Flying in the wet
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Flying in the wet
Hi all,
I'm now a few months into my first wet season an thought it would be a good idea to start a thread to share tips/advice/lessons learned from those who have experienced flying vfr singles (or whatever else) during the wet season in the top end. I've gotten throught the first few months fairly unscathed but there's definately been a couple of times where I've touched cotton.. an I've found asking questions to the senior guys with wet season experience a big help.
A couple of things I've learnt already is to always have more than one option in case the weather turns to ****, as you can almost guarantee that'll eventually happen.. also sniffing the fuel you've drained from the tank, as I had one occassion where I drained nothing but water (about one third of the drainer full).
Would love to hear any other advice people have in regard to flying in the wet! I'm having a ball doing but its also a pretty steep learning curve!
I'm now a few months into my first wet season an thought it would be a good idea to start a thread to share tips/advice/lessons learned from those who have experienced flying vfr singles (or whatever else) during the wet season in the top end. I've gotten throught the first few months fairly unscathed but there's definately been a couple of times where I've touched cotton.. an I've found asking questions to the senior guys with wet season experience a big help.
A couple of things I've learnt already is to always have more than one option in case the weather turns to ****, as you can almost guarantee that'll eventually happen.. also sniffing the fuel you've drained from the tank, as I had one occassion where I drained nothing but water (about one third of the drainer full).
Would love to hear any other advice people have in regard to flying in the wet! I'm having a ball doing but its also a pretty steep learning curve!
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Don't trust forecasts - the only one I'll guarantee is for a flight I completed ten minutes ago.
Just because someone else got through doesn't mean you can or should attempt it.
Listen to your gut - use plan B, C, D or E early.
When you use a backup plan, create a replacement backup plan.
When there are two things causing you concern (ie minimum fuel, average weather, approaching last light) be extremely cautious.
A superior pilot uses his/her superior judgment to avoid having to use his/her superior skill.
Its much better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than to be flying wishing you were on the ground.
PS Sniffing fuel is not foolproof either - fuel drainers can take on a strong fuel smell. A good cheap, quick and easy way to check fuel for water is to add known water to the sample - if you don't see the phase change then it is all water.
Just because someone else got through doesn't mean you can or should attempt it.
Listen to your gut - use plan B, C, D or E early.
When you use a backup plan, create a replacement backup plan.
When there are two things causing you concern (ie minimum fuel, average weather, approaching last light) be extremely cautious.
A superior pilot uses his/her superior judgment to avoid having to use his/her superior skill.
Its much better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than to be flying wishing you were on the ground.
PS Sniffing fuel is not foolproof either - fuel drainers can take on a strong fuel smell. A good cheap, quick and easy way to check fuel for water is to add known water to the sample - if you don't see the phase change then it is all water.
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Can drain the fuel over your fingertips, you'll feel the difference between fuel and water.
Otherwise (not the best, don't really recommend it, but it works) tip the drain over a tyre. Water beads and fuel seems to 'absorb'. They look completely different.
If in doubt, don't bother.
If you end up in some really bad stuff, do a 180 and try a different way.
If you end up in cloud/reduced vis (and maybe you shouldn't be there being VFR) and if you decide to bash thru it, at least do it at the LSALT.
Carry EXTRA fuel on top of what is needed. An extra 20-30min wil go a LONG way, and it gives a comfort factor as you know "I've got heaps!"
Otherwise (not the best, don't really recommend it, but it works) tip the drain over a tyre. Water beads and fuel seems to 'absorb'. They look completely different.
If in doubt, don't bother.
If you end up in some really bad stuff, do a 180 and try a different way.
If you end up in cloud/reduced vis (and maybe you shouldn't be there being VFR) and if you decide to bash thru it, at least do it at the LSALT.
Carry EXTRA fuel on top of what is needed. An extra 20-30min wil go a LONG way, and it gives a comfort factor as you know "I've got heaps!"
If it's been rainng, ther will be puddles around - I often get some water on my hand and "drip" it into the fuel sample - look for it to sink to the bottom, which tells you the sample is fuel, and not water (kind of what another poster said). Water-paste is another good way to make this check. CAOs even mention the unreliable nature of sensory (sight/smell/touch) judgements on fuel samples...
If you get into weather related trouble, the tendancy is to want to get on the ground. This can lead to rash or ill-considered actions. Be patient, remain calm whilst considering your options (and your endurance, obviously). There are good books on this stuff. "Weather Flying" by Buck is one. Some good stuff in there (but large parts are also orientated strongly towards North America). Still, check it out. That stuff will serve you well now, and also as you move into IFR ops too.
