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27 October 2008

Oops!

Oops is probably not a word you like to hear anywhere near an airplane.

Not quite as bad as "Uh Oh" and not nearly as alarming as "Oh Sh*t!"

Still, oops does tend to be an attention-getter. Fortunately, this oops occurred on the ground and not in the air.

Got clearance to cross a runway and contact ground. So the normal procedure is to cross the line, hold (meaning STOP), and call up the tower for taxi instructions.

So I motored across and as I did so, was explaining something to my left-seat student-passenger, can't remember what any more.

Now usually, I can talk and taxi an airplane at the same time. Perhaps a bit more difficult than walking and chewing gum but generally doable.

Somehow this time was different.

I crossed the runway and cruised right on past the hold line and automatically turned left onto the taxiway.

And faced right into an oncoming jet taxiing toward me.

OOPS!

One millisecond later, the controller on the radio not-so-gently reminded me that I was to hold and contact ground.

Mortified and stunned that I could have done such a thing, I sheepishly acknowledged and apologized. Stomped on the right brake and thankfully had enough room to do a 180 on the taxiway and get clear to the ramp.

Now would be a good time to point out that the oncoming jet was still quite a ways down the taxiway from where we were, at least 200 yards.

And I saw the jet stop moving so I knew that at least that driver was paying attention. And very likely muttering niceties in my direction while I flailed my arms and gnashed my teeth.

Anyways there was very little imminent danger of bending aluminum.

Still . . . it was a mistake. Probably my most serious mistake so far.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

A couple of lessons are now burned onto my synapses:

First, I allowed myself to get distracted during taxi. Distraction is a famous cause of accidents on the ground and I was guilty as hell. So in the future I resolve to pay a lot more attention during this phase of operating an airplane.

Second, I've always considered myself to be a very safe and attentive pilot but I now realize, sadly, that I am no different than any other pilot who gets distracted while taxiing.

In other words, I am not a perfect pilot.

Dang.

And that is perhaps the more important lesson.

Having an attitude of invincibility is one of the leading reasons pilots get into trouble, and I don't mean with the FAA.

Recognizing one's fallibility is a good step in the right direction of being a safe, confident, and competent pilot.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

20 October 2008

Another Step in the Journey

A career in aviation as a pilot is a seemingly endless series of study, training, exams, certifications, and ratings. Indeed, earning one's Private Pilot Certificate (or Sport or Recreational Pilot) is really just a license to learn, because aviation is one of those endeavors that, regardless of one's goal, is truly a lifetime of continual learning. Or it should be.

A few days ago I passed the written exam required for the Instrument Rating.

Yep, got a 90% which is my personal minimum.

I'd been reading, assimilating, and preparing for this exam for several months, and over the past ten days I had a lull in my work schedule — I am a freelance internet professional — so I used the time to focus on this exam by going through a DVD training course and then doing a few practice exams.

In typical fashion, the actual exam proved to be less stressful and difficult than I had imagined it would be.

For some unknown reason, often at the outset of a project, or in this case a new level of flight training, the goal seems so distant, and to overcome the inertia required to begin is difficult. Something about Newton and his First Law of Motion, but in a mental sense. One has to inject mental energy into the project to get it moving.

Then of course, real action needs to be applied for things to start happening. Such as reading, studying, practicing, and so on.

So too with this written exam. Earning an Instrument Rating is one of the more difficult tasks in aviation. Not that each little bit is difficult, but that there are just a TON of little bits that one needs to know. And remember.

When I first dove into the material it seemed overwhelming, and the mental energy needed to concentrate had to be summoned from some deep recess of my brain. Especially because a lot of this reading was done at night before falling sleep. And yes, I did dream of instruments, approaches, and clouds.

Lots of clouds. And flying in clouds. Several times I awoke in the middle of the night, dizzy from disorientation. How the heck could that happen in a dream, I wondered.

Gradually the more I read the more of it got behind me and the less there remained ahead. Until one day I realized I had been through the entire training manual. Then I read it again. And certain parts of it yet again.

Something seemed missing — I was getting all the little pieces/parts but . . . I needed the parts to coalesce into a complete picture. So then I thought I'd try the DVD course and that helped to put it all together. It was the actual USE of the material from the manual that I had been missing, and the videos made it all make sense.

