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 good pilots, we're all in this together.

Aero-Tips 02.01.06

A friend was flying a Cessna Skyhawk when he began to feel drowsy, and his head begin to hurt.  Soon the headache was almost so bad he could not fly -- his vision became fuzzy and it was hard to concentrate. How he got the airplane safely on the ground, frankly, he doesn’t know. He was a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas resulting from incomplete combustion in exhaust fumes. Hemoglobin in blood has a great affinity for CO—the molecules attach more easily than oxygen alone. This means that you may be breathing normally, yet less oxygen goes to your brain and other vital tissues because CO has displaced O2. Your personal symptoms of hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) set in.

Most single-engine airplane heaters duct air through a shroud around the exhaust manifold to obtain heat, then pipe heated air into the cockpit. Any leak in the muffler or exhaust in this area with a fuel mixture rich of peak EGT can admit CO to the cabin.

Most multiengine airplanes have a combustion heater, warming air by burning aviation fuel in a compartment in the nose. Leaks in the heater "burner" may also contribute to CO poisoning in the cabin. "Lean-of-peak" engine mixture settings don’t eliminate the CO hazard in multiengine airplanes.

Pressurized piston airplanes pump up the cabin with boosted air from engine turbos. Leaks in the induction or exhaust system can flood the cabin with CO.

CO is a factor in several aircraft mishaps each year, and may contribute to a number of accidents with "unknown" causes.

Aero-tip of the day: Consider using a fresh CO sensor (above, right) when flying. If you experience symptoms of hypoxia -- headache, drowsiness, dizziness or confusion -- shut off the heater, pull pressurization cutoffs as appropriate, open air vents and use supplemental oxygen if available while you land at the nearest suitable airport.

FMI: Aero-Tips