CR.
If you get into weather related trouble, the tendancy is to want to get on the ground. This can lead to rash or ill-considered actions. Be patient, remain calm whilst considering your options (and your endurance, obviously). There are good books on this stuff. "Weather Flying" by Buck is one. Some good stuff in there (but large parts are also orientated strongly towards North America). Still, check it out. That stuff will serve you well now, and also as you move into IFR ops too.
CR.
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Know how to purge the static system of water, if its full of water, then chances are that you will be flying in crappy weather and may well want a error free system if it all turns to 'grey' 
Be careful leaving a sealed strip to taxi off onto the grass, all the run off from the bitumen means that the ground next to the strip will be much more softer than then the rest of the area.
My biggest tip, get BOM radar working on your phone.
Be careful leaving a sealed strip to taxi off onto the grass, all the run off from the bitumen means that the ground next to the strip will be much more softer than then the rest of the area.
My biggest tip, get BOM radar working on your phone.
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There is usually more than one way to get to your destination - don't get locked in on going by the most direct route.
The storms in the top end rarely hold hands. By that I mean they are usually isolated and do not form a continuous line like a cold front down south so there are normally routes past them.
If there isn't a route past a storm there are usually a hundred and one strips in the vicinity. Land and wait out. The storms are usually gone in 30 minutes or so.
The storms in the top end move surprisingly fast. Don't think you will be able to get around them by flying across their front. Go behind, your route will be shorter even if it doesn't look that way to begin with.
When flying east out of Darwin I noticed that during the day the clouds would extend out along the peninsulas but rarely extend beyond out over the sea. It was often worth a diversion to the coast to be able to duck out and around the end of the storms.
Be careful of what you drain out of the fuel tanks. I have had nothing but water for the first 3 or 4 samples drawn out of some tanks. Keep draining until you get nothing but fuel and if necessary give the wings a wobble to dislodge water caught in the baffles in the tank.
When flying around a storm be very careful you don't fly under the cloud shelves surrounding the centre of the storm. They look like one of those profile views of controlled airspace surrounding airfields. The downdrafts there are savage. I reckon the dash of the venerable C206 I first flew in the NT still has my pax's finger marks in it from the one and only time I got caught.
Talk to others who have seen it all before. Prior experience is valuable so if you don't have it, learn from others.
The storms in the top end rarely hold hands. By that I mean they are usually isolated and do not form a continuous line like a cold front down south so there are normally routes past them.
If there isn't a route past a storm there are usually a hundred and one strips in the vicinity. Land and wait out. The storms are usually gone in 30 minutes or so.
The storms in the top end move surprisingly fast. Don't think you will be able to get around them by flying across their front. Go behind, your route will be shorter even if it doesn't look that way to begin with.
When flying east out of Darwin I noticed that during the day the clouds would extend out along the peninsulas but rarely extend beyond out over the sea. It was often worth a diversion to the coast to be able to duck out and around the end of the storms.
Be careful of what you drain out of the fuel tanks. I have had nothing but water for the first 3 or 4 samples drawn out of some tanks. Keep draining until you get nothing but fuel and if necessary give the wings a wobble to dislodge water caught in the baffles in the tank.
When flying around a storm be very careful you don't fly under the cloud shelves surrounding the centre of the storm. They look like one of those profile views of controlled airspace surrounding airfields. The downdrafts there are savage. I reckon the dash of the venerable C206 I first flew in the NT still has my pax's finger marks in it from the one and only time I got caught.
Talk to others who have seen it all before. Prior experience is valuable so if you don't have it, learn from others.
Last edited by PLovett; 14th Feb 2010 at 21:37.
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Take the opportunity to go with, or have ride with you, an experienced VFR SE pilot. Ask for some coaching on landing and taking off with minimal ground runs (for wet, boggy surfaces) if they know how and are prepared to do it (ie. check with your CP). These are techniques that were taught to me for better or worse by an ex-WW2, New Guinea pilot that you won't find in the flight manuals.
On take-off, get the nosewheel out of the mud asap. Keep the nosewheel off the ground...but just off the ground. The control column will creep forward to hold the attitude as the speed builds. Get the rest of the wheels up and into ground effect asap. With a little experience, the plane will tell you when it's ready to come unstuck. Stay in ground effect until you get the airspeed to fly away. (You physically can't fly out of the ground effect anyway until the speed's up, but you want to lower the nose and fly just above the ground as you build speed: not hold the nose up and wallow slowly upwards, which can get you into a lot of trouble, which is probably why these techniques are not in the flight manuals.)
