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Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:55 pm
by CharlieOneSix
The unusual attitude test on our 6 monthly IMC base checks in the Bell 214ST was always good value. We had one Training Captain who was particularly good at setting the scene. Behind screens and with our eyes closed, one scenario of his involved racking the helicopter all over the sky for about half a minute, ending up with a long constant rate turn to which he very gently added an extreme nose up attitude at which point he handed over, kicking in a good boot of cross controlled pedal just as you reached for the controls.

By this point the fluid in your semicircular canals was static, inducing a mental state of level flight. In fact you were in a nose high 30 degree bank turn with airspeed rapidly reducing through 40 kts.

All good fun and it had to be done in the helicopter as no simulator existed for that type.

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 9:16 pm
by Boac
Yes - the 'gentle turn' followed by a lurch was always a good one for IRs. :))

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:21 pm
by Cacophonix



Must renew at least my IR/R this year.

Perhaps I can persuade Slasher to come over and remind me of the ways of righteous instrument flying.

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policie ... 83-15b.pdf



Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:26 pm
by Slasher
Cacophonix wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:21 pm
Perhaps I can persuade Slasher to come over and remind me of the ways of righteous instrument flying.

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policie ... 83-15b.pdf

Course I will mate. I'll even give ya a 5% discount on me destructing rates. 10% if you keep me tanked full of piss!

First thing we gotta do is ensure we have all the required equipment for IFR flight:

Bendix bat & ball
IMG_1045.JPG
IMG_1045.JPG (22.92 KiB) Viewed 807 times

Maggie compass
IMG_1046.JPG
IMG_1046.JPG (38.08 KiB) Viewed 807 times

Breitling Wakmann 8 day clock
IMG_1043.JPG
IMG_1043.JPG (16.58 KiB) Viewed 807 times

Kollsman altimeter
IMG_1044.JPG

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:32 pm
by Slasher
Kollsman ASI
IMG_1047.JPG

1 (one) serviceable CAA approved cat (non-nervous type)

1 (one) serviceable CAA approved duck (ensure duck can fly)


Radio compass tuner
IMG_1048.JPG
IMG_1048.JPG (21.07 KiB) Viewed 804 times

Radio compass (be sure to remember how to resolve the 180 ambiguity).
IMG_1049.JPG
IMG_1049.JPG (43.43 KiB) Viewed 804 times


Forget A/H and VSI. They're only for poofters and snowflakes.


With all that you're good to go! Next we'll look at the required maps and charts.

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:50 pm
by CharlieOneSix
Don't forget the yaw string, Caco. All light helicopter pilots should have a yaw string on the windscreen! That's light helicopters, not light helicopter pilots.....
2017-10-30_19-57-11-616.jpg

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:53 pm
by Slasher
Sorry...are we talking eggbeating IFR here? 🤔

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:19 pm
by Ex-Ascot
Never mind about all these instruments and things, I have always needed a good navigator.


Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:51 pm
by Boac
Classic, ex-A. I modelled myself on Flashheart on the squadron. The girlies loved it.

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 3:02 pm
by CharlieOneSix
Slasher wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:53 pm
Sorry...are we talking eggbeating IFR here? 🤔
No, my mistake, Slasher - I get easily confused nowadays, forgot which thread I was in !

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 3:54 pm
by Cacophonix
CharlieOneSix wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 3:02 pm
Slasher wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:53 pm
Sorry...are we talking eggbeating IFR here? 🤔
No, my mistake, Slasher - I get easily confused nowadays, forgot which thread I was in !
No chaps, just simple, spam can IR stuff... It is as much as I can do, to fly a circuit well in a helicopter at the moment! ;)))

Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:06 pm
by Cacophonix
In the tradition of ILAFFT I submit this Caco war story for those that are interested. I hope the statute of limitations applies, as this goes back many years, and this story doesn’t really reflect any credit on me, and had I screwed up even worse, the CAA would certainly have taken a dim view of my performance and lack thereof or simply sent an observer to my funeral.

I had been flying for about a year and had managed to assemble about 85 hrs P1 time and had undertaken the 15 hours training for the issue of the IMC but had not sat the test yet.

I was accustomed to flying from Cardiff Roose to Bournemouth, for business meetings, it certainly beat the long tedious 3 hours drive by car, and my boss at the time asked me if he could join me and if we could we fly via Exeter where he wanted to pick up his SOCATA TB-9 Tampico which was having some avionics problem fettled there, from where he would fly back to Cardiff.

