that may have occurred.
And while these are probably the most important items to have in your flight bag, they are certainly not the only items that you might want to be carrying. Hence, are there any other items that could be just as important to have in a flight bag that Jason left out?
Top 10 ways to lower flight training costs
Let’s face it and no matter where you are in the world, flight training costs will be high (unless of course you go the military training route). Hence, a recent post by Ronn Rapp for his House of Rapp blog (and potentially for an AOPA Pilot magazine article) is a must read by would-be pilots and experienced pilots alike. His 10 tips for reducing flight training costs included the following:
- Fly frequently. Plan on having at least three to four a week because inevitably some of those lessons will be cancelled due to factors beyond your control plus dragging out flight training will increase you likelihood of having to repeat something – or drop out.
- Fly a tailwheel. These aircraft are easier to fly and in Ron’s words, they’re “crazy fun to fly.”
- Pass the FAA knowledge test in advance. Moreover, taking a private pilot ground school course online or at a community college will be cheaper than taking one from a ground school.
- Pick a quiet airport. This will minimize delays due to traffic and congestion. Likewise, learning to fly at a smaller airport will likily be cheaper.
- Learn through a club. Since clubs are non-profits, learning to fly through one should be 10-15% cheaper because.
- Lease an aircraft. Given how many aircraft are now on the market, it might make sense to lease one for a few months while you do your flight training. This will also help to minimize delays caused by the training aircraft not being available when you are.
- Ride shotgun. Specifically, tag along with another student and CFI.
- Get the ‘Net. There are literally hundreds of free online courses and other training resources from the FAA, AOPA and other sources on the Internet now.
- Save up. Make sure that you have sufficient funds to cover flight training before you begin flight training.
- Make friends. Hanging around the hangar and making friends with other pilots might give you an opportunity to fly aircraft that you would not otherwise be able to afford to fly.
Ron wrote about each of these tips in considerable detail but is there anything he left out that might be worth adding and help other would-be pilots to reduce flight training costs?
Oops! Wrong handle…
General Aviation News will often reprint accident reports produced by the US’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), including this March 2010 report about an accident involving a Piper Twin Comanche in Baltimore (Maryland) that resulted in no injuries but substantial aircraft damage.
According to the report, the pilot had 26 hours of flight time in a Piper Twin Comanche but this flight time was gained two years before the accident and he had not flown the aircraft since then. A week before the accident, the pilot had also obtained a multi-engine rating in a different make and model. He also stated that the purpose of his flight in the Piper was to perform full-stop landings in order to familiarize himself with the aircraft.
When the pilot was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for his first landing, he was cleared for a touch-and-go. However and after the aircraft touched down, the pilot applied full power and then he intended to retract the wing flaps but instead he retracted the landing gear – causing it to collapse. The Piper Twin Comanche then slid to a stop on its underside which caused substantially damage to its wings.
Hence, the probable cause of the accident was ruled the pilot’s inadvertent retraction of the landing gear while performing a touch-and-go landing while a contributing factor was the pilot’s lack of recent flying experience in the aircraft. In other words, its probably a good idea to spend more time to familiarize yourself with the controls of an aircraft you have not flown in awhile – especially if the landing gear is retractable.
Clear…
At one point, we were all primary students, understanding little, questioning even less, but placing complete faith in our instructor. Many of the little things necessary to get through the first few lessons before solo were done by rote, without a great deal of understanding. Such as ensuring anyone on the ground near the airplane was aware the prop was about to spin.
One instructor was working with a pre-solo student. Instead of using the phrase, "Clear prop!" before turning the key, the instructor had simply taught his pupil to use the word "Clear!", presumably shouted loudly enough that those inside the FBO could hear. Of course, primary students rarely fly in poor weather.
One day, preflight complete, the student reached for the key, looked outside the airplane, and shouted, "Cloudy!"