Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.")
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you
may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be
something we might never have considered before, or something that
didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized
it for the practical test.
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Aero-Tips 10.17.06
We've been reviewing the FAA's list of the Top 10 causes of
pilot-error accidents. Third on the FAA's list is failure to
maintain directional control.
Windblown
Weather plays a big part in aircraft mishaps. Depending on which
study you're referencing, "weather" accidents may include those
related to string or gusty winds near the surface. If you're
reading one of these mishap studies, you'll learn that nearly half
of all weather-related mishaps fall into the category of lost
directional control due to surface winds.
From the NTSB:
During the landing roll, the aircraft departed the left side
of the runway and the right main landing gear collapsed.
Examination of the aircraft provided no evidence of brake or
steering malfunction or failure. Probable cause: Failure... to
maintain control of the aircraft during the landing
roll.
High and high
High power settings, also, introduce forces that must be
overcome with control input. High angles of attack exaggerate the
effects of propeller torque, and in some designs may also limit
rudder effectiveness as wings and fuselage block air flow over the
tail. "High and high" together is a combination that has brought
down any number of airplanes, especially in the first moments of an
attempted go-around when the pilot's attention might be directed
elsewhere.
From the NTSB:
During the takeoff roll, the airplane departed the left side
of the runway and skipped across the ground before striking a
600-pound concrete block and coming to rest inverted. A post-impact
fire ensued... The useable portion of runway was rough and uneven.
Probable cause: the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his
failure to maintain directional control. Contributing factors were
the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff, and the rough and uneven
runway surface.
Whether in winds or as a function of high power and high angles
of attack, directional control is a learned art -- it requires
practice and recent experience.
Aero-tip of the day: Make a special effort to
practice directional control in winds, and at high power settings
at high angles of attack like takeoff and go-arounds.
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