Category: Tips

Who’s got the best chart?

Posted on July 31, 2019 by - Navigation - PPL, Tips

Having been flying around Western Europe recently, I’d like to share some observations about different presentations of the ‘standard’ ICAO chart.

Some obvious differences:

  • Controlled airspace is depicted in different colours in different countries
  • French and German airspace is much simpler than UK airspace – none of those complicated slivers of airspace which we have in the UK, with poor altitude notation which just beg to be infringed.
  • German charts fold out east-west in panels about A5 size. So if you are travelling north – south, you need lots of charts
  • French charts are bigger and generally on flimsy (but easily folded) paper.
  • Our laminated UK charts are huge and require pre-folding before getting in the cockpit!

Personally, I find the French and German charts much easier to read than our UK charts.

Some less obvious differences:

  • French charts do not show VRP’s around airfields – you need to look at the airfield plates in the AIP for these – or use SkyDemon
  • French and German charts show the frequency to use for a Flight Information Service (our UK charts do not), and the sector boundaries for the frequency. And that frequency is typically also the one to use for a class D clearance, so the RT can be seamless. The font and lines are green in France and blue in Germany, and depicted on the chart itself.
  • The Dutch chart shows FIS sector boundaries on a little inset map.
  • On the back of the German chart is a handy diagram showing how the air-space structure works .
  • French and German charts do not have RPS (Regional Pressure Setting) regions.
  • On French charts, magnetic variation is shown on a little schematic map – you won’t find the isogons on the chart itself. In the UK and Germany, the lines are on the main chart.
  • In France and Italy, the charts show obligatory VFR routes (some require radio, others not) – in France these are typically out to the islands including the Channel Islands.

As with all things in flying, a little study beforehand is always worthwhile!

 

More SkyDemon tips

Posted on July 26, 2019 by - Navigation - PPL, Planning tools, Tips

We’re just back  from a fly-out to Brittany. It didn’t go according to plan due to incoming bad weather. So we were improvising our routes. This led me to jot down some tips for using SkyDemon away from home.

Before you go….

  • Invest in a ‘chunky battery’ – a 20,000mAh pack costs around £25, and guarantees power all day, probably several days, on the greediest smartphone
  • Find a way of securing your SD device in the cockpit, out of direct sun – with this week’s temperatures most devices will overheat and shutdown
  • Make sure all routes and relevant aircraft profiles are saved to Cloud, so they are accessible on your mobile device
  • Print airfield plates from original source before leaving. Generally the AIP plate contain more info than SD plates. Alternatively save airfield plates from SD to your device as PDF’s
  • For planned routes, pre-print PLOGs with no wind, GS, heading, time

And while away…

  • Fill out the pre-printed PLOG with the heading, GS and time for the day’s conditions
  • Don’t rely solely on SD just on your mobile device – it could fail, overheat etc
  • While flying, put the mobile device in flight safe mode – the GPS still works and it saves power.
  • For new routes, copy the SD PLOG onto a standard blank PLOG – Pooley’s or whatever brand you prefer
  • On a group fly-out, appoint one person to prepare new routes , and share them by email, WhatsApp etc

 

Preparing for IMCR (or IR(R)) training

Posted on May 19, 2019 by - Advanced training, IMC rating, Tips

Test-ready in the minimum 15 hours flying?

PPL’s often start IMCR training in the belief that they will be ready in 15 hours (10 hours by sole reference to instruments).  In my experience, it takes longer, and this often comes as a personal disappointment and financial shock.

PPL’s come to the course with varying backgrounds – recent PPL’s with only 10 hours post-license issue (the minimum), those with 100’s of hours, converts from microlight flying, and pilots used to operating in easy class G airspace.

Shortcomings in PPL’s experience

Here is a list of what I’ve seen, which I can help students overcome:

  1. Lack of practice / fluency in challenging RT environments (busy CAS, complicated instructions) and accurate read-back
  2. Not thinking ahead – anticipation of what’s coming next
  3. Not knowing how the avionics work (the more so in club aircraft with different bits of kit)
  4. Not flying accurately (trimmed out, constant altitude, heading, rpm setting, constant climb / descent rates and speeds)
  5. Weak ability to interpret pre-flight data (weather, NOTAMs etc)
  6. Inadequate pre-flight preparation (departure and arrival from / to base, clear PLOG, knowing what RT to expect)
  7. Unfamiliarity with basic instrument work e.g. VOR intercept and tracking, and position plotting
  8. Not arriving for lessons well-rested, well-prepared, in good time, focussed etc
  9. Lack of captaincy – which is all about decision making, mental situations awareness, but also the  ability to self-brief, de-brief and critique.
  10. Failing to scan the instruments systematically
  11. Not appreciating the differences between control and performance instruments

The good news

I make these observations not to criticize individuals but to make the point that all of these things can be practiced in the VMC environment (although the last 2 are best done with a safety pilot onboard or while receiving an ATC Traffic Service), by reading and viewing YouTube videos.

