When I had cleared the terrain concerns, I began to decrease my altitude to get beneath the scattered layer when it happened. Suddenly, my windscreen went all white. I had inadvertently flown into a cloud.
My flight instructor had prepared me well to navigate my way back out of the cloud by maintaining attitude and using a standard-rate, timed turn to a reciprocal heading. However, I was not quite prepared for the "startle factor" of actually flying from VFR to IMC. On first entering the cloud and due to the startle factor, I immediately managed to get the airplane in an unusual attitude (left bank, spiral downward) for what seemed like 20 seconds (although I feel assured that it was more like five to 10 seconds). After the initial shock, I remembered what my instructor had taught me. I began to use the attitude indicator, turn coordinator, and airspeed indicator to return the airplane to my control. My confidence returned. I executed the standard-rate turn to a reciprocal heading and flew back out of the cloud. Once clear of the cloud, I descended below the scattered cloud layer and successfully completed my flight.
What did I learn from this experience? The flight training I received from my instructor well prepared me for executing the necessary maneuvers to get back to VFR conditions; however, the startle factor of flying into unexpected IMC can make for a sweaty yoke. The training procedure of the instructor saying, "Put on the hood; I have the airplane," gives you time to reorient your thoughts to instrument flight. Flying unexpectedly into IMC robs you of that thought reorientation opportunity and can cause a brief period of discomfort to say the least.
I think that faced with a similar situation in the future, I will react more calmly. I just wish that there was a way to recreate the "startle factor" during flight training.
Mike Duncan
Clinton, Tennessee
VFR Is Safe
It's sad what happened to John F. Kennedy Jr., but I don't think the media should have listed all VFR pilots as unsafe. I'm being told by people who were interested in flying that if I'm not instrument-rated they won't get in the airplane with me. It may have been a bad idea for him to be flying at night over water, but if he would have flown by his instruments (which he was trained to do to get his private pilot certificate) he would have made it. All VFR pilots could use more instrument time, but I don't think being VFR means you're unsafe. After hearing from several people that Kennedy shouldn't have been flying because he wasn't instrument-rated, I realized not only are the three deaths a loss to us all, the image of a VFR pilot has taken a huge step backward.
Kevin Gilbert
New Orleans, Louisiana
Don't Rush, Do It Right
When I started my flight training nearly three years ago I was budding with enthusiasm and excitement about the adventures that I would have and the fun and prestige that I would gain. I had talked with many pilots and instructors in the area, asking for advice and what to expect.
So I started off on my training and within a month I had my first solo. The solo in itself was something that even seasoned pilots wouldn't go through. When I left the airport the wind was about four knots. I took off in my instructor's Cessna 150 and went out on a short trip to a nearby lake, just 20 miles to the south to practice VOR and pilotage navigation before turning around and heading back to base. I arrived over the lake, and I turned around and headed back. I tuned in the AWOS and to my shock it reported winds of 49 kts gusting to 59 kts! Luckily it was straight over the main runway, but still, I was only a student with 13 hours under my belt and this was five times the wind that I wanted to deal with.
So I concentrated on my procedures. I got myself lined up on downwind, turned onto base (getting blown way back in the process), and turned onto final. The airplane was shaking as I descended slowly to the runway threshold. It would have been a great landing but I was nervous, and I didn't think to adjust my landing procedures for the wind. I took off almost all of my power as I usually do when I cross the threshold. When I did the airplane stalled almost instantly and I dropped the remaining five to eight feet and bounced down the runway. Fortunately, the only thing damaged was my pride. But back to the matter of training.
Before too long I had amassed almost 20 hours of flight time, but I had not had any ground school. My instructor didn't offer any ground school, and I wasn't interested in more studying and schoolwork so I ignored it. My instructor had suggested that I invest in a video course, which I did, to study for my written and the oral exams. About this time, school had started up again and the weather turned bad, which forced me to abandon my flight training for almost nine months.
I had just graduated from high school, still without any ground school, when I decided to try to finish up what I had started and get my license before I had to leave for college. I wanted to be able to start my instrument training there right away. So during that summer I logged almost 30 more hours of flight time, and I studied the videos and passed the written with an 80 percent.
It was now getting down to crunch time when I had to leave for college. I asked my instructor to sign me off to get my checkride, which he did. I still had reservations as to whether I really knew all of the terms and regulations that I would be asked during the oral, but my desire to be able to advance on to instrument training right away clouded my better judgment. As a result I failed the practical test before I ever even got close to going out to do the preflight inspection, a $175 error.
