Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being better pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 04.22.06
When we think about conditions that make us temporarily unfit
to fly, we usually come up with a list of diseases and
serious medical conditions like intestinal troubles or sinus
headaches. We don’t typically consider relatively minor
injuries that might permit flight under normal circumstances, but
which could contribute to disaster if we face an unusual
situation.
A pilot recently described a situation he had faced. A few
days after pulling a muscle in his back, he decided he could take
himself off pain medications and fly. His first indication that all
was not as it might be was when he got into the airplane—the
manipulations necessary to enter the aircraft came with a good bit
of difficulty. He settled into the pilot seat all right, however,
and didn’t give it another thought until he entered light
turbulence. The jarring caused sharp pains in his still-injured
back, making control difficult and undoubtedly clouding his
judgment. He found it very hard to twist and reach into his
flight bag for instrument approach plates. After landing he
realized if he had a landing gear problem he probably could not
have activated the emergency extension system; after landing he
likely could not have evacuated quickly on the ground if the need
arose.
He thought he was fit to fly because he was nearly symptom-free
and weaned from medication. What he didn’t take into account
was that seemingly minor medical inconveniences on the ground can
have a dramatic impact when exposed to the rigors of flight.
Aero-tip of the day: When self-certifying your
medical condition for a specific flight, consider the added effects
the flight environment might have on your physical condition.