Fuel...are you sure we have enough?

Fuel...are you sure we have enough?  Yah, we probably have enough... 

 
How many times have you said, "Oh, we have enough fuel...we are only going to such and such...let's don't take the time to add more fuel”.

Prior to one of our mini cross country training flights, while preflighting, I asked my student how much fuel we had.  He said we had plenty based on his flight plan, including over estimates and at least one hour reserve, (more than enough he thought).  I asked, "Are you sure you don't want to add more?"  He was excited and ready to go and he said "Nope, we're good."  I was thinking OK, I will let him do this, knowing we probably had enough, although I would have taken on more had I not wanted to make a point.
 
On the way to Salinas he couldn't find the airport.  So, we did lost procedures and circling until he found it.  Same thing happened with Watsonville. Then, each time he needed extra time on the ground in runup to get ready for the next legs.  And guess what?  By the time we departed Watsonville, we had eaten up about an hour more than he planned.  When we landed, he said "did you notice how I didn't talk the last 30 minutes?"  I said, "Yes, what's up?"  He said, "I was so nervous about the lack of fuel on the way back, that I couldn't speak."  (It wasn't critical but he definitely discovered his comfort level).

 

Last Saturday, this same student was off on a solo cross country flight to Santa Rosa.  At about 4 pm I got a call at West Valley SQL from the tower saying my student couldn't land due to the winds exceeding his endorsement, and would I please come up to the tower.  (I had endorsed him for max 18 kts, 8 kts crosswind, and no gusts).  The winds had picked up more than forecast and were about 16-18 kts gusting 19-21 kts, and all airports in the Bay Area were reporting similar conditions.  The good thing was the wind was only 20 degrees off the runway. 
 
By now he had been circling outside of SQL's airspace for at least 20 minutes.  The first thing I thought is, "Will he need to go somewhere else?" "Did he take on extra fuel?"  "Inside the tower we were watching the wind meter to determine if the wind was steady as reported.  I made the decision to ok the landing.  We were all rooting for him as he made his approach.  I wouldn't say it was his best landing, but it certainly wasn't his worst either.  

As we talked later, I found out that I had nothing to worry about regarding fuel as he had learned his lesson very well, and had topped off the tanks, even though he was only going to Santa Rosa.  You never know when an unexpected situation will arise and you have to divert.  Sometimes the lessons that make you the most uncomfortable are the lessons learned, and will pay you back ten times over later.

Mid-air refueling



For more information on safety and to read about cross winds, see "Diversion due to Cross Winds and Wind Shear".

Sue Ballew

www.skytrekker.net

Fabulous Mountain Flying

On the Way to Mammoth

Fabulous Mountain Flying 

What a great time of the year to go mountain flying!!!  Recently, I did a Mountain Flying PowerPoint presentation for our local 99s chapter.  When two members heard about this, (one already a client), and also that there would be a fly-in to Bridgeport two days later on June 19th, they decided to do a mountain checkout together.  Since we would be flying a C182, along with this mountain checkout, they would each receive a high performance endorsement as well.

At West Valley Flying Club, (and there is probably a similar standard for most flying clubs/schools), the mountain checkout consists of:  flight to/from a mountainous area, executing 2 full-stop landings at each of  3 different airports, (2) of which must be above 4000' MSL.  The third one should be above 2000' MSL and include "challenging" surrounding terrain.  All airports must have a runway length of at least 3000'.

Because we had to be at the fly-in destination of Bridgeport at noon for lunch, this called for some careful planning to allow each pilot two full stop landings at 3 different airports without requiring numerous seat changes. The airports chosen were Mammoth (MMH), Bridgeport (O57), Bishop ((BIH), and Mariposa (MPI).   



Mono Lake


With Mammoth sitting at 7135' MSL and Bridgeport at 6468' MSL, as expected, the density altitude affected landing  and takeoff distance, as well as overall performance.  I think the most surprising thing for these pilots was the true airspeed difference on approach and over the runway.  With the calculation being an increase in TAS of 2% for every 1000' of density altitude, it appeared we were screaming in over the ground when flying at 8000' - 9000' density altitude...which we probably were!  But, you still have to fly "by the numbers" as the indicated airspeed is the actual airflow over the wings and is what keeps the airplane flying.

