Letters

As a flight instructor and member of the flight safety team at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Arizona, campus, I really enjoyed Mike Collins’ article, “Protective Layers,” in the September 2011 issue of Flight Training. At the end of the article he mentioned that the University of North Dakota is

the only school to special order its Cessna 172s with skylights. All of the 172s (2007 model year) at our ERAU campus also have the skylights (and I’m almost certain that Daytona’s do, too).

As Collins mentioned, they do greatly increase situational awareness. I competed in the Women’s Air Race Classic this year on behalf of ERAU-Prescott, and while headed back from the race my partner and I were descending for a fuel stop in Albuquerque. ATC reported to a Twin Otter that he had Cessna traffic at 12 o’clock and 1,000 feet or so lower. When I heard this, I turned around and tried to spot the aircraft but had no luck. I then looked up and saw him through our skylights—directly above us. It definitely proves that the skylights come in handy.

Kristine Anthony
Prescott, Arizona

The Big Picture

That was a wonderful column by Ralph Butcher this month (“Insights: The Big Picture,” September 2011 Flight Training). I really enjoyed it.

Steve Glaviano
Metairie, Lousiana

“The Big Picture” by Ralph Butcher is spot on. Seeing attitude, power, and glidepath will get your head out of the cockpit and “properly trained pilots spend 80 percent of their time looking outside the cockpit during visual flight.”

“Flight Lesson: The Landing Equation,” by Prasad Ganti, refers to landing a Cessna 172 without power, fully loaded, as the cause of a poor landing (September 2011 Flight Training). I would suggest a higher approach speed, power off on downwind, and then controlling his position to the runway in relation to airspeed and altitude. Although correct in his analysis to a power-on approach and landing, unfortunately I am finding many students who have never made a power-off approach and landing!

A perfect landing may then be a function of airspeed control and planning. Holding the yoke aft on landing, like a tailwheel airplane, will also prevent a bounce with the excessive angle of attack reaching the stall instead of power pulling you down the runway. Indeed, his last paragraph is also spot on. “Landing is a matter of positioning the aircraft at the right place, at the right time, at the right speed”—but try it without power for improved proficiency.

Rob Mixon, CFI
Lake Placid, Florida

The Landing Equation

In “Flight Lesson: The Landing Equation,” the author describes his experience of landing a Cessna 172 with all seats loaded for the first time. It struck me that the author did not mention doing a weight-and-balance calculation before the flight. The difficulty of squeezing four people in a Cessna 172 should be an indication that this is near the limits of what the airplane is designed for, and that a weight-and-balance calculation is warranted.

It has been my experience with flying the 172 that, with full fuel, it will usually reach its maximum take-off weight before all four seats are filled. I believe many small four-seaters share this characteristic.

Reading the article I was reminded of my checkride, also in a 172. With 400 pounds of designated pilot examiner and soon-to-be private pilot in the front seats and 53 gallons/318 pounds of fuel in the tanks, there were only 150 pounds or so of useful load left. Under those conditions we could have carried only one additional child or small adult in the backseat. We would not have been able to take off with four people on board without exceeding the maximum takeoff weight of the 172.

In the author’s defense, he might have been flying with less than full fuel and/or the passengers may have been relatively light. This could have kept the airplane’s takeoff weight within limits.

A weight-and-balance calculation should be done before every flight. It may be tempting to skip it if the same airplane has been flown in the same or similar configuration (loading) before, although this should be considered bad practice. If flying an airplane with an instructor on board and with full fuel is OK, flying the same airplane solo and with partial fuel should be fine, right? Do a weight-and-balance calculation for both scenarios and you will see why it behaves differently without an instructor around.

If an airplane is being flown in an unusual configuration, such as for the first time with all seats occupied, doing a weight-and-balance calculation will ensure the airplane is within its operating limits. An attentive pilot will also notice he is operating the airplane at a higher gross weight, and with the center of gravity farther back. This should alert the pilot the airplane will handle differently.

Alexander Stokman
Mercer, New Jersey