Taking on the Black Hole Tips to Flying the Best Approach

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THE PRIVATE JET MAGAZINE FALL 2015.2 OWN A JET FOR $250,000 FLYING TO CUBA TRAVELING TO THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND IN AN ECLIPSE

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4 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2

contents 11.15

DEPARTMENTS 58 COMING SOON TO A COCKPIT NEAR YOU, THE IPAD PRO 8 PUBLISHER’S LETTER Apple’s new iPad Pro could The answer to the winter doldrums. give you the screen real estate you need to make ﬂying with a tablet more productive, but 10 LIFESTYLES on the other hand, it’s pretty big. The best new gadgets BY WAYNE RASH JR. available to pilots on display. 62 HAS YOUR ATTENTION 12 EJOPA PRESIDENT’S LETTER TO PTS SLIPPED? BY MARCUS ADOLFSSON BY NEIL SINGER 13 MANUFACTURER’S CORNER 54 DRONES: WHAT’S THE REAL RISK? With thousands more drones taking ﬂight all the time, the situation is more than serious. BY PAM BROWN

6 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 FALL 2015.2 VOLUME 2/NUMBER 5

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FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 7 Publisher’s Letter THE ANSWER TO THE WINTER DOLDRUMS By Thierry Pouille

always feel as if I need and the very private resort there shares the same name. You y an attitude adjustment into Canouan Island airport (CIW) and board a private boat when we’re making to take the rest of the way to the resort. e resort’s 22 accom- this transition from the modations are spread all along the island’s beaches, giving you warm and wonderful the ultimate in idyllic tropical privacy. Should you ever want I summer months to the to leave your hideaway, there are two restaurants and a spa for routine of winter. Daylight your pleasures. Savings Time ends. It’s Next we (I say “we” because I am not foolish enough to attempt dark outside at 4:30 in the an adventure like this without taking my wife!) visited the Jumby a ernoon and, of course, Bay Resort, which several times I’ve heard described as simply the weather over most of the the nest resort in all of the Caribbean. Surely it’s on everyone’s United States is, well, wintry. short list. e white-powdered sandy beaches are honestly Given the alleged eects of Global Warming, you just don’t breathtaking. You can relax in one of the thatched bohios or the know what kind of weather this winter will bring. To tell the hammocks strung truth, sometimes it all makes me a bit grumpy. Or at least so my between the palms. Canouan Island airport sta tells me! It’s a great place to I also confess that I spend a fair amount of time just gazing watch the sun go at the map of the entire world in my oce. It brings up special down over Antigua. memories from remarkable trips we’ve taken to just about every ABC News and inch of the world, and it also serves as fertile new ground for me Good Morning, to discover new destinations that so far we’ve le untouched. America! selected is particular day, a er grumping about the weather and Carlisle Bay in grumping about the fact that’s it’s already dark when I leave the Antiqua one of the oce, I found myself “zoomed in,” if you will, to that part of the top 10 Caribbean world that starts at my front door here in Florida and continues resorts — period. down across the Caribbean and on into South America. is resort gets At rst blush, it sounds like such an expanse — Florida all the great marks as a way to South America! But in truth it’s only about 1,500 nm, a family destination cakewalk for us kerosene burners. In fact, if you really want to so take a look at take a good look, it breaks down like this: e rst 500 miles their website before cover the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos; the next 500 miles you make your nal cover Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; and the selection. last 500 miles cover a remaining few islands before crossing the We also toured the shoreline into South America. amazing Viceroy and Malliouhana resorts in Anguilla, which Why, I don’t know, but suddenly my grumpiness li ed when was worth every drop of jet fuel to get there. On our way back, this silly idea came into my head. What would it be like to have we also stopped in the Dominican Republic to visit Casa Colo- breakfast in Florida, lunch in the Virgin Islands and dinner in nial and the Gansevoort, a member of a hotel group that even the Grenadines? I couldn’t think of a single reason not to do it. has a location in New York City. Both of these destinations are So o I went and accomplished that very dream in a single day. the kinds of place where you can literally spend a week or two Did a lot for my overall mood! and never have to leave the resort. What a wonderful luxury. Of course, I do have to confess that once I was ying over all So there you go — my answer to the winter doldrums! that turquoise water, I couldn’t resist adding a stop here and All these properties will be featured in articles forthcoming in a stop there, primarily to islands with which I was not totally the next issues of Contrails, so stay tuned. If you don’t want to familiar. When the dust had settled, I’d visited eight dierent wait, call our sister company, Air Journey, to grab a spot in any islands and 15 tropical resorts! Several were just too cool not to of these unique and amazing places! tell you about. First was Petit St Vincent, known locally as PSV, an island Happy Contrails! 40 statute miles south of St. Vincent in the Grenadine islands, ierry Pouille, Publisher

8 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2

LifeStyles

Bush Pilot Course Being able to put your airplane down on a 400-foot gravel bar in the middle of a river or on the meandering roller coaster of a back-country airstrip is truly an art. So many components are at play — winds, altitude, animals and runway potholes big enough to hide an elephant. Don Lee is a lifelong Alaskan bush pilot willing to share his decades of experience in the wilds with you. Lee runs Alaska Floats and Skis on Christiansen Lake just outside of Talkeetna, Alaska. Students come to him from around the globe to master flying in the bush. They learn how to fly on floats, skis or tundra tires, adding immeasurably to their flying skills. Lee’s base of operations puts his airplanes within a few a minutes’ flight time of Denali National Park, home to the 20,320-foot Mount Denali, the tall- est point in North America. He oers float-plane ratings, bush-pilot training and ski flying. Park your PA-46 and learn to land skis on glaciers, to fly floats into remote mountain lakes or, after installing Don’s 31-inch bush tires, to set down safely in places you’d never imagine an airplane could go. The fee for the Alaska Floats and Ski courses includes lodging, ground and dual, a check ride and the examiner’s fee (to get your float rating), if required. One thing is certain: You’ll learn more about flying than you could ever imagine. For more info, go to Lee’s website at AlaskaFloats.com or call Now Hear This him at 907.733.4500. A new Voice Crew Alert System (VCAS) has been designed specifically for your TBM. VCAS is a small 3-ounce module that you can install in seconds between your headset and the headset panel jack. Using a pressure sensor, it will trigger a “don oxygen mask” voice alert at an altitude you can set (between 7,000 and 14,900 feet) to alert you of depressurizations long before you are aected by hypoxia. An optional cable can be wired to the Master Warning and Master Caution lights that will generate “check Master Warning” and “check Master Caution” messages. In addition, a connection to the stall-warning system generates a “Stall, Stall” message, eliminating any confusion with the other tones. Pressing a button on the VCAS module will also annunciate the current cabin altitude as a check of the sensor and all circuitry. A fail-safe feature ensures that your headset will always be connected to your radios. More information including price and photos, is available at DonMask.com.