So now, all I have to do is learn how to put the pieces into action. In a real airplane. In real weather.

Might have to move back east, we don't get a whole lot of "real weather" here in Colorado.

I remember growing up in PA, we'd have cloud cover it seemed like from November till May. But that's another story.

23 September 2008

Evil Wind or . . . A Tale of Two Streets?

This is a story about wind. Not just any wind, mind you. And, it is a story of bike rides. Many bike rides.

Before you get your eyes ready to glaze over, this is not about the physics of wind, nor is it about how wind affects airplanes, as you may have thought.

Nope, this is about bicycling. And irritation. And perseverance.

I cycle for exercise — 10 miles a minimum three times per week. I have also begun throwing in a 15-miler on (some) Sundays. Keeps me out of trouble. And keeps my resting heart rate down in the 50s. I like that.

My usual 10-mile route takes me through City Park, north on York and then east on 26th avenue past City Park Golf Course, and I pedal til I get to Central Park Drive, which is in Stapleton. I make way south and then head west on Montview back to City Park and home.

You're probably wondering, What does any of this have to do with anything? Well, on many occasions, too many to count now, I have observed the most peculiar thing: heading east on 26th, the wind is in my face, and then westbound on Montview the wind is also in my face! So, I have often wondered in amazement (and sometimes irritation) — how the heck can the wind be flowing in opposite directions just 6 blocks apart?? And no, it is NOT due to my speed along the ground. We are talking about actual wind. I have been riding long enough to tell the difference. Plus I can see tree branches waving and litter being blown along the ground.

For example, just yesterday the wind was about 15-18 miles per hour. And it was out of the southeast because I observed that the spray from the Electric Fountain in City Park was being blown toward the northwest. Thus I was not too surprised when I pedaled east on 26th and the wind was slightly in my face. And it was even stronger on my southbound leg to Montview — very difficult pedaling almost directly into the wind.

Heading west on Montview was a complete surprise: the wind was really ripping into my face! "How can this be??" thought I, as I struggled to maintain speed.

Thinking of mechanisms of wind shear or in this case, more likely simple thermal heating and lifting, I guess it doesn't seem impossible. And yet, the number of times I have observed this on my rides leads me to wonder if some greater force is conspiring to make my life difficult. Well, that's just plain silly I tell myself, as I focus on turning my irritation into more forceful pedaling. There MUST be some explanation involving updrafts (it was a sunny, warm day), terrain features, and so on.

I won't relate all the thoughts that zip through my neurons during these curious moments, but I will tell you how I translate them to other areas of my life: when there arise such struggles as this one against the wind, I say to myself "Mike, you MUST keep going. You CANNOT QUIT. No matter how hard it gets, you MUST KEEP GOING."

It's not about making my time or even keeping up speed, but about simply NOT giving up.

And so it also goes with many aspects of life: one must keep at it, keep up the fight, never give in to the forces that seemingly conspire against you, and above all — NEVER QUIT.

And so, just as I turn a struggle on the bike into a dogged determination to keep pedaling, so too do I transform adversity and misfortune into a fierce motivation to see my personal and business goals achieved.

No matter what anybody tells me.

So there.

12 September 2008

Shrieking With Delight!

Way back in the early spring sometime, my favorite watering hole sponsored a fund-raising golf tournament and silent auction for some cause or other, I don't remember to be honest. Being the totally magnanimous and benificent soul that I am, I donated a sightseeing flight to the auction. Because I will use just about any excuse to haul my butt into the air, I have donated a number of flights like this. Also, it is great fun taking people into the air for their first flight!

Well, last week the winner of the aforementioned flight came a-calling and up we went.

Said winner was a great guy, and the flight was actually a treat for his teenage daughter so she sat up front in the right seat while dad took up the back seat.

We did my usual tour over Denver - the downtown skyline, Elitch's, Coors Field, Invesco Field, Pepsi Center, and much of east Denver where the above-mentioned establishment is located. Incidentally, dad in the rear seat is a cousin of the owner of this establishment so I thought it appropriate that we circle over it. Can never spread too much good karma around now, can we?

