I recently added Airplane Single-engine Sea to my FAA Designated Pilot Examiner authority. My local FSDO (Richmond) has seen an increase in demand for a floatplane (seaplane) examiner and asked me to step up. I conducted my first seaplane evaluation in May and look forward to many more. Seaplanes are just fun!
We are in the planning and setup stages for the 2nd annual Wings and Wheels Festival at the Hinton-Alderson Airport. Last year we had our first Wings and Wheels and things turned out very well. So mark your calendar for September 21st from 11:00 to 4:00! The steering committee attended the auto show coordination meeting at Beckley in February and got our event on the list. This is good news as we now expect a great turn out of “wheels” as well as wings! Cousin Rob has several Tamarac artisans presenting their wares. And the food offerings are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. You can eat while enjoying the sounds of Blue Grass music in the beautiful West Virginia hills! The Hinton-Alderson Airport has a rich aviation history and is set along the banks of the majestic Greenbrier River….this festival has the makings of a fabulous day for families and for anyone who is interested in aviation and automobiles! So pack your cars full, because we have a low $10.00 per car charge for those coming to see the goings on!
Note that there is no fee for official show cars or airplanes. At this time we do not have 100LL or autogas for airplanes. LWB is 15 NM away and has fuel.
Attached is a link to a pdf that will explain what to do if your FAA 8060-4 Temporary Pilot Certificate is expiring due to the government shutdown.
what to do if your temporary airman certificate is expiring soon
The FAA issued AC 90-66B in March of 2018. The AC is available on the FAA.gov website and is a much-needed update to the outdated -66A. A few items of note:
Several instrument approach items are clarified. Aircraft on an instrument approach DO NOT have priority over other VFR traffic, and circling approaches should always be left-hand turns unless the procedure states otherwise (9.6.1). When an aircraft on an instrument procedure is announcing their position, they should not use IFR terms, waypoints, etc. Remember that VFR pilots may be unfamiliar with the terms or locations and/or may not have the publications to look them up. Announce your location and intentions just like a VFR aircraft.
Another it is the use of “any traffic in the area, please advise.” I really don’t know why pilots keep using this phrase when the AIM specifically states that pilots should not use it when arriving at non-towered airports (AIM 4-1-9)g)). This has been in the AIM for decades. This is phrase is also in the note for paragraph 10.3.1 in the AC.
The preferred and alternate methods for entry when crossing midfield on plainly detailed in figure 1. The recommended pattern is 1,000′ AGL, not 800′ (11.4). Turning crosswind when staying in the pattern should happen beyond the end of the runway and within 300′ of pattern altitude (11.8).
As of May 2019, the links in this post to John Deakin’s Pelican Perch articles in AvWeb don’t work. I contacted AvWeb and they are changing servers and conducting some web site maintenance and told me that they expect the links to be back up soon.
The recent change to the commercial Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) eliminated the requirement for a complex airplane on the practical (check ride). This is also true for the single-engine CFI. A brand new commercial pilot can take the check ride in a Cessna 172 and walk across the ramp the very same day with their brand new Commercial temporary pilot certificate and climb in a Cessna Skylane or DA40 with a constant speed prop and take off. So using a non-complex plane for the check ride does not relieve the applicant of the requirement to know about constant speed props and manifold pressure. I like to ask questions during the oral about constant speed props, how the work, and manifold pressure. I don’t expect an applicant to build the airplane but they should have a working knowledge of the systems as a commercial pilot. A CFI applicant should be able to explain and instruct these systems.
One area of confusion is the difference between a constant speed prop on a single-engine piston airplane and a multi-engine airplane. A multi-engine airplane prop feathers (or should!) to reduce drag. A single-engine airplane (at least small piston airplanes) does not feather when the engine fails. It would be nice if the propeller did feather but adding that feature to a small single would add weight and complexity that is just not necessary. So a single-engine prop fails to the low pitch setting. When you walk up to a piston multi-engine on the ramp (e.g., PA-44), you’ll see the prop at flat pitch, not in the feather position. But walk up to a turbine like a King Air, and you’ll notice the prop is feathered. This is because turbines (at least most) are “free turbines” and the prop is not connected to a crankshaft like a piston. The AvWeb website is home to John Deakin’s Pelican Perch series of articles. Mr. Deakin does a great job of explaining airplane “stuff,” and his Pelican Perch #16 does a great job explaining props. While you are there check out #15 on manifold pressure.
Come join us for our first Wings & Wheels event at WV77 on Saturday, 8 September 2018. We have several food vendors, a car club showing up, and various airplanes flying in. So come on out 11:00 – 4:00.
