Archive for March, 2020
Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter
To view our current newsletter click here. You can view past newsletters here.
The Kraemer Aviation team was scheduled to attend their annual FAASTeam training at the College park Airport, however the event was canceled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. As we’re writing this month’s newsletter, we learned that Sun N Sun in Lakeland Florida was postponed, also due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Harry also had his annual DPE training postponed. Click here for some pictures from inside some of the local stores during this outbreak.
On March 23 2020 the governor of Maryland closed all nonessential businesses in Maryland. A lot of questions regarding this closure. Many questions came up regarding flight schools – Can they stay open during this mandatory closure ruling. As it turns out, flight schools are considered essential because they are part of the Transportation Sector. Click here for the Transportation Sector overview. Click here for a list of businesses that the governor says can remain open.
Interested in living at an airport? Visit our Aviation Real Estate page here.
We opened the pool March 12 2020 at Kraemer Aviation headquarters. Jett was on hand to supervise.
Want to have your business highlighted on the Flymall??? We offer inexpensive rates to have your business featured on our Wheels & Wings page. Contact us for more info. Our website is getting just under 10,000 views/hits per month – advertise on the Flymall and get noticed.
History Trivia: Shivkar Bāpuji Talpade, recognize this name. Historians say that he built and flew an unmanned airplane in 1895. This is well before the Wright Brothers.
If you enjoy history we have a new aviation history fact each day at the bottom of our webpages. Some days there may be more than one, just refresh the page. And if you like Beatles history, checkout our Events Calendar and select the Beatles category. This is a work in progress, we’re building the most comprehensive calendar of important dates in Beatle history.
For those that like to stick with current news, we have an aviation news ticker on our home page. This is updated daily to show the current aviation news.
Achievements & Special Recognition: Bravo Flight Training is expanding. They now have a location at the Winchester Regional Airport.
Instructors, want to highlight your students first solo or other achievement here? Just send us a short write-up and a picture or two and we’ll post it here for you. Click here for our contact info.
Jonathan, an applicant that Harry tested for his Private Pilot Certificate is continuing his education. He wanted some Class B Airspace experience so Harry planned a flight with him to KBWI with a touch and go landing. He is doing great. Here is a picture showing him flying the plane while turning short final for 33R at KBWI.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: Harry, Katherine, and Brenda of Bravo Flight Training did a tour at the Montgomery County Airpark for a group of home schooled kids. Click here for more pictures from the tour. The group learned about flying an aircraft, aviation jobs, and more. Each one had a chance to fly the flight simulator at Bravo Flight Training.
The aviation section of the Flymall is full of aviation news, training info, and much more for the aviator.
Let’s all learn from the mistakes of the crew of this TBM. The crew of a TBM while on a charter flight, tried to go around another aircraft on a taxiway at KGAI. The taxiway is only made for one aircraft. The slide below sums up the incident. The crew made a number of mistakes before becoming stuck. And just like an accident, there was a chain of events leading up to the incident. Remove any link is this chain of events and this would not have happened. Click here for pictures. Click on image below for a larger view.
Air show season is always just around the corner. Want to travel to air shows in your own aircraft? Visit our used aircraft page on the Flymall to view our inventory.
Our appraisal business has been on the rise. Here are a couple of business jets we appraised this month. All of our appraisal data is entered into our Market Watch section of the Flymall. Want to help build the Market Watch database, you can? Our Market Watch section allows you to enter your own price data for us to review and enter into the database.
A 1967 Falcon 20
A Westwind
Car/Motorcycle Show News: RockAuto.com has donated 15 $25 gift certificates for my Laytonsville Cruise In award nights this year. Harry has been doing this Friday night event every Friday for the past 11 years.
Our Events Calendar has the most current info regarding local and national car shows, air shows, and more. With nearly 30 categories, there is something for everyone. The Day Tripper section of the Flymall has dozens of day trip ideals and interesting places to visit. Check it out here.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. There you can view sample appraisals, download forms, and more.