Landing: pick the spot you want the wheels to touch down. (Get good at it and you'll be able to hit a newspaper with your mains, which is handy if you're trying to get the aircraft into a space between two bogholes while trying to minimize the chance of swamping the engine intake with buckets of water as you plow into the second.) Get into ground effect the normal way (as per the flight manual) with the mains less than a metre off the ground. (Any higher and you can get into a LOT of trouble again if the aircraft stalls out. As a side benefit, it's a far easier thechnique to accomplish, the lower to the ground you are. It is far more difficult to do, the higher you are off the ground.) Hold the nose up, keep the mains off the ground and increase power as the speed washes off. You'll get to the point where the plane is hanging off the prop and the tail is not dragging on the ground. (And if the tail tiedown does hit? You're on a boggy strip. I don't think it ever happened to me with a wide variety of singles, but it was on boggy strips...I wouldn't have felt it anyway.) If you happen to look at the ASI, you'll be surprised at how slow you're flying, if it's reading at all. Cut the power when appropriate. The mains will drop onto the ground. Then get the stick back into your chest to avoid the nosewheel plowing into the mud.
I await the flaming with anticipation as horrified pilots advise you to FOLLOW THE TECHNIQUES IN THE FLIGHT MANUAL.
On take-off, get the nosewheel out of the mud asap. Keep the nosewheel off the ground...but just off the ground. The control column will creep forward to hold the attitude as the speed builds. Get the rest of the wheels up and into ground effect asap. With a little experience, the plane will tell you when it's ready to come unstuck. Stay in ground effect until you get the airspeed to fly away. (You physically can't fly out of the ground effect anyway until the speed's up, but you want to lower the nose and fly just above the ground as you build speed: not hold the nose up and wallow slowly upwards, which can get you into a lot of trouble, which is probably why these techniques are not in the flight manuals.)
Landing: pick the spot you want the wheels to touch down. (Get good at it and you'll be able to hit a newspaper with your mains, which is handy if you're trying to get the aircraft into a space between two bogholes while trying to minimize the chance of swamping the engine intake with buckets of water as you plow into the second.) Get into ground effect the normal way (as per the flight manual) with the mains less than a metre off the ground. (Any higher and you can get into a LOT of trouble again if the aircraft stalls out. As a side benefit, it's a far easier thechnique to accomplish, the lower to the ground you are. It is far more difficult to do, the higher you are off the ground.) Hold the nose up, keep the mains off the ground and increase power as the speed washes off. You'll get to the point where the plane is hanging off the prop and the tail is not dragging on the ground. (And if the tail tiedown does hit? You're on a boggy strip. I don't think it ever happened to me with a wide variety of singles, but it was on boggy strips...I wouldn't have felt it anyway.) If you happen to look at the ASI, you'll be surprised at how slow you're flying, if it's reading at all. Cut the power when appropriate. The mains will drop onto the ground. Then get the stick back into your chest to avoid the nosewheel plowing into the mud.
I await the flaming with anticipation as horrified pilots advise you to FOLLOW THE TECHNIQUES IN THE FLIGHT MANUAL.
Last edited by Lodown; 14th Feb 2010 at 23:58.
Flying in the wet.
A good topic not normally touched.
A pitot cover will help prevent water getting into the pitot head, particularly driving rain from a storm.
When doing a sump test always fill the test tube FULL. Just taking a small sample could well be all water with no visible cut off line between water & fuel.
Several tests are better than one.
It can be wise to double check the fuel drains after a rain shower has passed. Water can and does get past even the best tank cap seals. Those seals are not getting any better with age.
When the sample has been taken then use the look, smell, add-water test to ensure it is OK. If in doubt then rock those wings and drain, drain and drain until you are 100% happy with the fuel in the tanks.
R16
A good topic not normally touched.
A pitot cover will help prevent water getting into the pitot head, particularly driving rain from a storm.
When doing a sump test always fill the test tube FULL. Just taking a small sample could well be all water with no visible cut off line between water & fuel.
Several tests are better than one.
It can be wise to double check the fuel drains after a rain shower has passed. Water can and does get past even the best tank cap seals. Those seals are not getting any better with age.
When the sample has been taken then use the look, smell, add-water test to ensure it is OK. If in doubt then rock those wings and drain, drain and drain until you are 100% happy with the fuel in the tanks.
