Observation Flight

I flew on Tuesday, October 12.  I flew with Emilee Williams and Dave Axenty.  The starting tach time was 2919.2 and the ending time was 2920.9.  It was pretty interesting to sit in the backseat and observe Emilee’s flight.  I definitely learned a lot of stuff from watching her.  One of the things I learned was to keep a better eye on my altitude during steep turns.  Steep turns are definitely one of the toughest parts of multi-engine flying, and she did pretty well with them.  If she got off of her altitude at all, she immediately corrected for it.  This is something that I need to learn from, and it could definitely help me to follow her example.  Another thing that I learned from watching Emilee’s flight was to watch the trends during the base and final portions of the traffic pattern.  She did a good job of watching the trends on base, but on final she would get a little off.  And if you get a little off in the Seminole, it is really difficult to get back to where you want to.  I flew right after the observation flight, so it was really convenient.  I was able to take all of the lessons that I learned on the flight and apply them to myself.  Unfortunately, I didn’t quite apply them to my flight.  During the first 90 degrees of my steep turn I lost almost 100 feet, so I wasn’t really watching my altitude close enough.  I was able to do a little better watching my trends than I did watching my altitudes.  I made sure to observe the trends on base and final, and corrected for it. I think that riding along on a flight really helped me to observe some things that I can improve upon.  If I can apply these lessons on my flights, then I believe that I will definitely improve my flying.

My Reflection

I think that the two most important things that I learned from class were the Seminole systems and the emergency procedures for the Seminole.  Learning the Seminole systems was important because I had just started to fly the Seminole at the time, and I needed to learn about all of the systems.  I know that the End of Course and check ride also emphasize systems, so it is good to have a base of knowledge for that.  Learning the emergency procedures was also important for the same reason.  Right when we had to memorize the emergency worksheet for class, I started to do engine out maneuvers.  I also know that a lot of the EOC and check ride involve maneuvering with an engine out, so it was good to learn the emergency procedures at an early stage.  I really liked that the class didn't try to stretch out an entire semester.  It was definitely long enough so that I was able to learn everything I needed to, but it didn't try to fill in time with things that are unimportant.  I didn't really like that the class was at 8:00am.  I don't mind doing things in the morning so that the afternoon is open, but 8:00am is very early.  At times I would find myself fighting to focus on class, which wasn't exactly helpful for me.  It was beneficial to see the animations of how the systems work, and be able to interact with them.  We could go over the systems as many times as were necessary, which helped me learn them better.  I feel kind of neutral about blogging.  It did help me reflect about certain things, but I'm not sure that it advanced my learning.  Without blogging I feel that I would have learned just as much, but the blogging did help me reinforce some things.

Passengers can be a Pain

This accident is a tragic example of passengers pushing the pilots to do something unsafe, and the pilot bending to the will of an overbearing boss.  I think that the contributing factors were the pressure put on the pilot by the passengers, and the pilot's choice to continue on the approach.  The weather also played a factor, as it seems that there was drifting snow showers that rapidly decreased visibility in certain areas.  I believe that the error chain started by planning a departure time that only allowed one hour of time between proposed arrival time and the landing curfew time.  It then continued when the pilots continued to allow themselves to be pressured.  The next link was the pilots decision to shoot the approach when other business jets had to initiate missed approaches.  The one part that doesn't really make sense is the choice to allow a passenger into the jump seat.  Although the passenger probably didn't verbally push the pilots to continue the approach, the presence of the passenger probably provided a reminder of how angry the boss would be.  The pilots probably should have started out the flight by telling the passengers that there was a really good chance they would need to divert because of their late departure time and the weather in Aspen.  They also should have been prepared to initiate a missed approach after the jets in front of them needed to.  One of the biggest choices they should have made would have been to stay on the approach path and not try to shoot a contact approach to an airport they were unfamiliar with at night.  I think that I would try to convince the passengers of the reality that we would probably need to go to Rifle, Colorado.  No matter how much the passenger pushed, I would not try to do something unsafe.  At the end of the day, I think that any company would understand my choice.  And even if I lost my job because of the boss' insistence, I think that it would be easy to explain to a future employer.  If they were a company that legitimately placed safety above all else, they would understand my decision and not hold it against me.

Single Pilot IFR

Right now, I would not even think about flying single pilot IFR.  It has been about 15 months since I got my IFR rating, and I haven't gotten much training since then.  If I spent more time doing some training to get my competency back, I would be more willing to try single pilot IFR.  After reading the article, I believe that flying single pilot IFR is more about planning and staying ahead of the aircraft than actually flying.  I think that one of the most important tips I picked up from the article is to look at the weather trends for about a week in advance before the trip.  This makes a lot of sense.  For example, if you are flying to the California coast IFR, you would want to watch the weather each day to see when the evening fog comes in.  If you have this in mind, you can plan on when to depart so that you avoid shooting an approach into low visibility conditions.  Overall I think that flying single pilot IFR is not necessarily a dangerous thing.  If the pilot stays competent, plans ahead and is prepared, then he will be able to safely complete even the most difficult flight in IFR.

Electrical Fires

Reading the AOPA article on what to do in the even of an electrical fire was pretty eye opening.  Most of the advice I have picked up from the hangar talk is that it is okay to reset a circuit breaker no matter what, but you have to make sure that you keep an eye on it.  The article, on the other hand, seems to say that you should not reset a circuit breaker, unless it is for a circuit that is essential for flight.  A short circuit is where the wiring is damaged and current is allowed to flow into another system or onto a surface such as the fuselage.  This is bad because it can cause too much current to run through the wires, resulting in damaged wiring or even an electrical fire.  Our procedure in the Seminole is similar to what the article talked about because it advises to immediately turn off the battery master.  It also says to leave all non-essential circuits off, and to test each essential circuit before operating it.  Both the article and the PIM are clear in stating that you should land as soon as practical to fix the problem.  In the future I know that I will have to fly the airplane first and foremost.  I imagine that an electrical fire is pretty distracting, so it will be really important to ensure that I keep flying.  I also now know that I shouldn't reset a circuit breaker unless it is very essential for the flight to continue, and even then I should ensure that it isn't the cause of the problem.

Post #1-Expectations for the Course

I think that my two main expectations for the Multi-Engine Ground school are to learn a lot more about the systems in the Seminole, and be able to pass the Multi-Engine practical test with flying colors.  I know that this will be a large section of the syllabus, so I'm glad that my goal and the syllabus have the same objective.  I really want to learn a lot about the systems because I know that it will help me with the CFI class and hopefully with transitioning to bigger and faster airplanes.  I know that this class has been developed to help me pass the practical test, and that is exactly what I plan to do.  Another minor expectation I have for this class is that it will help me to improve my ability to comprehend subject matter that I don't have an intimate knowledge of.  I know that I will have to learn a lot more about systems that are extremely complex as my flying career progresses. If I can develop a good system of learning that helps me rapidly figure out these systems then I will be able to hopefully get a step up on the competition and distinguish myself.
My expectations for this class are pretty simple, I really just want to know the systems inside and out and be able to pass the practical test.  If I can accomplish these two things over the course of the class then I will feel like it has been a success.