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.
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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 02.22.06
Recent mishap studies by the Flight Safety Foundation have cited
a physiological hazard known as the false climb illusion. More
scientifically labeled “Somatogravic Illusion,” it
describes the result of fluid moving in a pilot’s inner ear
when an aircraft accelerates. We sense this motion as a pitching
movement upward—a “false climb.” If we
can’t see outside the airplane (i.e., in instrument
meteorological conditions, or IMC), this can cause us to want to
push forward on the yoke to “recover” from the false
climb.
The FSF report considers somatogravic illusion a contributor to
accidents when a corporate jet begins a missed approach. Add power
to a light jet and the aircraft will accelerate swiftly. It takes
discipline and a good instrument scan to maintain the proper pitch
attitude for climbout; distraction or undisciplined flying may
prompt the pilot to fly the jet into the ground.
Prop Pilots
What about the vast majority of us who do not fly jets? Is
somatogravic illusion a consideration? Without the huge reserve of
power enjoyed by jet pilots, propeller airplanes will not
accelerate as rapidly with power application at the missed approach
point. Instead, it’s more likely the airspeed will decrease
as we turn an approach into a climb in IMC. Fluid in our ears will
slosh the other way, creating a false descent illusion. Without
attention or discipline we’re tempted to pull up on the
controls to correct for this “descent” close to the
ground.
Ever wonder why so many propeller airplanes stall during a
missed approach procedure? "False descent illusion" may be a major
factor.
Aero-tip of the day: Plan for a stabilized
approach trimmed for climb airspeed, crosschecked with a known
target pitch attitude, to avoid the hazards of "false climb" and
"false descent" cues during a missed approach.