So we did that and then headed west to take in the sight of Red Rocks from the air. For those of you who don't know it, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a natural rock amphitheatre located in the foothills west of Denver. It is part of the Fountain Formation which is comprised of very prominent sandstone layers that are highly tilted and protrude in many spots along this valley, all the way down to Colorado Springs. For any first-time visitor to this area, a trip to Red Rocks is a must.

The geology of the Denver area is extremely interesting and the foothills and Dinosaur Ridge are awesome to observe from the air but I'll save that for another installment.

Anyways, Red Rocks has been developed into a world-class venue for mainly music but also other types of acts as well as movies. We flew up and down the valley and it is just sooo cool to see this amphitheatre from the air. I have been to many concerts there and it just never ceases to be one of the the most awesome spots on the planet.

We then motored further south to Chatfield Reservoir and observed the myriad boats on the water this bright, clear morning. Along the way I couldn't help but notice that my right seat passenger seemed to be enjoying herself very much. Very very much. Snapping photos, smiling, laughing, she was thoroughly having way too much fun.

So having a sixth sense about this I asked if she wanted to take the controls. I surely can't do justice to her reaction - her eyes about popped out of her head and she asked incredulously "Really??" So as cool and casually as I could while taking my hand off the yoke I said "Sure, there you go - IT'S YOUR AIRPLANE!"

Well, I think I surprised her so much that for a few seconds the airplane had no hand on either yoke, so I commented that many airplanes, especially small piston singles such as the one we were in, are really very stable machines and will pretty much fly themselves. Once you get them off the ground. When she got over her surprise, she took the controls.

You may recall that I am training to be a flight instructor and at this point I have had about 15 hours of dual time with a student in the left seat (certificated instructor in the back). So I am starting to get the hang of telling students how to perform various maneuvers. I am also getting to the point where instructing is becoming a heckuva lot of fun.

Mainly because I get to watch the student as she or he tries to follow my commands and is so intent on getting it right. It is very satisfying to see someone perform well on your instructions.

After a quick run-through of the heading and airspeed indicators, I had Nicole do some turns to headings, climbs and descents, and one steep turn which I kept from getting any steeper with a surreptitious hand on my yoke. All the while she wore a smile from ear to ear and was shrieking with delight . . . I can't describe how much pleasure I got from seeing her have so much fun. It is truly one of the coolest reasons I do this flying thing.

Dad was also beaming in the back seat - he was so proud of his little girl, and I can totally relate because, as I told you about in an earlier post, I had my own teenage daughter fly the airplane a while back.

I kept glancing over at her to watch her face and it was the pure embodiment of joy - she was just having so much fun I'm sure it will remain one of her favorite memories.

Too soon, we were back on the ground so I asked if she wanted to take lessons and of course she emphatically said "YES!!" but apparently dad's checkbook is currently busy subsidizing lacrosse so flying has been added to the to-do list.

But I'm optimistic that she will — another prospect for TailWind Aviation!

And another person bitten by the words of Leonardo: "When once you have tasted flight you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return."

26 August 2008

Training the Trainer

Well it has been a while and I've been studying and training and studying some more and training some more.

What I've been working on is the Instrument Ground Instructor written exam and I'm just about there. One more week or so and I will take that exam and then go get my IGI certificate since I've already passed the other two required writtens - the FOI (Fundamentals Of Instructing) and the FIA (Flight Instructor Airplane). If you've been reading this blog with any regularity, in aviation a lot, and I mean a LOT of acronyms are used.

I've also been flying with students a fair amount and I'm getting more and more comfortable with being in the right seat and teaching different manuevers.

At TailWind Aviation as part of our training, which is more intense and focused than many other flight training programs, we like to give our first-flight students the option of playing "fighter pilot" or "roller coaster." In reality they aren't much different - steep climbs, descents, and turns, stuff like that. Generally, the fighter pilot will tend to do more turns while the roller coaster will do more climbs and descents. At least, that's how I figure it. In any case it's really a lot of fun and very quickly builds a student's confidence that yes, I really can control an airplane!

You might think it's kind of scary letting a new student do these manuevers on their first flight but the interesting thing is that the student won't go beyond his or her comfort zone, which normally is well within anything the instructor has experienced. So in general there's not much to worry about because the new student doesn't know enough to do anything really dangerous.