10 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 Now I See! Sporty’s is now oering the AV1 Aviator Sun- glasses, which eliminate the need to switch back and forth from your corrected lenses to see charts or even details on your glass screen. The AV1s come in three styles, all featuring a stainless-steel frame with thin, flexible temples and an adjustable nose bridge. These sunglasses provide maximum comfort for prolonged use in the cockpit. Weighing in at a mere 1 ounce, it’s easy to forget you have them on. The non-polarized nylon lenses are more resistant to scratches and oer higher definition and outstanding optical clarity at a lighter weight. A small portion at the bottom of the lenses is magnified to help with reading. The remain- der of the lens is unmagnified. Lenses are available in +1.5, +2.0, or +2.5 spot diopters. Just as important, these sunglasses oer 100 percent UV, UVB and UVC protection. See more about the AV1 Aviator Sunglasses at Sportys.com. Bring the Luxury Along With the popularity boom of coee products over the last decade, plenty of us just aren’t comfort- able facing the day without our espresso. Thank heavens for The All-new the Handpresso Wild Dome- Abingdon’s pod. Add the ground coee of your choice, hold the unit over Elise Watch your aircraft’s demitasse (!), and International aviation watch spe- you’re in business. Start your brew at cialist Abingdon has just released Handpresso.com or at 888.389.4123. the newest version of its No. 1 travel watch, the elegant Elise. Not only is the model new and The Crystal Clear Kayak improved, now it comes in eight dierent colors! The Elise has Every now and then you stumble across something that pegs the fun meter. been the ocial watch for the Air This is a perfect example. Clear Blue Hawaii makes the world’s only transparent, Race Classic, the oldest air race foldable kayak. It fits in a small backpack or in the back of your plane, weighing in the country, for the past three in at a modest 26 pounds. years. The stylist watch is made The Napali is supported by a high-tech, durable and corrosion-resistant of surgical-grade stainless steel internal carbon kevlar frame system that comes equipped with a transparent and displays three time zones. military-grade urethane skin. Snap it together, sit in the seat, and you’re the Set one to Zulu time, one to your captain of your own glass-bottom boat ride! Learn more from the company’s local time zone and the third for website, ClearBlueHawaii.com or call 707.202.8346. your destination. The Elise also features a sapphire crystal face and mother-of-pearl dial and comes in rose gold, yellow gold, IP blue, IP LS pink and IP brown plating. Find out more at TheAbingdonCo.com.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 11 President’s Letter FALL IS IN THE AIR By Marcus Adolfsson

In the Eclipse, it’s oen too provided a reminder to review the ABS brake-failure procedures and to ensure easy to feel like a system that the seat belts’ inertial reel locks work manager instead of an and are locked at landing — something I think many, including myself, frequently aviator and, while high overlook. We wish Jon all the best as he and fast is amazing when gets back into the le seat again. A big thanks to Phil Kumar for orga- you have somewhere to nizing an EJOPA member get-together go, low and slow is equally in Paso Robles, Calif. Seven Eclipse jets descended into Paso Robles Municipal amazing when you are Airport, bringing 20 people together to going nowhere. It’s not all enjoy a lunch with John and Martha King, who discussed SIDS and STARS, followed yarn strings and cork fuel by a winery tour. We plan to hold a simi- gauges in this Cub though. lar regional event in Florida this January. Stay tuned to the forums for more infor- is is the time of the year that I prefer for Jon, as a result of his head hitting the mation. Also continue to save the date for to y my “other plane,” a Carbon Cub, glare shield during the abrupt stop at an EJOPA E7, our seventh annual convention which is a modern Cub clone made by embankment, he and his family were that will be held in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Cub Craers in Yakima, Wash. e plane’s unharmed, and they are already looking June 8-12. light weight, combined with a 180-horse- for a replacement Eclipse. While the power engine, lets you oen take o in investigation is still ongoing, the accident Until next time, Safe Flying! under 100 feet and climb out at an insane deck angle with the VSI pegged at 2000 fpm. Hand-ying over the countryside at 500 feet over the ground with the door and windows open, fresh cold air circulat- ing around the cabin, is about as close to pure ying as you can get. In the Eclipse, it’s oen too easy to feel like a system manager instead of an aviator and, while high and fast is amazing when you have somewhere to go, low and slow is equally amazing when you are going nowhere. It’s not all yarn strings and cork fuel gauges in this Cub though. A gadget freak, I installed a Garmin G3X Touch panel in the Cub earlier this year. Total overkill, but it is a phenomenal system for LSA and experimental planes that provides ADS-B In and out, engine monitoring, synthetic vision, AOA, 3D intercom and more for less than $15,000. Amazing values in the non-certied world! In late August, EJOPA member Jon McMurtrie suered a runway-overrun Carbon Cub made by Cub Crafters in Yakima, Wash accident. Except for a short hospital stay

12 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 Manufacturer’s Corner

trunnions inspected and/or replaced free of charge at their next scheduled 300-hour inspection, when performed at an Eclipse Authorized Service Center.

Batteries: One of the concerns that operators have shared with us is battery-service life. We responded by performing a lengthy investigation on battery life and why the experiences of operators varied so signi cantly. In the end, we were able to develop a revised battery-servicing procedure that already is extending battery-service life signi cantly.

