tips and tricks for pilots... beginners or otherwise

[skyraider]

guys and girls....

everybody has some tips or tricks that they use when they fly, ones that they have learned from their own experience or from that of others.

So please take a few minutes out of your day to make the life of another pilot a little bit easier and post a couple of yours here...

I 'll start the ball rolling with a couple of common ones that have been passed on to me... these are the only ones I know which is why I started this thread in the first place... :D

1) Don't rush... EVER... from the walk around to the flight to the approach and the rollout, take your time and if you think you've missed something then start again. chances are you have...

2) Leave your rotating beacon on... this is contrary to PPL training but it's a good way to spot the fact that you have forgotten to switch the MASTER off...

3) Dont retract the flaps during the rollout (go-arounds are the obvious exception) as its easier than you think to retract the gear instead.... wait till you've called 'clear' and you can devote a bit more attention to it...


dont be shy now....:D
Sky

[LRRP]

When doing the walk around on a high wing Cessna.
Step back out from under the wing before raising the aileron.
If it has been raining it will not pour water down your neck.

Also keep one hand on the trailing edge as you check the linkage and balance weights.
One instructor ATPL pilot at Stapleford had a news film crew passenger wiggle the controls while our pilot had his fingers in the gap !!!
Our pilot (through clenched teeth): "Why did you do that ?"
Passenger (innocently): "I didn't think it would do anything"
Holding the trailing edge provides a good degree of leverage against a gust of wind or a passenger that thinks the control yoke is for decoration.

[khorne]

My tip in response to your item 3 is not to call "clear". If you need to call anything it should be "vacated" as "clear" can be heard on the radio by someone and misheard as them being cleared to land.

[GoneWest]

Best tip for pilots:

"Don't fly into anything hard"

[HighWing]

When on a grass strip doing your power checks and clearing a mag drop by gunning the engine on the good mag - check that the windscreen isn't plastered with bugs before you take to the air...

Not that it ever happened to me, of course...

[englishal]

Ok, here's a few...probably obvious to most.....

If breaking hard on the runway after landing, retract the flaps (not the gear) straight away, else its easy to burst a tyre, and you stop quicker.

In a heavier aircraft, like the Seneca (compared to single) add a couple of twists of nose up trim on final, helps in the flare.

Turning onto final, say out loud the expression 'Final clear check the gear'. This was taught to me and now I can't get it out of my head...

Cheers
EA

[poetpilot]

..from recent experience, a coupla tips.....

...on the engine idle check, ensure it idles at a proper low rpm, got caught out with a Grob the other day which idled at 1000 RPM and wouldnt settle down at roundout.

.... on pre-takeoff checks on Fuel..... ensure Primer locked. No, it didnt happen in the air, it happened because i taxyed to the pumps before preflighting it, and the previous person had left it unlocked..... wonder if he/she knew why the engine was running rough?

[LowNSlow]

1. If your preflight check is interrupted start again. Carrying on after an interruption leaves you more likely to have missed something.

2. Pledge household cleaner is great for getting dead bugs off leading edges etc. Spray the mucky bits after shutting down and then by the time you've sorted out the accumulated junk in the cockpit the splattered remains will have soaked up the polish and will wipe off easily. Sparkle is the best perspex cleaner I've found.

3. After checking the fuel for water, don't chuck it on the ground, pour it over the nearest tyre. 100LL evaporates too quickly to damage the rubber and will leave the water droplets on the tyre if any water is present. Much easier to spot than doing it on oily, dirty tarmac.

4. Always leave metal props vertical to prevent water accumulating in the spinner especially in winter when the water may freeze before startup and unbalance the prop / spinner.

5. Always leave wooden props horizontal so that any moisture doesn't soak into the lower blade and throw it out of balance. It would have to be stationary for a long period for this too happen. If a spinner is fitted, rotate the prop by a few revs (mags off!!) to see if any water has gathered a la 4. above.

6. Get a cover for your windows especially the windscreen. Saves a load of polishing and scratches and stops the blazing sun (UK, yeah right) cooking your (expensive and delicate) radios etc

7. Polish minor scratches out of perspex using metal polish such as Rolite. A bit of effort involved but cheaper than new glazing :D Works for sunglasses too.

8. If the aircraft you are preflighting has rippled panels on it, don't fly it, call an engineer.

9. Grap a wingtip and move it smoothly and fairly firmly up, down, fore and aft. Sounds silly but if a clot before you has dinged a wing and not reported it, you might be the unwitting victim. Remember the Robin crash a few years ago after a guy hit a haybale on landing? Next person who flew it had the wing fold on them.

10. Always check for full, free and IN THE CORRECT SENSE control surface movement after any maintenance work involving controls has been done. People have accidentally connected ailerons up the wrong way around since Pontious was a pilot.

