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Time
awareness
1st priority - 5 T's: Turn,
Time, Twist, Throttle, Talk
2nd priority - "The next two
things" - next fix, next outbound heading, next VOR, next
report, etc.
3rd priority - "What can I do" -
fold a map, brief approach, check fuel and engine gauges, check
weather, load standby frequencies. Be your own copilot.
Spatial
awareness
Where am I, where am I
going, and how do I get there?
A line in space defined by ATC -
heading, altitude; heading, altitude
Minimum
communication
On ATC check-in: call
sign, climbing through/level/descending through altitude.
Be a harsh editor of your
verbosity.
Clearances
made simple
"CRAFT" for clearances, with
editable space around requested route for easy additions/changes to
clearance
without rewriting entire route.
3 columns for frequencies, altitude, heading assignments IFR/RFF/Cruise clearance
combinations
Use RADAR flight following in
combination with instrument clearance and cruise clearance for
efficiency and safety.
Easy to switch back and forth;
cruise clearance can save fuel, avoid ground thermals, minimize
time and fuel.
No gyro flight and approaches
To build smoothness and
confidence for no-gyro, understand (and believe!) the difference in
design, function, and advantage
between a turn indicator and a
turn coordinator.
No gyro - short count of "1
thousand 1", wings level, watch the trend, watch the trend.
Fly with confidence that
parallel and
stable, then gradually correcting, is MUCH better than
centered, but crossing courseline at an angle.
Short
(reliable, and safe) cuts and hints
1. Use side view of
approach plate to confirm outbound versus inbound leg
headings - separate and prominent headings,
versus coincident and small font
on plan view.
2. For 45 deg. procedure turn,
use 45 hashmark on HI, not number in small font on chart.
3. Minima in parentheses -
ignore (military, not civil).
4. Timer - check every 10
seconds or so, when timer reaches last 10 seconds, count down out
loud or silently, without watching the clock,so that your eyes (and
your
scan) are on the attitude/heading indicators when you start the turn,
not moving back from the timer.
5. Simplify radio assignments -
top stack for airborne (tower and ATC), bottom stack for ground (ATIS,
DEL, ground control.)
6. Determining holding entry by
answering just two simple questions:
1. Is my
current heading in the same 'hemisphere' as the inbound leg? If yes,
then direct entry.
if no, then parallel After
reliably getting oriented using one 180 deg. and two 90 deg. sections,
THEN adjust for 70 deg. for teardrop
and 110 for parallel. 7. Hold entry timing - time for
initial outbound leg
1:15 for teardrop (hypotenuse), 1:30 for parallel (mental 'elbow room'
for 2 turns).If on opposite heading from
inbound leg, use either teardrop or parallel, but parallel gives chance to get WCA.
8. Holding patterns - define
inbound leg with arrowhead at fix BEFORE considering right/left turns.
Avoids confusion
of orientation of inbound leg to fix, versus orientation of
racetrack to course.
9. 30-day VOR check rule versus
practical and safer and legal alternative - check before EACH
flight and note on flight plan ("other written record").
10. Holding patterns - TO/FROM
flip for start of outbound time, 30 deg. max for wind correction.
11. DME arcs - 20 deg. course
changes and 1/2 mile each side makes a nice smooth polygon with minimum
course changes.
12. Move your bug, then turn TO
the bug. If you forget, never move the bug while in a turn, remember
and move after wings level.In a turn, 100% focused on the
turn. Turn, wings level, THEN time, twist, etc.
13. Trim to allow hands on your
knees periodically - gives confidence that plane is in trim,and helps
to wipe off the sweat
during check rides.
14. fltplan.com for flight
planning and weather.
15. Avoid calculations - you can
get them wrong - for cross bearing, use radial and FROM; for 180, put
bug at the bottom of HI;
for reciprocal, use bottom
of OBS, then check low digit.
16. For compass to HI
adjustment, convert "analog" image to digital (3 digit heading),
then convert to "analog" image on HI.
17. For compass turns, use timer
AND prediction of heading correction for confirmation.
18. LOC intercept - assuming 30
deg. intercept, when CDI starts to move, cut angle in half; when almost
centered and about 5 seconds away,complete last 15 deg. turn
(shallow and easy).
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For more information contact: Ed Rathje 775-333-6698 |