Pre-lunch Selfie with Two Aviation Giants
15 May 2014 1940Z
Special Day for me: Pre-lunch selfie with two OSU aviation giants: Marvin Easter (center) and Glenn McConnell (right). Marvin was my instructor during my CFI training, and Glenn was my checkride examiner for that certificate. Glenn also wrote the “Foreword” for my Instrument Flying book (www.doubleiLLC.com). Having lunch with Marvin and Glenn was a window to the Golden Age of Aviation Flight Training at Ohio State.
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IFR KJVY to KOSU
9 May 2014 2210 Z
Trying to practice what I preach. That is, serving as safety pilot for a colleague getting hood time in VFR conditions en route from KJVY to KOSU at 7000′. Later in the flight, the roles were reversed, and I donned the hood for the approach into KOSU.
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Friday Focus on IFR
9 May 2014 2140 Z
Instrument pilots must be prepared to engage in sustained, attentive, and concerted practice. If flying under visual flight rules is analogous to taking a Sunday drive in the country, then flying under instrument flight rules is like driving on a crowded track at the Indianapolis 500. You need to know where you are, who is around you, how the dynamics of the “drive” are changing, where you fit within the system, and what’s coming around the next turn.
I can hardly imagine a more mentally demanding challenge than flying on instruments without reference to the natural horizon.
Source: Instrument Flying: 10 Indispensable Principles to Know and Remember, p. 8 – 9.
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Friday Focus on IFR
2 May 2014 2000 Z
Friday Focus on IFR
“The Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) requirement for remaining
legal to fly under instrument rules and in IMC is woefully inadequate for maintaining proficiency. Flying legally is not the same as flying capably. Any instrument pilot who believes so is delusional. Pilots who rarely file flight plans under instrument rules, and who then find themselves in IMC, or where airspace is crowded and clearances are brisk, may become a menace to everyone. In other words, out-of-practice pilots are not competent pilots. Don’t let yourself become one of them.”
Source: “Instrument Flying: 10 Indispensable Principles to Know and Remember” p. 3.
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Friday Focus on IFR
25 April 2014 1900 Z
Starting today, and every Friday for the foreseeable future, I will be posting while I call Friday Focus on IFR to include an excerpt from “Instrument Flying: 10 Indispensable Principles to Know and Remember.” See www.doubleiLLC.com.
These excerpts, individually and collectively, are designed to inspire all IFR instructors and pilots to take a step back and examine their respective skill sets to improve safety and operational efficiency. Here’s today’s installment:
“I began this book with my personal admonition, Be forewarned:
Instrument flying is unforgiving of neglect. I conclude it with a cautionary
statement from Capt. Eugene A. Cernan, a highly respected naval aviator and astronaut. Capt. Cernan writes:
‘I consider myself to be an experienced aviator: 22 years in the
Navy, 9,000-plus hours accumulated in both military and civilian
aircraft, most of which were high-performance flying machines. I’ve
made more than 200 carrier landings, and three space flights. . . .
All that . . . and yet I violated a cardinal rule by entering an active
runway without clearance. My incident should be a wake-up call
for everyone starting with myself. The message is that no matter
who we are, where we have been, how many hours or landings we
may have, or how good we may think we are, we all are prone to
the inevitability of making a mistake . . . if it can happen to me—IT
CAN HAPPEN TO YOU.’
While admittedly Capt. Cernan’s experience occurred on the ground, I trust that the essence of his “confession” will not be lost on you as an instrument pilot.” (Instrument Flying, p. 120).
Original Source: Eugene A. Cernan, “It Can Happen to You: A Runway Incursion Confession,” FAA Safety Briefing (September/October, 2013): 24-25.
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CFI Renewal
14 April 2014 2315Z
Completed my CFI renewal program through AOPA last weekend. Special thanks to Kurt Reesman, workshop leader and former USAF F-15e driver, for providing a well-paced, informative, and comprehensive two-day program. The topics ranged from TSA updates to effective teaching procedures, to weather, and many more. I’ll be sharing a good portion of Kurt’s wisdom and insight, especially as it relates to instrument flying, in coming blogs. Stay tuned!
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Runway Incursions
1 April 2014 1240Z
No foolin’. I attended a FAAST team meeting last night and was reminded of the importance of avoiding runway incursions.
To avoid such mishaps, ensure that you write down your taxi clearance (at a controlled field), read it back correctly, and understand where you are going and how you are going to get there before your release the brakes. When in doubt, seek clarification from ground control, and /or ask for a progressive taxi clearance. Let me republish Capt. Eugene Cernan’s compelling quote on this matter.
“I consider myself to be an experienced aviator: 22 years in the Navy, 9,000-plus hours accumulated in both military and civilian aircraft, most of which were high-performance flying machines. I’ve made more than 200 carrier landings, and three space flights. . . . All that . . . and yet I violated a cardinal rule by entering an active runway without clearance. My incident should be a wake-up call for everyone starting with myself. The message is that no matter who we are, where we have been, how many hours or landings we may have, or how good we may think we are, we all are prone to the inevitability of making a mistake . . . if it can happen to me—IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU.” (Source: Instrument Flying: 10 Indispensable Principles to Know and Remember, 2014, p. 120. www.doubleillc.com)
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Pre-takeoff Checklist
30 March 2014 1245Z
General consensus exists in the aviation community that takeoff and landing are two dangerous phases of flight. The plane is low and slow and the pilot is engaged in a complex series of decisions. To help mitigate the dangers, experts advise using a checklist before taking the active runway or before landing on one.
Below is one such checklist that I use before taking the active runway. It was developed by colleagues at Cirrus Aircraft, and provides valuable guidance on making decisions which, if needed, can be implemented immediately. (Note: I’ve inserted “sample” data on the briefing to complete the task.)
Consider reading and executing such a briefing yourself before every flight.
Take Off Briefing
“We’re holding short of runway _(27L)__ on taxiway ___A___ awaiting takeoff clearance. Available distance for takeoff on this runway is _5004’_ and today we have a takeoff distance of _1252’_, initial heading and altitude will be __330 degrees__ or as assigned by ATC. In the event of a loss of directional control, annunciator illumination, engine failure, or system malfunction prior to Vr, I will abort the takeoff. If an engine failure occurs after Vr, we well land the airplane straight ahead, maneuvering around obstacles as necessary. Any other malfunction after Vr, we will plan to return to runway __9L__ for a visual/instrument approach.” (Excerpt adapted from Cirrus SR-20 manual, 2005, p. 4-17. Sample data added).
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Thursday with Marvin
28 March 2014 2040Z
Yesterday I had the pleasure and privilege of having lunch with my CFI mentor, Mr. Marvin Easter. Marvin is in the “Hall of Fame” of flight instructors, and I was lucky enough to have him shepherd me through the ground and flight lessons to earn my CFI.
I’m grateful every time I fly to have had Marvin in my corner.
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Trouble Brewing for the East Coast
25 March 1345Z
Trouble is brewing for the east coast as yet another Nor’ easter picks up strength and heads north. Keep your eye on this deep Low as it makes its way north. Note the tightly packed isobars, a signature of strong winds.
