Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP)-Conroe, KCXO

Present Position Hold

ByHank Gibson February 1, 2015

When I was working on my instrument rating back in 2007, my instructor and I did a lot of unpublished holds.  In ground school, I heard a lot about holding for weather or holding due to a traffic delay.  At my first job, my chief flight instructor was also a Continental (now United) captain and he told me a lot about having to hold for weather going into different places.

I heard all this, but I figured it would never happen to me when I’m flying GA airplanes.

Boy was I wrong!

I was flying a Piper Malibu into Phoenix with two passengers for Super Bowl weekend and the weather was awful.  No thunderstorms, but moderate precipitation and low ceilings.  We were coming into Deer Valley (KDVT) on the north side of Phoenix and about an hour out, ATC advised me that arrivals into DVT were having to hold and to expect a delay.  The controller said the delay would be about 30 minutes, so by doing a quick calculation, I determined the delay would probably be all cleared up by the time I got in the area.  At the time, I didn’t know if the delay was due to weather or traffic congestion.

Twenty minutes later, the controller advised me that there was still a delay.  I queried what it was for and he informed me it was due to weather.  He asked me if I wanted to hold or divert.  I listened to the ATIS and heard the ceilings were variable from just below the minimums to just above.  I told him I would hold as the TAF I saw predicted the ceilings to go up.

“Malibu, hold present position, hold east, expect further clearance 2140 Zulu.”  Gulp.

At this point, my autopilot had gone out, it was turbulent and I was definitely in the soup.  This was going to be fun.

After recovering my wits, I read back the clearance, then set about setting up this hold without getting too far from my present position.  The Malibu I was flying had a Garmin 530 which I was using as my primary means of navigation.  I was on V190, but I didn’t have all the fixes in my flight plan.  What to do?  And what to do fast?

The 530 has a rarely used function called a User Waypoint.  It comes in handy in situations like these.  On the moving map, you can turn the cursor on, move the cursor to any point on the map, and, by pressing enter, create a User Waypoint.  This is what I did on V190.  After I created it, I had to go to my flight plan, find the right spot, and input the User Waypoint just like I would any fix.  Just a note here, when you create a User Waypoint, make sure you remember what you named it so you can find it again.

After I input the User Waypoint in the flight plan, I had to go back and activate the leg that the User Waypoint was the end point on.  Then, to make sure the flight plan didn’t go to the next waypoint once I crossed my User Waypoint, I had to press the OBS button on the 530 in order to put the GPS in suspend mode.

Keep in mind, my autopilot wasn’t working, so this involved a lot of multi-tasking!

That’s how to do a present position hold using the Garmin 530.  Got all that?  Here’s a concise review:

• Create a User Waypoint
  • Turn the cursor on by pressing the FMS knob
  • Move the cursor to the point where you want your User Waypoint
  • Press enter and name the User Waypoint
• Press the Flight Plan button
• Input the User Waypoint into your flight plan at the proper point
• Activate the leg that the User Waypoint is the end point on
• Finally, press the OBS button to put the GPS in suspend mode
• After you’re cleared onward, just press the OBS button again to take the GPS out of suspend mode

AOPA’s Emergency In Person Seminar

ByHank Gibson December 18, 2015

Courtesy AOPA.org

We spend time training for them, but real-world emergencies are rare enough that it’s easy to get complacent. They don’t always happen to “other pilots,” though, and preparation can make a big difference when things don’t go as planned:
• What if you lose 500 rpm during takeoff, but the engine is running smoothly?
• What if the ammeter drops to zero during a flight in IMC?
• What if your left aileron develops a strong vibration in flight?
Our new seminar is full of expert tips on handling those “up here, but wishing you were down there” scenarios. We focus on how to keep abnormal situations from becoming full-blown emergencies, offer advice on keeping critical problems under control, and give our best advice on off-airport landings.

Find an AOPA Emergency Seminar near you!

