Recurrent Flight Training

ByHank Gibson

As all pilots know, the Federal Aviation Regulations require licensed pilots to go through recurrent flight training in the form of a Flight Review every 24 months.  The regulations require 1 hour of ground review and a 1 hour flight.  This is all that a pilot has to do to legally maintain his or her VFR currency to fly alone in an airplane.  Of course, when passengers are aboard, the pilot has to have done 3 takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days.

What if the pilot in question hasn’t flown in 20 years?  All the regulations require is 1 hour of ground review and a 1 hour flight.  Kind of scary, isn’t it?  (Any instructor worth his salt would not, however, turn a pilot loose with just those flight review minimums if they haven’t flown in 20 years without an extensive amount of recurrent flight training)

Now, a lot can happen in 2 years in between those flight reviews.  Regulations change, airspace is modified, and skills change (for the better or worse, most often for the worse over a period of not flying).   For a current pilot who flies once or twice a week, those minimums are no problem.  Here’s the thing, though.  Even those current pilots typically don’t do a lot of stall practice or emergency procedure practice on their own.  These are the most critical areas of flight and to only do them every two years leads to a lot of rust building up, sometimes even causing safety concerns in some instances.

Recurrent Flight Training

How to remedy this?  Scheduling recurrent flight training as often as possible with a good instructor who puts you through your paces.  Do this often enough and stalls will become second nature.  The stall warning horn goes off?  Well, lower the nose and add power.  Engine failure?  Switch tanks and set best glide.  Recurrent flight training allows you to become as familiar as possible with your airplane, allowing you to know what to do in every circumstance.

What’s a good recurrent flight training schedule?  There are several options out there.  The WINGs program is a pretty good option, though you will only have 3 flight training sessions in those two years instead of 1, but it’s a good start.  In recent years, the FAA has put out Advisory Circular 61-98B encouraging pilots to begin personal currency programs for themselves.  The suggested schedule for VFR recurrent flight training is every 4-6 weeks.

Faa safety team

Texas Top Aviation highly recommends this suggested schedule, for both VFR and IFR.  The AC doesn’t have a specific recommendation for IFR recurrent flight training, but flying 2-3 approaches a month with an instructor helps keep pilots as proficient as possible in the IFR environment.   This way, the instructor can introduce circumstances in a controlled environment that simulate abnormal conditions that might possibly be encountered in flight.  If those abnormal conditions are encountered, then it will be second nature on how to handle them, leading to less accidents and safer flying habits.

Try to schedule your recurrent flight training every 4-6 weeks and your piloting skills will stay top notch, keeping you safe and proficient in every circumstance.

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  • Oh, Deer (Part 3)

    ByAndrew Robinson

    Read Part 1 & Part 2

    Throughout the whole event, I learned quite a few things both about flying and about myself. Here are some of the lessons which I have taken away from the accident:

    1. No flight is routine: When I took off that morning I was about as relaxed as I could have been while going to fly. I was flying an airplane that I knew well, in beautiful weather, to familiar airports and even carrying passengers which I had taken on this exact trip more than a dozen times. The accident brought into startling clarity that anything can happen at any time. I had done everything right that morning (preflight, weather briefing, planning, etc) , and none of that did anything to stop the deer from jumping out onto the runway. All we can do is ensure the items we do have control over are covered and try to be prepared to deal with anything else that arises. This ties directly into my next point:
    2. Making sure everything is correct: When you do go fly, make sure that you have all your paperwork and personal details taken care of. I can think of a few times over the course of my flying career where something wasn’t quite right with the paperwork, or perhaps I had forgotten my wallet and I was tempted to go fly anyway. “It’s 8pm on Sunday, I’m not going to get ramp checked.” Well, I can assure you that the paperwork and questionnaires which were required to be submitted to the FAA, NTSB, and Insurance companies would have uncovered any discrepancies in my logbooks, currency, or legality. It isn’t worth the risk of flying without having everything in place just in case something happens. It isn’t just a random ramp check which can get a pilot into trouble.
    3. Ask for help: The story of my collision with a deer would have had a very different outcome if it weren’t for the help that I received from countless the people on the ground. If you’re ever in a situation where you could use a hand, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If I had simply turned around and landed back at Wings, I wouldn’t even have had any idea that my landing gear was missing! The people in the control tower, the maintenance guys, the approach controllers in Philly, the emergency responders, and many more people all played their part in orchestrating a successful outcome.
      Airplane sitting on the runway after the firefighters had checked it out
      Photo credit: www.lancasteronline.com
    4. Dealing with the Paperwork: I have had dealings with the FAA before, but never for an accident. I was afraid that the investigation would be a witch hunt and I would have to defend myself while someone poured over all my planning and paperwork looking for potential errors. But, my fears were totally unfounded. Although I did have to answer many phone calls, write many reports, and fill out much paperwork, the FAA, NTSB, and Insurance companies were very patient in waiting for my responses and even complimentary in how the situation played out. I really enjoyed working with all of them and appreciated their encouragement and help.
    5. Emotional Response: After the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared, I was left standing on the side of the runway with the passengers and my boss. I offered to fly them back to Philadelphia or continue to Pittsburgh and assured our Chief Pilot that I was feeling fine and ready to fly again. Fortunately, there wasn’t a need. Over the next week or two, I noticed a change in myself. I wasn’t fine. I have never had headaches, but shortly after I landed I developed a headache that didn’t go away for days. I had trouble focusing on anything and I had trouble finding motivation to do much but sit and stare at a wall. I wasn’t sharp and I caught myself making silly mistakes in my normally routine activities. I wasn’t depressed, or sad, it was just an unwanted mental and physiological response to the stress and shock of what happened that morning in the Baron. I didn’t feel like myself for quite some time and I even found myself a little on edge whenever I lined up for takeoff on subsequent charters for while afterward. Eventually I started to feel normal again, but it was a slow process.
    6. Feather the Props: I can’t tell you what a difference it makes when those props go from wind milling to feathered. It became clear to me that feathering a prop could make a huge difference in deciding the outcome of an emergency situation.
    7. Good training and checklists usage: This one is pretty straight forward, but it’s worth mentioning. Good training and proficiency make all the difference when the odds are against you. Make sure that you use all your resources when your back is against the wall, and that includes the checklists. Under the stress of the flight I had forgotten to close the cowl flaps and would likely have landed with them open without the aid of the Emergency Procedures Checklist. This would have resulted in unnecessary damage to the airframe.
    8. No need to rush: There is no denying that I had things stacked in my favor that day. I had nice weather, extra gas, daylight hours, and even the luxury of landing at my home airport. But, regardless of all those variables, there is no need to rush into anything. Ask questions, find answers and come up with a plan. Obviously not all emergencies present the pilot with the luxury of time, but use all time and resources you have to your advantage.
    9. Polish up those procedures: The deer accident really made me want to go out and brush up on all the emergency procedures which I hadn’t performed since my last checkride. The realization that I could need any of them at any time was really hit home after I hit that deer. Additionally, make sure you know who to call if something ever does happen.
    10. Know the systems: Familiarity with the systems on the airplane makes it easier to troubleshoot and solve issues on the fly and makes it easier to spot a problem in the first place. Knowing how systems work and what their normal indications should be helps make decisions regarding when to divert and where to land easier.

    The irony isn’t lost on me that the last article that I wrote for this newsletter dealt with how to avoid making gear up landings and the high cost required to repair one. I never would have imagined when I wrote that article last fall that I would be writing one only a few months later detailing my own gear up landing.

    The bottom line is that there is nothing a person can do to prepare for every situation which might arise throughout the course of a flight, and it’s also impossible to know which emergency you may have to deal with if a situation arises. All we can do is stack odds in our favor by making sure that we address the things within our control such as aircraft maintenance, careful flight planning, checking weather, and having personal minimums set in place to keep us from flying outside of our skill sets and comfort zones.

    Additionally, ensuring that you are knowledgeable and proficient in your aircraft’s procedures will give you the best chance for success. When things start going wrong, keep calm, and ask for help. Work the problem instead of guessing or rushing into a less than desirable solution. No one wants to be caught in an emergency like a deer in a landing light!