Upgrades: As we continue to advance the 550/500 Plus/SE platforms, it is becoming Kestrel K-350 mockup increasingly challenging to support the non-IFMS con gurations. While we will continue to strive to support every con gu- ration, advancing technology and supplier CATCHING UP… changes may, at some point, become a limit- By Cary Winter, SVP manufacturing, engineering and technical ing factor. In response, EAI will be extending the opportunity for owners to upgrade to operations at Eclipse IFMS or 500 Plus. Look for program details in the near future. For many, 24 hours in a day doesn’t seem were able to see the new Eclipse SE in per- like quite enough time to accomplish son, along with the Kestrel K-350 mockup. Service and Modication Bulletins: everything we would like to. Many of you For those of you who sat inside the K-350, We would like to remind owners and have solved that problem by owning your you were no doubt impressed by the cabin’s operators of Eclipse Jets that several Service own Eclipse Jet, allowing you to accomplish size, comfort and open feel. Combined with Bulletins currently are oered by EAI to more in the same 24 hours. For the Eclipse its performance, the K-350 is sure to be a hit. enhance the safety and reliability of their Team, there never seems to be enough time e new Eclipse 550 mockup was also aircra. While a large group of operators to accomplish all the things we want to do there. While the le side of the aircra have taken advantage of these enhance- to make Eclipse Jet ownership a wonderful showcased one of our new paint schemes, ments, many are missing out on some great experience. With that in mind, we thought the right side presented a detailed graphic opportunities to improve the reliability and it was appropriate to recap some of the more showing the internal workings of the Eclipse safety of their aircra. We would like to draw signi cant recent developments. Jet, along with information on how we turn their attention to several bulletins they may advanced computer models into ying be missing out on. Eclipse SE: is is the latest member of aircra. When you were done viewing the the Eclipse product lineup with an exciting exterior, you could have had a seat inside the • Mandatory SB 500-34-025 Pitot new feature exclusive to the SE — three years mockup, relax and test the fully functional soware upgrade, $1,150. of warranty and scheduled maintenance avionics suite. • Mandatory SB 500-32-12/SB 550-32- coverage! Not only does the SE come fully 002 Landing-gear trunnion inspection, equipped with the latest Dual FMS avionics, Landing-gear trunnions: Earlier this free at Eclipse Service Centers glass-faced windshields, auto throttles, ABS, year, we became aware that certain land- • Mandatory MB 500-32-003/MB 550-32- ESP Gold, a payload recovery package and ing-gear trunnions may have some ma- 001 ABS pressure-switch installation, all Recommended and Mandatory Service chining inconsistencies. We immediately free at PWK or ABQs Bulletins complied with, but for three years launched an investigation to determine the you’ll have peace of mind knowing your proper course of action. Based on detailed EAI communicates the availability of new covered. analysis, we determined that aircra, with SB/MBs via weekly email messages to all more than 975 landings, need to be inspect- owners/operators that we are aware of and Eclipse 550: Not to be outdone by the SE, ed rst. Realizing the inconvenience that an by posting this information on the Custom- the already feature-rich Eclipse 550 now comes unplanned inspection posed, Eclipse and er Pages of the OneAviation.aero website. with an unprecedented ve years of warranty its suppliers stepped up, oering not only to Occasionally, we even post on the EJOPA and scheduled maintenance coverage. cover the cost of the trunnion replacement, forum to try to reach the largest number of but also the fuel to and from the nearest operators as quickly as possible. Oshkosh: One Aviation made its public Eclipse Service Center, along with a pre-paid If you are not receiving the weekly email debut at this year’s Air Venture show. If you credit card for miscellaneous expenses. Jets noti cations, and would like to, contact Eclipse were able to stop by our huge booth, you with fewer than 975 landings will have their Customer Service at 847.850.7562.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 13 flying to cuba

WELL WHY NOT JUST FLY TO CUBA? THE INS AND OUTS OF TRAVELING TO THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND By David Green and Ron Lebel

It all started with a late-night phone call from e Baja Bush Pilots Association (BBP) than 50 years. Finally, working with both Ron Lebel in mid-August. had been working very hard over the past governments, they had received the neces- “David, how would you like to y the months since the Obama administration sary permission and began immediately to Eclipse to Cuba?” loosened the restrictions on travel to Cuba plan and execute the trip. I hesitated briey and said, “at sounds to set up a “caravan” of General Aviation From the time permission was granted neat!” aircra to travel to and from Cuba. is is to the time the trip took place would be less And so the journey began. something that has not happened in more than 60 days.

14 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 flying to cuba

Since Ron had traveled with the BBP before, he was on its list of potential partici- pants. Ron being the sort of adventurous type that he is said yes immediately when they approached him. He and his wife had been to Cuba twice before, so she was happy to let David take the trip. My Eclipse was down for maintenance so it was an easy choice to take Ron’s N444RL. And I was happy to not have my airplane going to parts unknown! e plan was for me to y commercially to Los Angeles, where Ron and I would start our adventure ying down to Key West, Fla. e original plan was that rst leg of the Cuba trip would begin at Key West and go to Santiago de Cuba, on the southeast coast of Cuba. San- THE INS AND OUTS OF TRAVELING TO THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND By David Green and Ron Lebel tiago is the second largest city in Cuba and has One very interesting aspect of the trip is that U.S.- a big airport. We would spend three days there registered aircra are not normally allowed to touring and then y from Santiago de Cuba to stay in the country for more than 24 hours. (That’s Havana for another three nights. e trip was approved under the “people something that just changed last few days.) So to people” waiver for Americans to go to in order to ﬂy to Cuba and stay seven nights, you Cuba. One very interesting aspect of the trip is that U.S.-registered aircra are not nor- have to “export” your plane to Cuba and then later mally allowed to stay in the country for more that week “import” it back into the United States.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 15 flying to cuba

than 24 hours. (at’s something that just Santiago de Cuba on the southeast side of Monday morning, all the pilots and crew of changed last few days.) So in order to y to Cuba was more than 450 nm. at meant the 10 aircra met early at the FBO for a nal Cuba and stay seven nights, you have to “ex- that we all would need fuel before ying to brieng before our 165 nm puddle jump to port” your plane to Cuba and then later that Havana. While the airports in Cuba have Jet Cuba. Incidentally, we were going to be a ight week “import” it back into the United States. A, the Eclipse was the only turbine airplane of 11 aircra, but a Lake amphibian lost power I thought Ron was being very adventurous in the group, and Avgas was not available in coming down from the panhandle of Florida living with this restriction, which turned out Santiago de Cuba. and had to “land” in the Gulf. ey were to be no big deal. So, at the last minute, the tour organizers unable to join us. However, there are landing fees. As it secured rooms in Cienfuegos, a very nice A few things about Cuban airspace: First, turned out the fees for the Eclipse and the small town on the south coast of Cuba that the ight levels in Cuba start at 4,000 feet. other aircra (single-engine prop planes) were was only 165 nm from Key West and only at means that you set your altimeter at about the same, a $400 landing fee each for a 125 nm from Havana. is meant that all the 1013 millibars (29.92 inches) any time you total of $800 for the two landings in Cuba. planes could y to Cienfuegos and then onto are above 3,000. So 4,000 feet would be About a week before leaving, Ron got a call Havana without a fuel stop. And Havana had FL040, and 5,000 feet would be FL050. is from the head of the BBP saying that he and his easy access to fuel, both Jet A and Avgas. is a bit tricky. I am sad to say that a number assistant who both live in Phoenix would like to On Friday Oct. 2, I ew commercially of us forgot about doing this and were several join us in the Eclipse rather than ying his own to L.A. and stayed at the Lebels’ home that hundred feet o at altitude. All altimeter set- 182. While this imposed fuel limitations on our evening. Ron and I took o the next morning, tings in Cuba are in millibars, so some of the ying, Ron decided to take them along. making our rst stop in Scottsdale, Ariz., to other planes needed a conversion chart. e is resulted in an additional leg inside the pick up Jack and Claudia, the tour leaders. e Eclipse can be easily switched in the settings. United States, ying from L.A. to Key West second leg was to Waco, Texas, and the third In most other ways, ight in Cuba is and the same on the way back, but it was leg to New Orleans. Because we were losing similar to anyplace else in the world. Cuba very advantageous to have a uent Span- time zones going east, and we could not make has very little, if any, VFR ying; all ights ish-speaking passenger (the assistant) during Key West until well aer dark, we decided to require an IFR clearance. Also, unlike the the ights in Cuba and on our arrivals. Our stay in New Orleans for dinner and a small U.S., you are expected to call Ground before Eclipse would always be the rst plane in excursion to Bourbon Street. e Dallas Cow- engine start and get permission to start. is the “caravan” because we were the fastest boys were playing the Saints the next day and was an issue for some of the prop-plane pilots and Cuban ATC wanted to space out all the the town was hopping! Let’s just say Ron and I who did not want to drain their batteries. aircra with at least ve to 10 minute separa- got our share of beads. Enroute from Key West to Cienfuegos, tions so the receiving airport would have not e next morning, we eventually took o to there was a restricted area east of the route. problems parking and processing aircra. Key West, and Ron and I spent the aernoon Although it was well clear of the IFR route, Before the trip began, there was anoth- and evening on Duval Street while Jack and we were repeatedly cautioned not to violate er issue. e distance from Key West to Claudia worked on last-minute details. it! Going into restricted airspace in Cuba