Visit our online store to search for hard to find car parts, aircraft parts, and much more. You can pay online in our secure store, just click on the Store button on our home page. If you’re looking for parts for a certain make, just use the search box in the upper right corner of our pages and search for that make (like “Mazda”).
Visit the Test Drive section of the Flymall for reviews on automobiles, aircraft, motorcycles, and more. Read about it before you buy it. You can also research price info on a wide variety of vehicles, collectibles, and more in the Market Watch section of the Flymall.
If you’re restoring a fabric aircraft, Ira Walker of Walker Aviation is your resource. Visit his page on the Flymall by clicking here.
CFI / DPE Notes: Visit Harry’s Practical Test page for information on his checkrides. You will also find useful information there to help you prepare for your checkride. You can also visit Harry’s Lesson Plan section of the Flymall for other flight training information. Visit our Flight Training page for information on our aviation training classes.
Weather in the news: On March 2 there was an outbreak of tornadoes in the south. Here are some pictures and a video showing the damage to an airport in Nashville Tennessee.
Click here for a video of the Nashville tornado aftermath at an airport.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): Visit the Three Wheel Association page on the Flymall for more info on the association.
Here is a very rare three wheeler for this month. A Heathfield Slingshot (one of two made)
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: This month we have the Hiller Aerial Sedan. Seen in a 1957 Popular Science magazine and was supposed to be the future of transportation.
Visit Harry’s Flying Car page on the Flymall for more information on flying cars.
And here is a wood fire powered motorcycle.
Click here for a past newsletter where we did a write up on wood fire powered cars.
Animals in the headlines: Here is little “GAI” my common snapping turtle. He was found by a dog in a hangar at KGAI. The maintenance shop that operated the hangar is GAI Aircraft Services, that is why he is just known as little GAI. He is about 8 years old. When found he was the size of a quarter. He has his own pond in my turtle sanctuary. His pond is all clean and fresh for the season.
We close this newsletter with this line from a Beatles song: The Word is Love!
Monday, March 16th, 2020
I. FUNDAMENTALS OF INSTRUCTING
A. Learning Process
B. Human Behavior and Effective Communication
C. Teaching Process
D. Teaching Methods
E. Critique and Evaluation
F. Flight Instructor Characteristics and Responsibilities
G. Planning Instructional Activity
II. TECHNICAL SUBJECT AREAS
A. Aircraft Flight Instruments and Navigation Equipment
B. Aeromedical Factors
C. Regulations and Publications Related to IFR Operations
D. Logbook Entries Related to Instrument Instruction —Go over Eligibility Exercises in Employee Area under Flight Training
III. PREFLIGHT PREPARATION
A. Weather Information
B. Cross-Country Flight Planning
C. Instrument Cockpit Check
IV. PREFLIGHT LESSON ON A MANEUVER TO BE PERFORMED IN FLIGHT
A. Maneuver Lesson
V. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CLEARANCES AND PROCEDURES
A. Air Traffic Control Clearances
B. Compliance With Departure, En Route, and Arrival Procedures and Clearances
FLIGHT PORTION
Preflight Procedures
ATC Clearance (actual or simulated)
Transponder code & frequency departing ______________
Transponder code & frequency returning_______________
CRAFT – Clearance, Routing, Altitude, Frequency, Transponder
C – Cleared to
R – Route
A – Altitude
F – Frequency
T – Transponder code
VI. FLIGHT BY REFERENCE TO INSTRUMENTS
A. Straight-and-Level Flight
B. Turns
C. Change of Airspeed in Straight-and-Level and Turning Flight
D. Constant Airspeed Climbs and Descents
E. Constant Rate Climbs and Descents
F. Timed Turns to Magnetic Compass Headings
G. Steep Turns
H. Recovery From Unusual Flight Attitudes
VII. NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
A. Intercepting and Tracking Navigational Systems and DME Arcs
B. Holding Procedures
VIII. INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURES
A. Nonprecision Instrument Approach
B. Precision Instrument Approach
C. Missed Approach
D. Circling Approach (Airplane)
E. Landing From a Straight-In Approach
IX. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
A Loss of Communications
B. Approach With Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators
C. Engine Failure During Straight-and-Level Flight and Turns
D. Instrument Approach—One Engine Inoperative
X. POSTFLIGHT PROCEDURES
A. Checking Instruments and Equipment
Saturday, March 14th, 2020
From Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B) Chapter 4 March 2020.
