tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24390933181384355202024-09-05T10:36:53.760-04:00The Pilots Nest - A place to enjoy some "Joe!"Visual illusions, coriolis effect, safety in flight, weather, pilot training, FAA, CAP,Landings, takeoffs, instrument flying, human physiology, medical issues, hanger talk.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-5985138713810951942014-01-22T11:35:00.000-05:002014-01-22T11:37:18.141-05:00A Physiological Look at Hypoxia and the Role of Red Blood Cells Hypoxia is directly related to blood saturation levels and factors that affect that saturation level.  The chemical composition of oxygen in the air, whether at sea level or in the stratosphere, is approximately 21%. What changes is the partial pressure that oxygen exerts at different altitudes above sea level. This pressure is measured in different ways but for us we will use Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-30892153087505469132013-02-11T09:59:00.003-05:002013-02-12T14:26:23.439-05:00Weight and Balance - A Personal Delima - Safety Center of gravity and Weight Balance of an Aircraft The point at which the entire weight of an airplane would balance perfectly. The center of gravity affects the stability of the plane and, for safe flight, the plane must remain within specified limits established by aircraft manufacturers while in flight. When the weight of a plane is at or below the allowable limits for its type and Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-78810094236637640802012-12-21T09:20:00.000-05:002012-12-21T09:20:06.937-05:00What Notion is about as Healthy as that a Rattlesnake makes a Pleasant Pet? How about the idea that the purpose of the rudder is to steer the airplane around the corner? No way. The rudder gives the pilot the means to combat the adverse yaw effect of the ailerons. This is what a coordinated turn is all about. That is why we use rudder on going into a turn and why we use rudder when coming out of a turn. If the ailerons had no adverse yaw a plane wouldn't need a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-22532071128637403592012-10-01T14:25:00.003-04:002012-10-01T14:25:50.283-04:00Torque or Slipstream? - Left Turning tendency The Real Reason The left turning tendency occurs when the propeller pushes back a stream of air mass which spirals as it streams to the rear. With its spiraling motion the air mass hits the vertical fin at a slight angle. This pushes the tail to the right and yaws the nose to the left. Heres where the fun begins. The propeller hits a small particle of air mass at the right -hand side of the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-30745684818075173522012-09-28T09:05:00.002-04:002012-09-28T09:05:27.911-04:00Power Control and Stabilty Plane Stability - Plane Performance and Throttle Settings What is your plane stability after you trim for a particular speed? A plane, with perfect stability, will maintain that speed whether the power if off or the power is increased. Right?  Try this in actual flight at cruising speed in straight and level flight and you will discover what actually happens when you change the power Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-86754244940052563312012-09-26T09:39:00.001-04:002012-09-26T09:39:11.065-04:00Deer Season - A Tendency to "Hunt!" A "Hunting" Tendency Stability - static and/or dynamic. In the real world most planes have a tendency to hunt. If you let go of your planes controls it won't fly at a constant speed. Instead, it oscillates up and down. Why? The up and down flight path of an oscillating plane is an complicated interaction of speed changes, flight paths, directions of the relative wind, angles of attack,Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-2121907169567215362012-09-25T08:48:00.000-04:002012-09-25T08:48:21.528-04:00Tail of an Airplane - Misunderstood Tail of an Airplane The tail of an airplane is arranged to resist the diving tendency of a plane. It is not meant to hold the lighter end of an airplane up in the air while in flight. The purpose of the horizontal fin of the tail is to hold it down. It is like a wing but set at a negative angle of attack so the air flow against the horizontal tail fin produces, in normal flight, a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-41594750103367884352012-09-19T08:55:00.000-04:002012-09-19T08:55:10.932-04:00Navigation, Speed and Wind Drift Navigation - Which is Better -Slow Plane or Fast Plane  Remember, a large plane and a slow both drift with the wind in straight and level flight.  