R16
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A pitot cover will help prevent water getting into the pitot head, particularly driving rain from a storm.
Yes, it will work for most singles where the pitot tube is under the wing but with twins and the pitot mounted under the nose, the rain runs down the nose fairing and straight into the pitot cover.
It makes it a good idea to check that the airspeed is alive at the start of the takeoff.
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Carry a torch or even two in your nav bag. Carry spare batteries (in fact if you carry a GPS then make sure to get a torch that will take the same batteries). Carry a $2 glow in the dark bracelet available at Coles.
I'm not advocating rule-breaking but it it very wise to remember that an aeroplane will fly overweight but it will not fly without fuel.
A pilot of similar or lesser skills may have made it in five minutes before you arrive but it doesn't mean that you will too.
Learn the value of navigating around storms forming an equilateral triangle with your FPT and TMG. i.e. If you've got no GPS and you're tracking 000 and there's a storm you want to avoid by going left of it turn 60 degrees left onto 300 and note the time then when you're sure you will clear the storm turn 120 degrees the other way onto 060. Once you've travelled for the same amount of time (and barring any wind) you'll be back on your FPT as if you'd travelled exactly 1/2 the time (so you should know where you are).
If you do something silly and record it don't post it on youtube or facebook or even email it to friends.
Save the local BOM RADAR url in your phone (and don't bother with anyone but Telstra; it's a ****house setup but it's a lie if anyone says that they can give you 99% of Telstra's coverage).
Get practice at killing flies and try to clear them from the top of your instrument panel just before take-off (when it gets noisy they will go straight for your nose).
When loading passengers scare away the flies from their backs just as they enter the aircraft. (You won't get them all but enough will fly in so why carry them on your passengers backs too?)
Keep two small tins of tuna in your nav bag (good energy in a small-ish package).
ALWAYS REMEMBER to follow the advice of your CHIEF PILOT (unless he or she is a dodgy prick... safety-wise).
~FRQ CB
PS I'm serious about the flies.
I'm not advocating rule-breaking but it it very wise to remember that an aeroplane will fly overweight but it will not fly without fuel.
A pilot of similar or lesser skills may have made it in five minutes before you arrive but it doesn't mean that you will too.
Learn the value of navigating around storms forming an equilateral triangle with your FPT and TMG. i.e. If you've got no GPS and you're tracking 000 and there's a storm you want to avoid by going left of it turn 60 degrees left onto 300 and note the time then when you're sure you will clear the storm turn 120 degrees the other way onto 060. Once you've travelled for the same amount of time (and barring any wind) you'll be back on your FPT as if you'd travelled exactly 1/2 the time (so you should know where you are).
If you do something silly and record it don't post it on youtube or facebook or even email it to friends.
Save the local BOM RADAR url in your phone (and don't bother with anyone but Telstra; it's a ****house setup but it's a lie if anyone says that they can give you 99% of Telstra's coverage).
Get practice at killing flies and try to clear them from the top of your instrument panel just before take-off (when it gets noisy they will go straight for your nose).
When loading passengers scare away the flies from their backs just as they enter the aircraft. (You won't get them all but enough will fly in so why carry them on your passengers backs too?)
Keep two small tins of tuna in your nav bag (good energy in a small-ish package).
ALWAYS REMEMBER to follow the advice of your CHIEF PILOT (unless he or she is a dodgy prick... safety-wise).
~FRQ CB
PS I'm serious about the flies.
ALWAYS REMEMBER to follow the advice of your CHIEF PILOT (unless he or she is a dodgy prick... safety-wise).
Some advice:
- During the wet, as often as you can call a station or community and get someone to drive a ute over the runway and get a feel for it the better. Just don't always trust what they say. Quite often people will lie to you to get their mail!
- Other pilots are your friend, have a list of who operates where and give them a call if your at all unsure of the conditions in an area.
- Don't be afraid to make a low pass (remember the prec search?) of a strip your feeling sketchy about and to check for standing water, rivers through an end etc. If you need to land between bodies of water you can time distance along strip at say 120 kts to determine how much landing distance you have.
- As said before ALWAYS have multiple options, and carry a minimum of an hours gas in the tanks.
- Protect the nosewheel like its a newborn child.
- Can verify the ground effect take off method.
- Oh and i'm not saying this ever happened to me but the first stage of flap in a C210 can close a baggage door that flies open due to a 'loose' latch.
Keep safe out there.
