Training Notes and News

Cliff Garl had always been interested in learning to fly, but he wouldn't get around to it until he was almost a century old. On April 24, the 91-year-old Seattle-area resident soloed in a Cessna 172. "It went fine," he said. "Maybe it's a little unusual, but I'm enjoying it."

Garl wanted to fly when he was younger but couldn't afford it once he got married. He also said his wife wasn't too keen on flying. After she died, he was looking for something to do to keep his mind working. He was experiencing shoulder pain from playing golf and was intrigued by a Be A Pilot ad offering an introductory flight. He began his training two years ago, having no intention of pursuing a pilot certificate, just wanting to fly around. Then he started to get the hang of it.

The biggest challenge, however, was the medical certificate. He passed the exam, but the FAA was concerned about some prior health issues. Garl didn't give up on the paperwork process and eventually was granted a medical, but only for six weeks. That provided the window for the solo at Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) in Everett. Following test results and more paperwork, the FAA may extend the medical for a year. Garl now is thinking of pursuing a recreational or private pilot certificate. --Nate Ferguson

Delta Connection Academy, Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines sign training pact

Delta Connection Academy and Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines have signed a training agreement under which the academy will provide transition training to select new-hire pilots for entry into Cape Air/Nantucket's initial training program. Cape Air/Nantucket has also agreed to offer guaranteed job interviews to Delta Connection Academy graduates. Cape Air/Nantucket is a regional airline based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, that flies a fleet of ATR-42 and Cessna 402-C aircraft on short-haul routes serving Cape Cod and the adjacent islands, as well as Key West and southwestern Florida, the Caribbean, and Micronesia.

What It Looks Like

Fuel hose

Take away the carefully sculpted cowl enclosing an aircraft engine and you're left looking at an industrial landscape filled with a confusing jumble of hoses, wires, cables, baffles, and pipes snaking over, under, and around the laid-bare powerplant. You won't find large, logoed engine and filter covers, like those used on modern cars, to hide inelegant aircraft engines.

Just for fun pick an engine accessory--the carburetor (or throttle body on a fuel-injected engine), for example--and try to identify all of the hoses that feed into and out of it. In the case of the carburetor, we're certain to find fuel lines. Other fluid hoses that may snake through the engine compartment include oil and hydraulic lines.

These fluid hoses are distinguished by a thick, rubbery outer coating, which may be orange, blue, or black in color. This silicone-based coating is intended to protect the inner Teflon and stainless steel wire-braid flexible hose from damage, especially from heat and fire.

These flexible hoses are designed to carry flammable fluids under pressure in a hostile environment subject to extreme heat, cold, and vibration. It's not an easy job.

Hoses should receive a thorough inspection whenever the airplane goes into the shop for a regular inspection. Careful mechanics also will examine them whenever the cowl is removed and the guts of the engine are revealed.

It's especially important to carefully inspect all hoses that pass close to heat sources in the engine, such as exhaust pipe headers. Heat and corrosion can damage a hose from the inside out. One way to check for internal damage is to flex the hose and listen for cracking sounds, which would indicate imminent failure.

FAA gets more customer-friendly

First the FAA revamped its Web site to make it more user-friendly. Now the agency's Flight Standards Service has posted a customer service feedback form on the site to make it easier for pilots to give feedback about service provided by flight standards district office employees, or to report unsafe conditions or practices at their local airports. The form asks for name, phone number, and e-mail address, but these are not required fields to leave a comment. For more information, see the Web site.

Aviation Speak

Critical engine

Critical engine--an overstatement? After all, how could an engine not be critical in powered flight? No doubt, a smoothly running engine equals a happy pilot. The term, however, has extraordinary meaning for pilots of multiengine airplanes.

Most training in a multiengine aircraft involves flying single-engine procedures. Why? Because in an aircraft sporting two engines, if one becomes inoperative you will have to deal with some very specific handling characteristics, and you'd better become intimately familiar with them. And that is where the critical engine part comes in.

The critical engine represents the engine whose failure most adversely affects the aircraft's handling characteristics. This can be significant in a light twin operating at low airspeed and high power settings--the resulting high angle of attack causes the descending blade of each propeller to produce more thrust than the ascending blade. This asymmetric thrust, also called p-factor, manifests itself just as it would in a single-engine aircraft, except in a light twin p-factor affects both engines at once.

Critical engine propensities are most significant in light-twin aircraft where both engines rotate clockwise when viewed from the cockpit. Although the engines develop an equal amount of thrust, the p-factor of each engine produces a center of thrust along the right side of each engine cowling, which affects yaw. The yawing tendency of the right engine (when viewed from the cockpit) is influenced to a greater extent by p-factor than the left engine because the right engine's center of thrust is farther away from the fuselage's centerline. The turning forces on the working right engine will be further perpetuated if the left engine fails--more so than the reverse situation--and control likely will be difficult. Consequently, in conventional multiengine airplanes, the left engine is the critical engine.