11. Don't forget to have fun :D :D

[flyby_kiwi]

1. When flying into sunstrike and vis. is not at its best; complete an orbit where you are and the wing (or strut if its a high wing) will momentarily block the sun and give you a suprisingly good picture of whats ahead.

2. At night avoid the use of your landing light - You wont blind people about to line up and hey - you never know when it will quit on you and youll have to make do without it so you might aswell learn to live without it.

3. Not sure if its common practice but dont taxi or fly in cloud with your strobes - your night vis will be remakably better.

4. If you get the oppurtunity, sit in the back when one of your mates is on a dual flight - Its suprisingly easy to spot someones faults while sitting in the back and you can make the most of thier sitution to improve your own ability.

5. Dont take passengers who are not pilots up on a rough day :eek:

[Genghis the Engineer]

On a preflight, wiggle one aileron whilst watching the other. If it doesn't move in perfect sync, something wrong inside the aircraft.

If you aren't sure your gear is down, go away from the airfield, and fly a steep turn at low level such that you can see your shadow.

Finding a difficult to see airstrip, find four points on the map which you can see, that create a cross with the airfield in the middle. Fly between two, and expect it when the other two are one on each wingtip.

Always ask for an overhead join if not in a hurry, it's amazing what you can see that helps you fly a safe circuit and landing.

Always carry a GPS turned on when spinning, it's the one instrument that doesn't get thrown.

If you've rigged the aircraft, you should have checked everything. But do a separate preflight as well.

G

[drizzle]

To Ghengis the Engineer

"Always carry a GPS turned on when spinning, it's the one instrument that doesn't get thrown."

Can you explain this, maybe Im being thick but I dont get what good it would be.
A handheld could be dangerous in a spin if it was thrown around the cockpit.
A panel mount would be the last thing I would look at in a spin.

?

[FlyingForFun]

drizzle,

I don't think Genghis is suggesting you look at the GPS while in the spin. But it could be useful for orientation after you come out of the spin.

FFF
---------------

[M.Mouse]

englishal

If breaking hard on the runway after landing, retract the flaps (not the gear) straight away, else its easy to burst a tyre, and you stop quicker.

And why would such a manoeuvre be required?

LowNSlow



3. After checking the fuel for water, don't chuck it on the ground, pour it over the nearest tyre. 100LL evaporates too quickly to damage the rubber and will leave the water droplets on the tyre if any water is present. Much easier to spot than doing it on oily, dirty tarmac.

I am not sure that I agree with you. Sounds like an extremely bad practice. I am not a chemist but rubber and AVGAS do not mix.

[Black Jake]

Ghengis et al, How about using the sun for orientation? It doesn't need batteries and cannot come lose and get thrown about in the cockpit!:)

[Evo7]

This being the UK we've got more risk of +RA BKN025 OVC040 than the GPS batteries going flat. The sun would be fine if we could ever see it.... ;)

[Black Jake]

Just thought of another top tip.
Don't go spinning when the weather is +RA BKN025 OVC040!:)

[Genghis the Engineer]

(1) Take-off

(2) Climb to (say) FL60 through 3/8 cloud to do half an hours spinning.

(3) Descend back through cloud

(4) Try to work out exactly where you are.

GPS has it's uses.

G

[FlyingForFun]

You mean it's actually possible to go as high as FL60 without being in the London TMA? Wow, I never realised that! :D :D :D

FFF
-------------

[RotorHorn]

In an R22 whilst testing the Strobe lights and warning lights work as part of the pre-flight, I always click the clutch engage/disengage switch on and listen for the belt tightener wurring (and then turn it off again obviously!).

That way you know that after spending all that time and effort going though checks and procedures to get the engine running, the bloody belts are going to tighten up enough to drive the rotor blades.... :D

Usual cause of it not 'wurring' is the fuse has gone - its the one located next to all the warning lamp test switches in with the gearbox...

This could save you having to shut down again, swap the fuse, and start up again.. and at £3+VAT a minute......:eek:

[Julian]

- Set as many of the radios/nav aids up as possible before you even approach the hold point for departure.

- Use the plastic wallets for plates and have them in order. You just peel off and stick in the side pocket as you use them.

- Know your power settings for level flight, various descent rates, etc...

- If flying with somone who is also a pilot, make sure you tell them not to play, its bloody confusing if you go to do something to find it not as you expect!

- Write down your nav frequencies so you arent straining with the chart.

[alphaalpha]

Has anybody got a tip for the best agent to use to wash the paintwork down? I haven't seen any aviation approved detergents in any of the catalogues. Plain water doesn't work well, especially on the 'greasy belly.'

