Two things I learned from this class: PAST. We covered the left turning tendencies associated with multi-engine aircraft quite a bit. I thought the differences in a failed right engine compared to a failed left engine were very interesting. I'm glad we have counter rotating props on our Seminole.
Another thing I learned was Vmc and the importance of maintaining directional control in a multi-engine aircraft. This can be the difference between a safe landing or another type of landing that we don't want to discuss.
I would definitely change the time of the class. 8:00 am is WAY too early. Anytime before noon is a bad time for me. I feel like I could have learned more and been more attentive if I didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn. Although, it is nice to get it out of the way and have the rest of the day to nap.
I liked covering the systems a bit more. They've always made the most sense to me. I'm thinking I should give up on flying and just be a mechanic......or not. I also liked the group work. Discussing with other students is a lot more fun that sitting through lectures and I feel like it helps me learn more.
Like I said, I really didn't enjoy the time that the class was held at. Other than that there wasn't much that was awful. Tests are never fun but those are unavoidable.
The blogging part wasn't bad but I don't think it was really necessary. I liked the things we needed to blog about but don't know if creating a blog was needed. We could have just posted in a discussion board on angel or something. Blogging to me seems a bit more casual which is nice but still not fully necessary.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Blog Post #4 Aspen Arrival
What I thought of the accident? I thought it was sad. The pilots clearly were under a lot of pressure from "the boss" (who is an A-hole btw). I think passengers think that they are invincible and that the pilot can get them wherever they need to go safely no matter what the conditions are. What they don't realize is that we are not all Hunter Villarreal and there are circumstances where we should make a no-go decision, even if it means missing a really expensive dinner.
The accident chain started from the very beginning when the passengers decided to stand around talking in a parking lot instead of sitting around talking on an airplane. Had they taken off earlier they might have missed the bad weather. The pressure from "the boss" made them continue the approach even after they had heard multiple aircraft go missed. I didn't get from the article whether or not the pilots actually did see the runway when they initially continued past minimums but they were very clearly not centered and had to make an unsafe bank to make it there.
I think the pilots should have told their pretentious, snotty passengers too bad they weren't gonna make their dinner. They didn't get to go anyway because they crashed. Their alternate had great weather and they probably could have driven to Aspen in a decent amount of time (just under an hour and a half according to google maps).
If I genuinely believed that a disaster was possible because a passenger was pressuring me to do a flight I was uncomfortable with, I would probably tell them so. You are the professional and in the end you have the last say. My job won't ever be worth my life. It might cause issues for the company but if you decide to go and end up crashing, you're gonna cause problems for the company anyway, might as well be alive to watch, right?
The accident chain started from the very beginning when the passengers decided to stand around talking in a parking lot instead of sitting around talking on an airplane. Had they taken off earlier they might have missed the bad weather. The pressure from "the boss" made them continue the approach even after they had heard multiple aircraft go missed. I didn't get from the article whether or not the pilots actually did see the runway when they initially continued past minimums but they were very clearly not centered and had to make an unsafe bank to make it there.
I think the pilots should have told their pretentious, snotty passengers too bad they weren't gonna make their dinner. They didn't get to go anyway because they crashed. Their alternate had great weather and they probably could have driven to Aspen in a decent amount of time (just under an hour and a half according to google maps).
If I genuinely believed that a disaster was possible because a passenger was pressuring me to do a flight I was uncomfortable with, I would probably tell them so. You are the professional and in the end you have the last say. My job won't ever be worth my life. It might cause issues for the company but if you decide to go and end up crashing, you're gonna cause problems for the company anyway, might as well be alive to watch, right?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Blog Post #3 SPIFR
I had never considered whether or not I would fly single pilot IFR. I know people that would have no problem with it but I think personally, at this point in my training, I would not. Maybe if it was an emergency of some sort. But I wouldn't just go out for fun and play in ridiculous clouds. The chart in the article that shows a pilot's confidence compared to his or her competence I don't think is very accurate. I think mine might be opposite (I have higher competence usually than confidence). I don't feel that I would be able to handle all of the tasks that are required of a pilot in IFR conditions alone.