In addition to a great training flight, good food at Hayes Street Café in Bridgeport, we encountered some spectacular views enroute with lots of snow still blanketing the mountains. There are many elements of mountain flying to review prior to actually flying into the mountains.  Some of the more important points are:  

The Three Musketeers 



the change in Vx and Vy with an increase in altitude, weight and balance, performance at different altitudes and different weights, runway length and condition/contamination, leaning procedure for takeoff and flight, narrow and box canyons, updrafts and downdrafts, and of course weather, weather, weather.

If you are interested in flying to high altitude airports and/or in and around mountainous terrain, consider getting some training first.  Please contact me and I would be happy to plan a mountain flight/checkout with you.   

For other fabulous adventures go to "The Seaplane Adventure".

Sue Ballew

www.skytrekker.net

Flying at Night...well almost

Flying at night...well almost

Do you fly at night?

If you are a pilot, you probably already have your belief system in place regarding night flight.  You more than likely fall into one of two groups...either you love it and do it, or you would like to but don't because of the inherent risks.   

It can be very different flying at night versus in the daytime.  The first thing that becomes apparent is the change in your vision when trying to preflight and then read the instruments on the panel.  Terrain and mountains are much harder to see, clouds and overcast can appear out of nowhere, optical illusions are prevalent on takeoff, approach and landing, as well as during cruise flight, and trying to determine where the heck the horizon is are all issues.  Then, should you have a mechanical problem, trying to find and see a safe landing spot away from an airport is almost impossible.

The statistics reflect these risks:  Accidents are twice as likely to be fatal at night, with CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, and VFR into IMC on the top of the list.  Also, the rate of accidents increases by 10:1 when flying on a dark (moonless) night.

I am offering a solution.  Plan your flight late in the afternoon so you return to your airport around sunset or shortly thereafter.  If the visibility is good during the day, it will probably be better right before and once the sun goes down.  Much of what we see as haze during the day is actually the sun reflecting off the particulate matter in the atmosphere.  When the sun goes down, voila- it is amazingly clear.  As it gets darker and the lights come on around the Bay Area, they appear to shimmer like diamonds.  It reminds me of being on a ride at Disneyland like "Pirates of the Caribbean", or "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride".

Flying around sunset can be truly spectacular as can be seen in the adjacent photos.  At the publishing of this newsletter, sunset is around 7:38 pm with civil twilight ending about 25 minutes later.  If you fly at this time, you should be able to get in at least an hour of semi night flying with beautiful, shimmering views, before it is really dark, (as in the reg. that says "night is one hour after sunset and up to one hour before sunrise"), and without many of the risks.  Increase your safety even more by flying when the moon is out. 

To read about safety in the airport environment see "The importance of being situationally aware".

Sue Ballew

www.skytrekker.net

Motion Sickness and Cures

Motion Sickness and Cures

Most people experience motion sickness occasionally at one time or another.  I saw a news article after the recent Winter Olympics asking how those skaters twirl around so fast and so many times without getting sick. There was a poll done and many said it took them about a year of practicing continually to work through it. If you want some relief right away: 

Here are the best solutions I know of to prevent motion sickness:

1. Eat light a couple of hours before you fly

2. Don't drink alcohol within 24 hours of flying

3. Wear Motion Bands--they work with acupressure on the wrists--get the ones that you can tighten up,

          not the elastic ones.  Put these on your wrists at least 30 minutes prior to flying.

4. Yawn often

5. Chew gum

6. Eat Ginger

7. Chew Ginger Gum

8. Be sure air is circulating in the airplane

If you already have motion sickness: 

1. Look forward and out of the window at a distant object
2. If you are practicing maneuvers-stop
 

All my life I had a motion sickness problem in cars, boats, and flying airplanes. I discovered motion bands in the late 80's and they worked wonders and allowed me to do most anything I wanted to.

 

But, it was only after I became a flight instructor and taught 100’s of stalls and steep turns a day that the motion sickness really disappeared.

 

There is something new advertised.  If anyone has tried this, please let me know your results. It is called Reletex Anti-Nausea Neuromodulating Device, and is available at AeroMedixRX.com 

If you ever experience turbulence, you may want to read this "What is all that bumpiness going on lately?"

Sue Ballew

http://www.skytrekker.net/

Weather can move in quicker than you think!

Weather can move in quicker than you think!

 

In the Bay Area we have extremely good weather for flying.....most of the time.  Lately, in the latter part of Nov. and early Dec., we have had intermittent low fog and clouds in the morning, sometimes clearing to haze with few and scattered clouds in the afternoon. 

