PlasticPilot.net

What are the three priorities any pilot should respect ? I’m sure you all learnt that during initial training, and you can say it like a mantra… Aviate… Navigate… Communicate.

Obivous, isn’it ? Aviate… Navigate… Communicate… We hear it so frequently that if sounds like a prayer, or a magic formula. Are you sure you still know what these words mean ?

If you loose a few hundred feet while looking at your map, or if your heading is slightly modified when you program the GPS, you should re-think of Aviate… Navigate… Communicate.

The formula applies in case of emergency, but not only ! Yes, you have to look at your map, you have to talk to the controller, you have to get approach charts out of your bag, you must update your position… but before all, your job as pilot is to keep the plane’s attitude within acceptable limits !

You’re pissed because I treat you like baby pilots, and this matter is so basic ? Wait a second then, and think of recent incidents. How many incidents can you name where the plane became unflyable ? Not a lot…

Each time a crew flies a perfectly working plane into terrain, situational awareness is lost, and the crew fails to navigate, or even to aviate ! Like it or not, it is so !

What to do now ? Monitor your flying, whatever goes on, and try to find these short times where you loose sight of the priorities, and later try to analyze why this occured. Have you been distracted by a passenger ? Not prepared enough ? You spent too much time checking your engine and lost a couple hundred feet ?

Most of the cases you will identify in your flying will be perfectly risk-less, because the global situation was safe… but any failure to respect the holly Aviate… Navigate… Communicate… could become a contributing factor in an incident.

Respect the old mantra, and you will become an old pilot !

“When the TCAS issued an RA, the PF applied the SOP and initiated a descent. Even if they were at low FL descending to the ILS, there was no risk of CFIT. The WX, as anounced by the ATIS, was CAVOK and the flight was VMC. After that, the PIC asked the COPI to do a PA to make the PAX feel better.”

If you read this, you either know all aviation related abbreviations, or are just curious and about them… So let decypher it…

TCAS: Traffic Collision Avoidance System. On board system giving pilots information about other planes close by.

RA: Resolution Advisory. Instruction to climb or descend issued by TCAS to avoid a collision.

PF / PNF: Pilot (Non) Flying. One of the pilot is in charge of flying the plane, while the other one is in charge of navigation and communications. This is MCC. Oops, Multi Crew Co-operation, saying how pilot and co-pilot shall work together.
SOP: Standard Operation Procedures. Procedures defined by the airline, saying how the crew has to work.

FL: Flight Level. Special way used by pilots and air traffic controllers to measure altitude.

ILS: Instrument Landing System. Radio beam based system guiding aircraft laterally and vertically once aligned with runway axis.

CFIT: Controlled Flight Into Terrain. Class of accidents where crew flies a perfectly working aircraft into terrain. Politically correct way to say “Crash”.

WX: Weather. No comment.

ATIS: Automatic Terminal Information System. Equipment broadcasting weather report in a loop, so pilots can have it without asking the ATCO. Again ? Air Traffic Controller.

CAVOK: Ceiling And Visibility OK. WX code to say weather is good.

VMC: Visual Meteorological Conditions. Conditions that prevail when the plane is flying out of the clouds. When flying in clouds, the plane is in Instrument Meteorological Conditions… a.k.a. IMC

PIC: Pilot In Command. Master on board after the Lord ! PIC is in charge of everything, but is not always PF.

COPI: Co-Pilot. Also known as First Officer, F/O. Second in charge, can be PF or PNF.

PA: Public Address. The kind of intercom used by the PIC and COPI to talk to the PAX (see below). By extension, also means the message. Usually, the message starts with “This is you captain speaking…”.

PAX: Passenger. You. No comment.

This is just page one of the abbreviations book, so if you want more, let me know. I can publish new ones WIE and continue UFN.

Pat left a very interesting comment on “How to make good landings in strong winds“. Thank you Pat, and thank you for your blog in French. Pat described his rule for speed increase in strong wind, and closed his comment saying he never fly in more than 20kts.

Safe side and comfort zone
Pat’s attitude towards wind is certainly safe. High winds and light aircrafts are not always friends, and knowing his own limits is definetly a good point. Defining them with figures and condition is even better, as it gets the temptation out of the game.

With such a rule, Pat will always be on the safe side, and he will certainly remain within his comfort zone. No excessive risks, happy pilot, happy passengers.

Are you ready ?
Having clear limits is good on ground. Take-off is always an option, landing not. So what if once in flight you discover that your limits have been exceeded ? Diversion is an option, but if the problematic condition is wind, or visibility, this can affect vast areas, even too far for a diversion.

So sometimes you have to handle conditions outside your comfort zone, no matter if you’re an airline captain or a sunday pilot (don’t you think so, Pat ?). The only way to manage it is… training !

What is THE limit ?
Training is good to extend your comfort zone, but no reasons to fly in 55kts wind gusting at 85kts, particularly when they’re 90 degrees from the runway axis. This silly case is obvious, but what about 45kts ? Huh…. mmmm…. in some valleys this can happen, and be easily flyable, because wind is lined-up with runway, and steady.

Last time I revalidated my IFR rating in Avignon, Mistral wind was blowing at more than 35 kts ! I would may be not do it solo, or for pleasure, but with an instructor / examiner, this was good practice.

Oops, I did it again
So, is my rule broken ? I said that figures get the temptation out of the game, and then that it is sometimes possible to fly when the conditions overcomes the figures. So what ?

Experience. Do I need to say more ? If yes, leave me a comment, I’ll be happy to explain !