On the day of my [scheduled] checkride, I made a difficult choice to cancel because of the prediction of winds at 15 to 25 mph. I knew that I would take some ridicule from others, but I also knew that this was outside of my personal minimums. I was quite depressed for the rest of the day as I had worked hard and wanted more than anything to get my ticket.
It was that evening before I knew for sure that my decision was the correct one. The winds were out of the east at 18 knots, gusting to 20, and a Cessna 180 taildragger being flown by a competent professional pilot was taxiing out to the runway when the wind caught the tail and flipped the aircraft over. Luckily, no one but the airplane was hurt.
I will never let anyone try to intimidate me into going beyond my own capabilities, nor do I care that I have over 90 hours before my checkride. I feel comfortable with my decision to wait and am thankful that I did the right thing in canceling my ride that day. I now realize that things can happen to anyone, it does not matter how many hours you have.
Della Bachtell
Via the Internet
Teaching gear-up landings?
In "Sweating the Details," (June 1999), Richard Hiner suggests that instructors should teach the mnemonic GUMP to primary students in fixed gear aircraft such as the Tomahawks and Cessna 150s. At first reading this seems like a good idea. However, it might very well lead to a gear-up landing down the road rather than prevent one.
When a pilot puts the landing gear down on aircraft with retractable landing gear, a number of things should happen that the pilot will feel, see, and hear. Notably, he will feel the aerodynamic changes and flight characteristics, he will check to see that the gear is down either visually or through the green lights, and he will hear the gear motor and the familiar "clunk-clunk" as the gear goes into lock. These provide the mental cues that the action he has proposed to happen has actually taken place. This, of course, doesn't happen in a fixed gear aircraft and when the student gets to the U part of GUMP, he unconsciously reinforces the idea that nothing is supposed to happen when he extends the gear.
Therein lies the paradox. Are we teaching good habits or bad habits? A few years back, Beech built some Musketeers (fixed gear) with a gear selector switch so that the owner could practice and be ready for the next model up. After a few gear-up landings by former Musketeer owners, it didn't take Beech long to de-cide it was a bad idea.
If I am flight testing an applicant in a fixed-gear aircraft and he uses GUMP, then I ask him, "How do you know that the gear is down and locked?" I will invariably get that "what do you mean?" question and/or look. Perhaps a better idea is to teach those things which actually apply to the aircraft we are actually flying. If not, before long, we'll be doing checks for yaw dampers, pressurization, speed brakes, and the like in Cessna 150s.
Henry Joiner
Ahoskie, North Carolina
When your CFI leaves
I think the issues raised in "CFI $$$$ Dilemma" (June 1999) need to be spoken about much more. I for one would be happy to pay a little more for instruction if I am assured of having the same instructor for the balance of my training.
Let me describe what my experiences have been in the hopes that some other poor student doesn't have to go through what I have done. In June 1995, I started my flight training, and over a period of 12 months I managed to have a total of four instructors and 36.1 hours between all of them. It's no wonder that I became discouraged and haven't finished my training.
I know that when it comes to that "real" job that most flight instructors have been waiting for, the student just ends up standing there, wondering what happened to their instructor, when they are introduced to yet an-other smiling face that says, "Let's go flying." I am not saying that the CFIs shouldn't take a better-paying job, but I would like to see instructors do more to help their students when it comes time for them to be transferred to another instructor.
Robert Stokes
Via the Internet
Winning the Gift of the Month
I feel compelled to thank you on behalf of all student pilots and the rest of the general aviation community. Because of your support, student pilots like myself, who struggle for funds for that next lesson or textbook, can get through training.
You see, I sent in a card for product information out of my Flight Training magazine back in October 1998. That automatically entered me into a drawing for the Gift of the Month, and guess what? I was notified that I won that drawing for the David Clark H10-13XL headset with electronic noise canceling. I received it in the mail yesterday.
I had been pricing the David Clark products for some time. In fact, that was the product I requested more information on. But it always came down to lessons or the headset. I had to ask myself which one was most important at this time in my training. Because of your support, I can now have both.
