We all know you can't consolidate the internet or hundreds of peoples' insights, techniques, lessons into a single document. So, I will consolidate the things I've learned, used, and shared to keep flying upright. First, I'll start with terms...
Terms:
- "Abeam the numbers" - see "perch".
- "Back pressure"
- Pull back on the stick/yoke, or "Release back pressure" which is the opposite.
- "Brick One"
- The very first inch (or brick) of the runway.
- "Buffet"
- When the aircraft starts to shake prior to a stall. Not my term, but you can use it even without a stall warning horn/light.
- "Chair fly"
- To rehearse a maneuver (or anything) before you actually do it.
- "Horn"
- The stall warning horn - or however the aircraft is equipped
- "Localisms" - things pertinent to a local airfield which may not align with published guidance.
- "Perch"
- Used for "abeam the numbers". The Perch is abeam the numbers, but it also instills the
- idea that you "jump" off the perch. I.e., you start your descent.
- "PIO" - pilot-induced oscillation. Not my term, but the reality of the 'porpoise'. See below.
- "Pitch for airspeed"
- Implies an no power change and maintaining a speed with pitch (forward/aft stick/yoke).
- "Roll out"
- Means to reduce your bank (whatever it is) to zero, so as to roll out of bank.
- "Unload"
- Lower AOA, push the yoke/stick forward (you're unloading Gs).
- "VAPI"
- References VASIs or PAPIs. They only differ in configuration - concept is the same.
- How I use them.
- Memory aid: VASIs are constructed Vertically (V = V) while PAPIs are horizontal.
- "Walk around"
- "Wire"
- This is the term I use for the approach angle. The 'wire' is a line between you and your aimpoint. Ideally, it is about a 3 degree wire. You're either above, on, or below the wire.
1-2-3 From the Knee:
- I use this at the perch. 1 is carburetor heat, 2 is set your power, 3 is 10 degrees of flaps. I return to power to refine it, but after it's refined, I leave it alone.
Aimpoint vs Landing Point:
- First of all, there is no 'landing point' unless you've declared it for a precision landing (which is good practice for any pattern). Normally, the landing point is slightly beyond the aimpoint. The aimpoint is where you would crash if you never changed your approach angle. Since we transition to level, wait for the airplane to lose its lift and then roundout, we will certainly land beyond the aimpoint. As soon as you transition to level, your aimpoint has served its purpose and you can say thank you as you fly past it. You will land XXX (~400) feet beyond it. If you wanted to land at brick one, your aimpoint could never be on the runway. My aimpoint is very seldom short. In fact, if there is a VASI/PAPI, it's an imaginary line directly across from the lights. See my VASI/PAPI tutorial. If there aren't lights, it's usually the first centerline dash after the numbers. I only bring it closer if the runway is REALLY short.
- Review the AIM discussion on runway markings.
Airspace: +
- What I use...
- A = Altitude (FL180 and above)
- B = Big (the biggest cites and usually bigger altitude)
- C = Crowded (busy cities but not big enough)
- D = Dialog (dialog with the tower)
- E = Everywhere else (almost everywhere else)
- G = Go for it (uncontrolled)
Anticipation Bucket (anticipation = fewer surprises): +- Crosswinds – after landing, the wind hasn’t stopped.
- Flaps
- When you ADD flaps, the nose wants to rise.
- When you REDUCE flaps, the nose wants to sink.
- Rudder
- When you add power, you need rudder.
- When you turn, you need rudder.
- Single engine aircraft want to go up and left when you
add power.
- Stalls - an aircraft can stall at any attitude.
Crosswind controls on the ground:
- The text version in many POHs (such as shown here) takes a bit of mental effort - at least they do for me. So here's my technique...
- Tailwheel
- "Climb into, dive away from". It's that simple.
- Climb into (stick/yoke into an up) a quartering headwind and dive away from (stick/yoke away and forward) a quartering tailwind.
- Watch the "dive" away from - if your propwash is stronger than the tailwind.
- Tricycle gear
- "Turn into, dive away from".
- Difference is no back stick/yoke for the headwinds
- AOPA has another technique if it works for you.
Crosswind Landing / Limits:
- Note about ‘demonstrated’ crosswind limit. Those are the crosswinds they had when testing the airplane and is seldom the actual limit. The limit is when your rudder can no longer keep your airplane aligned with the runway (ailerons are seldom the limit). When this happens, I would recommend using a better-aligned runway and/or landing somewhere else.
