WELCOME PILOTS
There has been a lot of interest by aviation groups in how to bring quality speakers to your next meeting, conference or fly-in. In a time where many groups struggle with funding and membership retention we have some tips on how to add value to a group by bringing in interesting people and topics. A major membership group recently conducted a study on how to bring more folks out to their annual conference. After an extensive survey the results came down to having quality speakers. Location, time and cost didn't matter nearly as much as content. Check out the link, “How to Afford a Speaker for Your Next Event.”It's guaranteed to be interesting and entertaining. Contact us on how we can bring a speaker to your group.
By congressional mandate the FAA is now officially required to go through the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) process with regards to Sleep Apnea. Be sure to read the details in the Flight Training section of this newsletter.
In other news, it is sad to say that the rumors about the “End of the Road for the Cessna Skycatcher” are true. While a lot of outstanding models remain on the market it is still difficult to see a project by one of the icons of the aviation industry go by the wayside. I was blindsided by this announcement in light of the many other Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) aircraft that have suffered through a very slowly recovering economy.
Be sure to check out the Pilot Safety Minute (PSM) video with tips on collision avoidance. In this week’s article we discuss lessons learned from a recent instructional flight accident. Don't forget to help spread the word about National Take Flight Day, Saturday, April 12, 2014. Send a link (www.nationaltakeflightday.com) to your aviation group or print off a flyer to post at the airport.
~TC Freeman
Chief Executive Aviation Ambassador (CEAA)
P.S. The New Pilot and Aircraft Performance audio-book download is available at:
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NEW PRESENTATION
“PILOT AND AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE”
Purchase at:http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tcfreeman2
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Your opportunity to continue the dialog is on Facebook:
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PILOT SAFETY MINUTE VIDEO #32 ~ COLLISION AVOIDANCE II
********************************************************IMPORTANT AUDIO PRESENTATION AVAILABLE:
“OPERATIONS AT NON-TOWERED AIRPORTS”… for pilots flying just for the fun of it.
With the issue of sequestration, the shut-down of many Air Traffic Control Towers is a possibility. Regardless, it is important to know how to safely and efficiently operate at Non-Towered Airports. In this audio book TC Freeman discusses; straight in approaches, dealing with aircraft on extended downwind and traffic pattern entries.
(Run time: 34 minutes)
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HOW TO STAY SAFE DURING INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHTS
By TC FREEMAN
I was reading about an instructional flight accident recapped in General Aviation News* in which aborted take-offs were being practiced by a student pilot. Apparently the student over rotated on take-off and returned to the runway attempting to land with full power applied. Contrary to the instructor's verbal instructions to reduce power and relinquish control, the instructor tried to mitigate the bad situation by applying brake and rudder. The flight terminated into a sign adjacent to the runway. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. In certain cases this type of accident is unavoidable. An over-zealous client (student) ignores the instructor's directions and doesn't turn over control back to the instructor. While these incidents and others do happen in flight training, there are some techniques that increase the safety of instructional flights.
As many of you know my father taught me how to fly. I was in my teens when we ramped up our efforts towards my first solo. During this time it became apparent that it was time for “the talk.” Not that “talk,” but the talk about aircraft control. That day an agreement was made between instructor and student. When the instructor says, “I've got the aircraft,” the student will let go of the controls.
I can remember being ulta-focused while completing some maneuver; for example landings and stalls; when I would hear,“I've got the aircraft.” No matter how deep my concentration, I would snap out of it to hand control over to the instructor. Because we spoke about this issue previously this single phrase would prompt a direct action. I would equate this to a boxer that hears the ring-side bell or Pavlov's dog. Imagine the converse, an instructor states this phrase out of the blue. Not nearly as effective.**
Upon reaching the flight instructor ranks a group of us would sit in the lobby on a rainy day and discuss with experienced instructors how to handle the student that wouldn't relinquish control. One experienced instructor said that sometimes during stressful situations that a person's hearing would essentially quit working (so to speak) due to stress and there might come a point where more drastic measures are necessary. The instructor explained from personal experience that during stall recovery a client locked his arms in the extended position, apparently missing the point of gently lowering the nose of the aircraft. After repeated attempts to verbally take control of the aircraft the instructor gave him a chop to the ribs with his open hand.
He went on to explain that the meaning of this was not to hurt the person but to divert his attention in an attempt to regain control. Such techniques are extremely rare and are bad for business, especially if the instructor is a mixed martial arts expert. But seriously, while this isn't the norm, it does happen from time to time. I've also heard of instructors slapping the hands of student for the same effect.
While wrestling the control of the aircraft away from the student isn't the preferred method, it can break through the mental barrier of control. The technique used can depend on the phase of flight. When at a high enough altitude there is potentially more time to use other methods than, say for instance, during a botched landing.
A topic interrelated is the concept called,“positive transfer of control” of the aircraft. It is good practice to make sure the instructor and client knows who is flying the aircraft. Sounds crazy right? I remember an accident involving a flight in a tandem aircraft in which the pilots allowed the aircraft to fly into a cornfield because they thought the other pilot was flying. To successfully accomplish a “positive transfer of control,’ the dialog between pilots, be it instructional or otherwise, should be:
Pilot 1: “You want to fly?”
Pilot 2: “Yep.”
Pilot 1: “You have the aircraft.”
Pilot 2: “I have the aircraft.”
I know this can sound foreign or even silly to some pilots but there is a method to the madness as they say. If you watched our “Pilot Safety Minute” video on Crew Resource Management (CRM) you will notice that this technique is right out of the CRM play book. Accidents are sad, but what is more sad is when we don't learn from them.
**No assumptions are being made in the accident example as to the specifics of what happened.
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NATIONAL TAKE FLIGHT DAY, SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014
www.NationalTakeFlightDay.com
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OPERATION: FLY NC NEWS
OPERATION: FLY NC NEWS
Stamp NOTAMS
*(Date Change) Saturday, March 15, 2014 (To Be Announced) B Bar D Flight Training (Allegro), Raleigh Executive South Jetport (TTA). Seminar topic: Operations at Non-Towered Airports. Contact: B Bar D at: (919) 775-2224
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OUR FAVORITE VIDEOS FROM THE WEB ~ NASA | From the Cockpit: The Best of IceBridge Arctic '13
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