• Monday January 11, 2016-The Woodlands Waterway, 7pm-9pm
  • 1601 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77380
• Tuesday January 12, 2016-Wyndham Houston West, 7pm-9pm
  • 14703 Park Row Blvd., Houston, TX 77079
• Wednesday January 13, 2016, Holiday Inn San Antonio Airport, 7pm-9pm
  • 77 NE Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78216
• Thursday January 14, 2016, Omni Austin Hotel at Southwark, 7pm-9pm
  • 4140 Governor’s Row, Austin, TX 78744

Checking The Stall Warning Horn

ByHank Gibson April 27, 2019April 30, 2019

When a pilot first glances at the title of this article, the first thought that probably goes through that pilot’s head is, well that’s easy.

And it is, if you are flying a high wing Cessna. On other airplanes, there are a few tricks to checking the stall warning horn. If you get them wrong, you’re liable to get a bill from your maintenance shop for an hour of labor for a problem they couldn’t duplicate.

Cirrus SR22

Let’s start with the Cirrus. On the pre-FIKI Cirrus aircraft, there was a small little hole in the wing that contained a diaphragm. That diaphragm sensed a change in airflow at a certain angle of attack just below the critical angle of attack and set off the stall warning horn. Unfortunately, the only way to check that is to suck on the hole during pre-flight.

I don’t. I verify the hole is clear and that’s about it.

On the FIKI Cirrus aircraft, there is actually a stall warning vane. It looks like a high wing Cessna vane, but if you turn the batteries on and try and get it to come on during your light and pitot heat check, nada.

Here’s the trick, and the checklist doesn’t do a good job of describing this.

• Turn on the Avionics Master
• Turn on the speaker
• Put the flaps to full
• Then move the stall warning vane and you’ll hear the horn

The speaker and the Avionics Master are so you can actually hear the horn (if you had the headset on while you were doing this, the speaker would be unnecessary). The flaps have to be full because the pitch attitude for the critical angle of attack is lower with the flaps down, so the horn goes off when at a different angle. You then don’t have to use as much force to push the vane.

Piper PA46

The early -310P Malibus are pretty simple and straight forward. Move the vane, get the horn.

In the -350P, you can’t get the horn to come on by moving the vane. So, Piper put a stall test button that’s hidden underneath the upper left side of the instrument panel. Push that to test the horn. On the G1000 PA46, it is located directly above the PFD. On the Avidyne, it’s below and to the left of the pilot’s yoke.

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Testing the stall warning horn is a very important part of pre-flight. A pilot needs to know if the aircraft is close to a stall. The advent of Angle of Attack indicators in small, GA aircraft, have added a greater awareness to the angle of attack during all phases of flight to avoid those stall spins.

If the stall warning horn goes off or the AOA shows yellow, lower that nose immediately.

Cirrus SR20 Partnership Forming at KHYI

ByHank Gibson May 24, 2015May 24, 2015

Ever wanted to be a Cirrus owner, but the economics of being a single owner just don’t make sense for you? If you’re in the San Marcos/New Braunfels/Austin area, you now have a chance to join a Cirrus SR20 partnership at the San Marcos Municipal airport, KHYI.

The Cirrus SR20 partnership group is looking for 2-4 more members to buy in to a 2006 or 2007 Cirrus SR20 GTS.  The plane will be kept at KHYI and the group already has a hangar for it.

For more information, please contact Texas Top Aviation at info@txtopaviation.com.

 

Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates

ByHank Gibson August 19, 2014

There are a number of airplanes out there equipped with the Avidyne Entegra PFD and MFD system, most notably the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 models from the early 2000s and the Columbia 350 and 400 from the same era.  The Entegra is pretty simple and easy to learn, but doesn’t have the capability that it’s Garmin glass panel counterparts do (I have not, however, tried the R9, which could prove much more capable than it’s predecessor).  I have found that pilots master the Entegra a lot quicker because of the reduced functionality.