I am still a student pilot. This time I have enrolled in a ground school class for this fall where I will receive the proper and, most importantly, complete instruction that will allow me to successfully complete my private pilot rating. And this time I won't let my ambition cloud my judgment. This time I will make sure I am doubly ready before I take the practical test. This time I will succeed.
Nathan McKenty
Cut Bank, Montana
Perseverance Pays Off
I am writing to you to pass along the good news-I went for my checkride and obtained my private pilot certificate. And within three weeks I had my endorsement for high performance airplanes.
I would at this time like to pass this along to anyone learning to fly. I have read on numerous occasions about the frustrations students out there are having with their instructors. I would like to say don't give up; keep looking for the right instructor to help you through your training.
I will now go on to get my instrument and commercial ratings. I know the road will not be easy, but having the right instructor always helps. Without them none of us would be able to learn our dream of flying.
Della Bachtell
Via the Internet
Not Just A CFI
I enjoyed Ralph Butcher's article titled "Size Doesn't Matter" (September 1999) very much. When I was a new first officer for a regional carrier, I sometimes found myself telling captains that I was just a flight instructor before getting hired. I realize now that nobody is just a CFI and that this is a major problem with CFIs-a lack of pride. Now I proudly state that I was and still am a CFI, and I ask the captain if he is. Invariably the answer is "No, I let it expire." That proves that for some being a CFI is truly just a stepping stone. Too bad.
J. E. Hilliard
Norman, Oklahoma
Watch Out For Transponder Damage
You produce such a magnificent magazine, and it contains so many things that are news to me that I hesitate to mention a technical error in your September 1999 issue, but I hesitate even more to let the error lie uncorrected lest expensive electronics repairs be caused by it.
In "Understanding the Transponder," Marc Cook wrote, "Typically, we are taught to place the mode switch in Standby before starting the engine and taxiing. Most transponders use a vacuum tube in the transmitter that requires some warmup time. The standby mode is the warmup mode."
I am a registered professional electrical engineer with decades of experience with all sorts of electronic and electrical power equipment. I also hold ASMEL with commercial and instrument tickets. I do not hold an A license, but I have taken and passed the first exam toward it. I have on two occasions accidentally done what Cook recommended. Both times it cost me over $400 in transponder repairs.
The voltage regulator for the alternator is turned to full on (full field current flowing) when the engine is not yet up to idle rpm since it is trying to bring the battery voltage up to the regulated 14.2 volts. It will begin to reduce the field current when the generated voltage approaches 14.2 volts; but it physically requires a finite amount of time for the field current to be reduced. During that time, over-voltage is being produced by the alternator. This over-voltage can normally be measured to be approximately 25 volts on a 14.2 volt system. Twenty-five volts is more than enough to short out (exceed the barrier voltage of) the transistors and diodes in the power supplies of aviation electronic sets, thus causing internal short circuits and burnouts.
The only convenient way around this problem is to de-energize all electronic equipment in the aircraft before starting the engine. Then, one or two seconds after the engine starts and smoothes to idle, re-energize the electronics once again. The result will be to have the electronics "off and out of the circuit" while the high voltage is present in the system, thus precluding the damage.
John Pascal
Houston, Texas
Cook responds: You're right, of course, but I was thinking in terms of an airplane with an avionics master switch, which would normally be left off during the engine start. For airplanes without avionics masters, it's best to leave all of the radios and avionics off until the engine is running and the alternator is on line and stable.
Chopper Pilot Or Cowboy?
I am a private pilot with an instrument rating and find your magazine informative and entertaining. However, the article about flying helicopters for a television news station ("In the Air, On the Air," July 1999) sounded more like a John Wayne western than a story about the everyday life of a chopper pilot.
If I read it correctly, Kyle starts his work day at 5 a.m., flies about four hours and 20 minutes, refuels the helo, drinks coffee, and then flies until about 1:45 p.m. when he finally has, "a chance to take a break and eat."
Hmmm, let's see, that's about eight hours and 45 minutes without food or water and consuming only coffee!
Kyle, you may fly a mean helicopter, but you are not very bright. You may want to do some research on the effects hypoglycemia has on a person's decision making.
As pilots, we are responsible for everything that transpires in the cockpit from engine start to shutdown. For me, this is a daunting task that I take very seriously-so seriously that the first thing I do is give my body every chance of making the right decisions. I feed it. In the airplane, I carry a couple of apples or bananas with me and lots of water. In fact, I carry extra so I can give some to my instructor. (I am working on my commercial certificate.)
There are plenty of excuses to not eat, and they are all acceptable as long as you stay on the ground. Once airborne, however, you need all mental cylinders firing, and the only way you can be certain they are is to give them the fuel they need before you start the other engine.
B. Hill
Dana Point, California