16 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 would not be appreciated! Most (perhaps all) of the trac we heard of about ve marshals, ve baggage handlers Because we were all in the same approved in Cuba were over- ights; apparently Cuba and another 10 mixed personnel of security ight manifest, we dropped our N number makes a good prot on charging for over- and Customs people immediately came out call signs and took up a sequence of Baja 1, ight permits. to greet us. Baja 2, Baja 3, etc. So from Key West until we Cuban ATC speaks very good English, but It turns out that our trip, being the rst of got back to the United States, our Eclipse was sometimes with a pronounced accent. ey its kind, not only generated a lot of interest, Baja 2. (ere was no Baja 1 since the trip are easy to understand and are ready to but the Cuban aviation authorities wanted leader did not take his own plane.) repeat themselves as oen as required. Be- to make sure that everything went perfect- At exactly 8:30, and every 10 minutes tween Ron and me, we were able to under- ly. (Of course, in a ird World country, this aerward, each of our planes took o from stand their instructions easily. means hurry up and wait, wait ,wait.) But in Key West for the trip to Cienfuegos. We were We made sure to stay clear of the Restrict- all fairness, everyone went out of his or her rst as we were on all the group’s ights. Our ed Area and noticed a solitary, multi-lane way to welcome us and make sure we were clearance took us to a x just 40 miles south- highway bisecting the island going east and being taken care of. In fact, the two heads of west of Key West, and there we were handed west. is major highway almost connects the all the Cuban Air Trac Control took a bus o to our rst Cuban controller. east and west sides of Cuba, but construction for four hours from Havana just to be at the We had been briefed on the ight plan was halted when funding from the U.S.S.R. airport to welcome us, and then the next day to Cienfuegos before taking o. Even ended. And, in fact, it is the one emergency took a four-hour bus ride back to Havana. All though it was really a very simple ight, our landing area if anyone got into trouble. in all, this was a very big event for Cuba and hearts were pounding a bit as we began our We were cleared to descend, and Cien- for Cienfuegos, and everyone working at the communication with Cuban ATC. We were fuegos Bay came into view. We could also airport wanted to be part of the “celebration.” cleared to our led altitude of FL190 and, see what looked like a fairly large commu- When you think about all the people who almost immediately aer being handed o to nity surrounding a nuclear reactor. We later met us, you might think it was not only over- the Cuban ATC, we saw this beautiful, lush found out that this was a Russian develop- kill but costly. However, the average salary green island appear in our windscreen. ment that stopped dead when the Soviet of someone working for the government e shoreline, the green hills and the vistas Union went bust in the early 90s. e nuclear (which is just about everyone) in Cuba is $40 were breathtaking. ere were very few roads, reactor and associated community lay in a month. at’s right $40 a month! So even just wide landscapes of bright and dark ruins, half built and decaying. if 30 airport employees showed up for our green. No one else was on the frequency We spotted the 7,000-foot runway arrival, the cost to the government was trivial until we heard the second plane in our EJOPA and were cleared to land. Cienfuegos compared to the $4,000 plus in landing fees group come on. ere is very little EDITION only gets two or three commercial that were charged. trac over Cuba, only a very occa- ights a week, so we were not ex- Our baggage was quickly taken away sional commercial ight, and there is pecting much activity. Boy, were we on a tram (not to be seen for about an- no Cuban General Aviation activity. wrong! As soon as we landed, a group other hour), and Ron and I were escorted

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 17 flying to cuba

foreign tourist groups are required to have a Cuban guide and Cuban transportation. Otto was quite engaging and relatively can- did about Cuban politics and American relations. He was enthusiastic, very knowledge- able and, while measured in his comments, you could tell that Cuban “propaganda” had done a good job in inuencing his opinion of Cuban history and events. However, he was very positive about having a better relationship with America and American people. It was clear this young generation wanted to see a much more positive relationship with its neighbor to the north, and there was a sense of inevitability that many things would change in the next decade. e weather during our whole trip was exactly the same — hot and humid! Even though it was October, the average temperature was in the high 80s with shower-like into the VIP room for a drink (Mojito) and In order to put this tour together, the Baja humidity. ere was no rain or signicant welcome air-conditioning. Jack and Claudia Bush Pilots needed to engage a tour guide weather, and all the ying was done in stun- stayed outside with the Cubans working on and a tour bus. e bus was a very modern ning VFR! the paperwork, visas, fees, etc. As it was, we tourist coach, made in China. It easily accom- Aer three days in Cienfuegos, we all went had to wait for all the planes to arrive to pick modated our 20 people. e tour guide was to the airport early to depart for Hava- up the baggage, get our passports stamped a wonderful young Cuban man in his late na. Again, this was a very short ight of about and go through Customs. It took about 90 20s named Otto. Both the bus and the guide 165 nm. Even though this was a domestic minutes. We then had to ask about changing were “owned” by the Cuban government, ight, we had to go through a version of secu- money and transportation to the hotel, which and many of our stops were prescribed by the rity and Customs. Since one of our passengers was about a 25-minute ride in a small coach government to insure we had many “oppor- had already gone to Havana a day earlier to from the airport. tunities” to contribute to the economy. All check on accommodations, we oered a