One of the nice features of the Avidyne Entegra is the CMAX Chartview option.  With a yearly subscription, you can get all the Jeppesen approach plates and airport diagrams for the entire US on your MFD.  Just like your GPS, though, you have to update the charts monthly to keep them legal.  After a period of time when you don’t keep up with the updates (I believe it is 90 days), then the charts disappear.

The update process is a little tricky if you don’t have someone to explain it to you.  Once you go through it a few times, you’ll have it down pat.  Here’s the process for the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates.

Jeppesen Subscription

The first step in performing your Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates is to create an account with Jeppesen, who handles all the GPS NavData and MFD Chart updates for both Garmin and Avidyne.  If you already have a Jeppesen subscription, you can skip down to the next section.  To do that, simply go to jeppdirect.jeppesen.com, and then do the following:

• Click on Avionics Data on the upper left hand side
• Click “Purchase Avionics Subscription”
• Then, click on “Create Account” in the new users section
• Once you’ve created an account, login, then put in your aircraft information and select 1 update for the Avidyne Entegra EX500 EX 5000
• Click Continue at the bottom and you can put in your payment information

Software Needed

There are two different programs depending on if you have a PC or a Mac.  If you have a PC, you need the Jeppesen Services Update Manager (JSUM).  If you have a Mac, you need the Jeppesen Distribution Manager (JDM).  Download whichever one you need, then login, and your updates will show up.

Downloading the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates

First, we’ll go through the process of performing the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates process for a Windows computer, using JSUM.    You’ll need two 2 GB USB drives formatted to FAT 16.  Here’s how to format to FAT 16.

• Go to My Computer after inserting the USB drive
• Right click on the drive
• Click on Format, then select FAT and press OK

Once the USB drive is formatted to FAT16, open up the JSUM program.  Login and your updates will be displayed on the screen

• You’ll need to set the Avidyne CMAX Key Code
  • Right click the Avidyne Electronic Charts Service and click Set Avidyne Key
  • To get the key code, visit MyAvidyne.com and create an account using your JeppView subscription number and your serial number for your Avidyne MFD (found on the AUX page) and your PFD serial number (displayed on startup when the PFD is warming up)
  • Once you get the Key Code, copy and paste it in the window and click OK
• Click on the service and click Start
• The program should automatically detect the drive (if it doesn’t, click browse and select the drive)
• Click Continue and the charts will start downloading and automatically programmed to the USB drive
• If you are updating NavData on the MFD as well, follow the same steps as listed above in order to update the NavData

Next, we’ll go through the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates process on a Mac, using the JDM program.  You’ll need two 2 GB USB flash drives formatted to FAT 16 (the easiest way to format to FAT 16 is on a Windows computer, using the process above).

• Open the JDM program and login
• Insert the first USB drive
• You’ll need to set your Avidyne CMAX Key Code
  • Click Service Details under the Electronic Charts Service
  • Click Set Avidyne CMAX Key Code
  • Program automatically detects the USB drive
• Click and drag the Electronic Charts service over to the USB and release
• The service is downloaded and copied to the USB drive automatically
• Eject the USB drive
• Insert the second USB drive (or plug the USB drive in to your MFD, do the update, then reformat the drive) and follow the same steps for the NavData

Updated the MFD with the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates

Once everything is programmed the your USB drives, the rest of the process is simple.  Just go out to your airplane, plug in the first USB drive with the Electronic Charts on it, turn your battery on and the avionics master, and the system will upload the information automatically.  Once it’s finished, turn everything off, pull the USB drive out, then insert the second USB drive and do the same thing.

Now, you’re all updated!

If you’d like to see a video on the process, Jeppesen has some very good videos on the updating procedure.  The links are below.  If you have questions, please contact Texas Top Aviation and an expert will help you through the process.

JSUM USB Programming Procedure

JDM USB Programming Procedure

Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates Upload