So to get the most our of your hard earned cash – practice the basics before starting the course. That way the IMC instructor only needs to spend time on teaching instrument flying, rather than all the supporting skills. Hope this helps.

Mountain flying

Posted on April 19, 2019 by - Chat, Tips

When you read the words mountain flying, you probably think of the Alps, the Rockies or a French ‘altiport’. But there are some mountain considerations even flying in the UK.

Firstly the rules – there is an EASA Mountain Rating – and you must hold it to use some of the high altitude ‘altiports’.

Secondly, no qualification is needed to fly over mountains., just a bit of knowledge and common sense. Today I flew over Wales to Llanbedr, and this prompted me to write down some tips for flying over mountains which I first learnt in Colorado:

  1. MSA – take this very seriously! Aim to be at least 1000 ft above the peaks, and preferably 2000 ft for reasons that are revealed below. Remember that you should base your MSA on peaks on- and off- track. In poor visibility it is easy to wander. Granite hurts!
  2. Updrafts, downdrafts and turbulence – You can expect updrafts on the windward side of mountains, and downdrafts and turbulence on the leeward side. Today, that meant that -with an easterly wind- I found myself reducing power to avoid gaining height as I approached Snowdonia, and encountered a lot of turbulence in the descent in towards Llanbedr. Conversely on the return trip, it was mightily bumpy even at 4000 ft (1000 ft above the highest peaks of Cadair Idris at 3000 ft) but much smoother at 4500 ft.
  3. Fly the valleys or over the peaks? This depends how much you want to climb and how comfortable you feel flying up a valley with rocks on both sides. Fortunately, most UK mountains are low enough that we can generally fly over them – not the case in the Rockies!
  4. Plan your climb and descent – on the way in to Landbedr, I needed to descend from 4000 ft to circuit height – this needs to be gradual to avoid over-cooling the engine. A straight line direct routing may create a very abrupt descent. A slightly circuitous sightseeing route is maybe a good plan. Likewise on departure – I needed to get back up to 4000 ft before heading for the hills.
  5. Know your aeroplane – what climb rate can you expect at 4000 ft? Will a climb from sea-level to 4500 ft cause over-heating? I decided to remove my oil cooler baffle plate for the return journey.
  6. Keep your back-door open – in other words: know which way you will turn and what heading you will fly if something does not go according to plan – poor visibility, reduced climb performance, engine over-heating, severe turbulence etc.

And the by way, it was a great trip.

Best practice PLOG

Posted on March 16, 2019 by - Flight Performance and Planning - PPL, IMC rating, Navigation - PPL, Tips

Do you find that there isn’t enough space on your PLOG to make notes and record clearances?

Have you ever mis-read the columns and flown your ground speed as a heading?

You choose to climb to avoid weather but the base of CAS is hard to read on the chart and is not on your PLOG?
After lots of experimentation and input from students, I have printed some new and improved PLOG pads for VFR and IFR flying. The IFR PLOG also contains all the elements which a VFR CPL pilot needs.
They are designed for clarity, and to avoid the kinds of reading errors which are commonly made on a  crowded A5 PLOG. Guidance on how to use them is given on the Downloads area under Planning Tools.

If you would like some sample sheets to try out, please get in touch.
They are also  available as 25 or 50 sheet pads at a modest cost.

How do you use Skydemon?

Posted on February 15, 2019 by - Navigation - PPL, Planning tools, Tips

It was too windy to go flying last week, so I spent an afternoon thinking about the different ways we can use aviation planning and navigation app’s. I have been a SkyDemon user for some years but I think that this blog is equally relevant to other app’s like EasyVFR and Runway HD.

We can use the app’s in 4 main ways – planning, in-flight navigation, traffic alerting and de-briefing.

In planning mode, we can use it for

  • Planning a route and cruise altitude, avoiding CAS and operating above MSA
  • Checking weather & NOTAM’s
  • Identifying high terrain
  • Creating a navigation PLOG
  • Generating a Frequency list
  • Printing a charts and airfield plates
  • Planning the circuit join
  • Filing flight plan & GAR forms

In flight
I believe Skydemon is best used as back-up to primary navigation using a chart, for occasional position checks and general situational awareness. In that context its commonest uses are for

  • Airspace warnings
  • Terrain avoidance

But it can also help in

  • Finding a difficult-to-spot airfield
  • Emergency navigation e.g. unexpected IMC, VFR on top (flight above cloud), diversions
  • As a back-up instrument set (e.g. GPS altitude, track and Ground speed)
  • ATC position reports
  • Electronic flight bag (EFB) – holding a PLOG, airfield plates, and notepad
  • Joining the circuit
  • Flying a final approach track and glideslope

Traffic warning
The use of SkyDemon and similar app’s for traffic awareness and alerting is growing. They typically use a wi-fi link to onboard EC (electronic conspicuity) devices.