18 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 seat to our Cuban tour guide Otto. Otto to very professional commercial EJOPA paperwork was really slow. en, was very excited about his rst ride in an pilots using their airspace, but had EDITION of course, everyone had to convert aircra, but soon found that his employer very little experience with “less pounds or gallons to liters. It took (the Cuban government) was afraid that than professional” General Avia- about two hours for everyone to be somehow we would y Otto o to the tion pilots. While I believe overall ready to meet Otto, get on the tour United States or something like that, and we le a good impression, I think bus, and head into Havana. try as we may, we could not get permis- the Cubans will be more insistent on It was almost noon by the time we were sion to take him on the ight. Otto had to well-briefed, meticulous General Aviation on the bus, and we had to be back at the air- get up at 4 a.m. to take a bus to Havana, pilots in the future. e Baja Bush Pilots port by 2:30 p.m. that aernoon. Why? Well, so that he would be there at the Havana are planning more trips in 2016, and this the Cuban Air Trac Control management airport to greet us aer our ight. will be well-stressed. had granted us the opportunity (rst time As an aside, it is very hard today for the Again more than 30 employees were at to American tourists) to visit the tower at average Cuban citizen to get an exit visa the airport to take our baggage, check us Havana and then take a tour of the ATC to visit another country. We were told that through security, etc. facilities. is was a great honor for us. e you had to own a home in Cuba, have a Ron and I took o for the simple ight people in the tower were very friendly, substantial amount of money in the bank, to Havana. It took all of 40 minutes, and answered all the group’s questions and were and then the person you were going to visit this because we decided to stay low, FL120, very proud of their fairly modern facility. had to personally guarantee that the Cuban so we could see the countryside better. As ere are six sectors covering Cuba, and citizen would return. ese requirements I mentioned before, all clearances end in the group was able to see them in action put an exit visa out of reach of 99.999 per- instrument approaches. e ILS 6 to the on the visit. is was very kind of the cent of the country’s people. 13,000-foot runway was the clearance, but government to do, and the controllers were e management of Cuban ATC met us it was a fairly complex teardrop entry and just as honored to do it as the group was to in the VIP room at Cienfuegos before our the space where we were to park was right experience it. departure to brief us on the ight to Hava- at the approach end of the runway. So we Aer three days, we were to leave Havana na. ey went over the departure procedure asked for the visual to Runway 24 when and go to Key West to clear U.S. Cus- and the procedures into Havana. While we were about 40 miles away. You have to toms. But just before the trip began, someone the slides were a bit hard to follow, all this ask for a visual; the controllers will not, on realized that Key West Customs was closed information had been given to all the pilots their own, give it to you. All commercial on Sunday. So we all had to change our in a brieng book well before the trip. Most trac was landing on Runway 06. But eAPIS forms and make Ft. Meyers, Fla., our of the pilots had studied it or gone on their since the trac was light (Havana only gets airport of entry. We were still using our Baja own to get Jeppessen plates for Cuba. about 50 ights a day), we were given the Bush Pilot call signs, so Baja 2 lied o at However, a few seemed to be somewhat visual to 24, landed long, and taxied to the about 9:30 Sunday morning Oct. 11 for the clueless, asking that the information be marshal for parking. 50-minute ight back to the United States. repeated, asking simple questions like Because many of the aircra needed fuel As the rst private plane into Ft. Meyers what was the tower frequency, etc. is, we for our trip back to the United States, the from Cuba, we got a lot of attention from found out later, seemed to spook the Cu- stay at the airport was quite long. Wait- Customs, all professional but friendly. e ban authorities. ey certainly were used ing for the fuel trucks and lling out the planes behind us cleared more quickly. When we crossed the eld from Customs to the FBO, we got another surprise. e FBO owner had called the local television news outlets, and a reporter and camera- man was on hand to record our arrival. Ron and I le Jack and Claudia to the re- porters while we went in to plot our return to the West Coast. Cuba is a must-do trip if you have the chance. As relations improve, you should be able to take a three-hour ferry ride from Key West to Havana, we hope, in the not too distant future. For now, you can easily get a ight from Miami on numerous tours (Road Scholars, for example). ree days is a good amount of time to see, feel and relate to this historic part of the Americas. If you can, get involved with a tour that has some cultural element — photography, painting, music, architecture, etc. — so you get to interact with the friendly and fascinating Cuban population.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 19 Flying At Night FLYING THE BLACKHOLE APPROACH IF YOU’RE A PILOT WHO LIKES TO DO IT IN THE DARK, BEWARE OF THE DREADED BLACK HOLE.

By Bill Cox

Even the name sounds foreboding, as well it should. Fortunately, we’re not talking about the Enterprise boldly going where no one has gone before, but ying into black holes right here on Earth is unquestionably a dangerous procedure. By denition, a black hole approach isn’t a problem unless you’re ying at night (duh), and that alone introduces a higher level of risk. In its simplest form, a black hole approach is one in which an aircra ies a straight-in approach to a distant, well-lighted runway at night with unlighted topography in between. Many approaches over water or desert subject a pilot to the risk of a black hole, and even some mountainous terrain can interrupt what seems a perfectly normal approach with an unseen ridgeline or peak.

e problem most oen arises when pilots are operating at Don’t scratch your head unless you’ve been there. It happens night with no moon or starlight and no easily discernible horizon. more oen than you’d believe, and accident investigators have been Airports with an unfamiliar length-to-width ratio and those with an analyzing the reasons for years. A pair of Boeing engineers, Dr. uphill or downhill runway slope can also make it dicult to recog- Conrad Kra and Dr. Charles Elworth, studied the problem 50 nize the proper descent prole. Featureless terrain illusion can trick years ago aer a spate of CFIT (controlled ight into terrain) airline pilots into believing they’re higher than they actually are, causing accidents where pilots inexplicably ew into the ground, oen in them to initiate steeper descents. good weather with calm winds and no known hazards.

20 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 21 FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 21 Night flying is inherently more dangerous than daylight operation, anyway, especially for working pilots who need to fly on demand or on a tight schedule. Owner-flown aircra oen operate in early morning and late evening to allow a full workday in between. For that reason, single-pilot jet or turboprop operators may be especially at risk, considering they oen don’t have the benefit of a second opinion.