[Tinstaafl]

'Elbow Grease' (tm)

Available from good quality work experience students everywhere. :D :D :D

[LowNSlow]

M.Mouse, just passing on a tip that was handed down (in stone tablet form) from a wizened old engineer friend. If you try it you'll see that the avgas evaporates very quickly and it's only touching the surface, apart from the bit that goes into the treads, which will be worn off so there is very little risk of cumulative damage. That's the theory anyway :D

Alphaalpha, I use a rag dipped in, yup, avgas. Wipe the oily belly with the wet (avgas) rag and quickly follow it with a dry rag to remove the softened goop produced by contact with the avgas. Don't use thinners cos it matts the paint....... Alternatively use a pressure washer with the fluid for car cleaning. DON'T TURN IT TO HIGH PRESSURE, just use the low pressure setting used for distributing the fluid/water mix. If you use the HP setting it'll get in all sorts of places that you really don't want it to go. GUNK is also effective but it stinks the place down.

Even though I'm lazy I prefer to clean my own aeroplane. That way you find all the fun things going wrong like cracking paint, lose screws etc and you can do something about it before it gets bad (expensive) or drops off :eek:

Edited for the usual.......:rolleyes:

[Final 3 Greens]

M.Mouse

Retracting flaps to shorten the ground run is recommended in the PA32 POH for short fields.

It's the equivalent of using the spoiler lift dump position in a more spohisticated a/c, as the flaps generate a surprising amount of lift event at low airspeeds.

My tip is always check the alignment of the magentic compass and DI against the runway heading before starting the takeoff roll.

[paulo]

FFF "You mean it's actually possible to go as high as FL60 without being in the London TMA?"

I've heard that here are parts of eastern China where the London TMA base is high as FL80. :)

[stiknruda]

I guess that because over the years I have lost quite a few friends/acquaintances through aviation, I'd offer the following:

1. NEVER SHOW OFF

"Oh look, there's Sara's house, let's beat it up, better than that I'll just roll this £ukker at chimney height...

He who only rolled the aeroplane at FLnosebleed once and got away with it will probably dish it overhead Sara's folks and Sara loses a hot date and ACE probably kills one of his mates, too.

2. IF IT FEELS WRONG - IT PROBABLY IS WRONG

so if you can't sort it out get on the ground - could just be you have inadvertently added flap OR it could be worse

3. THIS WHOLE THING (PRIVATE FLYING) SHOULD BE FUN

If it isn't - then either get more instruction or revisit your goals. Scud-running late afternoon with a setting sun......

If you really must, gotta be in the office on Monday morning - then either don't go on Sunday in the aircraft. If she is that lovely, drive instead!

Time to spare = go by air!

Stik

[ShyTorque]

If you think you have forgotten something - beware, you probably have.

Check everything again.

[M.Mouse]

LowNSlow

I appreciate that Avgas evaporates quickly but I still think I will give that tip a miss.

Final 3 Greens

Thanks for the reply. You live and learn! It just didn't sound like a sensible manoeuvre.

[Who has control?]

You know those big round heavy lumps of concrete you often see laying around? Well, never try to go flying with one of those attached to your aeroplane - it doesn't taxi too well & the rate of climb is appalling.

My tip is to remove all tie-downs and pitot-type covers before anything else and make sure that they are stowed away.

[Final 3 Greens]

M.Mouse

I can understand your point of view. Interestingly enough in the US a few years ago I had to sign a declaration that I wouldn't do touch an gos in a PA28R as the school had suffered a few incidents of people pulling the wrong lever when things were happening quickly!

:)

[Flyboy-F33]

I have to disagree with throwing avgas on your tyre. IT WILL definately cause damage to the tyre, dont beleive me...ask your friendly A&P. Anyway, you should be looking for water in the sampler, not when its on the ground....
There are two schools of thought on retracting flaps immediately on touchdown. It does help braking etc, and I used to practice this method. However there is a risk of retracting gear instead of flaps...obviously requires 100% concentration.

[foxmoth]

1) If you get more than one tech problem with the aircraft in a relatively short time there is probably a common cause.
2)Listen to the other guys radio calls, they will often tell you useful info such as;- next frequency, wx, runway in use, conflicting traffic
3) Think ahead, set up nav aids and comms frequencies BEFORE you need them.

[Aussie Andy]

Great thread guys...


Only answer your own callsign on the radio! OK, maybe this only happens to loud mouthed Australians like me... but on recent trip to France (my first) we had three aircraft from the same club. All of our callsigns familiar to me. Everything else on the FIS frequency in French. Whenever I heard something in English, and with a callsign I recognised - not necessarily that of the aircraft I was at that moment flying - I answered (like a prat!)
Don't fly too close to hills! I have had couple of awsome experiences of mother natures might - most recently over the Catskills in NY with a buddy of mine in a Cessna 170B on a very windy day.... Go with someone who is used to this sort of thing the first time at least - its not something we come across much in and around south-east England!


Happy flying!