I thought the article had really good tips about flying SPIFR:
I thought the article had really good tips about flying SPIFR:
- Plan well before the flight.
- Always watch weather trends and go over charts again and again.
- Make sure all maintenance and inspections have been done on time
- Be comfortable with the type of aircraft you are flying
- Keep very well organized in the plane
- Get clearances, load GPS, radios, Nav aids etc while you are on the ground
- Monitor weather while in flight
- Maintain positional and situational awareness
- Stay ahead of the aircraft. Always be thinking of the next step
- Give yourself more than enough time to brief approaches
- Stay current and proficient
Monday, September 5, 2011
Blog Post #2 Electrical Fires
This article was pretty brief. It gave basics of what to do in the event of an electrical fire. It made a point of telling the readers to find an immediate place to land, to do whatever you can to locate the source of the fire. I don't know if I would be able to do this if it actually happened to me. I know that the most important thing is to first fly the plane and find an appropriate place to land but in all honesty, I would probably be pretty focused on trying to put out the fire first. (I should work on that). I know it's probably common sense to not try to reset a circuit breaker if you suspect that it could cause a fire but I'd never really thought about it specifically before.
Currents take the path of least resistance. If there is any damage to the wire the current will continue to flow through whatever the nearest conductor is. The current can eventually exceed its rating and causing a fire.
The procedure for our Seminole checklist is pretty much the same as what the article suggests. Our procedure is obviously more specific to our aircraft. Basically you want to turn off anything electric because that is where the fire is coming from. There was a tip in the article: "If there’s smoke in the cockpit, you may need to open a door, window, or vent to let in fresh air. Or not." Our checklist tells us specifically not to open vents.
Hopefully I will never have to experience an electrical fire but there's probably a good chance that I will. I feel fairly confident at this point in my training that I would be able to follow the checklist and land safely without completely freaking out. I remember talking with an instructor about the different smells of an engine fire and electrical fire. I think it's hard to explain but hopefully I would be able to recognize one over the other as it was happening so I could do the correct procedure (I'm kind of bummed the article didn't go into that).
Currents take the path of least resistance. If there is any damage to the wire the current will continue to flow through whatever the nearest conductor is. The current can eventually exceed its rating and causing a fire.
The procedure for our Seminole checklist is pretty much the same as what the article suggests. Our procedure is obviously more specific to our aircraft. Basically you want to turn off anything electric because that is where the fire is coming from. There was a tip in the article: "If there’s smoke in the cockpit, you may need to open a door, window, or vent to let in fresh air. Or not." Our checklist tells us specifically not to open vents.
Hopefully I will never have to experience an electrical fire but there's probably a good chance that I will. I feel fairly confident at this point in my training that I would be able to follow the checklist and land safely without completely freaking out. I remember talking with an instructor about the different smells of an engine fire and electrical fire. I think it's hard to explain but hopefully I would be able to recognize one over the other as it was happening so I could do the correct procedure (I'm kind of bummed the article didn't go into that).
Monday, August 29, 2011
Blog Post #1
During this class I hope to get really awesome knowledge about planes with multiple engines. I really enjoyed learning systems of the arrow (the propeller mostly) so I'm excited to go more in depth into these systems. I am a little nervous for learning a completely new aircraft. Hopefully it wont be as scary as starting out for the first time.
I have never blogged before and so far I am very confused on setting the whole thing up. I think my blog will probably stay pretty boring until I have enough time to really sit down and fiddle with it to make it awesome. I've never done homework assignments this way and I will probably have to warm up to it. It's very different.
I have never blogged before and so far I am very confused on setting the whole thing up. I think my blog will probably stay pretty boring until I have enough time to really sit down and fiddle with it to make it awesome. I've never done homework assignments this way and I will probably have to warm up to it. It's very different.
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