Hat tip to the Airline Reporter blog for finding and posting this cool time-lapsed video showing how a 747-8 gets painted. However and despite the fact that the Boeing 747-8 is one big aircraft that requires more than a few buckets worth of paint – it actually does not take that long to give it a good paint job.
Acronyms to help remember aviation compass errors
Aviation compass errors can easily confuse a new pilot while flying. Hence, Jason Schappert has created a short video with two acronyms to help pilots remember what type of compass errors they can expect to face in the cockpit.
The first acronym that Jason mentioned was ANDS:
- Accelerate
- North
- Decelerate
- South
In other words and when you are in the Northern hemisphere heading on an easterly or a westerly heading, your aircraft will have a tendency to dip to the north when you accelerate and dip to the south when you decelerate.
In addition, Jason also mentioned a second acronym called UNOS:
- Undershoot
- North
- Overshoot
- South
In other words and when you are in the Northern hemisphere heading on an northern or a southern heading, you have to either undershoot or overshoot your heading. Keeping the above acronyms in mind will go a long way towards aiding navigation while flying.
Europe’s airspace comes back to life (video)
This is a great video showing how flights resumed over Europe after the volcanic ash cloud was deemed safe to fly in. I love looking at films like this but I’ve never seen one for Europe, only the US. Hat tip: Steve Clayton’s Geek In Disguise.
Amazing glider stunt over the Austrian Alps video
Hat tip to Rodney’s Aviation Ramblings blog for finding and posting this very amazing and cool video sponsored by Red Bull of two gliders doing formation flying over spectacular Austrian mountain scenery. In the video, skydiver Paul Steiner manages to climb from one glider to the other to touch its rudder – you have to watch the video to better understand what I mean and just how difficult the stunt actually was. In other words, its not something you see nor would you attempt on a regular basis!
How to recognize and recover from spatial disorientation
Experiencing spatial disorientation in flight can potentially be deadly and yet it can sometimes be difficult to tell when you are experiencing such an illusion. Hence, Jason Schappert of MzeroA.com has recently created and posted a podcast and a video that covers the topic of spatial disorientation in flight. In the first podcast, Jason discuses the different types of illusions that can occur in flight by using the following acronym:
I – Inversion
C – Coriolis
E – Elevator
F – False Horizon
L – Leans
A – Autokinesis
G – Graveyard Spin/Spiral
S – Somoatogravic
Jason explains how to recognize each of these spatial disorientations and more importantly, how to recover from them:
In the second video, Jason asks his viewers what instruments you can trust when you are spatially disorientated. In the video, Jason explains that you should first look at your airspeed indicator and then your other instruments and adjust accordingly:
The case for shorter traffic pattern flying
Hat tip to Tracy of the Around the Pattern blog for finding and posting this humorous video where AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli attempts to explain why student pilots are being taught to fly traffic patterns that would be too large for even a Boeing 777. However, the video does make the case for why shorter patterns are the better way to go. In addition, Tracy noted in his post that:
Part of my close-in pattern choice is because of my old-school view that it would be nice to be able to hit the pavement if the engine quit and part of it is related to the glide ratio of my aircraft (see: crowbar). When I encounter a difference of opinion on pattern size I choose one of two options. I try to adjust my spacing with the other plane to allow me to fly my own pattern while they do their thing or I land and practice my patterns another day. The one thing that I do not do is fly someone else’s traffic pattern. If you are going to make consistent landings you have to fly consistent traffic patterns.
Advice well worth heeding.