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
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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.
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Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 03.19.06
As more and more personal pilots venture into turbine-powered
airplanes and the coming Very Light Jets (VLJs), more of us will
need to be aware of the distinctions brought on with this
increasing capability. One task that’s different at higher
speeds is holding.
High-Speed Holds
ATC prefers ground delays and en route vectors or speed changes
to sequence traffic. The time does come, however, when airplanes
are put into holding patterns -- if you have any doubt, an airline
MD-80 I recently rode on did four turns in an en route hold.
Maximum authorized speed in holds are:
- 200 Knots Indicated Air Speed (KIAS) from sea
level to 6000 feet.
- 230 KIAS above 6000 feet to 14,000 feet
- 265 KIAS above 14,000 feet.
Turns in holding patterns should be made at standard rate. Since
the bank angle (in degrees) resulting in a standard rate turn is a
little less than 15% of the True Air Speed (TAS, in knots), the
faster you’re flying the steeper you’ll bank in a
standard-rate turn. An aircraft flying 210 Knots True Air Speed
(KTAS) or greater will require more than 30 degrees bank to achieve
a standard rate turn. Banks over 30 degrees invite disorientation
and spirals, so pilots at these speeds should limit holding turns
to 30 degrees of bank.
(Note: Flight Director systems limit bank angles to 25
degrees. Flying a Flight Director, maximum bank is reached at 170
KTAS).
On a standard day you’ll reach these limits at about 183
KIAS/156 KIAS, respectively, on a standard day at 6000 feet.
Naturally, holding patterns will cover more airspace at these
speeds and bank angles.
Aero-tip of the day: As more civil pilots fly
more capable airplanes, we’ll all need to concentrate on the
special aspects of high-speed flight.