Distraction seems to be the enemy
Dear Rod:
After recently reading my five hundred and thirty-second article on the dangers of a cross-controlled stall/spin (in the pattern), I had the same thought I did when I started flying: Why isn't the ball more prominent on the panels of general aviation airplanes? When you're flying a VFR approach, the only thing you usually look at on the panel is airspeed. Everything else is outside. The turn coordinator tends to drop out of your scan. It seems to me that for airplanes that are primarily flown VFR, there should be a large ball at the top of the panel where it would have a better chance of catching your eye in the middle of the base-to-final turn.
Sure, a pilot should be able to feel if he's slipping or skidding. But the statistics argue that too many don't have that feel when it most counts. So why not give the humble ball a more prominent place to make the lack of coordination more obvious?
Thank you,
Peter
Greetings Peter:
You're right. The ball doesn't get any respect. It's an excellent feedback device and should be sitting big and bold in the cockpit. At one time you could actually purchase a sizeable inclinometer (curved tube with ball inside) that had adhesive on the back. You could stick it on the panel and clearly see the slip or skid condition. I haven't seen one of these for sale in aviation magazines for years. Then again, the slip/skid string used by glider pilots is cheap and very useful, too. Tape a piece of string directly over the center of the nose cowling and see immediately if the airplane is slipping or skidding.
Long ago I began having students look over the nose and see if the airplane's nose pointed in the direction of ground track. If the airplane was slipping or skidding, the ground track would be at some small angle to the airplane's nose (longitudinal axis). With a little training, students could actually identify this small angle and use it to determine if the airplane was slipping or skidding.
You should, however, consider the stall/spin study done by NASA many years ago in regard to the utility of the stall horn. NASA concluded that in 75 percent of the survivable stall/spin accidents, the pilot didn't hear the stall horn activate (and it most likely did activate). As I recall, the study indicated that when a stall/spin results from pilot distraction, then the stall horn, despite its activation, obviously provided no inoculation against the stall/spin event. It's reasonable to conclude that given the same type and degree of distraction leading to a stall/spin, the inclinometer will also be of little use in alerting a pilot that his skid is creating a greater potential for a stall/spin.
Since distraction (often taking the form of tunnel vision in stall/spin scenarios) frequently consumes the pilot's "visual" mental resources, we might be better off with an audio alert that warns about the need for more right or left rudder. That is, after all, what the instructor yells when a pilot flies uncoordinated during base-to-final turns, right?
I've never heard of an audio coordination warning device (my guess is that an audio warning device alerting the pilot to "Lower the gear" would also be useful, too. Horns just don't seem to do the job, do they?). Ultimately, the best inoculation against stalling and spinning is learning to fly coordinated (a big inclinometer would help here) and a properly planned approach.
Can a passenger pay for fuel?
Dear Rod,
My father and I were having a discussion about when a person who has a private pilot certificate takes a passenger up. Can the passenger (who the pilot knows) pay for the fuel and/or aircraft rental? I think that that is hovering around Part 135 ops myself, but I figured I'd ask you.
Cheers,
Bill Beseler
Greetings Bill:
The rules say that a private pilot must share the cost of fuel, oil, and aircraft rental "evenly" between the passengers and himself.
Crosswind control
Dear Rod:
I'm having a great deal of trouble understanding the proper use of the flight controls in a sideslip for a crosswind landing. I have a little more than 35 hours and would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Unknown Person
Greetings Unknown Person:
Here's the easiest way to understand this. During the landing roundout and flare, use your rudder pedals to keep the airplane's longitudinal axis parallel to the runway centerline and use the ailerons to keep the airplane on the runway centerline. Flare as you normally would. Touch down on the upwind wheel, and then lower the other main gear to the ground. Keep sufficient crosswind aileron applied throughout the landing roll.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. A pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973, he has flown more than 8,000 hours and is part owner of a Cessna P210. Visit his Web site.
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