I got the first stamp below after my very first examination flight, which validated the first part of my basic training. After that, I was the proud holder of a Restricted Private Pilot License. This is a swiss national rating, whose privileges include flying to non-controlled airports (except the place where the pilot got his / her training), outside of controlled airspace, and within Switzerland only. For obvious privacy reasons, I blurred out the examiner’s name and license number.

I flew with that rating for 10 months, building some experience, and training towards the full JAR PPL. This involved more radio-navigation, radio-communication, and a longer solo navigation. That second rating  allowed me to fly in all Europa.

There is another souvenir of this flight in my logook: a post-it like instrument cover that the instructor used to simulate an airspeed indicator failure during one of the landings. I kept it as a precious trophy earned on a particularly warm summer day.

As you probably already noticed, I’m rather proud of the next one. There is no stamp, but a simple endorsement by the examiner, but later on a new line was printed in my license: IR(A), standing for Instrument Rating. I still consider getting and holding this rating as a great achievement, even if I can’t use it a lot nowadays.

Instruments ratings have to be renewed every year through an examination flight, so I already renewed it three times. The last time was during the FADEC challenge, flying on a DA40-TDI with G1000 - a state of the art aircraft when it comes to modern airframes, engines and avionics.

I’m wondering where my next IFR renewal flight will take place. Switzerland ? Germany ? France ? Some new place ? Will that be a flight on a good old PA28 ? A PA32 ? A DA40 with G1000 ? A Cirrus ? If you’ve something to propose, I’m open to anything.

Stamps of some swiss airports I visited.

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If your first reaction when your read Conklin & de Decker was in the “Who’s that ?” category, you’re not the first one. I frequently receive that kind of solicitation - companies looking for some exposure through this blog - and most of time I decline them, because I don’t want to want to run a permanent advertisment, but a (more or less) serious blog.

But here comes a company that will pay for one lucky student training, so I decided it was worth a look. I found out that apart from awarding pilot scholarships, Conklin & de Decker sells products and services to support aircraft operations.

Their products line comprises things like cost evaluator, performance comparator, life cycle costs calculator, maintenance manager, acquisition planner, and several others. Let me make another mind reading exercise… you think… “this is probably for jets and turboprops only”. That was an easy guess, it was also my idea. But no. The list of brands and models included in their tools also contains Cessnas, Pipers, Cirrus, and Diamond. But if you prefer getting data about a Boeing 747-SP, the also have it.

One and a half year ago, I envisaged to buy a plane. Not alone as I can’t afford it, but the idea was to create a new structure, kind of a “low-cost” flying club. It never became true because of other changes in my private life, but when I stopped, I was in the data collection phase. That was a tricky thing to do, because owners groups are rather obscure, and flight schools are not always open to the idea of exposing all their costs and revenues.

Someone serious about buying an aircraft should certainly get the kind of information and / or services that Conklin & de Decker provide. All in all, a company that guide pilots in buying aircraft, and awards a scholarship to a student pilot is definetly worth a post… don’t you think so ?

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Line-up and wait…

When operating on airports with airline traffic, it’s frequent to be instructed by ATC to line-up and wait. The more stressing combination is having to wait for three minutes when already lined-up, until the wake turbulence of the previous take-off are dissipated, while another airliner is already on short final.

Light aircraft have no mirrors (with the exception of glider towing planes), so there is no possibility to see that approaching traffic. You just know that a 40 tons aircraft if coming to land on the same runway, and you wait for a take-off clearance… Wait and don’t see…

Hot, heavy and high ground
I won’t make a climb performance lesson here, but shortly said for non-pilots, plane performance decrease with temperature and load, a.k.a. passengers. Under adverse conditions, the climb performance can easily be reduced by 50%.

Any serious pilot makes performance calculations before take-off and incudes a safety margin, so as to ensure a safe climb. Even when one knows that performance will increase with speed increase, and that the expected rate of climb will be achieved, the seconds spent waiting for that can look impressive and be stressing.

