AOPA Online Members Only -- AOPA ePilot Custom Content --Vol. 5, Issue 5

The following stories from the January 31, 2003, edition of AOPA ePilot were provided to AOPA members who expressed an interest in the particular subject areas. Any AOPA member can receive information customized to their areas of interest by updating their member record file online.

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My ePilot - Instrument Interest
WSI INSTALLS FIRST COCKPIT WEATHER SYSTEM
WSI Corporation has announced the first installation of its new WSI InFlight AV-100 weather service. The system delivers current and forecast weather, including national Doppler weather radar imagery, to the cockpit via continuous broadcast signals from geosynchronous satellites. The first customer is John Hammill Sr., CEO of Hammill Manufacturing Company of Toledo, Ohio. Hammill's system is installed in the company's Cessna Citation 501/SP. "WSI InFlight leverages WSI Pilotbrief, our flagship ground-based briefing product, and brings WSI NOWrad radar mosaic to the cockpit," said Arlo Gambel, WSI's Director of Aviation Services. The AV-100 is a $3,495 system, with a monthly data subscription fee of $49.95.

My ePilot - Turboprop Interest
ATLANTIC AERO GETS THREE KING AIR STCs
Atlantic Aero of Greensboro, North Carolina, has received three supplemental type certificates for installations of various avionics in the Beechcraft King Air 300. They cover the Collins three-tube FDS-2000 adaptive Flight Display System, the Collins TCAS-4000 (traffic alert and collision avoidance system) TCAS II, and the Honeywell Mark VIII enhanced ground proximity warning system. An Atlantic Aero official said it marks the first STC for the Collins FDS-2000 in three-tube configuration in any airplane. It supports terrain awareness, FMS navigation maps, TCAS II displays, and turbulence-detection weather radar.

NEW TURBOPROP AIRPLANE AIMS AT UTILITY MARKET
Pacific Aerospace Corporation is expected to receive New Zealand certification for its PAC 750XL turboprop cargo airplane by the end of March and could receive U.S. certification this summer. The 750XL, a multiuse airplane, features a useful load of more than 4,400 pounds and a payload of more than 3,000 pounds, carrying a full fuel load of 219 gallons. There are left and right crew doors, and a 50-by-45-inch cargo door aft of the wing on the left side. There is a cargo option available with a belly pod that is big enough to accommodate 4-by-8-foot loads. The airplane is targeted at skydiving operators because of its ability to make a round-trip with 18 jumpers to 13,000 feet in 15 to 16 minutes. The Pratt & Whitney PT6-34 engine is rated at 750 shp. List price is $996,000. For more information, see the Web site.

My ePilot - Experimental Interest
SOUTH AFRICAN MANUFACTURER FLIES NEW KITPLANE
Lammer Geyer Aviation Composites of Pretoria, South Africa, has flown its new Jupiter composite airplane, a single-engine, four-place, 137-knot kitplane that the company hopes to market. The test flight occurred in December 2002. The company hopes to find investors to continue the development of the aircraft. It is designed to take off at its maximum takeoff weight of 2,259 pounds in 623 feet. It is powered by a Continental IO-360 engine generating 210 horsepower. A preliminary estimate places the cost of the kit at $29,000. See the Web site.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Tips
GROUND EFFECT: PLAYING THE FLOAT
What is "ground effect"? How does a pilot take advantage of its useful qualities and avoid its pitfalls?

Up to a height of about one wingspan above the surface, ground effect changes the normal flow of air around a wing. "This change alters the direction of the relative wind in a manner that produces a smaller angle of attack. This means that a wing operating in ground effect with a given angle of attack will generate less induced drag than a wing operating out of ground effect. Therefore, it is more efficient," explains Chapter 3 of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge ( click here to download). Pilots use ground effect to advantage when performing such operations as soft-field takeoffs; it allows the aircraft to lift off at the lowest possible speed. Once airborne, however, you must level off momentarily and accelerate so that a safe of climb out of ground effect may be assured.

On landing, ground effect can exact penalties for excess airspeed because the same drag reduction may create or prolong "floating" caused by an excessively fast approach. See Budd Davisson's feature "Field Work" in the November 2002 AOPA Flight Training for a look at how ground effect is harnessed to perform correct short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings. Davisson's "Hitting the Sweet Spot" in the November 2001 AOPA Flight Training shows how to master ground effect to finish off any nice approach with the perfect touchdown.

Airplanes are different; do they respond differently to ground effect? Review the February 1996 Flight Training feature "High Wing-Is There a Difference?", which notes that "because low wings generally get closer to the runway than high wings, ground effect is more evident in a low-wing airplane. This means it will experience a larger drag reduction than its high-wing counterpart under the same conditions." Pilots transitioning between low- and high-wing aircraft should prepare accordingly, as Steven Nagle stresses in his "Flight Forum" letter in the November 2002 AOPA Flight Training.

Ground effect makes itself evident during critical phases of flight. A student pilot who can sense the trend and use it to advantage has progressed to a higher level of piloting skill!

My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Products
COMMUNICATIONS TRAINER SOFTWARE, AUDIO REVIEW FROM ASA
Communications Trainer: Say Again Please, based on the book Say Again, Please by Bob Gardner, is available from Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc. Designed for student pilots or others who want to polish their radio techniques, the interactive tutorial includes audio clips, animation, figures, and diagrams for both VFR and IFR operations and all airspace classes. Pilots can use the audio review in car or home CD players and listen to standard dialogues between pilots, ATIS, ground, clearance delivery, tower, approach, etc. Communications Trainer is PC and Mac compatible. The retail price is $79.95. To try a demo or order, go to ASA's Web site.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Final Exam
Question: What is the fine line of dots on the border between Georgia and Alabama on the Atlanta sectional? It's not depicted on the chart's legend.

Answer: You are referring to the line of separation between time zones. Specifically, on this chart, you are looking at the line that separates the Eastern and Central time zones. If you look carefully along the line, you will see in dark gray print the time zones labeled in standard time, along with the hours difference from coordinated universal (Zulu) time. The numbers given in the parentheses give the numbers to use if you are computing universal time when daylight savings time is in effect. For more information, take a look at "Flying Smart: Time Zones" from the December 1998 Flight Training magazine.