Randy Menzel
Artesia, California
To enter this month's Gift of the Month drawing for your chance to win an FAA knowledge test courtesy of CATS, simply fill out the yellow reader service card and drop it in the mail.
Editor
Top 10 federal aviation regulations The June article "10 Rules You Should Know" was excellent, but I would like to vote for another federal aviation regulation (FAR) that is very important to remember. The FAR I refer to is 91.129 (i.), Operations in Class D Airspace. This FAR does not receive the attention it deserves. Briefly, the regulation says that when you are given a "taxi to runway?" clearance by the control tower or ground control, you can go just about anywhere except on or across the assigned takeoff runway.
If you learned to fly at a towered field, this lesson came early, I hope, but it is often overlooked during instruction at non-towered fields. Please keep in mind that crossing the hold line in any way is the same as going out to the middle of the runway. It's a runway incursion. A runway incursion happens when any unauthorized person, vehicle, or aircraft enters the protected area of a runway without prior air traffic control clearance. Runway incursions can happen even when you are the only aircraft around. Breaking the plane of the hold lines is all it takes.
To further complicate matters, ask yourself at how many airports this would really present a problem. Few, but enough. For example, Huntington Tri-State Airport in Huntington, West Virginia, has a taxiway that parallels Runway 12 but does not go all the way to the end. Many pilots would taxi onto this runway if they were not reminded to stop by the hold short lines. This problem is not unique to students or low-time pilots. One commercial air carrier crew was violated for crossing the runway. The pilot didn't realize what had happened. The pilot even argued that air traffic control was wrong.
Safe ground operations are just as important as safe flight operations. Be alert for this problem when you are parked on a ramp that has a taxiway that leads across the runway at any point other than the end. A moment of distraction can put you out over the hold lines. Another problem can come from taxiway markings that are worn or faded.
I would like to suggest that CFIs make it a point to review this FAR with students frequently and incorporate it into every biennial flight review given. A technique I use to avoid crossing the hold lines is to stop back far enough so that I can clearly see the hold lines over the nose-if you can see them in front of you, then you haven't crossed them.
Gregory Hendry
Air Traffic Control Specialist
Barboursville, West Virginia
Students and special VFR
I enjoyed your in-depth discussion of when it is appropriate to use special VFR clearances ("Special VFR," June 1999), but I feel that one point you made deserves clarification. You claimed that "any pilot, including students, may request the clearance during daylight hours." However, FAR Part 61.89 (6) states that a student pilot may not act as pilot in command with a flight or surface visibility of less than three statute miles during daylight hours. So, legally speaking, a student may request special VFR if the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet, but not if the visibility is less than three statute miles. As an instructor, I would take the conservative viewpoint that a student pilot should know about the special VFR option for emergency purposes but should not plan on being airborne in conditions anywhere near approaching IMC (instrument meteorological conditions).
Dave Winters
Baltimore, Maryland
First, fly the airplane
This week I was going through my stack of Flight Training magazines, and I read an article which told me to "fly the airplane first." ("Taking Advice," May 1999) The article went on to say that if the door opens during flight, you should fly the airplane first and then, when it is stable, mess with the door.
I am a student pilot. This afternoon I was doing touch and goes. I had just rotated when the door popped open. I had been flying for an hour without any problems. Every bone in my body wanted to shut the huge hole in the side of the aircraft. But I remembered your article, and I decided to keep flying, despite the unnatural act of leaving the door open. Actually, the wind did a decent job of holding it sort-of shut, but I knew it was open and the ground was way down there by now. I got up to altitude and out of the pattern and trimmed out the airplane and shut my door.
It is scary and unnatural to leave the door open, but it is even more unnatural to screw the airplane into the ground from not paying attention to flying. Many thanks.
Michael Holmes
Wichita, Kansas
Correction
Two of the answers in the July "Exam" (p. 84) were incorrectly identified. The correct answer to question 6 is A and the correct answer to question 11 is C. Thanks to our readers who pointed out the error. Editor
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