And she floooooooooooooats
I did not found a photo for that one, but all pilots already understood it. Any approach flown a bit quickly will result in a long flare and landing - necessary to loose the extra speed.

As runway length is usually limited, there can be long seconds during which the plane seems to endlessly float a couple of feet about ground. It’s anyway better to do so than land with excessive speed, but looking at the quickly approaching runway end can also generate some pilot stress.

Nothing unsafe
These three cases are all but unsafe. Good radio watch, good controller work and possible go-around for the approaching aircraft ensure that the first case is safe. Good preparation and flying skills ensure that any climb that is started is achievable, and going-around is the safe way out of a too long flare.

What make these situations stressing is the short time available for decision making. If anything goes wrong, the pilot must take the right decision within a couple of seconds. That might seem obvious, but “Safety First” is the motto in such moments.

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• December 2002 - The DA40 TDI got certified
• December 2004 - The DA42 get its IFR certification, with G1000
• 2004 - The first DA40 I flew was built
• March 2005 - The Cessna 172 with G1000 is certified
• January 2006 - My DA40 TDI familiarisation is completed

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you already know what I made since that: the FADEC challenge (one year of flying TDI planes only, including renewal of my IFR rating), my training on G1000 which was the subject of many posts, and more than 50 hours flying DA40 and C172 with Thielert engines.

To achieve that, I had to go to Cannes, by the Cannes-Aviation FTO, which operates with Diamond planes only. That was not too far from Geneva, but it had some aspects of an exotic expedition. Flying in a new structure, away from home, in a different country, with only limited time.

If I was in the same position today, with the same projects, things would be much easier. Every second plane seem to be composite, or fitted with a glass-cockpit, or equipped with a diesel engine. Ok, that is may be a bit optimistic, but not that much. Replace plane by flying club or flying school, and that will become nearly true.

The reactions I get from other pilots when talking about modern general aviation also changed from “Wow, you’re lucky” and “I’d like to do that as well, but I don’t know how / where” to “Yes, my club has one / I know someone flying that” and “I also fly that / I planned my training this summer”.

Glass cockpits are now part of standard light aircraft equipment. Even Light Sport Aircrafts are delivered with modern avionics. Despite the financial problems by Thielert, diesel engines are spreading in Europe, where AVGAS price becomes really problematic.

From what I see nowadays, it seems clear that this revolution will not stop. More and more pilots will fly “plastic” aircraft as the fleet will evolve. This will take time, may be one or two decades, as the general aviation fleet evolves slowly, but I see nothing that can stop it now.

The plastic revolution is over, it’s now time for the plastic evolution.

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Such procedures exist at several airports with parallel or nearly parallel runways. Apart from being fun and entertaining for pilots, they allow for a better traffic flow management. Typically, if a landing aircraft is slow to vacate the runway, and the second runway is available, the next aircraft can make the side-step, and avoid a go-around - which is much less fun to fly than a side-step.

Side-step approaches have also be in use at Zurich airport for years. Most landings take place on runway 14, and most departures on 28. The third runway, 16, has a 20 degrees offset with 14, but crosses 28 so both can’t be used simultaneously. However, all planes landing on 14 have to cross 28 during taxi.

To make things easier, ATC offered ILS 14 approach with side-step landing to 16, as long as there is no take-off on 28, thus simplifying the taxi procedures. I experienced it a couple of, time as passenger, and I have to say that it’s pretty impressive, particularly for those seated on the right side of the plane (the side-step is a right turn).

This procedure is not longer used in Zurich, after a couple of incidents where bad coordination resulted in loss separation minima. No collision, but planes taking-off flying low over the landing ones. Not good. Click here to read the investigation report about one of these incidents.

I selected three videos from YouTube to show you how funny these approaches are to fly. I did not found any filmed in Zurich. The first one is at Denver, at dusk, in a rather slow plane, flying a side-step to the right.

That one is slightly more… aggressive.