22 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 Flying At Night

Accident statistics are rife with reports of what is essentially a duck-under approach, at the appropriate distance, there’s virtually experienced crews in highly sophisticated even in clear skies. at’s because a constant no chance of an optical illusion tricking you aircra , equipped with the best avionics visual angle does not equal a constant ap- into an under-shoot. in the world, ying into the ground/ocean proach angle. Flying a consistent approach an- I know of one approach that has a stun- while approaching an airport on a long gle will inevitably generate an ever-increasing ning 9-degree slope. e airport at Narsar- straight-in approach in the wee small hours. visual angle as the range decreases. Pilots who suaq, Greenland, near the southern tip of the Accordingly, the researchers had a group attempt to maintain a constant visual angle icecap, is totally surrounded by mountains of Boeing instructor pilots (each with more will y a vertically curved ight path that will and a ord that runs right up to within 50 than 10,000 hours) y a simulator in black- eventually drop below a safe approach angle. yards of the threshold. e only instrument hole conditions entirely by visual reference, In other words, a pilot’s visual acuity of procedure is an NDB/DME that demands without the benet of an altimeter or glide the outside world becomes unreliable in the a steep, 9-degree descent. at’s 900 feet of slope. Many of the pilots ew excessively low dark. It turns out that believing your eyes altitude loss per mile. A typical light jet or approaches on a slight downsloping vertical at night may be less reliable than trusting turboprop approaching at 120 knots would arc rather than a direct line to the runway and your vestibular senses. is can lead to a need to come bombing downhill at 1,800 subsequently “crashed” short of the threshold. phenomenon inevitably abbreviated by the fpm to avoid the terrain. e minimum is Night ying is inherently more dangerous FAA as GPO (glide-path overestimation). 1,500 feet, so by denition, the airport has than daylight operation, anyway, especially When conditions are exactly right to have a VFR ceiling to get in, even under for working pilots who need to y on de- (wrong?), the dangers of a black-hole ap- supposed instrument conditions. mand or on a tight schedule. Owner-own proach can be both deceptive and treacher- Also, consider that in winter when there aircra o en operate in early morning ous. Conditions can seem benign for pilots are only three to four hours of daylight each and late evening to allow a full workday in who aren’t forewarned. Fortunately, there are a ernoon, so you’ll be guaranteed to land in between. For that reason, single-pilot jet or a number of ways to sidestep the problem. the dark unless you can pre-plan your arriv- turboprop operators may be especially at e easiest, of course, is simply avoidance. al for that brief window of light. Rather than risk, considering they o en don’t have the Don’t yield to the temptation of a convenient y that steep an approach at night, many benet of a second opinion. straight-in approach at night unless there’s a pilots operating in VFR conditions descend e analogy of night ying and IFR working ILS. Maintain a safe altitude until below the overcast out over the ocean, aim operations is so close that the FAA once actually reaching the airport, then, y a for the Simiutaq NDB 42 miles west of the considered a night rating for pilots with- normal downwind, base and nal. airport and y up the Tunugviark Fjord to out an instrument ticket below the level of Another method of defeating the optical Narsarsuaq’s uphill Runway 07. ATP. Some foreign countries (Canada and black hole over relatively at terrain is to use You can check your progress during Australia are two) already demand a night some simple math to assure a safe glide path. the approach with one of aviation’s most rating if you’re not instrument-certied. Regardless of whether the airport in question forgotten instruments, the VSI. Once you’ve Everyone’s vision suers at night. is equipped with an ILS, you can construct calculated the required vertical speed to Without sunlight, there is limited color your own mental approach (in VFR condi- reach the runway in a straight line, reference and no shadows, both subtle methods of tions) with recommended altitudes, and y it the VSI occasionally to assure the vertical judging height and distance. Local terrain as religiously as you would a real procedure. speed readout remains consistent. If the VSI knowledge also may become useless a er Corporate airplanes are usually equipped isn’t steady, you may be in for a surprise. sunset, even for pilots who are familiar with at least two GPS receivers that can pro- If you feel you need even more of a safety with relevant ground details. vide a countdown of the distance to the run- margin, you can harken back to the advice of Perhaps worst of all, the black-hole way. e standard 3-degree approach normally your instrument instructor. Take your time. syndrome is insidious. It manifests itself requires 300 feet of altitude loss per mile from Fly your simulated glideslope at the slowest most o en in reasonable weather, when the airport. If there’s sloping terrain in between possible airspeed consistent with safety. is ceiling and visibility are nowhere near IFR. and a steeper approach is required, you can use will provide more time to properly coordi- In good VFR conditions, ground lights may a 4-degree approach that will stipulate 400 feet nate altitude with distance from the airport. be mistaken for stars, suggesting a nose-high of altitude loss per mile or a 5-degree approach Ground-based ight path lights such as attitude that demands pushing the nose over. that would demand 500 feet down per mile. VASI (visual approach slope indicator) or PAPI Similarly, a bright light very far away may be Pilots with even a modicum of mathemat- (precision approach path indicator) can help in mistaken for a dim one in close. ical smarts can construct a mental glideslope establishing a safe approach, though the colors Conversely, a slight mist or a layer of that will provide a recommended minimum associated with either system become less diaphanous clouds can dilute what little light safe altitude for every mile of the approach. If distinct at extended range. ese systems are is available and deceive a pilot into thinking your normal approach speed is 90 knots and usually preset to coincide with the standard ILS an airport is farther away. Flying beneath you’re six miles out at 2,000 feet, you’ll need to (if there is one), and you can follow either to an overcast in remote areas without lights maintain a descent rate of 500 fpm to arrive at the threshold without fear of a CFIT incident. below can appear the same as O-O IMC the threshold as you run out of altitude. Perhaps because of its deceptive nature, operation. Pitch-black conditions can make Pretty obviously, your intermediate ight into black-hole situations can be par- it nearly impossible to determine a sloping altitude checks will be 1,500 feet at four ticularly hazardous. If the weather is good, runway’s angle, either up or downhill. and a half miles, 1,000 feet at three miles and there’s a working ILS or VOR approach, A black-hole approach can seduce any pilot, and 500 feet at one and half miles. If you’re be especially cautious about advising the no matter how learned or experienced, to y meticulous about adhering to those altitudes controller, “We’ll take the visual.”

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 23 embraer factory tour

DISNEY WORLD FOR PILOTS JUST UP THE ROAD FROM THE FAMOUS THEME PARK IS AN ATTRACTION FOR PILOTS JUST AS BIG. By Lyn Freeman

FACTORY You might not know this but Brazil-based Embraer is the third largest TOUR aircra manufacturer in the world, just behind Boeing and Airbus. In 2010, do you know what the most delivered light jet in the world was? e Citation, you guess? Nope, the Phenom 100! By 2014, just four years later, Embraer had delivered 300 of them. at’s impressive in any aircra manufacturer’s books. Last year Cessna sold six of their entry-level jet, the Mustang.

24 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 embraer factory tour

What’s driving the stampede toward the sleek, new, clean-sheet the highest reliability in its eet. at’s what the company told us.” design jets? “It’s the aircra ’s performance and high reliability,” To help satisfy the remarkable demand for Phenom 100 and its said a company spokesman. stronger/faster/bigger brother, the Phenom 300, Embraer decided e Phenom 100 was followed quickly by the upgraded Phen- to begin production in America. ey broke ground on an im- om 300. “We received an order for 50 Phenoms 300s from NetJets mense facility in Melbourne, Fla., in 2010 and, by the next year, with an option for 75 more. e 50th airplane in that order is they were building airplanes. To date almost a billion dollars’ about to be delivered, and 10 of the options have already been worth of inventory has come from the Melbourne factory. converted. NetJets says its fractional-owned Phenoms have had And the Melbourne facility really is Disney World for the jet pilot. If the fastest-selling shares in the company’s history and also boasts you’re in the market for an executive jet, this is a must-see destination.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 25 embraer factory tour