There has been an ongoing discussion about a shortage of DPEs. Pilots seeking check rides have complained about the ability to schedule their evaluation. The FAA is in the process of making some changes in the DPE regulations and procedures that will alleviate some of the problems. That is great, however, let me add my thoughts on things that CFIs and applicants can do to smooth the process. Here is what recently happened to me. A student pilot calls on a Tuesday and wants to schedule a private pilot check ride. I ask some questions and tell him I can do it Sunday morning and that I will text him my email so he can email me contact information. I text, and he replies. I send an info sheet that I have, a fillable pdf, requesting contact info, FTN, CFI name and other pertinent details (aircraft, location, etc.). I always do this, and I require photocopies of his endorsements. I do this because it solves problems up front. I can check the endorsements, review the application after the CFI signs, and fix any issues before we meet. So this happens on Tuesday. I get no acknowledgment, no reply so Friday I send another email requesting the info sheet. He replies but I don’t get the info or the endorsements. On Saturday afternoon, 5:00 pm, I call and ask for the various documents. He sends them around 6:30 and the endorsements are a mess. Most don’t have the date they were signed and are horribly written to the point they are illegible. Several required endorsements were not even in the logbook! I tell him they need to be fixed. In all of this, I have never heard from the CFI. He sends them back at about 10:30, but I’m in bed. I look them over in the morning, and they are weak, but I head to the airport. I get the aircraft logbooks, and the annual has typed out ADs that no one has signed off, and the pitot/static test is stapled in the logbook but has a different tail number! WTF! So I stop this, there are too many things that are unprofessional at best or just plain wrong. So, there went one whole DPE day, done in by lack of due diligence by the CFI. Unfortunately, the applicant is the one who suffers. This is not always the case, the majority of my check rides are spot on. But CFIs and Students must make an honest effort to ensure that the check ride is going to be a go. I’ve had check rides scheduled when the aircraft was known to be in maintenance, and I’ve had folks schedule a check ride a week out only to call the day before to say they are not ready. I realize things happen but planning a check ride and canceling (or being unprepared) wastes everyone’s time.
Can you make the 180º turn back to the airport in the event of an engine failure in a single-engine airplane? This is a subject that is much discussed. There is little time to start making decisions once the engine fails at low altitude, especially when you are in a nose high attitude. One idea is to break the takeoff into altitudes with a planned action for each. 0 – 500′ AGL? Go straight ahead. 500′ – 1000′ – Your path opens to 45º each side of straight ahead. Above 1000′? Turn back. This is simple, and every takeoff is different so the pilot should brief his plan for each departure. I find many pilots overestimate their ability to get back to the runway. Practicing at altitude doesn’t take into account the effect of the 
ground rushing up at you! Check out the takeoff above. This was in my Cessna 170B, but the profile is for a DA-40. The ForeFlight™ Glide Advisor, noted in the green, depicts the furthest point that you could glide with the proper technique. The GPS altitude at the bottom right is pretty close to AGL as this airport (KPHF) is close to sea level. So about 300′ doesn’t look good for turning around. The screenshot below is about 500′, and still, the glide doesn’t look too promising for a turn back
towards the airport. This is a long runway, and I continued down the field before climbing to simulate a “normal” single-engine land airport in which we would cross the departure at maybe 300′ – 400′ or so. Consider your situation, where would you go when your engine quits at your airport? And at what altitude would you make the 180º turn?
I have another AOPA Rusty Pilot seminar coming up on 16 June 2018 at the Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville, MD. Here is a link. The Rusty Pilot seminars are a great way to get back into flying or brush up on your current flying skills. Hope to see you there.
I have two upcoming AOPA Rusty Pilot seminars scheduled. AOPA Rusty Pilot seminars are an excellent way for pilots who have been out of the cockpit for a while to climb back in! We review the regulations and procedures necessary fly as the pilot in command of a VFR flight. The seminars last three hours and you will receive an endorsement for the ground portion of the §61.56 flight review. The first seminar will be hosted by EAA Chapter 915 and held at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport (PKB). The airport is in Williamstown, WV, and seminar will start at 9 am on 21 April. Norby Aviation will host the second at the Southbridge Municipal Airport (3B0) in Southbridge, MA. This seminar will start at 1 pm on 19 May. You may register and find out about other Rusty Pilot presentations at the AOPA Hangar.