    Andrew Robinson is an airline pilot for Piedmont Airlines.  He is a former 135 Charter Pilot and flight instructor who lives with his wife and 2 daughters in Pennsylvania.  He instructs in Beechcraft Bonanzas.

  • Spring Cirrus Austin, TX Get Together (CATGT)

    ByHank Gibson

    The South Central Cirrus Owner’s and Pilot’s Association (COPA) Region is hosting it’s second Fly In dinner at the Austin Executive Airport (KEDC) on Friday, October 8th, dubbed the Spring Cirrus Austin, TX Get Together.  The event is from 5:30-9pm.

    Like the first CATGT in October, there will be dinner ($25 per person), drinks, and several presentations.  Jack Long and Josh Marvil will speak about their trip around the world in a PC-12.  Ed McCombs and Eric Opiela will give a safety presentation about automation and task saturation.

    Plus, best of all, Cirrus is bringing a real live flying SF50 Vision Jet, plus a brand new SR22 G6 with the Garmin Perspective NXi panel.

    Fly in or drive to EDC.  The dinner will be in the Henrickson Jet Center’s main hangar.  You will need to RSVP so event organizers can get a proper head count.  The link to RSVP is here.

    Register for the CATGT before the slots are all filled up!

  • MMOPA Operating Practices for the Piper PA46

    ByHank Gibson

    I have the privilege of serving on the Malibu & M-Class Owners and Pilot’s Association Safety Committee.  Along with 6 other Piper PA46 instructors, we were tasked with two things last year leading up to the MMOPA Convention in Colorado Springs last October.  The first was to develop a Master Aviator Program (more on that in a later article).  The second was to develop Operating Practices for the Piper PA46 fleet that we as instructors could all get on board with to teach the same thing, allowing everyone in the fleet to fly approaches and patterns the same way.

    When I started instructing in the piston Piper PA46 line (the Malibu, Mirage, and Matrix), I was surprised to find that there were no recommendations anywhere that I could find for approach and pattern power settings and airspeeds.  This led to some experimentation on my part trying to find out what works well for the airplane.  I had originally been given good training in a Malibu, but hadn’t flown one for several years, so my numbers were a bit rusty.

    I have been in the Cirrus world for a very long time.  One thing I greatly appreciated from an instructing point of view about Cirrus was the abundance of guidance the factory gives instructors and pilots on how the airplane is supposed to be flown.  All CSIPs and all Cirrus pilots should (theoretically) be teaching and flying the exact same way.

    I was quite surprised that Piper didn’t put out similar information.  I wasn’t as familiar with MMOPA at the time, but was surprised they didn’t have any information either.

    I apparently wasn’t the only one with a desire to have a little bit more standardization.

    So, without further ado, here are the MMOPA Operating Practices that the Safety Committee put together.  If you are a new Piper PA46 pilot, these numbers are what you will expect to use when you do your Initial training.  If you are a seasoned Piper PA46 pilot, you probably fly these numbers, or pretty close to them already.

    These are tried and true power settings and speeds for the approach phase and landing phase.  They work. That was the goal of the Safety Committee:  put down in writing something repeatable to enhance safety.  I believe we have accomplished that.

  • The Go Around Button

    ByHank Gibson

    Back in the old days, when flying an approach in an early Cirrus SR22 (circa 2004; yes, in airplane technology, those were the old days), performing a missed approach procedure was a lot of work.  You were low to the ground and weren’t able to see the runway.  Then, you had to start climbing so you don’t hit the ground, then push a lot of buttons in order to get the GPS and autopilot set fly the missed approach procedure.  It was very easy to get distracted with button pushing, then forget to fly the airplane, putting yourself and passengers in very unsafe circumstances.  The go around button has changed all that.

    Going Missed the Old Fashioned Way

    Let’s stick with our example of the 2004 Cirrus.  The SR22 in 2004 was equipped with the Avidyne Entegra system, complete with dual Garmin 430 GPS units, and an STEC 55x Autopilot.  A very capable IFR flying machine (we could use the same example of a 2004 or 2005 Lancair Columbia 350 or 400 that was equipped the same way, except the screens were vertical instead of horizontal).

