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.")
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. 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.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to
you through the Aero-News Network.
Aero-Tips 07.05.06
Flying to EAA AirVenture, for one week the
busiest airport in the world? We've been discussing the planning
needed to make a safe AirVenture arrival.
Airspeed control
If you're flying to Oshkosh later this month, now is the time to
brush up on the special skills needed for a safe trip. One is
proper airspeed control, in ways sometimes unusual for many
pilots.
The AirVenture NOTAM calls for most
aircraft to fly the visual arrival at 90 knots indicated airspeed.
Before you enter the "stream" of traffic, you should know precisely
what combination of power, pitch attitude, flaps and landing gear
position (as appropriate) and trim setting results in level flight
at 90 knots. For some you'll be flying flat-out... while others may
be "hanging on the prop" at this speed. Get comfortable with this
configuration (and any visibility or engine temperature management
considerations that go with it) so you can fly it while scanning
for traffic inbound to Oshkosh.
If you fly a faster airplane the NOTAM gives you the option of a
slightly higher altitude and 135 knots indicated. If you plan this
entry, practice the configurations for both 135 and 90 knots -- the
"high-speed arrival" will eventually have to descend through the
"normal" speed as you arrive in the traffic pattern. The time I
flew a light twin to AirVenture I ended up behind a Stearman
biplane from about abeam the numbers until touchdown-so I had to
slow down to the lowest safe airspeed for part of my approach.
Aero-tip of the day: Practice precise airspeed
and altitude control using NOTAM arrival speeds so you can fly them
without thinking about it…freeing you up to handle the
traffic and workload of your AirVenture arrival. For more tips on
flying to EAA AirVenture read tomorrow's Aero-Tips, and listen to the Aero-Cast
podcast on flying to AirVenture.