The day dawned with conditions for marginal VFR to Exeter and along the coast but good at Bournemouth, and, what the hell, I had the huge total of 85 P1 hours, so off we went.

The flight to Exeter went smoothly and I didn’t at any time on that leg violate the UK ANO pertaining to the conduct of VFR flight and having landed was directed off the maintenance side where I dropped my boss off and then taxied to the other side to pay the landing fee and the exorbitant “handling” fee for the man with the batons as well.

As I crossed from airside, I was delighted to see that I had arrived at the same time as the Red Arrows whose pilots were in the queue in front of me, and I was able to bask in their reflected glory and even talk to two of these friendly Sky Gods.

The pain of landing fee payment was assuaged by the experience, and my cup of joy ran over at engine start, up for the VFR flight to Bournemouth, when I realised that I had been cleared to follow behind the line of Hawks at a distance as we taxied down to the holding point. The tower having kindly elected to allow me to have a very good look at the team and their take off. Not at any time did I think to recheck the weather for the short leg to Bournemouth, such was the excitement of being in such exalted company.

The boys in Red blasted off and I was asked to line up, and by the time I was cleared for take-off. I heard the Red’s leader call back to the tower to report they were already at FL090 and request change of frequency for their onward flight to Valhalla or glory, or wherever those guys go.

I opened up the throttle and the noise increased but not so much the speed and eventually I bimbled along and up and levelled off at my safety altitude at 2000 feet and was passed directly to Yeovil Radar who advised me of the regional QNH and Flight Information Service and apart from a faint transitory warble through the headset I settled down, in the comfortable cocoon of the cockpit, soothed by the drone of the Lycoming for the straightforward flight to Bournemouth as the visibility started to inexorably reduce but not at a rate that worried me as I glanced at my chart and my watch, fat dumb and happy with my heading, speed and position.

I didn’t have a GPS but had dialled up the BIA NDB after having been careful to correctly select the correct frequency on the ADF, identify the Morse ident and checked the needle to ensure that the ADF, was ‘ADFing’! I was bang on track, monitoring the DME, having dialled up the Bournemouth frequency on the VOR, and was full of my own confidence in my preternatural skill and sundry other immodest thoughts, when the world went white…

I was inadvertently flying in IMC conditions, how could I have been so stupid, so careless and I immediately could hear my old instructor’s voice intoning the following mantra in my head “stay calm, ensure you focus on the AI, check you are trimmed correctly, focus on the AI, fly straight and level, glance at you RPM to check you have correct cruise power, carb heat to hot, focus on the AI, keep those wing level, no, graveyard spirals, focus on the AI, does it look like you are likely to exit IMC on the heading, no, then confirm the reciprocal to heading flown and plan a no more than a 15% degree turn back to VFR condition from whence you came, focus on the AI, check, your heading, keep up a scan, don’t overbank, check your heading and roll out on the chosen heading”.

Well I did almost all of that, but deep in IMC, I decided to dig myself in deeper by deciding to press on, with the previous promise of VFR ahead of me and that is when I realised that I had entered Bournemouth Class D airspace, in IMC without a clearance!

There was nothing for it, I would have to admit my predicament and that’s when things just got worse.

I dialled up Bournemouth approach and heard my words hiss out into the clag, with no response, as I bored onwards. I tried again to contact approach, not a peep, despite my faux calm Boac Captain like voice, and then there came a calm female voice over the headphones, “aircraft calling carrier wave only, if you are able to hear me Squawk 0011 and take up a heading of 180 degrees and await further instructions”. I didn’t wait for the “if not” and immediately followed her instructions and the recent hours of IMC tuition came to my aid as she vectored me onto the ILS to make an approach for runway 26 and I broke out at 500 feet and landed. I climbed out of the aircraft and literally wrung the sweat out of my shirt. It turned out that the strange sound I had heard earlier was the radio transmitter failing.

I then had the predicament of having to go to the building next to the tower as the helpful lady controller had asked me to come over, no doubt to explain myself and discuss the CAA enforcement action to come etc. But no, when I arrived a pretty young English lady came down to meet the mute PA28 pilot she had just helped out and not a word was said save for, a big smile and “I spent many years in Zimbabwe, mind you if I had known you were a bloody South African I would have vectored you back to Exeter”. I could have kissed her.