Emergencies:
- Engine Failure / Loss of Power. One of the hardest things about landing off-field (e.g., engine failure) is convincing yourself it’s real. We practice them quite often, but most of us haven’t actually landed off-field. Fields look pretty good at altitude but the closer you get, they can be much rougher. Regardless, once you’ve convinced yourself it’s real, you must focus on the landing itself. Protect yourself and if you can, protect the plane.
- Impossible / Improbable Turn (turning back to runway with engine issue):
- The discussion of the ‘impossible’ vs ‘improbable’ vs ‘possible’ turn will likely never end - nor should it. However, I think the unarguable point is - it's a question of your energy state. You either have the energy to complete a specific maneuver or you don’t.
- Skyhawks can turn very well. An F-16, for example, can’t turn much tighter than a radius of about 3000’. Imagine what a Skyhawk can do in 3000’. The turn radius at 90 KT is indeed 1/2 of a NM (3000’), but that’s standard rate (~15 degrees of bank). If you turn 30, 45 or 60 degrees of bank, that turn radius gets very small.
- You should try these (at a safe altitude) and see how different the plane maneuvers with different bank angles. This video by FLY8MA demonstrates the difference of bank angles. He also shows you MUST TURN the airplane.
- I normally descend and pull right to the horn (or buffet if no horn).
Fuel Burn and Groundspeed:
- C172s with 180s (HP), I used 8 gals/hour (same for 150 or 160HP knowing conservative).
- C172s (regardless of their power), I use 90 knots groundspeed for planning. It’s a Skyhawk…you’re not going to get much more.
- What about a six-cylinder Continental IO-360-KB (N1025V)? I use 10 for easy math.
:
- The 'binary' go-around. Not a fan. Have you been instructed, or is it your own notion, that a bounced landing should be followed by a go-around? If so, be careful of any 'binary' flying. Physics are binary but how we handle things is usually not. Here is a video of a bounce into a go around. First, the plane could have easily landed from the bounce. Second, if you're going to do a go around, do it correctly. The video might be hard for some to watch.
Illusions:
- Runways:
- If it's "WIde" you'll be "HI", if it's "narROW" you'll be "LOW" (where you typically end up on final, but not necessarily)
- You're tying to make it look 'normal'
- If they have VAPIs (VASI or PAPI) use them!
- Slope - it's opposite of the slope
- If it slopes down, you'll likely be higher (than you should be)
- If it slopes up, you'll likely be lower (than you should be)
- If they have VAPIs (VASI or PAPI) use them!
News, Aviation: People ask where I get my aviation news – I subscribe to these…
Night Flying:
- People often ask if I like flying at night. What I usually say is I love seeing my gauges and, if need be, where we’re going to land (forced). Night flying has a lot to offer…views you’ve never seen, usually smoother air, less traffic, easier-to-see/to-find traffic and new challenges. It’s certainly something you will and should continue to do. Having night experience is essential for the times your flights take you into night even if it wasn’t planned. Just treat it with the respect it deserves.
- See also Night Flight / Flying.
Pilot-induced Oscillation: accepting the blame...
- First, watch this 16-second video.
- That's often called a 'porpoise', and granted, it does act like a porpoise. It started with a simple bounce but somehow got worse. It gets worse because the pilot is making it worse. Therefore, I suggest you change your thinking from “porpoise” to “PIO” - a pilot-induced oscillation.
- How did he induce it? When the nose came up, he pushed down, the second bounce was worse so he pushed harder, and so on until the nose gear separated. He was inducing (and increasing) the oscillations. The bottom line…if you chase oscillations, YOU WILL LOSE!
- If your nose bounces you have two options. 1) Freeze the nose level to slightly high, ‘reset’, and land or 2) Go around. If you freeze your nose too high, going around is probably the best option. Always be ready to touch the runway (even if you’ve added power) in a two-point attitude (main gear).
- By ‘reset’, I mean wait until you start settling down toward the runway like any landing
- If you think about a PIO instead of a porpoise, you’ll remember that you’re doing it. The airplane isn’t – it’s just following physics. The best thing to do is stop doing it. You’re in charge of the aircraft’s nose – don’t forget it.
- Other references...
:
- The point here is to start from and end where you enter your aircraft. Piper (and others) and Cessna are clearly different. Both pics are from the POHs (with edits on the Piper):
Skid vs Slip:
- If you skid, you'll leave too much rubber on the road - TOO MUCH rudder. You'll leave a skid mark.