Slow flight is when the airplane AOA is just under the AOA
which will cause an aerodynamic buffet or a warning from a
stall warning device if equipped with one. A small increase in
AOA may result in an impending stall, which increases the risk
of an actual stall. In most normal flight operations the airplane
would not be flown close to the stall-warning AOA or critical
AOA, but because the airplane is flown at higher AOAs, and
thus reduced speeds in the takeoff/departure and approach/
landing phases of flight, learning to fly at reduced airspeeds is
essential. In these phases of flight, the airplane’s close proximity
to the ground would make loss of control catastrophic;
therefore, the pilot must be proficient in slow flight.
The objective of maneuvering in slow flight is to understand
the flight characteristics and how the airplane’s flight controls
feel near its aerodynamic buffet or stall-warning. It also
helps to develop the pilot’s recognition of how the airplane
feels, sounds, and looks when a stall is impending. These
characteristics include, degraded response to control inputs
and difficulty maintaining altitude. Practicing slow flight will
help pilots recognize an imminent stall not only from the feel
of the controls, but also from visual cues, aural indications,
and instrument indications.
For pilot training and testing purposes, slow flight includes
two main elements:
1. Slowing to, maneuvering at, and recovering from
an airspeed at which the airplane is still capable of
maintaining controlled flight without activating the
stall warning—5 to 10 knots above the 1G stall speed
is a good target; and
2. Performing slow flight in configurations appropriate
to takeoffs, climbs, descents, approaches to landing,
and go-arounds.
Slow flight should be introduced with the airspeed
sufficiently above the stall to permit safe maneuvering, but
close enough to the stall warning for the pilot to experience
the characteristics of flight at a very low airspeed. One way
to determine the target airspeed is to slow the airplane to the
stall warning when in the desired slow flight configuration,
pitch the nose down slightly to eliminate the stall warning,
add power to maintain altitude and note the airspeed.
When practicing slow flight, a pilot learns to divide attention
between aircraft control and other demands. How the airplane feels at the slower airspeeds aids the pilot in learning that
as airspeed decreases, control effectiveness decreases. For
instance, reducing airspeed from 30 knots to 20 knots above
the stalling speed will result in a certain loss of effectiveness
of flight control inputs because of less airflow over the
control surfaces. As airspeed is further reduced, the control
effectiveness is further reduced and the reduced airflow over
the control surfaces results in larger control movements
being required to create the same response. Pilots sometimes
refer to the feel of this reduced effectiveness as “sloppy” or
“mushy” controls.
When flying above minimum drag speed (L/DMAX), even
a small increase in power will increase the speed of the
airplane. When flying at speeds below L/DMAX, also referred
to as flying on the back side of the power curve, larger
inputs in power or reducing the AOA will be required for
the airplane to be able to accelerate. Since slow flight will be
performed well below L/DMAX, the pilot must be aware that
large power inputs or a reduction in AOA will be required
to prevent the aircraft from decelerating. It is important to
note that when flying on the backside of the power curve,
as the AOA increases toward the critical AOA and the
airplane’s speed continues to decrease, small changes in
the pitch control result in disproportionally large changes in
induced drag and therefore changes in airspeed. As a result,
pitch becomes a more effective control of airspeed when
flying below L/DMAX and power is an effective control of
the altitude profile (i.e., climbs, descents, or level flight)
It is also important to note that an airplane flying below
L/DMAX, exhibits a characteristic known as “speed instability”
and the airspeed will continue to decay without appropriate
pilot action. For example, if the airplane is disturbed by
turbulence and the airspeed decreases, the airspeed may
continue to decrease without the appropriate pilot action of
reducing the AOA or adding power.
