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“Contact” Welcome to the slightly later than planned autumn edition of the Southend Flying Club newsletter. In all fairness to me I am only about as late as the onset of autumn; - Friday the 31st of October was cloudless blue sky and a temperature of 22C at Southend, the hottest Halloween ever recorded. This follows on from the driest September since 1910, so it makes up for the slightly lacklustre August.
Sale of the Arrow park it at the Club and allow full access to it to any members who have completed the required differences training. Better than that it is having a serious upgrade at the moment including a bare metal strip and re-spray in a modern Piper scheme, tinted windows, leather interior and new avionics. She will be an aircraft to be truly proud of. A full article will follow once all the work is completed but in the meantime here is a picture of her stripped bare, mid re-spray in October!
Changes afoot There have been some fairly big changes this year, notably Mark Oates has left us to pursue a new career flying ATP cargo planes for Atlantic Airlines. Our congratulations go out to him, but don’t worry he has promised that he will be back to instruct in his spare time once his he has settled into his new role. That leads nicely onto the change in staffing and opening hours. Firstly Peter P and I have decided to trial closing on Mondays through the winter, so I have changed my day off to Monday and we will be shut. We will look at this in the spring, we will also look at ways to open on bank holiday Mondays, and in the meantime licence holders are welcome to fly on Monday as we have a process for that in our absence.
GAZOG down to bare metal for the first time in 43 years.
Congratulations
This does mean that without Mark we will once again be relying on the help of some really experienced instructors on a part time basis to cover weekends. This means you will see more of Danny Doran, Jan Angerman, Paul Griggs and Lewis Cole, who between them have tens of thousands of hours over the last 30 years or so.
Not much room left, but congratulations to: Matt Chappell – Instructor course Dean Taylor – Private Pilot’s Licence Tom Jordan– Private Pilot’s Licence Chris Robinson– Private Pilot’s Licence
Another change is the sale of GAZOG. One of our newest pilots was looking for an aircraft that was a step up from the trainers but not too much to handle. He saw the potential in the Arrow and brought it, but will continue to
Richard Bayley– Private Pilot’s Licence We’ve also had several 1st solos and Qualifying Cross Country flights
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Recommended Trips Comptom Abbas is a grass airfield in Dorset. It is fairly well drained so is useable most of the year, but even if it becomes too muddy to visit this winter, start planning a trip there for the spring now as it is a really lovely airfield to see, with a very nice restaurant for lunch directly overlooking the runway.
south from Southend, route along the south coast and then either go the slightly longer way over the Isle of Wight and so avoiding having to transit Southampton’s Class D zone, or route direct and practice obtaining a zone transit. Southampton is pretty busy but each time I have attempted to cross the zone they have been very helpful and got me through.
Direct or Isle of Wight, the choice is yours
WHILST THERE Compton Abbas sitting pretty on top of a hillside
You could just pay the landing fee and depart but what a waste! At the very least I would recommend a coffee and a slice of one of the homemade cakes, as they all looked amazing. If you fancy a bigger meal they have a wide ranging menu and it all looked and smelt great. You can sit inside or out and there are good views of the airfield and surrounding areas. If you really want to make a day of it why not try a flight in one of their Tiger Moths but make sure you book in advance!
FLYING IN The airfield has a grass runway orientated 08 or 26, which is 803m long. This is long enough for all the club aircraft but do check the performance data carefully if it is either wet or you are at the heavier end of the range. ATC is air ground radio and so you are expected to make your own decisions, with both runway circuits being flown to the north of the airfield at 800agl.
Difficulty: 3 out of 5 (moderate length but smooth) Appeal: 4 Distance to fly: About 145nm depending on route Landing fee: £10.00 – A bargain!
Elevation is 811ft
This is the first important point to note - the elevation is 811ft so if you fly a QNH circuit it must be at 1600ft. or you will be amongst the crops on the downwind leg! They do have specific noise abatement procedures so check out the airfield website and obtain prior permission before setting out.
GETTING THERE Whilst the choice of route is, of course, any way you fancy, it is particularly nice to fly 2
Practical Airmanship - Navigation A current subject that is becoming a very hot topic for the CAA with Private Pilots (and quite a few instructors) are infringements of controlled airspace from having poor navigational skills. The consequences of infringing controlled airspace such as the Class D around Stansted are significant. Even wandering into the zone for a few minutes will cause disruption to arrivals and departures that will take hours to settle down. The cost of making a large jet go around and fly away from an unknown infringing aircraft runs in to the tens of thousands of pounds.
The purpose of this article is to reiterate some basic visual navigation techniques and introduce a method of regaining track that has only really been taught for a few years. Most pilots who trained a long time ago probably still break out in a sweat when they hear the words “1 in 60 rule”, the method I prefer teaching is called Standard Closing Angle (SCA) and makes for much simpler airborne maths. However before we can regain track we need to know where we are and this calls for a bit of self-discipline.
