Training Notes and News

School News Garmin employee wins free online MBA Stephanie Smith of Albany, Oregon, has won a drawing for a free online MBA for aviation professionals from Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire. Smith, a private pilot who co-owns a Piper Tomahawk, starts online classes in January. She filled out the winning entry at DWC's booth at the National Business Aviation Association's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. She said she views the graduate degree as a chance to expand her opportunities with Garmin AT, a subsidiary of Garmin International, where she has worked for the past three years. For more information about DWC's online degree programs, see the Web site.

That college student you see wearing a small headset and looking at an iPod or other portable media player may not be watching the latest music video or a sports clip--he or she could be furthering an aviation education.

A podcast is a multimedia file, for playback on mobile devices or personal computers, that is distributed over the Internet using special feeds. They're being employed for a variety of entertainment and training uses, and now they may be poised to join books, DVDs, videotapes, audio recordings, and the Internet as an alternative to traditional classroom-based ground school. For nearly a year, the University of North Dakota's AeroCast has been putting the mobile video technology to work in aviation training.

"I started this podcast in February [2006], but we have only had a counting mechanism installed since June 1," said Anthony Bottini, the head of media productions for UND Aerospace's flight operations department and a flight instructor at the school. "In five months, we have had almost 60,000 file downloads, with a dedicated subscriber base of almost 1,200 viewers. Every day, we receive hits from around the world--Japan, China, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, Russia, Malta, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, just to name a few."

By early November, the AeroCast had grown to 13 episodes, ranging in length from four to 22 minutes. The expanding list of subjects ranges from Rudder and Adverse Yaw, which explains adverse yaw and how to correct it properly using rudder, to private pilot ground-reference maneuvers, a variety of commercial maneuvers, spin awareness training, and precision instrument approaches. "Right now the podcast is engaged in a maneuvers type of focus based on UND Aerospace and [FAA] Airplane Flying Handbook standardization techniques," Bottini said. "Future episodes will include IFR standardization for both precision and nonprecision approaches and further VFR maneuvers and training topics."

Inspired by videos of high-school football that his father edited, Bottini has produced all the podcasts himself, working from an improvised studio in his small office at UND Flight Operations at the Grand Forks, North Dakota, airport. "Because of the way digital video technology is heading, I am able to produce these videos in a relatively short amount of time and at a very reasonable cost to our organization," he said. All of the editing, sound, and graphics production is done on an Apple desktop computer. They feature UND's Piper Warriors, and effectively combine in-flight footage with virtual Warriors created in the X-Plane flight simulator program. "I have had help on certain episodes from other instructors who get involved and donate their time to help with the content or even be on camera as a teaching personality."

The podcasts' success is helping to fuel their growth, he noted. "As more instructors have become involved, the popularity of the AeroCast has grown here at the airport. More instructors and staff are approaching me with new ideas for new episodes. Currently, I have two groups from a campus ground school doing the planning for two future episodes that I will help them film and produce. They are working on these episodes as a project for a CFI class and seem to be very motivated...at the prospect of having their hard work featured on the AeroCast in front of the larger aviation community. Right now, we are trying to maintain a production schedule of one episode every two weeks."

An iPod is not required to watch the AeroCasts, although you will find yourself looking at an iPod-screen-sized image if you download episodes to a personal computer.

To view the free podcasts, download the free iTunes application; launch the program, enter the iTunes store, then search for "UND Aerospace." You have the option of subscribing to the podcast or selecting any episode individually. Once you download an episode, it will show up in your own podcast directory.

At press time Bottini had just been hired as a first officer by Horizon Air, but he plans to continue producing podcasts. For more information on viewing the AeroCast, see the UND Web site.--Mike Collins

Noted CFIs enshrined in Hall of Fame

Two veteran aviation educators were inducted into the National Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in October. Al Passell, who died of cancer in May 2005, had been an active instructor in the central United States since the 1960s and was a prolific designated pilot examiner. Highly regarded for his concise lessons, Passell also developed courses--including a three-day private pilot course that AOPA offered in the 1960s. Ralph Nelson, who had logged more than 10,000 hours before he died in 2006, served as director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and helped to found the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). The safety crusader created and promoted A.M. Aviation Weather on public television as well as AOPA's Weekend Ground School. The National Flight Instructor Hall of Fame is sponsored by NAFI and is located at EAA's AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The deadline for nominations for next year's award is June 1, 2007.

