Hey Sweetheart! Flying Dinner Tonight?

Pretty romantic to take your sweetheart out to dinner in a private aircraft for two. Nice beautiful day with balmy temperatures and no sign of turbulent or violent weather. The airport with the nice food is only seventy five miles away with  reservations at 8:15. 

One other thing - the dew point/temperature spread  is only four degree Fahrenheit. this is a potentially dangerous situation on the return trip from that nice dinner. Instrument rated or not, the arrival back home is questionable.

Generally speaking, the night radiates the heat of the day and the night air becomes cooler. If the humidity is high the difference between the dew point and actual temperature becomes less and less.

When the temperature/dew point are the same a cloud forms. Close to the ground we call it fog. Our happy couple are now faced with a return marred by fog. The airport has suddenly become shrouded and, if not planned for, a tragic end to a wonderful evening might happen. 

Don't let this happen to you. The lack of turbulence or noticeable winds make the formation of fog a distinct possibility given the temperature/dew point spread.

A Great Organization: The Civil Air Patrol

The Civil Air Patrol performs emergency services that includes search and rescue along with disaster relief. Aerospace education programs for youth and the general public are provided and cadet programs for teenage youth. Recently, the CAP has joined with homeland security and courier service missions.

 While the CAP is sponsored by the United States Air Force it is not an operating component under the air force or the federal government. The CAP is not governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The CAP is a major operator of single-engine general aviation aircraft used in orientation flights for cadets and provide emergency services. The CAP members become licensed pilots because of their extensive flying opportunities.

The CAP is based on local involvement through out the United States and provides a wonderful learning opportunity for those interested in aviation safety and emergency services.

Check out the location of the CAP Chapters where you live.

Flight Service Stations - Serving Pilots

Need preflight briefings? NOTAMs? Opening and closing flight plans? These are a few of the services provided to pilots that need extra information that helps for a safe flight.

They are not air traffic controllers (ATC) that provide, for instance, instructions, clearances or separation of aircraft from one another.

Pilot reports are actual inflight conditions or ground conditions that may affect safe landings and takeoffs.

Navigational aids are monitored for safe flight. If one or more are under repair or out of service, along your route, that information is available.

The Flight Service Stations operate at mandatory frequency airports that don't have actual ATC folks physically present.

If you fly from small, uncontrolled airports the Flight Service Stations are invaluable. They Provide safety information and, when possible, presenting  their services to Aviation Flight Service seminars.

New Horizons we can Learn 

We use, when we can see it, the actual horizon, when we fly CAVU. When we have our plane trimmed for level flight the horizon become important.

If we scan the horizon, in small segments, it allows us to pick up other planes. At large distances we can't tell whether they are coming towards us or away from us.

If the image is on the horizon it is flying at the same altitude as our plane. If it ascends above the horizon a few minutes later, in the distance, it is gaining altitude and will pass above our plane.

Same observation with a plane descending below the horizon.

Do not forget, in a private plane, to include in your scan a look below and above the immediate vicinity of your plane. These "close encounters of a devious kind" can kill you.

An airliner cannot see well below or above itself. You must make sure your airspace is clear.

Our eye vision is complicated. If an object remains in the same position for several minutes on your retina, it no longer perceives the presence of the image in the brain. This is why you scan in small segments so a plane on a collision course with you is seen so you can take evasive action.

In practice, this occurs often in driving, when a person is hit by a car from the side at an intersection the remark, "I never saw him", is often heard.

This is when the angle doesn't change between your plane and the plane you eventually collide in your vision. This lack of change causes the object to remain on your retina at one spot,without moving. The retina becomes less sensitive to the stimulus and doesn't send signals to the brain that would stimulate a response. The brain, without stimulation, interprets nothing.

Another example of this lack of change, in the angle of observation, is predicting when a train car will pass over the top of your automobile as you pass under an overhead track. this wil hold true if your speed and the trains remain constant.

Caught Above a Cloud Base?

Student Problem:

Cessna Skylane is the plane. Conditions:

 Cloud Base is 2,000 above ground level.

Overcast layer is extensive with no breaks and approximately 1,500 feet thick.

 No icing conditions.

Air is stable with light winds. 

You're in training for your Instrument Rating.

Plane is a rental not equipped for Instrument flying except for a basic panel.

You have 200 hours in this particular rental plane.

Your training is in a Instrument Rated plane, is also a Cessna Skylane equipped with a full panel and loaded with electrical equipment intended for Instrument flight.

You have practiced stall recovery to level flight under the "hood" with your instructor during your instrument training.

 In your rental aircraft your are in a very isolated area out of reach of ATC Centers and any reliable electronic guidance system, like a VOR.

You have enough fuel for one hour of flight that can get you to a uncontrolled airport.

You cannot out-fly the overcast with your remaining fuel.

Answer The Student Problem:

What would you do to reach the clear visibility under the cloud layer? 

Is there more than one solution?

Are any of your solutions legal? 

What is the major risk, in your opinion?

Support your opinions in a reply, or replies, to this Blog problem.

If you have a active Ground School this answer can serve as a training problem.

This was presented to me many years ago by my Instrument Flight Instructor.

Use The Reply to Post Feature

Water and Snow Landings - Where is the Surface?

Divers know the advantage of a gentle spray on the surface of a pool prior to a difficult dive. It allows them to judge where they are with respect to the surface. Amphibians may or may not enjoy that luxury.

The visual illusion, with respect to water, is a pilot perceives he is higher than he really is. He may inadvertently lower the nose of the plane ,with serious consequences, if he doesn't catch his mistake early in his landing  procedure.

One way to tell if the surface is "glassy" is reflections. If reflections are seen, it calls for a "glassy surface" approach.

The problem, for a pilot, is the different kinds of glassy surfaces. Full reflection, partial, "come and go" reflections plus variations that are unique to a lake you visit often. All of these are perceptual and require a power on approach that lowers the plane onto the surface gradually.

Bush pilots deal with water surfaces daily in their work. Their advice is good.