Speed does make a difference in navigation. Weight, size and horsepower do not make a difference. The Setup:  Make a 100 mile flight to a destination with a 20 mph wind blowing across your course to your destination. You take off Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-5728376167171893962012-09-18T11:09:00.000-04:002012-09-18T11:09:06.581-04:00Training - The Figure of Eight Illustration of Figure of Eight in Flight Training - Wind In pilot training an instructor had you practice figures of eights over a conspicuous object on the ground. Some times this was incorporated into a steep turn exercise. For an illustration of wind effect a 20 to 30 degree bank was sufficient. When you pass over an object you can identify from a distance start a 30 degree bank. Hold thisAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-15409032279901586642012-09-17T10:19:00.003-04:002012-09-17T10:19:54.463-04:00Downwind Landings - Wind Effects Downwind Landings Straight downwind landings by mistake. Pilot fatigue leads to flight errors. Misread wind indicators or tower instructions.  (more serious) Landing downwind, when you think you're landing upwind, leads to confusion.  You approach the runway through the air at 75 mph and, at the same time drifting with the air at 20 mph. Since the two motions are both Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-43701086280575763092012-09-15T10:35:00.002-04:002012-09-15T10:35:23.106-04:00Wind Drift and Crabbing Wind Drift and Crabbing Crabbing in straight and level flight for the initiated. Good example to use, with ground reference, is a N-S highway. The wind is out of the West at 20 MPH. Remember, this is a mass of air moving which is defined as "wind." You fly at a speed of 100 miles per hour, straight ( nose of the aircraft in a N-S direction) and level for 15 minutes.  Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-37614647043038485322012-09-14T14:16:00.001-04:002012-09-14T14:16:21.764-04:00Wind Drift - What Does it Do Wind Drift The three keys of understanding "drift" from a pilots point of view are: Air is a soup Motion is relative You are "in" the air Air is a soup. In physics there exist three states of matter. A solid, a liquid and a gas. Air is a gas. It is composed of a number of different molecules that have mass and take up space. It is like an invisible fluid that flows. Wind is air in Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-82580351324248376832012-09-13T12:01:00.000-04:002012-09-13T12:01:12.612-04:00Thunderstorms - Are They Good for Something Thunderstorms - The Good - The Bad - The Evil Thunderstorms can damage or destroy planes flying into or under them. As long as pilots use common sense in preflight weather briefings and practice techniques to exit a thunderstorm or avoid one while flying they do have a few good points. On a humorous note, if you are inside a thunderstorm your aircraft traffic usually falls to zero. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-81959634629730553872012-09-09T11:27:00.000-04:002012-09-09T11:27:02.311-04:00Taxiway Lighting Systems Taxiways - Lost and Found First, a taxiway is a communication path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangers, terminals and repair facilities. Larger airports the taxiways are hard surfaced to support heavy aircraft. The Blue Lights mark Taxiway Edge lights and emit blue light. They make finding your way around easier. Jeppeson Charts have taxiways well marked Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-12112356556867578832012-08-27T08:53:00.002-04:002012-09-07T16:29:25.227-04:00Garmin Pilot for I-Phone and I Pad - Possible Problems Garmin Pilot As a backup, in private aircraft flying, the I-Phone screen is quite small. In turbulent conditions, during IFR approaches, controlling and reading the device is nearly impossible. As a flight planning device it has exceptional features. Use a  Search Engine to find test results and/or detailed information on the Standard or Pro versions of the Garmin App and the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-80248258315436907442012-08-24T08:54:00.004-04:002012-09-08T06:55:11.821-04:00Pussy Footing Around - Detecting a Cushion Sensing Float (Buoyancy) In landing an airplane sensations you receive from the plane to you are very important. Short fields require sensitivity to the subtle clues that affect lift. Floating is not nice as you run out of runway. You want a slight cushion, when you land, to flare out, check the descent of your plane and contact the ground. This is the very slight touch of your wheels in a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-78708386099141949912012-08-16T10:06:00.002-04:002012-09-08T06:56:17.583-04:00The Breakdown of a Spiral Turn Before the Breakup The Breakdown: Something disturbs the plane in straight and level flight at cruising speed. The right wing drops slightly. The plane enters a gentle sideslip to the right. In a slip a crossflow of air initiates a dihedral response to pick up the right wing. The vertical tail fin responds, simultaneously, by yawing the plane slightly to the right. If the plane is spirally unstable the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-52092427614078490152012-08-15T15:17:00.001-04:002012-09-08T06:57:05.652-04:00No Controls Touched - Will a Plane Fly Straight? Will a plane fly straight or turn away from it's cruising straight ahead attitude of flight , if you release the controls? What does an airplane really want to do concerning the direction of its flight?  