De-briefing
Once we’re back home, the record of our flight helps fill out the log-book, and we can review how we actually did against our planned route and altitude.Whatever your use of the app, it is important to understand the functionality before climbing into the cockpit, and also to check that it is set-up appropriately and consistently for your flight. To help with that, I attach this little check-list.

Happy flying!

 

First time visitor

Posted on October 12, 2018 by - Airfields, Tips

I thought I’d share some experience of visiting new airfields. Occasionally visitors irritate home-based pilots as they don’t follow the circuit, and as a visitor myself I am sometimes uncertain how to go about the circuit join. Here’s how to get it right……

Starting with preparation:

  • Review the flight guide for circuit information – height, position, size / shape, type of join, and whether QFE or QNH is used. Skydemon (other apps are available) can also help here.
  • Make sure you understand the standard overhead join. It cannot always be used, and often it is modified. In some cases, the ‘geometry’ is followed but with modified heights due to CAS, in other cases, the heights are used but the geometry varies for noise abatement reasons.
  • Call for PPR and get a briefing – even if PPR is not required
  • If the wind is variable, plan for the possibility of a runway change and a different join
  • Decide what features will lead you to the airfield if it is difficult to spot – GoogleEarth is a great resource for this
  • If uncertain, ask advice from an instructor or someone familiar with the destination

And in flight:

  • A GPS, such as Skydemon may help you find the field if it is difficult to spot.
  • Call up in good time; monitoring the frequency will give situational awareness – how many aircraft are in the circuit, which circuit is used etc.
  • A standard overhead join (if allowed) gives you more time to spot the field and, get oriented and integrate with other traffic.
  • Look out carefully for other traffic, and listen out, especially for aircraft using a student call sign
  • Integrate considerately into the circuit – traffic already in the circuit has right of way over traffic joining. Calling ‘joining left base’ or ‘long final’ means you are beyond the circuit and joining in a non-standard way – you don’t have right of way!
  • Don’t expect everyone to be in exactly the right place – they may be visitors, or students.

A few examples illustrate some of these considerations:

  • Fenland EGCL uses a standard overhead join, which makes it easier to locate the field (it can otherwise be hard to spot without GPS), but you may use other joins if traffic permits.
  • Peterborough Conington EGSF uses standard overhead join heights, but for noise-abatement, the overhead join is offset from the landing threshold and the crosswind leg follows an old runway alignment and is not perpendicular to the runway in use.
  • Coventry EGBE lies under the Birmingham CTA, so the circuit is flown on QNH, an overhead join is not possible and you may wish to join downwind, or on a base leg (giving way to existing traffic).
  • Larger (towered) airfields like Norwich EGSH will instruct you how to join. They generally give the most expeditious route – to downwind, base or straight in, depending on the direction from which you arrive.

Partial power loss

Posted on July 27, 2018 by - Chat, Tips

From time to time, the CAA informs instructors and flying schools of topics which deserve additional attention. A recent one is ‘Partial Power Loss’.

We’ve all practiced EFATO’s and PFL’s, with an abrupt and total loss of power. Partial power loss is much more insidious. It’s easy to accept a poor climb rate, without realising what is happening, and there is always the temptation to keep pitching up to maintain a climb, resulting in a power-on stall.

There can be many reasons for partial power (e.g. plugs fouled, one magneto failed, fuel flow restriction, carb ice, failure of a constant-speed propeller mechanism etc etc) and they can occur at various altitudes. So there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.

As general rules

  • maintain an airspeed not lower than best glide speed, or not less than Vx with obstacles to clear
  • understand what rpm in your aircraft is sufficient to maintain altitude
  • be ready for total power loss.

If you suffer partial power loss, first ask the question can I still climb? If so, climb to a safe altitude, and if close to the airfield, fly a close-in circuit and land. Don’t hesitate to make a PAN or MAYDAY call. If partial power occurs on a cross country route, and you can maintain altitude, them proceed cautiously to the nearest airfield and seek a straight in approach. Of course, I’d be looking for fields along the way, in case the engine fails. If you are not maintaining altitude, then a forced landing is inevitable, but the residual power gives you a little bit more choice and flexibility of location.

