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FAA Safety Briefing January/February 2020 Volume 60/Number 1 November/DecemberJanuary/February 2020 2019 Know Your Aircraft Federal Aviation 8 NoA VerySurprises Long Title for One of the20 FeatureThe Wing’s Title24 Give of One Me Feature a Brake ... Administration 10KeepingStories Control Could Possiblyof Go in thisthe SpaceThing 16 Storyand Maybe Goes Here a Tire and a Avionics and Automation Strut TooJanuary / February 2020 1 ABOUT THIS ISSUE ... U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration ISSN: 1057-9648 FAA Safety Briefing January/February 2020 Volume 60/Number 1 Elaine L. Chao Secretary of Transportation The January/February 2020 issue of FAA Safety Steve Dickson Administrator Briefing focuses on how to better “Know Your Aircraft.” Ali Bahrami Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Feature articles cover each major section of an Executive Director, Flight Standards Service Rick Domingo aircraft, highlighting the many design, performance Editor Susan Parson and structural variations you’ll likely see and how Tom Hoffmann Managing Editor they affect your flying. We’ll also take a fresh look at James Williams Associate Editor / Photo Editor Jennifer Caron Copy Editor / Quality Assurance Lead understanding aircraft energy management. Paul Cianciolo Associate Editor / Social Media John Mitrione Art Director Published six times a year, FAA Safety Briefing, formerly Contact information FAA Aviation News, promotes aviation safety by discussing current The magazine is available on the internet at: technical, regulatory, and procedural aspects affecting the safe www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing operation and maintenance of aircraft. Although based on current FAA policy and rule interpretations, all material is advisory or Comments or questions should be directed to the staff by: informational in nature and should not be construed to have • Emailing: [email protected] regulatory effect. Certain details of accidents described herein may • Editor, FAA Safety Briefing, Federal Aviation have been altered to protect the privacy of those involved. Writing: Administration, AFS-850, 800 Independence Avenue, SW, The FAA does not officially endorse any goods, services, materials, or Washington, DC 20591 products of manufacturers that may be referred to in an article. All • Calling: (202) 267-1100 brands, product names, company names, trademarks, and service marks • Tweeting: @FAASafetyBrief are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. The Office of Management and Budget has approved the use Subscription information of public funds for printing FAA Safety Briefing. The Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office, sells FAA Safety Briefing on subscription and mails up to four renewal notices. For New Orders: Subscribe via the internet at https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/faa-safety-briefing, telephone (202) 512-1800 or toll-free 1-866-512-1800, or use the self-mailer form in the center of this magazine and send to Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9371. Subscription Problems/Change of Address: Send your mailing label with your comments/request to Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Contact Center, Washington, DC 20408-9375. You can also call (202) 512-1800 or 1-866-512-1800 and ask for Customer Service, or fax your information to (202) 512-2104. 2 FAA Safety Briefing DEPARTMENTS 2 Jumpseat: an executive policy perspective The FAA safety policy voice of non-commercial general aviation 3 ATIS: GA news and current events 5 Aeromedical Advisory: a checkup on all things aeromedical 8 6 Condition Inspection: a look at specific medical conditions 27 Checklist: FAA resources and safety reminders 31 Drone Debrief: drone safety roundup 32 Nuts, Bolts, and Electrons: GA maintenance issues 33 Angle of Attack: GA safety strategies No Surprises! Keeping Control of Avionics and Automation 34 Vertically Speaking: safety issues for rotorcraft pilots 35 Flight Forum: letters from the Safety Briefing mailbag 36 Postflight: an editor’s perspective Inside back cover FAA Faces: FAA employee profile The Beating Heart How Your The Arthropod’s Revenge How 11 Engine Works and How to “Treat” It 14 an Airplane’s Fuselage Has More in Common with Bugs than Birds 17 L’Empennage A Guided Tour of Your Plane’s Tail Feathers 20 The Wing’s the Thing How Wing Design Affects Your Ride, and How to Preflight for Safety 24 Give Me a Brake ... And Maybe a Tire and Strut Too Understanding Your Undercarriage 28 On The Money Getting to Know Your Airplane as an Energy System January / February 2020 1 JUMPSEAT RICK DOMINGO, FLIGHT STANDARDS SERVICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A DANGEROUS THING Seventeenth century English poet “glass” in place of the once ubiqui- Alexander Pope is usually credited tous “six-pack” makes some aspects with the famous remark that “a little