You can y your own plane in and y more than 16 languages are spoken. But used to create airplane components for out on a demonstration ride in a new all the engineers speak to one another exhaustive testing, on the ground, under Phenom. You can spend time sitting in the digitally extremely well,” said Paulo Pires, controlled conditions. A part is creat- cockpit, marveling at the Prodigy avionics managing director of Embraer’s Engi- ed and put through huge temperature system (the Garmin G1000 customized neering and Technology Center here in swings, tons of vibration and stress testing and on the steroids), and the Phenom 300 the United States. “e Phenoms were the until it breaks. Engineers then x it, make is equipped with a touch-screen Garmin rst Embraer aircra completely digitally it stronger, and put it right back into the 3000, also featuring the Embraer’s Prodigy designed. We’re a completely paperless test program until they can break it again. enhancements. factory.” “e end result is that a part with an Move upstairs in the Melbourne facility, Engineers can create anything from an expected lifetime of 3,000 hours now and you can begin to imagine and then entire aircra to individual components lasts 9,000 hours,” Pete Boss, the head of design your own jet. Use a computer virtually. ey can test them, see how production in Melbourne, said. app to see the actual accents and color well they’re going to work in the cabin or is infatuation with testing and schemes you select for the fuselage. en cockpit, test how accessible they’ll be for leading-edge technologies has produced move over to touch and feel the doz- service and so forth. ey can even marked results. For example, the Phenoms ens and dozens of color swatches to put on special headsets and walk are part composite and part aluminum. choose upholstery colors, carpets FACTORY through a life-sized version of the Why, you ask, if composite is supposed to or accent colors. You can rene TOUR aircra. be the latest and greatest? the interior farther by selecting is tidal wave of 21st Century “We’ve done extensive testing to deter- from a huge collection of rich technology at Embraer has made mine how long each component of the hardwood veneers — even granite huge improvements in quality, as aircra will last if it’s made of aluminum and marble tiles — to give your jet the well as huge savings of both time and or if it’s made of composite,” Boss said. “If ultimate air of luxury, sophistication and money, all with the precision of state-of- the component will have a longer life cycle customization. e facility at Melbourne the-art computers, 3D printers and other if it’s made of composite, then that’s how inequitably redenes the concept of per- zeitgeists from the 21st Century. And we make it. If it’s going to last longer made sonal jet. starting soon in Melbourne, the entire of aluminum, then that’s what we do. We “e Melbourne facility is a re ection production team will be shiing over to don’t believe that all composite is valid for of our commitment to our customers,” tablet computers (think iPad) that are small fuselages.” an Embraer spokesman said. “We created completely 3D. Want to pull up a picture And Embraer will ultimately build a place where the customer can have the of how the gear sits in the bay when it’s non-digital, full physical-scale mockups of full experience, not just in ight, but all retracted. Push a button and, voila, there’s its aircra to see what else it can discover the way from acquisition of the airplane a 3D view. Want to know the up-to-the- to enhance the customer’s experience. to getting to know a whole company that second status of the avionics installation For example, its data about the typical supports them.” in a specic aircra? Take a look right Phenom 300 ight indicates passengers e head-turning success of the Phe- now, in 3D. All the information required will sit in their seats for two-three hours nom 100 and 300 is really no accident. for construction or implementation is at a time. Embraer hired legions of people Embraer scans the world for the nest right on the tablet — in 3D. to do just that — sit in a Phenom seat engineers available — truly the world. “In e information on those 3D tablets for two-three hours — and report their the Melbourne engineering facility alone, comes from a deep well of data also experience. Because Embraer focuses on

26 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 building jets, they turned that initial data Phenoms through a series of stations, or At the moment, heavy earthmovers are and the concept for seat design over to a what Embraer calls Equipage. Equipage scratching out a new silhouette that will partner who has lots of experience doing One focuses on the wings, adding hydrau- conjoin the currently operating produc- great interiors and making ultra-com- lics, fuel lines, cables, landing gear, etc. tion facility. at’s where the new Legacy fortable seating, the BMW DesignWorks Equipage Two adds the Prodigy avionics 450, just certied this last August, will be USA. So that’s the kind of comfort Phen- suite; Equipage ree addresses the em- manufactured — again in a paperless, all om passengers now get. pennage, and Equipage Four adds engines digital facility. Another experiment with the full-scale and windows, rigs the ight controls and “We have customers who buy a Phenom mockup discovered another interesting fact. checks all system integration. e aircra 100 and love it so much that pretty soon Passengers whose seats were next to the fu- is now ready for paint, installation of they’re back to trade up to a Phenom 300,” selage found it uncomfortable to have their cabinetry and sidewalls. Bachmann said. “And aer that, they legs resting directly against the at surface Test ights are not sugar-coated. Each starting eyeballing the seven-nine seat, of the fuselage. Before the aircra even Phenom 300 is taken right up to 45,000 2,575-mile range Legacy 450.” went into production, Embraer decided feet, and each Phenom 100 goes to FL410. Embraer, with the support of M.I.T. to make their fuselages more oval shaped, Aer about ve hours (and sometimes (yes, that’s the Massachusetts Institute of instead of the traditional round tube. e even less) of airborne testing, the Em- Technology), established an aerospace design also helps to widen the oor space in braers are ready to hand over the custom- technology institute in Brazil in the 1940s, the cabin and added headroom. er. Before the jets go anywhere, Embraer which then leveraged an academic project So Embraer now makes the fuselage has a third party come in and detail/pol- to launch its rst aircra, the Bandeirante. of the Phenom more an oval shape. at ish the aircra to a blazing sheen. e company’s current market projections extra are (from making the inside of Moreover, a gal named Nancy is anticipate half of the next decade’s pro- the cabin more oval shaped) resulted in brought in to be an unbiased inspector duction — from airliners to executive jets exponential positive changes in passenger of the nished product. She completes — is headed to the United States. In the comfort. what the company calls the Eyes-of-the- aircra categories in which they compete, e aircra production line in Mel- Customer inspection. She’s looking for Embraer has already carved out nearly bourne is nothing short of fascinating even the most minute blemish or scratch a 20 percent market share in business to watch. Older “legacy” aircra manu- or anomaly, something the Embraer aviation, and in the 70-90 seat commercial factures are still using the same wooden employees who look at the aircra ve sector, Embraer has captured more than carts covered with outdoor carpeting to days a week might not immediately see, 80 percent of the orders. roll their components down the produc- but a customer will. It is a nal step Em- If you don’t think you’ve own in an tion line, not unlike Henry Ford’s vision braer has employed successfully to insure Embraer aircra by now, you’re likely mis- of building automobiles. Production at the product they deliver is absolutely, taken. Every month, 5 million people in Embraer is from another galaxy. positively the nest aircra mankind can the U.S. alone y in Embraer jets, private Embraer’s production line employs the build. When the customer nally comes and commercial. best of the best innovations from manu- to the showroom to pick up the airplane, If you’re even toying with the idea of facturers around the world, including the it can be an emotional moment for both buying a jet you can y yourself, put Flor- automotive industries. Extensive automa- the buyer and the company employees ida on your itinerary. For you, the new tion, laser accuracies, even robotics join a who work in concert to produce a product Embraer facility in Melbourne might just work force of human beings to escort new they are truly proud of. be the happiest place on earth.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 27 LOOKING BACK TO 1977