On one of those recent days starting with a fogging morning then clearing to a hazy afternoon, Hayward's Atis announced clear with visibility 6 miles.  Always vigilant, and after checking TAFs of OAK, SFO, and SJC, I scanned the surrounding Bay Area prior to take off, and noticed hazy moisture near OAK with a few clouds here and there ............  Very flyable but  I wanted to get out and back to LVK with my student as soon as possible before things changed dramatically.

On our way back less than one hour later at 4:30 pm, the sun was now directly in our eyes, visibility reduced to marginal VFR or less, a layer of clouds moved in over Sunol Grade and the surrounding hills, and Bravo airspace was above us that we didn't want to bust.....voila!....the sandwich effect.  After circling for several minutes to verify landmarks, with my student helping, not an easy task given the reduced visibility, the clouds shifted as a hole opened up right above a dip in the hills, I said "my aircraft" and went for it, barely keeping within legal cloud clearance limits.   

As a CFI, even though I typically fly this area twice, maybe three or more times per week, just recognizing landmarks with this reduced visibility was a challenge.  Of course we had a couple of alternatives had we not been able to get through that hole in the clouds. We could have gotten clearance through Class B to get up and over, or pick up an IFR clearance.  The latter could have taken quite some time, and would not have been an option for a VFR pilot or without instrument charts.

As pilots, we all know how important reviewing weather is.  Remembering how quickly the weather can deteriorate here in the Bay Area could prevent an unplanned landing at an airport other than your home airport or one not on your flight plan. 

Another article you might like, relating to safety is "Fuel, are you sure we have enough?".

Sue Ballew

www.skytrekker.net

The Importance of Being Situationally Aware

The Importance of Being Situationally Aware - knowing when to comply and when to question ATC.                                               

Being "Situationally Aware" (knowing where YOU are and where EVERYONE else is), is important at all times when flying, but couldn't be more so than when flying in the airport traffic pattern.  A busy pattern/airport presents numerous challenges, on a normal day.  Combine a clear good weather day, a Bay Area airport, a Sat. or Sun., a few incorrect calls by ATC, and you have a potential for some real challenges.

You can't always count on busy controllers to be correct in their instructions.  A few weeks ago, when out with a student at a local Bay Area airport, I was over the runway just ready to touch down, and was told to turn base.  Later, I was told to extend my downwind when I was already on base.  Did the controller have any idea where I was?  Then, as a Learjet came in on a modified downwind heading directly towards us, I was told to immediately head towards the tower, cross over the airport and make a right downwind - just opposite of what my pattern had been.  Of course now, I really wanted to know where the other traffic was and that there were no conflicts.

The best thing to do when presented with a busy pattern is to listen to all of the communication to get a visual picture of where the other traffic is and what to expect next.  Always know exactly what ATC is telling you to do, and be sure you agree with it, before complying.  If you are told you are #4 - cleared to land, but are unsure of whom and where the traffic is that you are following, start from the approach end of the runway and work backwards. 

I try to stick to a Rule of 3.  If three unusual issues come up while I'm in the pattern, I come back another day. 

For information about being situationally aware regarding weather. see "Weather can move in quicker than you think".

Sue Ballew

www.skytrekker.net

The Top 6 reasons people want to Learn to Fly

The Top 6 Reasons People Want to Learn To Fly

by Sue Ballew

• TO FLY LIKE A BIRD:  Most every pilot I know grew up dreaming of flying like a bird up in the sky, through the clouds and trees, or flying like Superman.
               
• ADVENTURE:  Flying can be the adventure of a lifetime! Imagine taking exciting weekend adventures and flying to Tahoe or the Wine Country, and entertaining family and business associates. Or jumping in an airplane and flying miles away for lunch and being there in minutes.

• CHALLENGE: (sense of accomplishment):  You can develop a skill few others ever will.  Learning to fly is a challenge, and flying an airplane can meet that desire and provide a great sense of accomplishment.

• THE VIEW:  The view is unparalleled!  Whether it is flying around the Bay Area or some other picturesque part of the world, you will see some of the most amazing city views, landscape, and sunsets that you have ever seen.

• A SENSE OF FREEDOM:  Being able to get in an airplane, knowing you have the skill to fly it, and going almost anywhere you want in the US is the ultimate freedom.

• FUN:  And of course, we all want to have fun…and flying surely is!

For realated thoughts see "The top 5 questions people have about Learning to Fly".

For more information or to Learn to Fly, go to http://www.skytrekker.net/

Sue Ballew
http://www.skytrekker.net/