BASIC NAV REVISITED Remember that the tried and tested method for navigation is Dead Reckoning (DR). This means pre-planned headings and times to allow for wind without the need to constantly map read, freeing the pilot up to concentrate on flying accurately, look out for traffic, manage the aircraft and radio work. The work cycle that we should adopt whilst visually navigating is one that will allow us most time to concentrate on flying and be interspersed with navigation checks.
“The worst case scenario doesn’t bare thinking about” The worst case scenario almost doesn’t bear thinking about, but rest assured that if a light aircraft brought down a large jet over a built up area, then all the liberties we enjoy as pilots will be severely curtailed.
BACKGROUND Many infringements are neither deliberate or the result of poor, or foolhardy pre-flight planning, what seems to be a recurring theme for the CAA investigators looking at this problem is a pilot not being able to fix his position accurately and relying on assumptions, compounded by having no real technique to regain track if they do go off course. Pilots relying on the more modern solutions such as Skydemon and portable GPS units are not immune from this problem by any means. A recent AAIB investigation into a fatal TB10 accident in September 2013 noted that despite 332 hours of experience and 2 tablet computers, on departure the pilot still managed to infringe Luton by 1nm and cause departures to be restricted. Upon returning to the Club for the 1st time his friends noticed the GPS depicted the aircraft several miles from where it really was and this was only resolved by turning it off and rebooting the unit.
“Most legs are short enough to only require one check” Most legs we fly are short enough to only require one check of our progress on each leg, if a leg was longer it would be prudent to carry out a check of position every 10-15 minutes. Remember at typical light aircraft speeds this is a fix somewhere between every 15nm and 30nm, not at every single feature on the ground. Feature crawling from point to point is a hopelessly distracting method of navigation and to me shows a lack of confidence in a pilot’s navigational skills, requiring most of the time to be spent getting fixes to comfort the pilot that he knows where he is. If you were flying close to a hazardous area, such as controlled airspace, consider a position fix every 5 minutes, but even this allows for plenty of time to be spent heads up looking outside. 3
Practical Airmanship – Navigation cont. A lot of people simply make a mark at halfway along the leg and say that is where they will get a fix, but how can that work? If you haven’t got a fix, then you won’t know if you are at the halfway point to get a fix, unless you have just spent the whole leg so far feature crawling! Look to get your fix based on time elapsed. As part of the planning “get your fix based on time process make sensible use of clear features as a point to fix you position, if the halfway time will put elapsed” you over a featureless area, then plan to get a fix at a certain time down the leg that will give you good features.
The example flight runs from Cambridge to Framlingham. Halfway is 23nm (marked in red) and puts you over a featureless area, better to plan to get a fix at 11 minutes (based on 90kts groundspeed) abeam a disused airfield crossing a road running to the large town of Bury St Edmunds and then at 20 minutes north abeam Stowmarket (both marked in blue).
MAP READING Map reading is also a weakness, but can be improved by following some simple rules: Number 1 - around the appropriate time for your 1st fix, look out the window for features to compare to the map. Do not look at the map for features and then “find” them out of the window. This is an easy way to get sucked into making assumptions based on what you think you should see. Number 2 – Start under the aircraft and look outwards from there. A fix will be most accurate if you find a nice feature directly under you. A large feature on the edge of the horizon on a vague bearing will not give any accuracy.
Without Google maps putting a handy pin in the top of Bury St Edmunds could you really be sure you weren’t looking at Sudbury from a different angle? I couldn’t from a few miles out!
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Practical Airmanship – Navigation cont. Number 3 – Get 3 unique features to be sure. The cartographers of these charts are very good at depicting features that are visible from the altitudes we fly at. If you can see a clear ground feature, it is probably shown on the chart.
Compare the fix on the ground to the map and see how the features match up. 1 – The dual carriageway sweeps from the top, down and left. 2 – The railway line cross the road left to right and then splits into a fork. 3 – A minor road splits off from a junction away to the top right. Bonus points if you notice the railway fork to the left is disused by the amount of trees on it, shown on the map as a dashed black line!
USING STANDARD CLOSING ANGLE Having fixed the position of the aircraft the next step is to use a reliable method to regain the track. Turning right a bit, plucking a new heading out of the sky or trying to remember what the 1 in 60 rule is as you hurtle towards someone’s airspace is not a good plan. To use the Standard Closing Angle (SCA) method, you need to measure the distance the aircraft is laterally off track by and make a heading change that will bring you towards track at a rate of 1nm for every minute. Remember one simple number depending on the aircraft you fly. In the Arrow SCA is 30 degrees, in the PA28’s and C152s it is 40 degrees. If off track, turn towards track by SCA and time for 1 minute per nm. Once the time is elapsed turn back onto the original heading. There are 2 important things to do now. Firstly try and get another fix to confirm you have regained track. Secondly you must ask yourself why you were off track and then consider making adjustments to you heading to prevent you going off track again.