Unfortunately, aircraft built to American specifications don't have the stability to remain straight and level with the controls released. A pilot knows this if he experimentsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-19347390839318007392012-08-10T08:36:00.000-04:002012-09-08T06:57:47.590-04:00For Pilot Training Which is Better - High Wing or Low Wing? High Wing versus Low Wing Trainers I learned in a Cessna 120 tail-dragger. With experience, the Angle of Attack is controlled by the elevator. Keep in mind the Angle of Attack is the angle the attitude of your wings makes to the relative wind. Lift is nothing but lowness of the Angle of Attack. When the stick is in a certain position the well balanced plane will assume a certain Angle of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-60384838174094174672012-08-08T14:55:00.002-04:002012-09-08T06:58:38.103-04:00Sensing Angle of Attack If Angle of Attack is associated with lift can we sense the angle of Attack? Yes, No and Sometimes. The question should be " How reliable are our Senses to sense Angle of Attack?" Speed Low Angle of Attack and speed are almost the same thing in fast flight. High Angle of Attack and its relation to Load were discussed in an earlier post. Reason Ever play Blind Mans Bluff? There is Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-62991358869281889922012-08-07T13:52:00.000-04:002012-09-08T06:59:17.937-04:00In Flying - How Far are You from a Stall? Speed - Load and a Stall The lowest of the Angle of Attack means the same thing to many of us as "Speed." Slow flight, as covered before, means high Angle of Attack. Another factor to consider about the Angle of Attack when you fly a plane depends on its load. If you load your plane up and need to maintain the same speed you need more Angle of Attack. When you increase the Angle Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-35423768550662599942012-08-04T14:28:00.001-04:002012-09-08T07:00:02.418-04:00Open Mouth - is Yawning Dangerous? Yawning What do these planes all have in common? Boeing 737 - Mangalore, India - 2010 Air Canada - April 16, 2012 Jet Blue - July 2012 Boeing The pilot woke up after a nap in the cockpit and took over the controls. His co-pilot warned him repeatedly that he was coming in at the wrong angle and that he should pull up and try again. The last sound on the cockpit recorder was the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-39881844940481645352012-08-02T10:11:00.006-04:002012-09-08T07:00:53.010-04:00Hanger Talk - Why an Airplane Spins Spins Usually, when you fly, and one wing drops it soon finds a force support that pushes it back up. This upward force stops the wing from going down even more.  The other wing, by going up, reduces it own lift that, in turn,  prevents it from going up more. It is an equilibrium effect that tends to stabilize the plane and make your day easier.  Movement of the wing Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-88804587315596922962012-08-01T08:37:00.004-04:002012-09-08T07:01:40.481-04:00Angle of Attack in Turbulent Air Updrafts What happens to an airplane when the weight (gravity) and lift force (force of air pushing the air molecules up) in equilibrium are disturbed by neither change of airspeed nor a change of the airplanes weight? Updrafts cause a change in the angle of attack. Remember, the angle of attack is the angle at which the wing meets the relative wind. When the plane is in level flight Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2439093318138435520.post-57955131965711219212012-07-31T10:26:00.000-04:002012-09-08T07:02:41.111-04:00Maintenance Problems? Six Probe EGT and CHTG Exhaust Gas Temperature Gauge (EGT) Mountain Flying was a topic for the last several posts but I forgot the importance of performance enhancing steps that are safety related to all types of flying. In the mountains a six probe EGT gauge helps you adjust your planes air/fuel mixture for top performance.  Test each cylinder, one at a time, for its peak EGT by carefully leaning the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08097551752996039244noreply@blogger.com