Insights

My wife tells me, “I can’t get this gizmo to work.” I ask if she read the instructions, and she says, “No.”

A pilot tells me, “My GPS receiver doesn’t work properly.” He, too, tells me that he has neither studied the operating manual nor practiced the computer-based training program. Most would agree that some people exhibit that behavior.

A similar behavior occurs with pilots who are competent but operate beyond their skill level or their aircraft’s capability. Every three or four years I’ll receive a phone call or a letter from such individuals sincerely thanking me for their training. Why? Because they flew into a terrifying situation—white knuckles, profuse sweating, and shaking arms and legs. The most recent incident occurred to a competent pilot in a well-equipped, high-performance light airplane.

He flew from Northern California to Southern California when a fast-moving, high-energy cold front was approaching the coastline. Instrument conditions existed from 500 feet at takeoff to 3,000 feet at his destination. He experienced continuous moderate to severe turbulence, accumulated more than an inch and a half of ice on the outside air temperature probe, and climbed to 17,000 feet using oxygen in hopes of getting on top—only to learn that the tops had quickly increased to Flight Level 240. He then descended to the 7,000-foot minimum en route altitude.

Pitot heat was on for takeoff but it, too, iced up, and he lost his airspeed indicator. All three GPS receivers were lost, so he reverted to basic VOR flying. Winds at his destination were out of the west at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The tower asked him to sidestep to a short parallel runway, but he refused because of wing ice and a high speed, no-flap landing—excellent decision.

He named a few things when I asked why this happened, but his colossal mistake was to unknowingly fly a light airplane into high-energy weather—a rapidly moving cold front that was parallel to and just west of his route. Fronts cause air to rise, and cloud tops preceding a cold front can dramatically increase, particularly in unstable air.

He was not aware of a possible escape path: turn perpendicular to and fly through the relatively narrow front—as compared to warm fronts—to where favorable weather usually exists. Declare an emergency and get out of trouble. Turning away from the front in this case would not be wise because of mountainous terrain to the east, which in all likelihood would contain similar adverse conditions.

He and his passengers were fortunate, and yes, his training paid off. Modern technology is wonderful, but without proper training in the basics—failure of the vacuum system in conventional cockpits, failure of a PFD and/or MFD in glass cockpits, and reversion to basic navigation aids—a pilot is just asking for problems.

So how does this pertain to human behavior and knowledge? It’s quite simple. You must have a practical understanding of meteorology. If you study it just to pass the FAA knowledge and practical tests, I strongly suggest that you never fly instruments in actual instrument conditions.

Meteorology is a difficult subject, because bland material is seldom accompanied by practical experience—an important requirement for efficient learning. Thanks to the Internet, however, that situation no longer exists. You can easily develop practical knowledge by using your own computer and the PilotWeb.

Go to the latest surface analysis chart and find an activity that interests you, such as fast- and slow-moving fronts and convective weather. Now pick a few airports that are ahead of and behind those elements. (For airport identifiers, go to AOPA Airports [www.aopa.org/airports] and enter the city name.) Observe how the weather changes as the fronts approach and pass the area. Look at the winds, cloud cover, precipitation, freezing levels, airmets, sigmets, and any pireps. This is practical weather knowledge, and when you see unfamiliar weather symbols, refer to the Aviation Weather Services manual, AC-0045F.

During winter months, watch for a deep low pressure system that has a warm front well ahead of a fast-moving cold front. When the cold front catches the warm front, an occluded front develops, which often generates extremely hazardous weather.

Your primary objective is the ability to recognize hazardous weather: fast-moving frontal systems, convective weather, strong winds, icing conditions, and widespread low-visibility conditions that can encompass a multistate area. With this knowledge, you’ll know when to say no, I’m not going.

White knuckles cause a loss of self-confidence. Proper knowledge is the solution.