Remember one simple number 30 or 40 degrees
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Practical Airmanship – Navigation cont. EXAMPLE FLIGHT
Looking at the example flight from Cambridge to Framlingham you can see the orange line represents our actual progress over the ground. At 11 minutes a fix puts the aircraft just southeast of the disused airfield, which is 2nm south of track. If we do nothing you can see the end result is the aircraft getting very close to 2 gliding sites, the Wattisham zone (in pink) and potentially missing Framlingham altogether. However if we apply SCA for 2 minutes at the fix, we can regain track almost immediately (green line). Another fix shows a village, road and disused railway and confirms we are back on track. As mentioned before the next step is to ask why we were off track and make a correction. Compare the view here to the point on the example flight where the green line regains track. Note: Red arrow showing road running NE Yellow village
arrow
showing
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Black arrow showing disused railway running diagonally from bottom right to centre top
WHY ARE YOU OFF TRACK? Here are some possible scenarios in roughly the order of occurrence:
The direction indicator is misaligned
The direction indicator is misaligned with the compass. Solution – realign and check more frequently. Don’t adjust heading.
You have not been flying straight. Solution – concentrate on holding straight and level, select a target to aim at well in the distance and check the direction indicator regularly. Don’t adjust heading.
You drew the line from the centre of the airfield
You have not been flying straight
You drew the line from the centre of the airfield but actually set course having climbed out on runway heading for a mile or more. Solution – set course from the point you actually drew on the map. Don’t adjust heading.
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Practical Airmanship – Navigation cont. The wind or you planning are incorrect. Adjust heading but don’t overdo Solution – Make an adjustment to heading to it. Remember max drift is 2/3 of try and hold track. Don’t overdo it. In the example flight the error is only 7 degrees, it wind speed (result in degrees) would be rarely over 10 degrees. I’d normally change heading between 5 & 10 degrees depending on how many miles off I was at the fix and then check my progress with another fix further down the leg.
SUMMARY Hopefully the article has acted as some good revision for you, or taught you a new method to try out. If it can stop a costly and dangerous infringement all the better, but remember you are not alone up there, consider using a service such as Farnborough LARS to look out for you wandering close to airspace, or show a listening squawk and listen out to the large airfields nearby. Interesting reading can be found at http://flyontrack.co.uk/ if you would like to learn about more ways to avoid infringements.
Safety Corner Thankfully there have been no reported safety incidents since the last newsletter, so there is nothing to discuss, however remember we do have to have a system of reporting any safety concerns and if you see anything that you think is dangerous please let us know so we can look into it. You can also do it anonymously by leaving a completed form in the folder where it will be reviewed.
Emergency of the month It is a cold clear day after a heavy frost and just as you take off you notice the altimeter is still reading 50’ despite the correct QNH being set, the VSI is registering zero and the airspeed needle is slowly reducing. What has happened and what are you going to do about it?
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Winter Flying It is heading towards winter and that means starting to think about winter operations so here are some tips for enjoyable winter flying.
Starting will be harder – The lower temperatures make the oil thicker and harder to move around the engine, plus the battery loses performance as well. If it is a cold engine prime 4 times, keep the master off as long as possible and keep the electrical load to a minimum, during starting. Don’t have the throttle too far open, it weakens the mixture further making it less likely to start. If the engine fails to catch in the first few seconds of
“DON’T pump the throttle” cranking don’t persist and DON’T pump the throttle. It will flatten the battery and potentially allow fuel to run backwards down the manifold and pool in the bottom, which can cause a fire. Give the starter10 seconds to cool and consider a further 1 prime. If the engine coughed and didn’t catch, then most of the fuel is now burnt off and so prime a further 3 times and try again. In really cold weather (below 0), ensure the mags are off and the brakes on, prime 4 times, pull the propeller through 4 compressions (treating it as though it is about to start on you) and then try to start as above. If you go out to an aircraft and it has already been flown, but left long enough that the oil temperature has stopped registering, then prime 1 or 2 times before starting. If you have failed to start after 3 attempts the engine may well be flooded. Make sure you know how to start a flooded engine, if in doubt ask an instructor next time you are in.
Pretty but brings its own hazards Think about ice on the ground – All ice must be removed from the aircraft before you can
“think about ice on the ground” fly. We have de-icer fluid in spray bottles, but remember it will not work on thick frost or snow, this would need to be removed with a soft brush first. Please give the paintwork a chance and don’t use an old broom from the shed or a plastic scraper, if it means that the aircraft has to sit in the sun for a bit then that is a time to put the kettle on. Think about ice in the air – The air temperature will be lower, so you are more likely to be flying in air that is close to or below freezing. That is known as flight above the freezing level or 0 degree isotherm and is perfectly safe if you remain clear of moisture. Any cloud or rain would freeze onto the aircraft and cause a loss of lift, descend to warmer air or get out of the moisture ASAP.
The engine will take longer to warm up. If you have steamed up, put the defrost on and wait for it to clear before taxiing, it will take a while. Do not do the power checks until the engine is warm and don’t take off with a cold engine, it can seize the engine and that will definitely ruin your plans!
“get out of the moisture ASAP” Remember to put the pitot heater on in flight, but once on leave it on as the sudden cooling in flight can cause the metal to crack. Having landed switch it off as part of the after landing checks to prevent it overheating and burning the element out.
Enjoy the flight.
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