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Top End wet season. Fuel quality tips
- Avgas contaminated with water has been a major threat to operators in the top end since Clyde Fenton commenced his operation out of Katherine between the wars.
- If using drum stocks be aware that drums exposed to the elements will become hot, a sharp shower will create a vacuum in the drum drawing in water from bung seals, ensure drums are placed slightly of vertical with both bungs clear of any possible water entry.
- Review your POH/Flight Manual to confirm you know the location of every fuel drain point, ensure drains are conducted prior to the first flight of the day, and after every refuel.
- Be aware that during flight, as fuel is burnt very moist air enters the tanks via the vents.
- Be extra vigilant with "bladder tanks" as ripples in the tank will be a very effective water trap.
- Fuel sample checks must be effective, I used a combination of water detection tablets,evaporation rates from the back of my hand,sight then smell. I recall it was not that unusual to need to take several samples from a drain point to remove all traces of water.
- Be aware of the "attitude" of the aircraft when fuel drains are being conducted, eg under inflated nose oleo may move trapped water away from fuel drain points.
- Become involved in the airworthiness of the aircraft you operate, if you are concerned about tank seals."Write it up", it is amazing what will happen once a LAME is required to certify defect rectification.
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Drum stocks
Back then..... I used to eat, live and breath on drum stock. These days probably do not see that much of it and I am sure many of the people teaching in the flying schools may never have seen one.....
Be very cautious - and if in doubt as to the contents, age and quality of the fuel - DO NOT USE IT. Particularly refilled drums that you have not filled yourself. Be very wary of the leftover half a drum from god knows how long ago.......
....spot on-ski. Storing of the drums - we kept them horizontal off the ground on wooden racks. Bungs tight and located in the horizontal plane to prevent sucking and expelling air/water by being covered with fuel. When mobilized for use - place drum upright with a chock under the point where you are drawing fuel from - ie water drains to the lowest point in the drum and NOT where you are drawing it from. "the fuel broomstick" with some water detecting paste inserted into the drum will give evidence of contamination before it is too late.
In any case - the Canucks have a short brief on their website:
Fuel Drum Etiquette (TP2228E-13) - TP 2228 - Take Five...for safety - Publications & Videos - National Operations - Aviation Safety - Air Transportation - Transport Canada
and a short CASA one:
HTTP://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_asset.../mar/32-34.pdf
....and good that they also mention grounding for refuelling - as the number of times I have seen slack-arses not do this - even when using a bowser....
Take the time with drums and do it properly.
Be very cautious - and if in doubt as to the contents, age and quality of the fuel - DO NOT USE IT. Particularly refilled drums that you have not filled yourself. Be very wary of the leftover half a drum from god knows how long ago.......
If using drum stocks be aware that drums exposed to the elements will become hot, a sharp shower will create a vacuum in the drum drawing in water from bung seals, ensure drums are placed slightly of vertical with both bungs clear of any possible water entry.
In any case - the Canucks have a short brief on their website:
Fuel Drum Etiquette (TP2228E-13) - TP 2228 - Take Five...for safety - Publications & Videos - National Operations - Aviation Safety - Air Transportation - Transport Canada
and a short CASA one:
HTTP://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_asset.../mar/32-34.pdf
....and good that they also mention grounding for refuelling - as the number of times I have seen slack-arses not do this - even when using a bowser....
Take the time with drums and do it properly.
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And if you have a local selecting and rolling drums for you, and then pumping it in, remember some of them cannot read!!!
We had one instance where a problem occurred. The drums for both avgas and avtur were painted the same colour and stored in the same coupound. They were labelled on the top.
We had one instance where a problem occurred. The drums for both avgas and avtur were painted the same colour and stored in the same coupound. They were labelled on the top.
Stay visual - better to be 100' below the cloud base with reasonable visibility than right up against it.
Practice slowing your aircraft down and getting it into a precautionary configuration, and use that skill if / when vis starts getting marginal.
If in doubt - go home. Today's flight won't seem nearly as important in a year or 10!
Practice slowing your aircraft down and getting it into a precautionary configuration, and use that skill if / when vis starts getting marginal.
If in doubt - go home. Today's flight won't seem nearly as important in a year or 10!
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Had one local copilot, when it was his flying sector, seemed to prefer to do the visual approaches slow, and the instrument letdowns fast - probably to get them out of the way, and get out of the cloud, and on the ground quicker. Prefer to do them the other way round, to ensure getting down to the minima with time to get visual for landing off the first approach. Re-used half drums of fuel in humid areas will be more likely to have condensed water - check well on use.