Little did she know!

:-?

Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 5:30 pm
by Cacophonix
CharlieOneSix wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:50 pm
Don't forget the yaw string, Caco. All light helicopter pilots should have a yaw string on the windscreen! That's light helicopters, not light helicopter pilots.....
2017-10-30_19-57-11-616.jpg
That string thingy had better be in the middle all the time, lest I get a basilisk stare from the instructor and feel the cone of hot shame about my neck C16.

I still occasionally try and stamp on the ball which just makes that stare even colder.

Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:22 am
by Slasher
Cacophonix wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:06 pm
I dialled up Bournemouth approach and heard my words hiss out into the clag,

IMG_1057.JPG
IMG_1057.JPG (23.35 KiB) Viewed 730 times


Yes I too as a 100 hour wonder had accidentally strayed a couple of times into IMC down in Oz, just north of Adelaide crossing the Lofty Ranges. The wx always cleared on the other side heading in a Northerly direction. Both times I was in a Piper (the one with the elev trim on the roof which was a silver handle like that found for the window of a Holden).

I was taught the primary survival instruments were AH ASI and ALT. But in my experience it was the oil temp oil press and fuel press! Engine noise of course went into auto rough mode. I figured if I didn't dick around with the mixture the engine wouldn't bite back.

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:44 am
by Cacophonix
Slasher wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:22 am
Cacophonix wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:06 pm
I dialled up Bournemouth approach and heard my words hiss out into the clag,


IMG_1057.JPG



Yes I too as a 100 hour wonder had accidentally strayed a couple of times into IMC down in Oz, just north of Adelaide crossing the Lofty Ranges. The wx always cleared on the other side heading in a Northerly direction. Both times I was in a Piper (the one with the elev trim on the roof which was a silver handle like that found for the window of a Holden).

I was taught the primary survival instruments were AH ASI and ALT. But in my experience it was the oil temp oil press and fuel press! Engine noise of course went into auto rough mode. I figured if I didn't dick around with the mixture the engine wouldn't bite back.
Slasher, we are doomed to fly together and have more fun on the ground mate. =))

Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 12:05 pm
by Cacophonix
Writing words or even sentences is a strange thing mental activity at times. Sometimes we see what we want to see, and not necessarily what we have typed. I could have sworn that I had incorrectly typed Bournemouth Hern in the ILAFT thing above, and was actually looking to correct Hern to Hurn, and then realised that I had typed neither. Age, insanity, a mixture of both who knows?

Anyway, a simple finger slip like that in the air can be deadly as it was for these poor guys and almost all of their passengers...

Words and letters do count whether VFR or IFR.

In its report, the Aeronáutica Civil determined the following probable causes of the accident:
The flight crew's failure to adequately plan and execute the approach to runway 19 at SKCL and their inadequate use of automation.

Failure of the flightcrew to discontinue the approach into Cali, despite numerous cues alerting them of the inadvisability of continuing the approach.

The lack of situational awareness of the flightcrew regarding vertical navigation, proximity to terrain, and the relative location of critical radio aids.

Failure of the flightcrew to revert to basic radio navigation at the time when the FMS-assisted navigation became confusing and demanded an excessive workload in a critical phase of the flight.

In addition, the Aeronáutica Civil determined that the following factors contributed to the accident:

The flight crew's ongoing efforts to expedite their approach and landing in order to avoid potential delays.

The flight crew's execution of the GPWS escape maneuver while the speedbrakes remained deployed.

FMS logic that dropped all intermediate fixes from the display(s) in the event of execution of a direct routing.

FMS-generated navigational information that used a different naming convention from that published in navigational charts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_ ... Flight_965

Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:47 pm
by Seenenough
"The day dawned with conditions for marginal VFR to Exeter and along the coast but good at Bournemouth, and, what the hell, I had the huge total of 85 P1 hours, so off we went."

Caco-in this statement alone. ......marginal VFR .........what the hell........huge total of 85 hrs.........I did not have a GPS

This is how you end up to be a statistic.

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:20 am
by Slasher
Cacophonix wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:44 am
Slasher, we are doomed to fly together and have more fun on the ground mate. =))
""Hey Slash get me the ATIS would you please mate."

