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.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
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, and as
representatives of the flying community. 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.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 01.30.06
After a fire in the
cockpit, most pilots’ greatest fear is a mid-air
collision. To reduce the possibility of hitting another
airplane in flight, consider the following:
Most collisions happen in good weather in the vicinity of
airports. In fact, a large number take place on the final approach
course, within 500 feet of the ground.
In most cases of collision, a faster airplane overtakes a slower
airplane at a small angle.
Collisions where a low-wing airplane descends into a high-wing
design (where both are in the other’s blind spot) represent a
large percentage of collisions.
It’s common also that one airplane involved in the
collision is crewed by a pilot “under the hood” and an
instructor providing instrument dual. The student has restricted
vision, and the CFII allows him/herself to spend too much time
monitoring the student.
NOTE: Instructors, your primary responsibility
in visual conditions remains always to SEE AND AVOID OTHER
AIRPLANES. Even instruction must be secondary to this role.
Minimizing collision risk
To minimize the risk of a mid-air collision:
- Recognize the high-risk areas, especially airport traffic
patterns and heavily-traveled airways or intersections.
- Minimize cockpit visibility restrictions. Clean the windshield
before flight. Keep charts, handheld radios, etc. off the
glareshield as much as possible. Block the sun with visors only to
the extent needed to increase (not reduce) your field of
vision.
- Get familiar with the airplane so you don’t have a lot of
“head down” time in flight (programming the GPS,
reading checklists, looking for dials and switches, etc.).
- Plan your time so you have few remaining tasks (other than
basic control and scanning for traffic) in high-risk areas.
- Make concise and correct radio calls on advisory frequencies so
others know your position.
- Turn on your landing light in high-risk areas, so others can
see you.
Aero-tip of the day: Take active steps to avoid
mid-air collisions.
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