- Slips then are the opposite - not enough rudder
Slips:
- Forward Slip vs Side Slip. What’s the difference between a forward slip and a side slip? Nothing except the amount of control inputs. The objective is to differentiate between a slip to lose altitude and a slip for a crosswind landing - or ‘slips’ and ‘wing low landings’. The forward slip calls for full rudder and ailerons as required. The side slip is rudder as required. It gives you the freedom to adjust as you near touchdown. I.e., just enough rudder to keep your longitudinal axis (aircraft’s body) aligned with the runway and just enough aileron to not drift from centerline. I think rudder “as required” works anytime you slip (forward or side). Also, I slip until I like the approach angle and then maintain that approach angle.
- The 'Gray' Vx. I’m a huge proponent of Vx for the stall recovery, but in actuality, Vx with flaps is different. In most C-172 POHs, the speed is 56 knots (short field takeoff) which is clearly below no-flap Vx and only addresses 10 degrees. What’s not clear is the speed at 20 degrees of flaps. On a power off stall recovery, we immediately go from 30 to 20 degrees of flaps. Saying “just fly the airplane below the stall” isn't so easy for new pilots. Instead, I’d say fly 60 which is slightly above the POH but still below no-flaps Vx. You should be able to climb away from the ground at 60 knots. Remember, you’re trying to NOT hit the ground.
Stalls:
- Uncoordinated stalls: If you set up a stall and fall left or right, it’s because you’re not coordinated. Whether you fall left or right, the TWO THINGS you DON’T WANT TO DO are turn away (ailerons) and pull back (elevator). That is the human response. Rather, you need to “go with it”, or lower the AOA (angle of attack) and when you have flying airspeed, return to wings level and pull to your target airspeed.
Takeoffs:
- Short/soft field:
- Remember, a “short” field takeoff may or MAY NOT indicate a runway which is actually short. Rather, it addresses the need to get over obstacles. “Short field” can be a misnomer and confusing to new pilots. Just think of it as this…regardless of the surface (hard or soft), I need to GET TO, and HOLD, Vx as quickly as possible.
- Contrarily, a “soft field” is about the surface. Whether I have an obstacle or not, I need to keep moving and get off the soft surface AS QUICKLY as POSSIBLE. If no obstacle, you accelerate to Vy. With an obstacle, you accelerate to Vx.
- It’s fun to practice soft/short takeoffs. Ask your instructor to try it. “I have to get off the wet grass AND clear an obstacle”.
- When entering a runway, accelerate once you’re aligned, NOT as you’re turning. That’s a bad idea.
Takeoff (briefing):
Before we take the runway, it’s good practice to actually brief the takeoff and possible emergencies. Something to the effect of…
- This will be a normal/short/soft, rolling/static takeoff.
- If we lose the engine and still on the runway, we’ll abort.
- If we lose the engine after takeoff but below _____ feet, we’ll land roughly straight ahead with minimal banking (to include the runway if it happens early).
- If after takeoff but above ______ feet, we’ll do our best pilotage to get back to the runway.
- NOTE: I’ve left the number of feet blank because that changes with the situation and/or experience. That’s your call.
Traffic Patterns:
- Every pattern is a snowflake. Every pattern we fly is different from every other pattern we’ve flown or every will fly. They truly are snowflakes. Why does that matter? It matters because it drives home the point of “going to school on your previous pattern”. That means taking lessons from the previous pattern and applying them to the next. If you continually overshoot final, you are not going to school on your previous pattern. You are in charge of the aircraft. Make the appropriate corrections that effected your previous pattern.
- How I fly them in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
Training:
- We need to be responsible for our training. Remember, we are training to be Pilots in Command (PICs), not ‘people who get a private pilot certificate’. The first time we fly with a certificate (or solo with student certificate) – we are the PIC. There is no, “I was taught this” or “I wasn’t taught that”. We are the PIC.
- If you have questions, ASK THEM.
- Have a plan for a training event. If a CFI asks you want you want to do on any given day and you say “what do you think?” or “you’re the instructor”, you could expect the answer (my answer) to be “the ACS”. In other words, it will look like a checkride. The more we own our training, the better everything will go. If we prepare better and study better, we will fly better. There is no cop-out as the PIC.
Trim:
- If you fly the airplane with trim, you'll always be trimming. Rather, use the yoke to get the speed you want, then trim off the pressure.
Vertical Speed Indicator / Vertical Velocity Indicator (VSI/VVI):
- I use the VSI all the time! People say it lags the altimeter, and while it's hard to prove, I beg to differ. Watch it (and the altimeter) the next time you fly. I use it because it shows me where I’m going (up or down) before the altimeter. If your VSI doesn’t move in a steep turn – neither will your altimeter. This video (How does a VSI work?) helps make my case. It admits the initial movement is IMMEDIATE, only the established rate of climb/descent is delayed.
- Flying IS Great - Improve Every Flight -
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