When Rob Krajcik of Springfield, Massachusetts, was deciding how to help his 20-year-old daughter Marissa develop some outside interests, his first thought was to take her flying.
So, for his next flight lesson at Westfield-Barnes Airport, Marissa rode along in the backseat of a Cessna 172--her first flight in a small airplane.
"Marissa really enjoyed the flight and wanted to try it herself," said Rob, 55. He recalled his introductory flight lesson out of Northampton Airport in Massachusetts in September 2007.
"It was exciting, but I was nervous," he said. "I remember telling my very relaxed-looking CFI, 'You are going to help me land this thing, aren't you?'"
Marissa flew out of the same airport and experienced similar emotions. "I was nervous, and I remember making it clear to my instructor that I didn't know anything about airplanes," she said. "I was scared beyond measure. I was going up into the sky in an airplane with a stranger."
Helping to ease her nerves before takeoff, Rob stood outside the airplane with his camera, taking close-ups of Marissa in the cockpit. "I could tell he was proud," she said.
Together, they've continued flight training, sharing their love of flying along the way.
Every weekend, Marissa drives almost four hours from Syracuse University in New York to her home in Granby, Connecticut, where she visits with her mother, brother, and stepfather between flight lessons.
"I enjoy going to the airport every week, and I know my life would be void without it," said Marissa. With 28 hours of flight time, she completed her first solo in January 2009 in a Piper Warrior. Rob soloed in March 2009 in a Cessna 172.
"I was definitely ready. I had done my homework," he said. "I was alone in the airplane, but I could still hear my CFI as though he were right next to me. What a feeling of accomplishment! I'll never forget it."
Marissa appreciates her father's help--funding her flight training, answering aviation-related questions, and lending his books and study materials.
"In the beginning, I'd ask him about everything on the car ride to the airport," said Marissa. "Now, I can carry on conversations with my father over dinner about flying."
Marissa is also exploring her options in school, including the possibility of becoming a career pilot. "As of now, flying is a serious hobby," said Marissa. "I'm even thinking about starting up a flying club at the university. I can't get enough of the sky."
--By Kathryn Opalewski
Sallie Mae slashes flight training loan business
Responding to what it calls "difficult market conditions," Sallie Mae announced via letter to select flight schools that it is significantly reducing the amount of flight training loans it generates. The effective date of the termination was May 8.
Although the reduction is thought to be significant and widespread, the company wouldn't comment on how many schools will be cut from the loan program. "Because of difficult market conditions, we have found it necessary to focus our resources only on those schools that generate sufficient volume of approved loans to justify the expense of maintaining this manually intensive program," said a spokeswoman.
Students are encouraged to speak with their flight school manager for additional details on whether or not financing will be available through Sallie Mae.
AOPA reminds members that it offers an alternative financing route through its�Flight Training Funds program. The�program doesn't require students to use a particular school; even private instructors are eligible.
--Ian J. Twombly
What It Looks Like
Landing-gear mirror
One of the first big steps up for a new pilot is transitioning into an airplane with retractable landing gear. Being able to stow the landing gear inside the airframe after takeoff reduces drag, which increases speed and range.
Increased performance is the biggest payoff for having retractable gear, but there are other benefits as well. One is aesthetic, another psychic. Most people agree that an airplane just looks better in flight without the gear hanging down. And, there's that extra bit of swagger that comes with graduating up to a complex airplane with folding wheels.
Those advantages come with a price. Retractable gear adds weight to the airplane, and cost. It also adds to pilot workload, and introduces potential for retracting the gear prematurely, or forgetting to extend it before landing. Either mistake will ruin an otherwise good day of flying.
Manufacturers build in safeguards to try and prevent landing-gear mishaps--squat switches and gear selector lockout pins to prevent premature retraction; a warning horn to alert the pilot that the airplane appears to be configured for landing (power reduced or at idle and flaps extended), but the landing gear is not down and locked; and green lights to indicate that all three wheels are down and locked--but, somehow, pilots continue to overlook or ignore the safeguards and suffer the consequences.
Many retractable-gear airplanes have a last-chance method of checking on the position of the landing gear, and that is an external mirror. The photo shows a convex mirror mounted on the underside of the left wing of a Cessna 210. It is positioned so that the pilot can look to the left and see the front half of the fuselage, including the left main gear and nosewheel. A similar mirror mounted on the underside of the right wing gives a view of the right main gear.
After extending the gear, the pilot should make it a point to glance at the mirrors to confirm the all three gear legs are fully extended, thus confirming the three green lights on the panel that show the gear is down and locked in place. A right-seat passenger who has been briefed properly can check the right-side mirror.
The visual check of landing gear position should be part of the Before Landing checklist. It's a good idea to re-confirm that the landing gear is down and locked when descending through 500 feet before landing. Check the green lights--and the mirrors.
--by Mark Twombly
The Frugal Student
Money-saving tips
Flying costs money, there's no way around that. But there are steps you can take that will save you money as you earn your pilot certificate. Don't forget to send us your ideas. E-mail them to [email protected]. Or, see the AOPA Flight Training page on Facebook.
