Articles | Index

Unusual Attitudes 2007-10-11
During the proficiency phase of hood work 'unusual attitudes' should be practiced. This means that you will put on the hood, close his eyes, lower or raise his head while the instructor flies. The instructor will make a series of slow and rapid flight movements designed to disrupt the flow of fluids in the inner ear. After such a series the student will be told to recover the aircraft through use of the instruments. When visual cues are missing the inner ear and kinesthetic systems kick in. When vision is re-admitted confusion occurs. Panic often ensues when an unusual attitude occurs without warning. The unusual attitude instruction must emphasize faith in and use of the instruments, especially the attitude indicator. If the instructors efforts succeed, the recovery will be difficult for the student due to sensations of vertigo. Vertigo is a physical condition where the victim suffers symptoms such as spatial disorientation, inability to perform and intellectual confusion. The instinct to trust our senses causes these problems. This instinctive trust must be transferred to reliance on the aircraft instruments through training. Until this transfer is completely accomplished safe IFR flight is not possible. The ability to recognize and recover from a rudder caused unusual attitude is a good skill best acquired through aerobatic instruction. The recovery from unusual attitudes proceeds through several steps depending on the aircraft attitude and airspeed. If the aircraft/engine noise is high, reduce the power, correct any bank, raise and level the wings on the AI horizon. If the aircraft/engine noise is low, apply full power, correct any bank, lower and level the wings on the AI horizon. Be aware that the instructor may have applied flaps, trim, or covered instruments to make the recovery more difficult. Knowing how to correctly recover from non-spinning unusual attitudes is important. More aircraft and pilots are lost because they try to pull the yoke to recover a nose-down, semi-inverted unusual attitude than from spins. Use ailerons to roll upright. A non-aerobatic pilot must avoid making the initial reaction which is pulling back on the yoke. More often than not this makes the situation worse. This is specifically true when in a steep bank or inverted. In a spiral, pull the power off, coordinate aileron and rudder to level wings and recover with less than 2 Gs. If wake turbulence puts you into a steep bank or turns you upside down you must first reduce power, move the yoke forward and roll the ailerons to get upright. Any other procedure will over-stress the aircraft. Unusual attitudes are unintentionally entered by pilots who overestimate their ability and competence while underestimating the weather conditions. Begin by being caught on top of a cloud layer. Follow by a sense of being lost because you no longer have the same sensory aids you are used to having. You can't chart progress except electronically. Instinctively the pilot will turn and fly to where he wants to be, not necessarily where he wants to go. A private pilot with the minimum required hood time will maintain control about seven seconds on entering IFR conditions. This can be prevented only by getting on the instruments and executing a 180° level turn. Failure to act or to act improperly on entering IFR conditions is very likely to destroy the aircraft in the air. Slow up on entering turbulence, keep a light touch on the controls and keep the aircraft level, freely allow altitude changes, and don't attempt any turns. Below clouds things appear differently, augmented by a desire to keep the surface in sight, the pilot will fly under and around visual obstructions in an ongoing belief that things will get better. They may, but I you haven't checked the weather ahead, they probably won't. You must know which way the weather is moving in relation to your flight direction. It forecasts and winds say the weather is better from whence you came, turn around even though the illusions of improvement ahead exist. Among the disadvantages of flying below the clouds is the instinctive loss of altitude any time you need to improve visiblity. Visibility may improve but you are in the process of destroying your ability to communicate. Now a situation that could have been resolved with ATC help is running out of options. As a student this should be a 'hood' exercise with your instructor Add a dose of air contaminated fuel tanks and an approaching need to descend even further and enter clouds and we need to have pre-planned a few years ago what would be the most appropriate thing to do. Without training and planning stress will so focus your attention that your recovery will be in doubt. Your arrival on the ground is a certainty. Getting there safely is dependent you how well you exercise mental and aircraft control. We should have worked out these options while a student long before reaching this crisis. Aircraft control is the essential element. Written by Gene Whitt Comment		External Links  Recent articles The Compass The ancients recognized the pole star as being a constant reference for determining direction The Norsemen in the 11th century used a needle of... Operating Without a MEL (Minimum Equipment List) P B Minimum Equipment List B P P Most older aircraft have been certified without a MEL but everything operational... About Students ol li A student won #39;t learn from those they distrust BR li A student won #39;t improve unless told what... Bits and Pieces ul li Tolerance to lack of oxygen decreases proportionately with age BR li Patience... Pilot Error 50 Years Ago P In December of 1947 an Air Force study released the following analysis of pilot errors that precipitate accidents There is no reason to think things have... Before Takeoff Check Emergency procedures review BR Door belts smoke engine BR POH distances and performance BR Departure plan review BR Clearing BR... Why Accidents Happen ul li 75 of accidents involve poor pilot judgment with reference to his ability knowledge or capability BR... Fitting The Hood P The hood should be fitted prior to engine