    Avidyne Cirrus Go Around Button

    We’ll use the ILS 15 at the Temple airport, KTPL, for our example.  You pass TPL, the outer marker at 1,683 with the glide slope already centered.  Everything is going well so far.  The number 1 Garmin 430 is set to VLOC and the autopilot is showing NAV and APR for the lateral guidance and GS on the vertical, tracking the glide slope.  The last weather report stated the clouds were Broken at 500 feet, so it appears like you’ll be able to get in on the approach.

    As you get closer to the Decision Altitude, the clouds aren’t letting up at all.  You hit 1,000 feet on your altimeter, 120 feet above the minimums, and you still can’t see a thing.  Another 100 feet lower doesn’t change anything, so you elect to proceed with the missed approach.  This means things are about to get busy.

    Here’s the process:

    • Fly the airplane first, meaning shut off the autopilot, pitch the nose up to about 7 degrees, TRIM, add full power, retract the flaps, and step on the right rudder
    • The Garmin 430 is now in SUSP mode, meaning the missed approach point is locked in as the active waypoint.  So, you have to press the OBS button to cause the GPS to cycle over to the missed approach procedure
    • You have to press the VLOC button on the Garmin 430 in order to change the CDI back to GPS
    • You have to re-engage the autopilot by pressing NAV twice (which engages GPS Steering mode)
    • You have to reset your altitude bug (if you hadn’t set it for the missed approach altitude previously)
    • You have to press VS and ALT on your autopilot to have the STEC continue the climb

    That’s a lot of work, isn’t it?  Plus, that’s an extensive amount of head down time in the cockpit, with your eyes looking elsewhere other than the instruments while hand flying.  All very low to the ground, I might add.  Can you see how this can be dangerous?  (Note:  The Avidyne IFD 550 has made this a little easier with automatically switching from VLOC to GPS and automatically engaging the missed approach procedure in the flight plan)

    The advent of the Go Around Button has streamlined the process, leading to safer operations where it matters most.  The functions of the Go Around Button vary based on the airplane, but here are three examples, the Garmin G1000 Cessna Corvalis TT, the Garmin G1000 Piper Mirage, and the Garmin Perspective Cirrus SR22.

    Cessna Corvalis TT

    We’ll take the above situation and swap out the airplanes.  Gone is the 2004 Cirrus SR22.  Insert a 2008 Cessna Corvalis TT, equipped with the Garmin G1000 suite and the GFC 700 autopilot.  The go around button is positioned directly above the twist in throttle.

    Cessna Corvalis G1000 Go Around Button

    When you push the Go Around Button, here’s what the system does:

    • Disconnects the Autopilot
    • Sets the Flight Director for 7.5 degrees pitch up (which is about your normal climb angle) and wings level
    • Switches the CDI back to GPS
    • Takes the GPS out of SUSP mode and cycles the flight plan to the first waypoint on the missed approach procedure

    Here’s what you have to do:

    • Follow the flight director by pitching the nose up and TRIM
    • Add full mixture, prop and throttle (prop & throttle should be full already)
    • Retract the flaps
    • Step on the right rudder
    • Re-engage the autopilot, then press NAV and VS (or FLC) and set your altitude bug if it isn’t already set

    Not too bad, eh?  Makes the whole situation streamlined and safer.

    Piper PA46-350P Mirage

    Same situation, different airplane.  You’ll notice the procedure for the Piper Mirage is almost exactly the same as the  Corvalis procedure.  The difference between the two airplanes is where the autopilot controller is.  In the Corvalis, the autopilot controller is positioned on the left side of the MFD, making it easy to scan back and forth while pushing buttons on the autopilot.

    The Piper Mirage autopilot controller is positioned below both screens and in front of the power quadrant. With this positioning, the pilot’s eyes have to go a lot further to see which autopilot button he is pushing. In this case, it becomes very important to get the airplane climbing and trimmed before going down to engage the autopilot.