- Free sites such as Sporty's Study Buddy and www.exams4pilots.org let you practice knowledge tests as much as you need.
- Forego the glass. A glass-cockpit-equipped airplane costs more to rent. Postpone your glass checkout until after the checkride.
- Consider CAP. The Civil Air Patrol offers low-cost flight training to cadets (ages 12 to 18).
--Submitted by Bruce Bailey and Jackson Maddux
What's in 'AOPA Pilot'?
Here's what you're missing if you don't read AOPA Pilot, the association's flagship magazine published monthly for certificated pilots.
- "One Giant Icon". Editor in Chief Tom Haines flies a blimp and examines 100 years of Goodyear aviation history.
- "Ending Up on Top". Beck Weathers nearly died on Mount Everest in 1996. Today, flying helps him regain what he almost lost.
- "Safe Safety Pilot". Before you and your friend jump into the airplane to fly practice approaches, are you both on the same page?
Are you ready to read about more advanced subjects such as these? Just as pilots upgrade to more advanced certificates, it might be time to upgrade your magazine. You can convert your paid membership to AOPA Pilot at any time by calling AOPA toll-free (800-USA-AOPA).
FAA names 2009 CFI of the year
Arlynn McMahon of Versailles, Kentucky, has been named 2009 National CFI of the Year. McMahon is chief flight instructor at Aero-Tech at Lexington-Blue Grass Airport. She is one of a group of aviation professionals recognized by the General Aviation Awards program, a cooperative effort between the FAA and industry sponsors. McMahon is the author of Train Like You Fly: A Flight Instructor's Guide to Scenario-Based Training, and provided editorial assistance for the newly revised FAA Aviation Instructor's Handbook. In 2008 she provided insights into sport pilot flight training when she discussed light sport aircraft for a series of articles that appeared in AOPA Flight Training. McMahon and other industry recipients of the GA Awards will be honored in July at EAA AirVenture 2009 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
School news
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Students in the normobaric lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. |
Embry-Riddle unveils high-altitude training chamber
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently cut the ribbon on its newest training tool--a normobaric lab that students will use to recognize symptoms of oxygen loss at high altitudes. Up to 500 flight students per year will train in the chamber, which will be used in a flight physiology course to teach the causes and symptoms of hypoxia. ERAU said it plans to offer hypoxia training to flight schools and corporate aviation operators as well.
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 page 52.
1. What determines the longitudinal stability of an airplane?
A) The location of the center of gravity with respect to the center of lift.
B) The effectiveness of the horizontal stabilizer, rudder, and rudder trim tab.
C) The relationship of thrust and lift to weight and drag.
2. An airplane said to be inherently stable will
A) be difficult to stall.
B) require less effort to control.
C) not spin.
3. How do variations in temperature affect the altimeter?
A) Pressure levels are raised on warm days and the indicated altitude is lower than true altitude.
B) Higher temperature levels expand the pressure levels and the indicated altitude is higher than true altitude.
C) Lower temperatures lower the pressure levels and the indicated altitude is lower than true altitude.
4. When a stressful situation is encountered in flight, an abnormal increase in the volume of air breathed in and out can cause a condition known as
A) hyperventilation.
B) aerosinusitis.
C) aerotitus.
5. Which statement best defines hypoxia?
A) A state of oxygen deficiency in the body.
B) An abnormal increase in the volume of air breathed.
C) A condition of gas bubble formation around the joints or muscles.
Final Exam answers
1. The correct answer is A. The location of the center of gravity (CG) with respect to the center of lift (CL) determines the longitudinal stability. Positive static stability has the CG ahead of the CL, and the further forward the CG is from the CL, the more longitudinal stability the airplane possesses.
2. The correct answer is B. An inherently stable airplane will require less effort to maintain a straight-and-level attitude. When disturbed by a force, such as turbulence, an inherently stable airplane will usually return to the original condition of flight without needing drastic control input. Although this aids a pilot in flying an airplane, inherently stable airplanes can still stall and spin.
3. The correct answer is A. As air warms, it expands upward. If an altimeter hasn't been reset as the temperature increases, the indicated altitude on the altimeter will read lower than the true altitude. Remember, as the temperature goes down, the airplane goes down, and as the temperature goes up, the airplane goes up, while the indicated altitude remains the same; this will occure if the altimeter is not properly adjusted.
4. The correct answer is A. Hyperventilation is abnormally quick and shallow breathing. It can happen to a person when he/she is stressed, tense, or scared. You can reduce or eliminate symptoms of hyperventilation by purposely slowing the breathing rate. This can be done by speaking out loud or by breathing into a paper bag. Aerosinusitis and aerotitus are conditions that can occure when there is a difference in air pressure inside and outside the sinus and ear cavities, respectively.
5. The correct answer is A. Hypoxia is a state of oxygen deficiency in the body. It can impair brain function. Symptoms include the deterioration of night vision, headache, dizziness, and a sense of well-being. The bends is a painful condition that occurs when a gas bubble forms around the joints or muscles.
AOPA members can discuss these or any aviation questions with Pilot Information Center staff by calling 800-USA-AOPA or sending an email.