Performing the Slow Flight Maneuver
Slow flight should be practiced in straight-and-level
flight, straight-ahead climbs and climbing medium-banked
(approximately 20 degrees) turns, and straight-ahead poweroff gliding descents and descending turns to represent the
takeoff and landing phases of flight. Slow flight training
should include slowing the airplane smoothly and promptly
from cruising to approach speeds without changes in altitude
or heading, and understanding the required power and
trim settings to maintain slow flight. It should also include
configuration changes, such as extending the landing gear
and adding flaps, while maintaining heading and altitude.
Slow flight in a single-engine airplane should be conducted
so the maneuver can be completed no lower than 1,500 feet
AGL, or higher, if recommended by the manufacturer. In
all cases, practicing slow flight should be conducted at an
adequate height above the ground for recovery should the
airplane inadvertently stall.
To begin the slow flight maneuver, clear the area and
gradually reduce thrust from cruise power and adjust the
pitch to allow the airspeed to decrease while maintaining
altitude. As the speed of the airplane decreases, note a change
in the sound of the airflow around the airplane. As the speed
approaches the target slow flight speed, which is an airspeed
just above the stall warning in the desired configuration
(i.e., approximately 5–10 knots above the stall speed for
that flight condition), additional power will be required to
maintain altitude. During these changing flight conditions, it
is important to trim the airplane to compensate for changes in
control pressures. If the airplane remains trimmed for cruising
speed (a lower AOA), strong aft (back) control pressure is
needed on the elevator, which makes precise control difficult
unless the airplane is retrimmed.
Slow flight is typically performed and evaluated in the
landing configuration. Therefore, both the landing gear
and the flaps should be extended to the landing position.
It is recommended the prescribed before-landing checks
be completed to configure the airplane. The extension of
gear and flaps typically occurs once cruise power has been
reduced and at appropriate airspeeds to ensure limitations
for extending those devices are not exceeded. Practicing this
maneuver in other configurations, such as a clean or takeoff
configuration, is also good training and may be evaluated
on the practical test.
With an AOA just under the AOA which may cause an
aerodynamic buffet or stall warning, the flight controls
are less effective. [Figure 4-3] The elevator control is less
responsive and larger control movements are necessary to
retain control of the airplane. In propeller-driven airplanes,
torque, slipstream effect, and P-factor may produce a strong left yaw, which requires right rudder input to maintain
coordinated flight. The closer the airplane is to the 1G stall,
the greater the amount of right rudder pressure required.
Maneuvering in Slow Flight
When the desired pitch attitude and airspeed have been
established in straight-and-level slow flight, the pilot must
maintain awareness of outside references and continually
cross-check the airplane’s instruments to maintain control.
The pilot should note the feel of the flight controls, especially
the airspeed changes caused by small pitch adjustments,
and the altitude changes caused by power changes. The
pilot should practice turns to determine the airplane’s
controllability characteristics at this low speed. During the
turns, it will be necessary to increase power to maintain
altitude. Abrupt or rough control movements during slow
flight may result in a stall. For instance, abruptly raising the
flaps while in slow flight can cause the plane to stall.
The pilot should also practice climbs and descents by
adjusting the power when stabilized in straight-and-level
slow flight. The pilot should note the increased yawing
tendency at high power settings and counter it with rudder
input as needed.
To exit the slow flight maneuver, follow the same procedure
as for recovery from a stall: apply forward control pressure
to reduce the AOA, maintain coordinated flight and level the
wings, and apply power as necessary to return to the desired
flightpath. As airspeed increases, clean up the airplane by
retracting flaps and landing gear if they were extended. A
pilot should anticipate the changes to the AOA as the landing
gear and flaps are retracted to avoid a stall.
Common errors in the performance of slow flight are:
• Failure to adequately clear the area
• Inadequate back-elevator pressure as power is reduced,
resulting in altitude loss
• Excessive back-elevator pressure as power is reduced,
resulting in a climb followed by a rapid reduction in
airspeed
• Insufficient right rudder to compensate for left yaw
• Fixation on the flight instruments
• Failure to anticipate changes in AOA as flaps are
extended or retracted
• Inadequate power management
• Inability to adequately divide attention between
airplane control and orientation
• Failure to properly trim the airplane
• Failure to respond to a stall warning
