Executive Flyers February 2002 Newsletter
Congratulations to:
Brad Andrews for passing his multi-engine instructor checkride;
Aaron Flin and Jeff Robertson for getting their instrument ratings;
Michael Heindl for passing his flight instructor written exam and Mitch Dullanty and Aaron Flin for winning the monthly drawing of an hour of instruction or a month's dues.
Flight hazards
The unusually cold weather we have been having has caused frost to form and the ground and on the airplanes. Remember that even a light coating of frost on the control surfaces can prevent the plane from getting airborne or from climbing when airborne. The frost particles act as very small stall fences and disrupt the smooth flow of air over the wings. You can remove the frost with a warm wet towel or wait until the sun has melted it before taking off. Please do not use any scraper or credit card or other hard object to remove the frost.
Watch for waterfowl flying over the delta and along the path of the instrument approach. If you are on a collision course with a flock of birds, try to fly over them as they will dive when frightened. Keep your taxi or landing light on when flying near flocks of birds. If you have a bird strike, land at the nearest airport to check the plane.
Is that affirmative or roger?
Good radio procedure is the sign of a smart pilot. Knowing what to say and when to say it is essential for the instrument pilot. The private and student pilot who uses correct radio procedure will improve relations with ATC and simplify his or her flying. We all know that the three radio transmissions that we are supposed to repeat are the taxi to a runway, hold short of a runway and taxi into position and hold. For other instructions from ATC you can say, "roger" if you heard everything the controller said and understood it or "wilco" if you heard everything the controller said, understood it and are able to do what he told you to do. Notice that "roger, wilco" is redundant. If the controller asks you a yes/no question, you answer should be either "affirmative" or "negative", never "roger". On initial call up to a controller other than ground or tower, you should say who you are calling, who you are, (Cessna 54661) and "over". After they tell you to go ahead, tell them who you are (Cessna 54661 is a 172/A), where you are (over Elk Grove at 2,500 feet) and what you want (request flight following to Napa). They do not have to play "20 questions" with you if you do this and you will get better treatment since you know correct procedures.
Tiedown and Secure!
Please make sure that you align the aircraft struts with the ground "T", pull the chains tight, set the chocks and insert the control lock in these high wind months. PLEASE bring in any papers, pencils, soft drink cans, candy wrappers, etc. that you took on the trip. If you added any oil to the plane, make sure to enter it at the bottom of the blue tach sheet. Any maintenance required goes at the bottom of the sheet also. When you enter the Hobbs time, please enter the number with one place after the decimal point (36.5). Enter the tach time as a whole number (8354). Round it up if it is above 0.5 on the meter.
Be A Pilot Program
If you know anyone who might be interested in learning to fly, have him check out Executive Flyers. He can also go to http://www.beapilot.com for information about learning to fly and to download an intro flight certificate.
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last modified February 1, 2002 by
callaway@execflyers.com