"Sure thing captain!" :)

"This is London Luton arrival information Tango recorded at 0730. Expect ILS approach runway 26. Lo visibility operation in progress. Wind 270 degrees 5 knots. RVR touchdown zone 150 meters, mid zone 100 meters, far end RVR 100 meters. Fog. Temperature plus 10 dew point plus 10, QNH 1028. No significant change. This was London Luton arrival information Tango."

"Well that cancels our landing in Luton."

"No it doesn't"

"Yes it does."

No it doesn't!"

"Yes...it does!

"No..it..DOES..NOT!

"Why? Look at the rvr Slash."

"I'm CAT 3a rated mate."

"What? Don't be such a poes."

"You got an ILS mate. Use it."

"No I can't"

"Yes you can"

"No I can't!"

"Yes you can!"

"No I ca..." "YES YOU CAN YES YOU CAN! At 50 feet I'll take over and become your "autopilot" and "autoland" it for you!"

"Slash what are you talking about? I'm not even rated! My licence doesn't state I'm CAT anything let alone 3a!"

"Well I am...look! What does it say here?"

"That's a bloody Gulf ATPL! Besides I'm in command and don't have that rating! There'll be hell to pay with the CAA if I do this."

"Well...declare me PIC at 50 feet and that worry disappears like a fart in a breeze!"

"Ok ok...what about recency? When was the last time you did a CAT 3A approach and landing?"

"Hmm... about 6 months ago in the sim."

"See? You're out of currency anyway."

"Well I'm about to recurrenterise meself then aren't I."

"Look...how about we dive into Stansted. The weather's ok there. We'll go to a nice pub in Bishops Stortford and we can settle in and get drunk for the rest of the day. How's that?"

"Superb command decision mate! I'll even buy the first round." :)

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 11:11 am
by Cacophonix
Seenenough wrote:
Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:47 pm
"The day dawned with conditions for marginal VFR to Exeter and along the coast but good at Bournemouth, and, what the hell, I had the huge total of 85 P1 hours, so off we went."

Caco-in this statement alone. ......marginal VFR .........what the hell........huge total of 85 hrs.........I did not have a GPS

This is how you end up to be a statistic.
I agree Seenenough. I certainly take no pride in my stupidity that day.

Caco

Re: VFR-IR things...

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 11:28 am
by Cacophonix
Slasher wrote:
Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:20 am
Cacophonix wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:44 am
Slasher, we are doomed to fly together and have more fun on the ground mate. =))
""Hey Slash get me the ATIS would you please mate."

"Sure thing captain!" :)

"This is London Luton arrival information Tango recorded at 0730. Expect ILS approach runway 26. Lo visibility operation in progress. Wind 270 degrees 5 knots. RVR touchdown zone 150 meters, mid zone 100 meters, far end RVR 100 meters. Fog. Temperature plus 10 dew point plus 10, QNH 1028. No significant change. This was London Luton arrival information Tango."

"Well that cancels our landing in Luton."

"No it doesn't"

"Yes it does."

No it doesn't!"

"Yes...it does!

"No..it..DOES..NOT!

"Why? Look at the rvr Slash."

"I'm CAT 3a rated mate."

"What? Don't be such a poes."

"You got an ILS mate. Use it."

"No I can't"

"Yes you can"

"No I can't!"

"Yes you can!"

"No I ca..." "YES YOU CAN YES YOU CAN! At 50 feet I'll take over and become your "autopilot" and "autoland" it for you!"

"Slash what are you talking about? I'm not even rated! My licence doesn't state I'm CAT anything let alone 3a!"

"Well I am...look! What does it say here?"

"That's a bloody Gulf ATPL! Besides I'm in command and don't have that rating! There'll be hell to pay with the CAA if I do this."

"Well...declare me PIC at 50 feet and that worry disappears like a fart in a breeze!"

"Ok ok...what about recency? When was the last time you did a CAT 3A approach and landing?"

"Hmm... about 6 months ago in the sim."

"See? You're out of currency anyway."

"Well I'm about to recurrenterise meself then aren't I."

"Look...how about we dive into Stansted. The weather's ok there. We'll go to a nice pub in Bishops Stortford and we can settle in and get drunk for the rest of the day. How's that?"

"Superb command decision mate! I'll even buy the first round." :)


=))

Slash I am sure i have a great deal to learn from you. Flying wise, not drinking wise I mean! ;)))

Caco