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 05.17.06

We've spent the last week reviewing factors affecting fuel consumption. Running out of fuel is one of the leading causes of engine failure. Tragically, fuel exhaustion is often fatal. It's absolutely vital to know how to predict fuel requirements, monitor fuel use in flight, and safely arrive with a substantial fuel reserve remaining.

Wrapping up what we've covered so far, here are the primary factors that determine fuel burn:

• "Book" performance chart fuel predictions, and additional fuel required for climb at high power
• Condition of the engine (efficiency in turning fuel to power)
• Propeller setting
• Mixture technique
• Percentage of power
• Reserve fuel (required and personal minimums)

FAA Advisory Circular 61-23C gives us "official" guidance on anticipating fuel requirements, but the AC presumes the fuel burn rate is constant. Cruise power charts alone don't tell the story for an individual flight in a particular aircraft. The only way you can accurately predict fuel requirements is to record actual consumption over a variety of flights. Make fuel-related data collection part of the fun of your flying.

Aero-tip of the day: Learn to accurately predict fuel flows, and don't cut it close. Remember, many fuel exhaustion accidents happen within sight of the destination airport. If you think you've got "just enough fuel to make it," you probably don't.

There are many factors associated with monitoring fuel burn in flight that are as much (or more) a part of avoiding fuel exhaustion than preflight planning. We'll take a break from the Fuel Tutorial for a while, but expect much more in future editions of Aero-Tips.

FMI: Aero-Tips