Some multiengine aircraft feature counter-rotating propellers, meaning that the engines--and their attached propellers--turn in opposite directions. This way, the descending blades of each propeller are close to the airplane's centerline, and neither engine is critical as defined above. You'll still be busy when the instructor simulates an engine failure, but the airplane response is not as dramatic.

Multiengine airplanes enjoy elite status at the local FBO and flight school. And for good reason: They not only prepare pilots for commercial flying careers, but a multiengine rating adds significant value and utility in personal flying, too. It's great fun and satisfying to acquire the rating; it also requires a lot of hard work, mental alertness, and preparation. Try it! You'll be flying like the pros.

Final Exam

Final Exam is composed of questions similar to those a student may expect on the private pilot knowledge test. Answers are researched by members of the AOPA Pilot Information Center staff and may be found on p. 20.

1. The most important rule to remember in the event of a power failure after becoming airborne is to

1. immediately establish the proper gliding attitude and airspeed.
2. quickly check the fuel supply for possible fuel exhaustion.
3. determine the wind direction to plan for the forced landing.

2. If an in-flight emergency requires immediate action, the pilot in command may

1. deviate from any rule of FAR Part 91 to the extent required to meet the emergency, but must submit a written report to the administrator within 24 hours.
2. deviate from any rule of FAR Part 91 to the extent required to meet that emergency.
3. not deviate from any rule of FAR Part 91 unless prior approval is granted by the FAA administrator.

3. What should an owner or operator know about airworthiness directives (ADs)?

1. They are mandatory.
2. They are voluntary.
3. They are for informational purposes only.

4. The responsibility for ensuring that an aircraft is maintained in an airworthy condition is primarily that of the

1. pilot in command.
2. owner or operator.
3. mechanic who performs the work.

5. During a night flight, you observe steady red and green lights ahead and at the same altitude. What is the general direction of movement of the other aircraft?

1. The other aircraft is crossing to the left.
2. The other aircraft is flying away from you.
3. The other aircraft is approaching head-on.

6. During a night flight, you observe a steady white light and a flashing red light ahead and at the same altitude. What is the general direction of movement of the other aircraft?

1. The other aircraft is flying away from you.
2. The other aircraft is crossing to the left.
3. The other aircraft is crossing to the right.

7. To act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers, a pilot must show by logbook endorsement the satisfactory completion of a flight review or completion of a pilot proficiency check within the preceding

1. six calendar months.
2. 12 calendar months.
3. 24 calendar months.

Final Exam Answers

1. The correct answer is A. An engine failure shortly after takeoff is not the time to troubleshoot for causes of power failure; rather, establish the proper glide attitude and airspeed, and prepare for a landing. The altitude gained may help you determine where to land, but a straight-ahead landing is best if you are only a few hundred feet up when this occurs.

2. The correct answer is B. The pilot in command is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of his or her aircraft. FAR 91.3 is very clear in that the PIC may deviate from any rule in Part 91 to the extent required to meet that emergency, if an in-flight emergency occurs that requires immediate action. The rule also states that a written report shall be sent to the FAA administrator only upon request of the administrator, but it does not specify a time limit.

3. The correct answer is A. Airworthiness directives (ADs) are issued by the FAA under Part 39 of the regulations, and compliance is mandatory to maintain aircraft airworthiness. ADs require the correction of unsafe conditions found in an aircraft, or aircraft component, when such conditions exist and are likely to exist or develop in other products of the same design. Some ADs require a one-time compliance by either inspection or maintenance, and others may be recurring at intervals specified by the AD.

4. The correct answer is B. While the pilot in command is tasked with determining the airworthy status of an aircraft prior to a flight, the owner or operator is responsible for maintaining the aircraft in an airworthy condition, according to FAR 91.403. This rule does not require the owner or operator to actually perform the maintenance, however, as that job is normally done by an A mechanic.

5. The correct answer is C. If you see both the red (on the left wing tip) and green (on the right wing tip) position lights at night, you are looking at an aircraft approaching you head on! The red would appear on your right and the green would appear on your left. If the aircraft were crossing to the left, you would not see the green light, and if that aircraft were flying away from you, you would not see either the red or the green lights (but you should see the white light on the aircraft's tail).

6. The correct answer is A. If you are seeing the steady white light (on the tail) and a flashing red light (beacon or anti-collision light, frequently on the tail as well), you are viewing that aircraft from behind and it is flying away from you--continue to watch it, however, as you may overtake it if you're flying the faster airplane. If another aircraft were crossing your flight path, you would see either the red or green wingtip lights until the aircraft passes, then you would see the white light on the tail.

7. The correct answer is C. To act as pilot in command of an aircraft, this requirement must be met--whether the pilot is carrying passengers or not. FAR 61.56 details the requirements of a flight review or an acceptable substitute, and this check must have been accomplished within the preceding 24 calendar months for a pilot to act as pilot in command. This rule is commonly misunderstood to mean that every pilot must complete a flight review every 24 calendar months. There is no regulatory requirement for a pilot to complete a flight review if he or she has no intentions of acting as pilot in command.

AOPA members can discuss these or any aviation questions with Pilot Information Center staff by calling 800/USA-AOPA or sending an e-mail.