This one in Vienna is even more impressive, as it includes a very long low-level segment over the approach runway, and then a left turn to the landing runway.

Is not that cool ?

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Making all that effor to fly to Guernsey and the not make a quick VFR jump from to Jersey and Alderney seems to be a shame. This is may the an unconscious influence of Sylvia’s idea of flying all the British Islands, combined with my natural attraction to islands. And while I’m there, why not stop on the Isle of Wight on the way back ?

Jersey and Alderney also have IFR approaches, but VFR allows for much flexibility on short notice. No need to file a flight plan one hour in advance, no processing in Brussels, and so on. I did not read all the regulation about flying the Class A airspace around the Islands in VFR, that comes next on my list. Note that flying VFR in Class A airspace is something… special (special VFR… got it ?).

The relatively lower workload of VFR also leaves more time to enjoy the view. After a four months break, I also want to profit from the simple pleasure of flying. I like the systematic and technical aspects of IFR flying, but a VFR promenade in good conditions is also a good fun.

Just after getting my IFR rating, I thought that it was THE way of flying, and I somehow overlooked VFR flying. I later found out that VFR also has many advantadges, particularly when it comes to flexibility. I can now enjoy both, but it’s sometimes hard to choose.

In periods of low flying time like the one I’m going through for the time being, this leads me to what I call SFR: Schizoprenic Flight Rules. What to choose ? IFR ? VFR ? The time and money available are limited, so I have to choose.

Decision making… again. However, the final call will depend on weather. I hope it will not ruin all the plans. Mid August is probably amongst the better times of year, but I’ll be there for three days only. Only time will tell…

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One of the many things that differentiate flying light aircraft from other hobbies is the possibly high impact of an accident, for both oneself and the others. Not many pilots can afford two accidents. Deciding to quit flying is not an easy decision to make. Here are some personal thoughts on this topic.

Age limit ?
The aviation regulations define maximal age for airline pilots, but not for private pilots. If you think that UFO is Unidentified Flying Object, you should visit the site of the Unified Flying Octogenarians… As long as body and brain are up to the task, I don’t see any reason to stop.

Depending the kind of license held, pilots have to go through periodical medical checks, which go beyond a simple “reflex check”, or not. Unfortunately, things can change quickly, and it’s also a question of self-responsibility. Something I personally disapprove is the decision some pilots make to change aircraft / license category after their medical certificate got suspended. In my humble opinion, when the doc says stop, it’s time to stop.

Lack of time and experience ?
In that domain as well, regulations are quite clear. Minimal flight time is required to keep a license active. If the criteria are not met, privileges extension goes through a flight with an examiner, and probably training before that. The experience validation takes place every year, or two years, depending of the ratings held, but other recency rules impose shorter regulations.

Most pilot’s go through phases where they have less time / money / envy to fly. There can be many reasons for that, and even if it is possible to “maintain” ratings with a minimal activity, it is frustrating. Serious re-training shall be envisaged before restarting complex flying activities. Here again, personal responsibility is the golden rule.

The Big Fear
I don’t like pilots who never got afraid in flight. A pilot knowing no fear is either not able to recogize dangerous situations, or only fly in optimal situation. Both cases seems risky to me.

There were a couple of flights after which I asked myself if it would not be better to stop. Some resulted from my own mistakes, other from challenging weather, but I never gave up.

I understand that someone surviving something like a crash, an emergency landing, or other extreme cases can decide to stop. Hopefully I never had major accidents, so may be my personal big fear is still to come - touch wood !

Responsible pilot
Shall I change the name of this blog from PlasticPilot to ResponsiblePilot ? I realized that well after I started to fly, but the high responsibilities associated with that activity are also what makes it so attractive.

Making the final landing is not an easy decision, and pilots have to make it mostly on their own. I hope I won’t have to report it soon for myself. If you already made this decision yourself, or thought about it, feel free to share your thoughts via comments.