The ATSB in Australia have published a good document on the subject. It’s worth a read and can help think through some scenarios for our own aircraft. You may wish to try some of these with an instructor.

Weather decisions

Posted on July 20, 2018 by - Chat, MET - PPL, Tips

It’s been a while since the last blog – I’ve been making the most of the exceptionally good weather. Forecasts for the last few days have included the possibility of thunderstorms and showers, so perhaps a few words on weather decision making are in order.

Some weather decisions are straightforward. If the observed cloud base or visibility are below VFR minima or your personal minima, you don’t go. If the cross wind is greater than the demonstrated aircraft limit, or your personal limit, you don’t go. You may think twice if the 2000 ft winds are greater than 35 knots: you could anticipate turbulence, ground speed into wind will be painfully slow, and the offset between track and heading may be confusing for cross-country navigation.

It gets a bit trickier if the forecast is poor but set to improve or vice versa. A BECMG trend in a TAF will always give a time range – so how to tell  when the weather will improve or worsen? Here are a few tactics:

  • Look at the actuals (METAR’s) upwind, and see what the trend is there. Similarly, you can call your destination airfield and ask what they observe.
  • Look at the visible satellite images on the Met Office website to see what the cloud trend is.
  • Examine the rainfall radar and observe how quickly the rain is coming in, and whether if is worsening or dissipating.
  • If similar trends have been forecast several days running, it may be reasonable to assume that the timing will mimic previous days. For example, in winter low cloud or fog early in the morning may be forecast to lift to reasonable VFR conditions later. Successive days have a habit of repeating themselves.
  • Use a more sophisticated tool like Autorouter’s GRAMET tool (details on our Planning >> Weather  page) for another interpretation of the forecast data.
  • Keep the back door open – it is better to fly towards forecast poorer weather, so you have the option of turning back. If you fly away from worsening weather, there is a chance that it will have arrived at your home airfield before you get back!

Another source of uncertainty are PROB30, PROB40 and TEMPO. With student pilots, we will often err on the cautious side i.e. assume these things will happen and not send them on a solo cross-country. But for personal flying, what shall we do? Here are a few tips:

  • ISOL and OCNL in the F215 mean exactly that – the phenomenon (typically showers) will be well-spaced, and it should be possible to fly around them.
  • TEMPO in a TAF means not more than 1 hour at a time, and not more than half the forecast period. So TEMPO +SHRA means we could avoid them by delaying our departure, or avoid a heavy shower at our destination by orbiting clear, if fuel state allows.
  • Weather radar is often helpful, as it can give an impression of how heavy and extensive the showers are, and also if they are intensifying or dying out.
  • And lastly, the trend observed on previous days may – if other conditions are the same (think temperature, pressure, air-mass type) – may also inform your decision.

Happy flying!

QNH Qonfusion

Posted on May 22, 2018 by - Tips

We all know the difference (I hope) between QFE, QNH and QNE. Common practice in the UK is for PPL’s to fly the circuit on QFE, and use QNH for cross-country flights, although CPL’s operate entirely on QNH. There is scope to get things wrong, whether using QFE or QNH:

  • Setting QFE instead of QNH when you depart on a cross country flight means your altitude (referenced to sea-level) is several hundred feet higher than your altimeter shows. At Andrewsfield, which is close to Stansted, this means there is a very real risk of infringing controlled airspace. How to avoid this mistake? After setting your altimeter on the ground, check it against the airfield elevation, and understand any local restrictions on altitude while departing.
  • Military airfields often ask you to fly on their QFE for a MATZ penetration. Forgetting to re-set QNH on leaving the MATZ means you could be several hundred feet higher than the altimeter shows.
  • And finally regional QNH, or Regional Pressure Setting, as it is more correctly known. RPS is not a QNH measurement, it is the lowest forecast pressure in the entire pressure setting region, over the next hour. Why the lowest pressure? Because that guarantees that your MSA (Minimum Safe Altitude) will give you adequate obstacle clearance. The RPS you are using could be quite a bit lower than the local QNH. And the relevance of this is?…. If you are trying to avoid controlled airspace above, you may be higher than your altimeter suggests. How to avoid this mistake? Always fly on the local QNH near CAS. You can get this by tuning the ATIS of the airport within the CAS.

To illustrate this, consider a flight northwards between the airspace of Manchester and Leeds Bradford. CAS starts at 3000ft and there is an obstacle with an altitude of 1925 feet. You decide to fly at an MSA of 2900 ft using the Barnsley RPS of 1002 hPa. You think you are just below the base of CAS, but in fact, if the local Leeds QNH is 1013, you are actually at 2900 + 330 = 3230 ft and inside CAS!