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.

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Aero-Tips 10.09.06

"Slow flight" and "Flight at minimum controllable airspeed" -- what are they, and what's the difference?

Slow flight

Slow flight is defined (by the Airplane Flying Handbook) as any "speed that is less than cruise." In most pilot training, though, "slow flight" consists of:

• Flight and maneuvering at speeds appropriate for takeoff, climb, descent, approach and go-around, and
• Maneuvering at the lowest airspeed possible without indications of a stall-usually within three to five knots of a stall.

Flight at minimum controllable airspeed (MCA)

MCA, by contrast, is defined as:

• Demonstrating aircraft control at its minimum flying speed,
• Maneuvering at a speed where any increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or decrease in power will immediately cause a stall.

Purpose

Whether slow flight or MCA, the purpose is to experience and master flight on the ragged edge, with reduced control effectiveness, delayed control response resulting from low indicated airspeed, and "back of the power curve" power management. Both prepare the pilot for low-airspeed phases of flight close to the runway on takeoff, landing or go-around, for stall avoidance, and in the initial phase of stall recovery at any altitude.

Note: The FAA Practical Test Standards call for "slow flight" for all levels of pilot certificate.

Aero-tip of the day: Practice to proficiency to flight at the lowest end of the airspeed range... no matter what you call it.

FMI: Aero-Tips