Not to mention that the instructor (me) is in the other seat and is always alert to any possible developing situations. And more importantly, I have a low tolerance for pain.

When we think the student is having enough fun we put them back to work on turns to headings and holding altitudes and such. Can't let them have TOO much fun now can we?

Another unusual feature of our training program is that we require the new student to take the written exam either before or shortly after their first flight. Whether he/she is training for Recreational, Sport, or Private Pilot certificate, the written exam is passed very early in the program. The reason for this is that we want to be certain that the student has the focus and motivation to complete the entire program within our short timelines. That is one of the hallmarks of our accelerated training - we get students finished well before many other programs and our goal is to get their certificates right at the FAA minimum number of hours.

There are additional techniques that we use to assure that students are indeed getting superior training to become confident and competent pilots, and as we go along I'll tell you about them.

Can't let all the goodies out at once, you know?

27 January 2008

Engine Out!

Well there's a first time for everything and this was my first engine failure experience.

Except I wasn't PIC, I was in the right seat of the Seminole. And thankfully it turned out not to be all that scary either.

We were basically moving a Seminole from Centennial (APA) to Front Range (FTG), where our pilot was scheduled to have his Commercial Multi-engine checkride the next day, in the very Seminole in which we were riding. The other three of us aboard were going to do a training flight in another airplane upon arrival at Front Range.

It's only about a 10 minute flight between the two airports, and we planned a practice instrument approach to FTG. We set up for the ILS approach to runway 35, descended, then went missed and requested 26 as that was the runway we really wanted.

We circled around the field and entered the downwind for 26. As we turned to the base leg, I happened to notice something different out of the corner of my eye, but it didn't quite register in my brain. The pilot was concentrating on getting us into position for the final so I didn't bother to ask him.

As we turned to final and got lined up I looked more intently to my left and saw it - a little "blip" in the blur of the spinning left prop.

Now that I had seen it for sure, I stared at the left prop and saw it again, just a slight variation in the spin rate.

By this time we were almost in the flare so I sure didn't want to distract our pilot now. Just after we touched down and began the rollout, the prop suddenly blipped twice more and then stopped completely.

Since by this time we were on the ground and decelerating, I asked the pilot if he had seen anything unusual and he said that he too, had seen the variations in the prop spin but didn't think anything of it at the time.

The entire sequence, from the time I noticed the first blip to touchdown, lasted no more than about a minute and a half. All in all, not too scary.

This time.

But - what if instead of Front Range, we had been heading to Jeffco (Rocky Mountain Metro, BJC)?

Jeffco, as most people still refer to it unless you're talking to a controller, is about a 20 minute flight from Centennial. Assuming the same timing of the engine failure, we would have been about 10 minutes out from Jeffco, and most likely right over downtown Denver.

Now, an engine failure in a twin is not necessarily catastrophic, but it sure would have made things interesting.

And would have given our pilot a real-life experience.

We're still not sure what happened to the Seminole. As we taxied to the ramp, repeated attempts to restart the engine were futile. Replacing the starter did not fix the problem. The mechanic said something about an intake valve being the possible culprit.

The checkride was postponed for another day and another airplane.

02 January 2008

Teaching My Daughter To Fly

Yesterday was truly one of the highlights of my life — I began my career as a flight instructor by teaching my daughter Mary some of the basics of flying an airplane.

We started by having her taxi the plane around on the ground for a while, getting used to adjusting the throttle and the counterintuitive nature of steering by feet rather than by hands on the yoke.

Seeing as how she talks on the phone with the best of them, I wasn't at all surprised when Mary talked to the controller on the radio like it was second nature . . .

After takeoff, we played roller-coaster and wow did she ever enjoy that — no problem pointing the nose at the ground for her! Then she laughed with delight as we turned, climbed, went over the top and our stomachs sort of floated for a bit.

After a number of fun ups and downs, we did some actual work, and it was just such a blast to see her concentrate so intently on making her turns and trying to maintain altitude!

How very different from the somewhat absent-minded 14-year-old that usually calls me daddy! I am so proud of how well she did — I think she'll make an excellent pilot.

That is, if she isn't distracted by school, soccer, or boys . . . and probably not in that order!