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 05.19.06
As a recurrent-training
instrument instructor I see an amazing number of IFR pilots who do
not regularly check their altimeter for accuracy before taking off.
Flying at night or especially in Instrument Meteorological
Conditions (IMC) it's vital to know that your altitude-sensing
device is accurate (within reason)—your ability to avoid
obstacles may be entirely dependent on this device, for which few
IFR airplanes have a backup.
The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
tells us most pressure altimeters are subject to mechanical,
elastic, temperature, and installation errors. In addition to
manufacturer and installation quality control and periodic
inspection, you can (and should) check the altimeter for errors
before flight:
- Set the current reported altimeter setting on the altimeter
setting scale.
-
- (NOTE: If there is no reported altimeter
setting available for your departure airport, set the field
elevation on the altimeter and obtain a local altimeter setting
from Air Traffic Control, Flight Service or a nearby automated
weather as soon as practical once airborne. This will preclude you
from testing the altimeter's accuracy on that flight—all the
more reason to check it when you can on the ground).
- Altimeter should read field elevation plus or minus 75 feet
(the allowable error for IFR operation) if you are located on the
same elevation used to establish the altimeter setting (i.e., the
taxiways or ramp are level with the published airport
elevation).
-
- (NOTE: Don't forget to set and check any
back-up altimeter, even if it's on the far side of the instrument
panel. It must be set before you need it, because you might not
have time once you go partial panel. Also, don't get lazy and skip
over inputting altimeter setting into a GPS when prompted. The unit
needs this for RAIM, and you can use GPS altitude as a back-up if
your primary altimeter fails).
- Note any variation between the known field elevation and the
altimeter indication. If this variation is in the order of +75
feet, the accuracy of the altimeter is questionable and should be
investigated by an instrument technician before flight at night or
on an instrument flight plan.
Aero-tip of the day: Check your altimeter for
accuracy before you depend on it for obstacle avoidance.