New England Ninety-Nines scholarships announced

The Eastern New England Chapter of The Ninety-Nines is offering four scholarships in 2007 for men and women pursuing careers in aviation or seeking additional ratings. The Ann Wood-Kelly Memorial Scholarship and the Karla Carroll Memorial Scholarship are open to both men and women and are for $1,000 each. The $1,000 William Bridge Scholarship is open to women with at least a private pilot certificate. The chapter also offers a $1,000 scholarship in memory of New Hampshire pilot Shirley Mahn. All scholarships require a New England connection such as residency or college work in one of the six Northeastern states. Applications must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2007. For criteria and applications, send a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to Katharine Barr, 278 Elm Street, North Reading, MA 01864, or e-mail ([email protected]).

Flying scholarships marked for persons with disabilities

A new tax-exempt organization is gearing up to provide flying scholarships for persons with disabilities. Able Flight planned to announce the first two recipients of the scholarship program in December. They will receive training for a sport pilot certificate in a Sky Arrow 600 light-sport aircraft that has been factory-equipped with hand controls. The Sky Arrow was provided by Hansen Air Group of Georgia. "Learning to fly is a tremendous confidence booster and can motivate anyone, especially people with various physical disabilities, to reach for even higher goals in life," said Able Flight Executive Director Charles Stites. The group hopes to fund up to 20 scholarships in 2007, with 35 percent of those earmarked for veterans with disabilities. For more information, see the Web site.

What It Looks Like

Retractable-gear squat switch

By Mark Twombly

One of the first landmarks that many new private pilots strive for is a complex airplane endorsement--an instructor's logbook signature saying that you have received instruction in, and are proficient to operate, an airplane with flaps, a controllable-pitch propeller, and retractable landing gear (see FAR 61.31[e]).

Ah, retractable landing gear. Nothing says sophistication like gear that folds up into the wing or fuselage as the airplane climbs away from the runway. Sure, the additional weight, complexity, and cost of retractable gear probably aren't worth the modest gain in performance on a piston single of modest power, but that's not really the point, is it?

Stepping up to a retractable means learning some new V speeds, and the emergency gear extension procedure in the event it will not extend normally. It also means a little systems education to learn how the gear works and what may be wrong if it doesn't.

Part of the landing gear system is the landing gear squat switch (see photo above). The basic job of the squat switch is to prevent the gear from being retracted when the airplane is on the ground. It's not unusual for someone, either a pilot or a mechanic, to inadvertently place a gear lever in the Up position while working on something in the cockpit, especially if it involves bending in odd positions to get at an inaccessible wire, switch, or screw. Without a squat switch, the gear could retract.

The photo shows a nose gear squat switch on a Cessna 210. The switch, mounted on the pivot point of the scissors, consists of a spring-loaded plunger attached to a small electrical box, and a metal tab. When the airplane is at rest and the nosegear strut and scissors are compressed, as in the photo, the squat switch plunger is fully extended. This serves to break an electrical connection in the landing gear operating system. With no electrical power to make the gear operate, it cannot be retracted.

On takeoff, as the strut and scissors extend, the plunger makes contact with the tab and is pushed into the electrical box. This completes the electrical connection that allows the gear system to operate.

A squat switch is one of those simple--plunger out means no electrical power to the gear actuation system, plunger in means power to retract or extend--and silent sentinels that keep pilots out of a heap of trouble. It's a noble calling.

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. How soon after the conviction for driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs must it be reported to the FAA's Civil Aviation Security Division?

1. No later than 60 days after the motor vehicle action.
2. No later than 30 working days after the motor vehicle action.
3. Required to be reported upon renewal of medical certificate.

2. If a pilot experiences spatial disorientation during flight in a restricted visibility condition, the best way to overcome the effect is to

1. rely upon the aircraft instrument indications.
2. concentrate on yaw, pitch, and roll sensations.
3. consciously slow the breathing rate until symptoms clear and then resume normal breathing rate.