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That thing already looked cool and fun when it was presented, but all the buzz the company made around the first presentation sounded a bit too poshy and look-at-me-ish. Its inauguration “party” was too much of a party, and I have to admit that I overlooked it, even despite the very positive opinion of Max Trescott.

Now that the ICON A5 made its maiden flight at an “undisclosed lake” in California, I simply want one. Undisclosed lake ? Yes, you read it correctly - the ICON A5 is an amphibious LSA. Because of the LSAs limitations, the ICON A5 can only carry two persons, its speed is limited to 120 knots, but it is a perfect toy to play on lakes, or regions like the Bahamas.

Being amphibious, it can also be used on land, just in case you live or take vacations away from any usable water. And if you think that 120 knots VFR is not a good for long trips to your favorite holiday spot, that’s not a problem. Fold the wings, and bring your ICON A5 with you… on its trailer.

As all LSAs, it’s not fast, it does not has a great useful load, it has no chance to go IFR, but it’s supposed to have a relatively low cost, and fun. From all the LSAs I heard of up to now, this one is probably the funniest of all. Honestly, who could ever want a Cessna Skycatcher if you can get an ICON A5 ?

Want a last argument ? If you look at the photos and videos of the first flight, you’ll see the whole team in shorts, working together to prepare the flight. I always found very good that Christian Dries (the CEO of Diamond Aircraft) always takes part in the new Diamonds maiden flights. But with all respect due to him, I’d not like to see Mr. Dries in shorts, not even mentioning Jack Pelton (the CEO of Cessna) !

Click here to read more about the ICON A5 LSA.

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Avion, coucou, trapanelle, zinc, zingo, tagazou, aéroplane, aéronef, machine volante, and aérodyne (a bit oldish however).

These are all french words I can think of to talk about airplanes. As a non-native english speaker, my english vocabulary is much more restricter. Passed plane, airplane and aircraft, I can’t think of other synonyms. Ok, there’s airship, even if it does not applies to fixed wings aerodyne.

So today’s challenge is simple: say what is your favorite word when talking about airplane. Whatever the language, I’m interested - even in French, I still have to learn. I heard of “avionette”, and like it, but I’m not sure if it’s Italian or Spanish.

I’m really curious to see what will get out of your comments, and I expect some funny, exotic, refreshing, juicy words, but please remain polite, this blog is open to all audiences. Here you go…

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I was not even thinking of flying by that time, I was in the middle of my four months long mandatory military training. Even in the rather closed military microcosm, we got informed about it. For Switzerland it was a nation-wide disaster. Most people in Geneva can relate to one passenger, directly or indirectly.

The investigation took years, and did finally bring an incredibly long chain of event, which made impossible for the pilots to know what was going on. When they realized the extent of the situation, it was simply to late. The details have been extensively discussed, and the final report is more than 380 pages long.

The reason I post about this accident today is that the tapes recording the conversations exchanged between the crew of Swissair 111 and the air traffic controllers have been made public recently. These tapes have been available to the investigation crew only, and a legal argument went up to the Canadian Supreme Court, before they finally got released.

If they don’t bring any new elements, the emotional load of carried by these recordings in simply enormous. Both pilots and controllers acted in an extremely professional way. At a moment, the Captain transmits something that he was in fact saying to the co-pilot. When the controller asks what it is, the Captain calmly apologizes for the error.

Hearing voices has nearly nothing in common with reading a transcription. Listening to these records while already knowing about the fatal ending was a very shaking experience for me. The great respect I have for these persons - crew and controllers - grown even bigger after that.

There is no doubts in my mind that these gentlemen made all what they could to get out of an improbable situation, with no possible escape.

They definitely deserve our highest respect.

If you want to read more about this accident, hear the tapes, or read the transcription, visit the links below. Be however aware that the sound quality, and contents of the recordings make them hard to understand if you’re not used to pilot / controller communications.

CTV Page with links to the tapes and their transcription

Swissair 111 final investigation report

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