Usually, your CFI will contact me about your check ride. Sometimes your CFI will have you contact me directly, and I’m OK with that too. A phone call or an email will work fine. Once we start to firm up a date for your evaluation, I’ll send an email with three documents. One is a request for information such as name, email, phone number, type of rating requested, type of airplane, your FTN as well as a few other items. The FTN (file tracking number) is from IACRA (IACRA.faa.gov) which I use to get to your application. Except for unusual situations, IACRA is used to produce an application, and you will need to log into IACRA when we meet for your evaluation. The next document I’ll send is your scenario for the check ride, and the last is a copy of the privacy act and Pilot’s Bill of Rights. I’m required to ensure you have seen these documents, so I like to send them before the check ride day. The purpose of all of this is efficiency. Your time is valuable, and so is mine and preloading some of the administration requirements smooths the process. Before check ride day, I use your FTN to review your application. That way I can ensure you meet the requirements of your evaluation and that I’m qualified to do it. I can also check that your CFI has e-signed your application in IACRA and review your written test (if one is required). If possible, I would also like photos of your logbook endorsements sent via text. Just take a snapshot with your phone and send it to me as this is another area of check ride drama. If I see the endorsements in advance, we can fix any problem that might exist. The bottom line for endorsements is for the CFI to follow AC 61.65F (as of this post), don’t just use whatever is in the back of the logbook as the regulations may have changed since you purchased your logbook. I’m required to review the aircraft maintenance logbooks and documents to ensure the aircraft is airworthy. So tabbing the required inspections, ADs, etc. speeds up this process. Finally, read the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) or Practical Test Standards (PTS) for your check ride!! These documents tell you what I’m going to expect and they have handy checklists of the items you need to have for check ride day. Following these techniques will help us get off to a great start on the day of your check ride!
Happy New Year! I took a little time off with family and friends at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We have visited for about 15 years now, always in the off season and usually around the holidays. It’s great fun but this year was colder than most. I did run to the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk; very cool thing to do (no pun). But now it’s time for another Rusty Pilot seminar! This one is at the Bay Bridge Airport (W29) in Maryland (right across the bridge from Annapolis). The 3-hour seminar starts at 9:00 and is being hosted by Chesapeake Sport pilot. This seminar is a great review for anyone flying as a §91 pilot and the agenda includes regulations required to fly and be current, maintenance and equipment required for flight, weather, and airspace. The seminar is free for AOPA members who can register here. Not a member? Join here!
I purchased a DJI Phantom 4 drone this summer with the intent to use it commercially. Out of the box the drone is easy to use but one thing has become frustrating; the near constant denials or restrictions on where I can fly. Recently I was on a vacation at the Outer Banks, NC staying near the Wright Brothers memorial. This entire area, including the beach and the house where I was staying was off limits to drones. Apparently not to airplanes buzzing down the beach, but off limits to drones. The DJI app on my phantom controller (viewed through my iPhone) pops up a message that states “you cannot take off” and that’s basically it; I’m toast – no flying here. My son and his fiancé were going down to Jockey’s Ridge to take a hang gliding lesson. Hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge is a popular attraction at the Outer Bank due to the history of the first powered flight. Jockey’s Ridge is a state park and it is not on the DJI restricted flight areas site. However, when I turned on the drone I got a message that I had to acknowledge that stated I was flying in an “enhanced warning zone”. This zone apparently runs from Virginia Beach down south of where I was at Jockey’s Ridge. That’s a diameter of over 60NM! That is as big as the Washington D.C SFRA! But I could unlock this code and fly the drone although there was some type of error with the DJI app that required a frustrating amount of work around. That’s another story that involved some bad language. All of this drama with the drone restricted flight areas made me think about the current efforts to privatize the Air Traffic Control system for airplanes which goes hand in hand with the discussion of user fees. I believe that if you want to see the future of the National Airspace System and user fees then take a look at the DJI Fly Safe map. If you cannot fly drones in these areas then why should airplanes fly in these areas? And if they do, why shouldn’t they pay. You think this is crazy but I’m betting somewhere someone with the power (and need) to create fees, taxes, whatever is thinking exactly this thought. Just putting my 2 cents out there…..
I occasionally present AOPA Rusty Pilot seminars at various locations around the country. I had a great group of 32 at the Green Castle Airport (IA24), IA on 16 December 2017. Don Nelson is the 90 year old patriarch of the airfield and the Green Castle Aero Club. Don and his wife built the small airport on their property and then started the Aero Club in 1993. The goal was (and is) to keep flying safe, fun, and affordable. Don is 90 years old, spry and sharp witted. It was great to have spent a little time with this group of grass roots pilots and aviation enthusiasts. If you would like to brush up on your knowledge of regulations, weather, the new “Basic Med”
program and other subjects you should consider attending a Rusty Pilot seminar. These are free to AOPA members (which I highly recommend) and not just for “Rusty Pilots” but for any general aviation pilot and also could be useful for those folks flying drones these days. If you happen to live near the New Garden Airport (south of Cedar Rapids, IA) you might want to check out the Aero Club. The Green Castle has a C150, C-172, Piper Arrow, an Ercoupe, and an Aeronca Chief.
Highly recommend a podcast by Max Trscott for those getting ready for a check ride. The podcast is Aviation New Talk and was dated 1 November 2017 titled Private Pilot Checkride Prep. Good gouge from DPE Jason Blair.