Steve76
10th Nov 2005, 04:10
Please help out here if you know any further tricks.
Sometime in our job we end up in a situation(s) where you are in low vis or cloudy and moisture saturated weather. Here are a couple of personal thoughts to assist in returning home. They have worked for me thus far.
1) CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN your friggin windows. Bill Reid was anal about this and he is completely correct. In a moist cold damp environ your windows will fog immediately when wet persons climb in and demand heat. This can seriously harm you. Best product is the 210 spray. It creates a layer which beads the fluid off and prevents fogging on the interior.
Try cleaning only your side and leave the non-flying side alone. Watch the results when the rain starts to fall.
2) Improve your situational awareness when the weather starts to get dodgy.
Ensure the GPS is set the way you like it. If you have asked it to fly from A to B and you are deviating due to weather, remember that you will be off your expected track through the terrain and your map track will need to be adjusted.
Searchers will also not be looking for you in the correct area. I think unless you are really well off your track due weather that you should always try to return to the original plan or thereabouts. That way you will have a reasonable idea of obstacles and valleys or routes ahead.
Learn the GPS and all the neat tricks it holds. It has a wealth of info for you. Tune in any navaids even if they you are VFR.
2) Check your anti-ice and heater on the first start of the day. Warm them up before you are going to use them and make sure they are HOT before customers enter from the environ.
3) Do not hesitate to get your customers to close their vents to focus the heat to your windscreen and self.
4) SLOW down. I remember in a two pilot situation wondering why the cojoe is smoking along at 140kts and 500ft (ish) and muttering to himself that we should turn around. Slowing down = time and better vis. It also makes the capt. stop pushing on the pedal post like the missus is driving the car...
5) In the real **** and able too; REMOVE the pilots door. When you are really in an awkward situation, doing this will increase your vis by 200%. It can save your bacon. It can be wet and uncomfortable but if you need too it will really help. Sticking your head out the door and slowing down a lot is like riding a pushie in the rain.
For those with doors that don't come off - refer to #1 - 4 and don't get that far into the crap.
6) Lost in the fog: Door off prior to or ASAP. Get a tree for reference and calm down. Find a hole and land. Break out survival gear and plan to eat the skinny customers first, since obviously the fatter ones will last longer without nutrition.
Duh!
But I'm le tired.
More later ....
Sometime in our job we end up in a situation(s) where you are in low vis or cloudy and moisture saturated weather. Here are a couple of personal thoughts to assist in returning home. They have worked for me thus far.
1) CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN your friggin windows. Bill Reid was anal about this and he is completely correct. In a moist cold damp environ your windows will fog immediately when wet persons climb in and demand heat. This can seriously harm you. Best product is the 210 spray. It creates a layer which beads the fluid off and prevents fogging on the interior.
Try cleaning only your side and leave the non-flying side alone. Watch the results when the rain starts to fall.
2) Improve your situational awareness when the weather starts to get dodgy.
Ensure the GPS is set the way you like it. If you have asked it to fly from A to B and you are deviating due to weather, remember that you will be off your expected track through the terrain and your map track will need to be adjusted.
Searchers will also not be looking for you in the correct area. I think unless you are really well off your track due weather that you should always try to return to the original plan or thereabouts. That way you will have a reasonable idea of obstacles and valleys or routes ahead.
Learn the GPS and all the neat tricks it holds. It has a wealth of info for you. Tune in any navaids even if they you are VFR.
2) Check your anti-ice and heater on the first start of the day. Warm them up before you are going to use them and make sure they are HOT before customers enter from the environ.
3) Do not hesitate to get your customers to close their vents to focus the heat to your windscreen and self.
4) SLOW down. I remember in a two pilot situation wondering why the cojoe is smoking along at 140kts and 500ft (ish) and muttering to himself that we should turn around. Slowing down = time and better vis. It also makes the capt. stop pushing on the pedal post like the missus is driving the car...
5) In the real **** and able too; REMOVE the pilots door. When you are really in an awkward situation, doing this will increase your vis by 200%. It can save your bacon. It can be wet and uncomfortable but if you need too it will really help. Sticking your head out the door and slowing down a lot is like riding a pushie in the rain.
For those with doors that don't come off - refer to #1 - 4 and don't get that far into the crap.
6) Lost in the fog: Door off prior to or ASAP. Get a tree for reference and calm down. Find a hole and land. Break out survival gear and plan to eat the skinny customers first, since obviously the fatter ones will last longer without nutrition.
Duh!
But I'm le tired.
More later ....