start Note that the attitude indicator has both a wings level and a level index mark at its... Soft Field In ground effect to Vy remove flaps at 200í BR Climb at Vy 10 and 5 knots ... A Training Program P I make a practice of having prospective students come to my home office for a couple of hours to discuss flying I request that... The Takeoff P The runup is completed and the trim is set for takeoff We have used our pre takeoff and takeoff checklist and have been cleared by the... Military Instruction Instruction that uses the stair step approach is predicated on the absence of surprises A military preflight can take hours In my own... Runup P Use a run up checklist Always face the wind Engine cooling is the reason We are not teaching a flying career made only... Keeping Anger in its Place P What turns a student the wrong direction can be the sudden onset of a series of failures The myriad of emotional reactions; anxiety panic ... Descending Mechanical Failure Frequency 1 Clogged fuel system BR 2 Throttle mixture control BR 3 Oil line BR 4 Clogged... What's New With so much history in the past I would like to take you into the future: BR I am most proud of my... It's About Judgement P In flying there are as many ways to gain skill and experience as there are pilots Time alone is a very poor criteria Once pilot... Dehydration P Human need for 2 4 quarts of water a day You become thirsty with a deficit of 1 5 quarts of body fluids or 2 of... Emergency Procedures Use of checklist BR Emergency descent BR Situations where required BR Advantage of using flaps BR Speeds within 5 knots BR ... Side Notes 1 The Law of Firsts Haviland #39;s quot;The first time you do you shouldn #39;t have The first time you don #39;t... Inspections P FAR 43 11 a b Type description date total time signature certificate type and number; approval or disapproval for return ... Service Bulletin P Issued by manufacturer about service problems and solutions The solution is not mandatory as with an AD P ... Reaction and Anticipation P In searching for an appropriate place for this material I was surprised at how often the terms appeared the variety of context and application to... Windsock The word sock is from the colloquial French meaning close in or conceal When an airport was `socked in #39; the windsock was taken... S-Turns P The two downwind and two upwind turns of the S turn combine the four quadrants of the left and right turns about a point The technique... Its About Time... The next major step in aviation measurement came from the Greeks about 2500 years ago The Greeks sought rules for the way number ideas seemed to work ... Measures As pilots we are generally unaware and or uneducated as to the debt that aviation owes to those scientists and mathematicians who preceded the Wright brothers... Knowing Know He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool shun him BR He who... Training Attitudes A casual approach to flying can be hazardous Flying requires considerable planning and rethinking of the options as the flight progresses The midset... VFR Midairs 82 occur by one aircraft being overtaken from the rear BR 35 occur with convergence less than 10 degrees BR ... Instruction use of MS Flight Simulator I can MS Simulator be a helpful for my flight training i p At the end of WWII I was... Smoothness Piloting skill is usually poorly defined unless the smoothness factor is included It is only by the smallest increments of control pressures that a skilled... Names And What Bell decibel BR Morse code BR Doppler frequency change BR Mach speed of sound BR ... Where's The Problem? When an instructor becomes upset over a student #39;s performance the student could well consider that the problem lies with the instructor An... The Plotter The first aircraft plotter was invented by a Naval officer named Weems He adapted the much larger shipboard plotter into a plastic model which... Repairs P The main difference between a 100 hour inspection and annual inspection is that the airframe and power plant mechanic can sign off the 100 hour but the... Warning Areas P Same as Restricted area but over international waters beyond 3 mile P P limit of our borders Contains hazards related... The Johnson Bar One unlikely aircraft feature was derived from the steam engine The Johnson bar was used to control the amount of steam and hence the... Pre-start/Start Checklist P Once in the aircraft we begin the pre start tape recording Seats doors window open belts FAR 91 107 requires the pilot ... Teaching Airplane English I am in the process of #39;re treading #39; two pilots who have radio problems They are both experienced complex high performance ... Airworthiness Directive P B AD Compliance Record B P P Aircraft No: Make: Serial Number P ... Why Ground Reference? P One of the weakest parts of flight instruction is the failure of the instructor to let the student know the #39;why #39; of some of the... PTS Oral/Flight Test Meet with examiner before the tests and ask relevant questions BR Examiners weight BR Cross country plan BR Weather contingencies BR Cost... Judgement of Limitations B The ability of a student to plan a safe flight or flying activity is determined by his judgment of his limitations It ... Major CFI Applicant Problem Areas P middot; Not fitting lesson to student level BR middot; Too much talking without check on comprehension BR middot; Avoiding unknown an... Post-start Flap setting BR Trim setting BR Mixture leaning BR Radios BR ATIS BR Engine Instruments ... River Flying with Steep Turns P On some subsequent lesson it is well to select an upwind track along a very S shaped course By flying upwind the relative ground speed... Systems Malfunction Use of checklist BR Power loss BR Rough or hot engine BR Carburetor or induction icing BR No oil pressure BR ... Homebuilt Statistics 2 of planes are homebuilt #133;they have 10 of the accidents and are twice as likely to be totally destroyed P ... Thoughts on Thoughts ul li Flying is not dangerous; crashing is dangerous BR li Flying is the perfect vocation for a man who wants to...  Related Links
©2010 4VFR.COM, All Rights Reserved	Powered by 4vfr.com