of flying easier — but only if you first knowledge is a dangerous thing.” invest the time it takes to truly master Obviously, Mr. Pope lived long before the system(s) you have. We go on to a the age of aviation. Nevertheless, his look at powerplants, with discussion observation is applicable to aviation of both legacy and developing engine both in its general interpretation and types. On the subject of airframes, its literal form. there’s still a lot of metal out there but Here’s what I mean. the team also takes a look at com- posites, and things you should know How (Not) to Describe an Elephant about each. You will also find concise One way to paraphrase the first and reviews of handling/inspection tips more common interpretation is for the hardworking tailfeathers, the to say that we don’t know what we all-important wings, and the some- don’t know. All too often, though, we times-overlooked elements of your humans have a tendency to inflate landing gear. the importance and scope of even the With winter now upon us, flying tiniest scrap of information. That idea WHEN IT COMES TO DOING days might be less frequent. But we best comes to life in the famous story hope you will be inspired to use this of the six blind men and the elephant: ANY JOB IN AVIATION, THE non-flying season to dig in and deepen each describes the animal based on the DANGER OF INSUFFICIENT your knowledge of these topics. one part they happened to touch. The crew resource management discussion KNOWLEDGE IS OBVIOUS. Energy Management in the previous issue of this magazine In the spirit of tying it all together — translates the concept into aviation an aircraft is always more than the terms, emphasizing the importance sum of its individual parts — we are Clearly, of course, it would take a to combining information from all pleased to offer the first of perhaps lot more than a single magazine issue available sources to get an accurate several articles on the vital topic of to do justice to any given part of any understanding of the situation. energy management. If you have given aircraft make and model. Our looked at the Airman Certification More is Better purpose is to cover some of the basics, Standards (ACS) recently, you will A second way to interpret Pope’s which could be new to those just note several references to this concept remark is the more literal one — that getting started or a useful reminder as one of the elements a pilot should is to say that not knowing enough to those who have been in aviation be able to know, consider, and do to about something can be dangerous. I for a while. For everyone, though, the qualify for a certificate or rating. With think you will quickly agree that when team hopes that the material pre- contributions from the aviation train- it comes to doing any job in aviation sented here will whet your appetite for ing community, we are already in the — pilot, mechanic, controller, dis- more knowledge about the design, the process of developing more guidance patcher, or any other you can name — construction, and the performance of material on this topic for inclusion in the danger of insufficient knowledge your particular make and model. a future issue of our H-series hand- is obvious. So, in this “know-your- Here’s a preview. books. One of those contributors has aircraft” themed issue of FAA Safety We’ll start with a look at the impor- generously offered to start sharing Briefing, the team will take a closer tance of knowing all you can master those concepts though this publica- look at each of the major parts of our about avionics and automation. As tion, so don’t miss it. marvelous flying machines. the article observes, the advent of 2 FAA Safety Briefing GA NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS ATIS AVIATION NEWS ROUNDUP Cold Temperature Restricted request an authorization to deviate fication that allows pilots who meet Airports Update from the rule to access ADS-B Out certain conditions to operate an Last October, the FAA issued Infor- required airspace. aircraft without a “traditional” FAA mation for Operators (InFO) 19012 The FAA has developed an medical certificate. As of November (go.usa.gov/xpb2q) that provides ADS-B Deviation Authorization 2019, more than 51,000 airmen have an update to the Cold Temperature Preflight Tool (ADAPT) to manage met the qualifications and are operat- Restricted Airports list. This year’s these non-routine authorization ing under BasicMed. This number is update contains several additions and requests. ADAPT requests should expected to grow, both in the United deletions to the list. The list was devel- be made via the web tool no more States and elsewhere, as certain Inter- oped in response to recognized safety than 24 hours before your flight and national Civil Aviation Organization concerns over cold weather altimetry no less than one hour before the (ICAO) member countries consider errors at certain airports.
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