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February 19, 2012

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (02.19.12): Partial Obscuration

Partial Obscuration Denotes that 1/8th or more of the sky, but not all of the sky, is hidden by any surface-based phenomena in the atmosphere, excluding precipitation. It often reduces horizontal visibility but not the vertical. It is reported as "X" in an observation and on the METAR.

Aero Linx: Jet Engines (US Centennial Of Flight Comm.) Before World War II, in 1939, jet engines existed only as laboratory items for test. But at the end of the war, in 1945, it was clear that the future of aviation lay with jets. The new engines gave great power and thrust, but were compact in size. They also were simple in their overall layout. A jet engine, down to the present day, pulls in air by using a compressor. It looks like a short length of an ear of corn, but instead of corn kernels, the compressor is studded with numerous small blades. The compressor rotates rapidly, compressing the air...

“We are strong advocates of simulator training for EMS pilots. In fact, we have been using simulator training for all our pilots for the last three years. The availability of the AS350 simulator will allow us to put our AStar pilots into the actual model they fly and practice emergency procedures that you couldn’t perform in a real airframe.” Source: Mike Stanberry, President of Metro Aviation, following the signing of an agreement with American Eurocopter to use the AS350 Flight Simulator as part of the operator’s pilot training program.