3. The pitot system provides impact pressure for which instrument?

1. Altimeter.
2. Vertical speed indicator.
3. Airspeed indicator.

4. Pilots flying over a national wildlife refuge are requested to fly no lower than

1. 1,000 feet agl.
2. 2,000 feet agl.
3. 3,000 feet agl.

5. How should a VFR flight plan be closed at the completion of the flight at a towered airport?

1. The tower will automatically close the flight plan when the aircraft turns off the runway.
2. The pilot must close the flight plan with the nearest flight service station or other FAA facility upon landing.
3. The tower will relay the instructions to the nearest FSS when the aircraft contacts the tower for landing.

6. If a flight is made from an area of low pressure into an area of high pressure without the altimeter setting being adjusted, the altimeter will indicate

1. the actual altitude above sea level.
2. higher than the actual altitude above sea level.
3. lower than the actual altitude above sea level.

7. Ground effect is most likely to result in which problem?

1. Settling to the surface abruptly during landing.
2. Becoming airborne before reaching recommended takeoff speed.
3. Inability to get airborne even though airspeed is sufficient for normal takeoff needs.

8. Why is frost considered hazardous to flight?

1. Frost changes the basic aerodynamic shape of the airfoils, thereby decreasing lift.
2. Frost slows the airflow over the airfoils, thereby increasing control effectiveness.
3. Frost spoils the smooth flow of air over the wings, thereby decreasing lifting capability.

Final Exam Answers

1. The correct answer is A. FAR 61.15(e), Offenses Involving Alcohol or Drugs, states that each person shall provide a written report of each motor vehicle action to the FAA not later than 60 days after the motor vehicle action. It is also required to be reported on the next medical application, but the question specifically asks how soon it needs to be reported.

2. The correct answer is A. The best way to overcome the effects of spatial disorientation is to rely entirely on the aircraft's instrument indications and not upon body sensations. Yaw, pitch, and roll sensations should be ignored. Slowing your breathing rate is the proper treatment for hyperventilation, not spatial disorientation.

3. The correct answer is C. The pitot system provides impact, or ram air, pressure for only the airspeed indicator. The altimeter and the vertical speed indicators operate off the static system, and do not rely upon the pitot system. The airspeed indicator does, however, require both systems to properly function.

4. The correct answer is B. The Fish and Wildlife Service requests that pilots maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the terrain over national wildlife refuge areas, national parks, and primitive and wilderness areas. 1,000 feet agl is the required distance above obstructions over congested areas, while 3,000 feet agl is the altitude above which pilots must begin flying at the VFR cruising altitudes according to their direction of flight.

5. The correct answer is B. FAR 91.153 states that the pilot in command is responsible for ensuring that the VFR flight plan is closed with an FAA flight service station or ATC facility. The tower will automatically close IFR flight plans only; it will not relay closure instructions for VFR flight plans unless requested to do so by the pilot in command.

6. The correct answer is C. When flying from a low pressure area into a high pressure area, the altimeter will indicate lower than the actual altitude if it is not adjusted to the proper setting. To maintain a given indicated altitude, a pilot will unknowingly climb. While the indicated altitude remains the same, the aircraft is actually at a higher altitude above sea level than the altimeter displays. Remember the statements "From low to high, clear the sky" and "From high to low, look out below."

7. The correct answer is B. Due to a reduction of drag in ground effect, the airplane may seem capable of becoming airborne well below the recommended takeoff speed. However, as the airplane climbs out of ground effect, the increase in drag may result in very marginal initial climb performance. In extreme cases, the airplane may become airborne initially, only to settle back onto the runway when attempting to climb out of the ground effect area. Upon flaring for landing, the airplane will experience additional lift associated with ground effect, causing it to float.

8. The correct answer is C. Frost does not change the basic aerodynamic shape of the wing, but the roughness of its surface spoils the smooth flow of air over the wings, causing an early airflow separation from the wing and decreasing lifting capability. Early separation of airflow over the wing results in a loss of lift. Frost typically will not blow off the wing during a takeoff roll; the pilot must remove it during the preflight inspection.

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