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 good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 02.01.06
A friend was flying a
Cessna Skyhawk when he began to feel drowsy, and his head begin to
hurt. Soon the headache was almost so bad he could not fly --
his vision became fuzzy and it was hard to concentrate. How he got
the airplane safely on the ground, frankly, he doesn’t know.
He was a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas resulting from
incomplete combustion in exhaust fumes. Hemoglobin in blood has a
great affinity for CO—the molecules attach more easily than
oxygen alone. This means that you may be breathing normally, yet
less oxygen goes to your brain and other vital tissues because CO
has displaced O2. Your personal symptoms of hypoxia (oxygen
deprivation) set in.
Most single-engine airplane heaters duct air
through a shroud around the exhaust manifold to obtain heat, then
pipe heated air into the cockpit. Any leak in the muffler or
exhaust in this area with a fuel mixture rich of peak EGT can admit
CO to the cabin.
Most multiengine airplanes have a combustion
heater, warming air by burning aviation fuel in a compartment in
the nose. Leaks in the heater "burner" may also contribute to CO
poisoning in the cabin. "Lean-of-peak" engine mixture settings
don’t eliminate the CO hazard in multiengine airplanes.
Pressurized piston airplanes pump up the cabin
with boosted air from engine turbos. Leaks in the induction or
exhaust system can flood the cabin with CO.
CO is a factor in several aircraft mishaps each year, and may
contribute to a number of accidents with "unknown" causes.
Aero-tip of the day: Consider using a fresh CO
sensor (above, right) when flying. If you experience symptoms of
hypoxia -- headache, drowsiness, dizziness or confusion -- shut off
the heater, pull pressurization cutoffs as appropriate, open air
vents and use supplemental oxygen if available while you land at
the nearest suitable airport.