    As in the Corvalis, here is what the Go Around button does:

    • Disconnects the Autopilot
    • Sets the Flight Director for 7.5 degrees pitch up (which is about your normal climb angle) and wings level
    • Switches the CDI back to GPS
    • Takes the GPS out of SUSP mode and cycles the flight plan to the first waypoint on the missed approach procedure

    And here’s what you have to do:

    • Follow the flight director by pitching the nose up, then TRIM
    • Add full mixture, prop and throttle (prop & throttle should be full already)
    • Retract the flaps
    • Step on the right rudder
    • Re-engage the autopilot, then press NAV and VS (or FLC) and set your altitude bug if it isn’t already set

    Cirrus SR22

    Cirrus Perspective Go Around Button

    This time, we’ll use the 2010 Cirrus SR22T with the Garmin Perspective and GFC 700 Autopilot. One thing I really like about how Cirrus configured their system is where the Go Around button is.  It’s actually on the throttle itself, making it much more intuitive.  This way, you can press the Go Around button while adding full throttle.

    There is one major difference between the Garmin Perspective in the Cirrus and the G1000 in the Corvalis. When you press the Go Around button in the Cirrus, the autopilot actually stays on.

    Here’s what happens when you press the Go Around button in the Cirrus:

    • Flight Director pitches to 7.5 degrees pitch up and wings level
    • AP Mode switches to Go Around mode, following the flight director
    • GPS comes out of SUSP mode
    • CDI switches back to GPS

    All the pilot really has to do is add power, take the flaps up, then press NAV on the GFC 700 to get the autopilot following the missed approach procedure.

    If you aren’t familiar with the Go Around button or haven’t used the one in your plane lately, it’s good to go up with a knowledgeable instructor and fly a couple of approaches where you perform the published missed approach afterward.  That way, he or she can assist you through the first missed approach, then give you pointers until  you get comfortable with the Go Around button.

  • Chuck’s Aircraft 10 Year Anniversary Fly In

    ByHank Gibson

    Chuck’s Aircraft, the Austin Cirrus Service Center located at the Austin Executive Airport (KEDC), is celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary this month. What better what to celebrate than to fly in for Texas BBQ? That’s what they thought too!

    Chuck’s Aircraft will be hosting its 10 Year Anniversary Fly In on Friday, June 25th from 1pm to 5pm on their ramp at EDC (see airport diagram below). Chuck’s Aircraft always provides quality maintenance for Cirrus and other aircraft, so come show your appreciation for them.

    Please RSVP to erin@chucksaircraftllc.com. Hope to see you there!!!

    Chuck’s Aircraft is the hangar circled in green

  • Removing a Hold on Foreflight Approach

    ByHank Gibson

    I’m a big fan of having my Foreflight map always match up exactly with the way I am flying. Having a Flight Stream in the airplane helps a lot with that as it always prompts me to load the new flight plan from the GPS into my Foreflight map. When I load an approach in the GPS flight plan, Foreflight will put it into my Foreflight flight plan via the Flight Stream.

    The problem I run into on Foreflight is when there is a published hold at the Initial Approach Fix (IAF), but ATC has told me to fly the straight in approach and skip the hold. Up until recently, I didn’t think there was a way to set up a straight in approach on Foreflight, so I just settled for the hold staying on there.

    Not anymore! There is a simple trick that I discovered that allows you to remove the hold from the Foreflight flight plan. Here’s how to do it.

    Load the Approach

    The first step is still to load the approach into your Foreflight flight plan on the Map page. In this scenario, we are flying from KAQO, the Llano Airport, to KHYI, the San Marcos Airport. Austin Approach has told us to expect the straight in RNAV 17 KHYI via PUKIY. So, on Foreflight, we have KAQO and KHYI in our flight plan. Then, I tap the Procedures button on the upper right hand corner of the screen. I then tap Approach, then RNAV 17 KHYI. Then I select my transition.

    The options given are either PUKIY with the hold, seen below;

    Or Vectors to Final, which lines me up inside of PUKIY. Neither of these are what I want.

    But, to get this to work, I select PUKIY, then tap add to route. Now we have our approach loaded into our flight plan.

    Removing the Hold

    The RNAV 17 is now in the Foreflight flight plan, but the hold is displayed at PUKIY. To remove the hold, the first step is to tap the approach in green and a menu pops up.

    The 7th option down is “Remove Hold in lieu of PT.” Eureka! Tap that, then the approach is displayed without the hold. Houston, we have success! It even says “NoPT” in the flight plan.

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