he Citation 500 was hardly a rose TODAY, YOU CAN BUY AN ($695,000) close to what Eclipse CEO but, by any other name, it may ORIGINAL CITATION 500 Vern Raeburn hoped to charge for his have ushered in the corporate jet first Eclipse 500s 35 years later. age more than any other airplane. FOR AS LITTLE AS $200,000, Pretty obviously, 1973 dollars would AND A 1 S/P GOES FOR TBy today’s standards, the first Citation be worth far more than 2015 dollars, but (originally called the Fanjet 500 and later ONLY $350,000. FOR even so, Cessna sold some 350 of the renamed the Citation 1) was perhaps the THOSE PILOTS LOOKING first Citations. Though Raeburn never ultimate entry-level business jet. In 1972, it TO JOIN THE JET SET AT realized his dream of turning out 1,000 was one of the first to be authorized for sin- AN ENTRY-LEVEL PRICE, airplanes a year, he did sell 260 partially gle-pilot operation and the first in the long YOU CAN’T DO MUCH completed Eclipse 500s before the com- line of the world’s most popular corporate BETTER THAN THAT. pany went bankrupt. (Most Eclipse buy- jets, Cessna’s 500 series. Citations brought ers needed to spend another $100,000 on-demand jet travel to folks who otherwise S/P was just the airplane to do it. Within to bring their airplanes to operational would have been stuck with the airlines. a year or two of its introduction, the first status, a successful process the new The follow-on Citation 1 S/P could be Citation was certified for flight at FL410, company called the Total Eclipse.) flown with a crew of one, making the air- and that single pilot up front left room for Today, you can buy an original Citation plane a leader in the trend toward own- seven passengers. 500 for as little as $200,000, and a 1 S/P goes er/pilot operation. That was the market Perhaps more significantly, the Cita- for only $350,000. For those pilots looking to Cessna hoped to dominate, and the 1 tion was introduced in 1973 at a price join the jet set at an entry-level price, you

28 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 can’t do much better than that. pre-purchase inspection performed on a year of flight time, so a pre-owned It’s true the purchase price on an a candidate jet, an early Citation may Citation may have 8,000 hours or more older, first-generation used jet can be be a worthwhile initial investment in a on the meter. If it’s been kept in good little more than the price of admission, pure turbine. shape and the avionics have been pro- considering that jet operating costs Be aware, however, that a used, early gressively upgraded, that may not be a and maintenance expense can be Citation is likely to be well-used. People problem, but it’s a definite consideration significant. Still, for those willing to shop rarely buy aircraft in this class to let them when you’re shopping. carefully and have a comprehensive sit. Many owners average 250-300 hours Also, remember that just because an early Citation is comparatively inexpen- sive, don’t mistake it for a jet version of the MAKING THE COMPARISON Skyhawk. Yes, it is perhaps one of the easiest corporate jets to fly, with approach CITATION 1 ECLIPSE 500 speeds that need rarely exceed 100 Engines (2) P&W JT15D (2) P&W 610F-A knots, but it’s also 11,500 pounds of alumi- Thrust (lbs) 2,200 950 num, two tons heavier than a Cessna 421. In other words, this is not a VLJ, what- Max TO Wt (lbs) 11,500 6,000 ever that is. No one has ever adequate- Max Pass 1+7 1+5 ly defined a Very Light Jet, though the Max Crs (kts) 347 375 original Citation, at 11,500 pounds max Stall Speed-Vso (kts) 82 69 takeoff weight, is anything but light. Climb (fpm) 2,719 3,424 Moving that much heft around the sky Fuel Cons (gals/hr) 162 63 demanded significant power, and for Range (nm) 1,215 1,125 that reason, the Citation sported P&W Cabin Width (in) 59 56 engines of 2,200 pounds thrust each. Cabin Height (in) 52 50 That’s more than twice the power of the

30 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 PERHAPS COINCIDENTALLY, priced just over a million dollars. 1977 CITATION 1 S/P THE NEWER CESSNA The majority of the others were tick- eted at less than $500,000. Remember, MUSTANG MODEL 510 HAS these were asking prices, not getting PERFORMANCE NUMBERS prices. You might very easily find you NEARLY IDENTICAL TO could buy one of these aircraft for THOSE OF THE CITATION $350,000. If you needed to carry eight 1 S/P. IT’S ALSO A MORE folks a short distance, a Citation 1 S/P COMPACT AND LIGHTER might be just the ticket. Just as some aspiring pilots sometimes JET, FITTED WITH SIX RATHER All specifications and performance figures THAN EIGHT SEATS. buy older piston aircraft specifically to earn their Private or Instrument tickets, are drawn from official sources, often the Eclipse, and the fuel burn was appropri- another practical benefit of a Citation aircraft flight manual or the manufacturer’s website. Another reliable source of ately more than double. 1 S/P might be to earn your type rating. information is Jane’s All-the-World’s Air- Today, the only true VLJ may be the Early Citations are popular in the training craft. Specifications on older aircraft will aforementioned Eclipse, though it will regimen because of their relatively low not always agree as several sources may soon be joined in the class by the sin- initial cost and modest operating ex- disagree on performance. gle-engine Cirrus Vision. pense. Once you’re legal to fly the Cita- Coincidentally, the Citation 1 scores tion, you might be surprised at the time SPECIFICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE performance similar to the Eclipse in sev- you can save over airline travel on trips Avg Used Price $ 2 7 5 , 0 0 0 eral areas. See the chart to on page 22 of 500-800 nm. Engine(s)- make/model P&W JT15D-1 Fanjets to view the comparative numbers. Perhaps coincidentally, the newer Thrust (lbs) 2,200 A recent analysis by Controller.com list- Cessna Mustang model 510 has per- Fuel type J e t A ed 70 Citation 500s and 1 S/Ps for sale, so formance numbers nearly identical to there’s a wide range of early model 500s those of the Citation 1 S/P. It’s also a Landing gear type Tri/Retr to choose from. A few had even been more compact and lighter jet, fitted with Max Ramp Wt (lbs) 11,650 upgraded to the Sierra Industries Williams six rather than eight seats. Max TO weight (lbs) 11,500 FJ-44 Eagle II conversion that adds about For those with only $350,000 to spend, Empty weight (lbs) 6,390 40 knots to cruise, improves climb, max however, the Citation 1 S/P is perhaps Max Zero Fuel Wt (lbs) 8,400 operating altitude (to 43,000 feet) and the only airplane that allows you to join Max Fuel Cap (gal/lbs) 3 , 6 4 5 / 5 4 4 reduces fuel burn. These were generally the jet set. Useful load–std (lbs) 5 , 1 1 0 Payload–full std fuel (lbs) 1 , 4 6 5 Wingspan 43 ft. 9 in. Wing Aspect Ratio 6.6 Wing Dihedral (degrees) 4 Overall length 4 3 f t . 6 i n . Height 1 4 f t . 4 i n . Wing area (sq ft) 2 6 0 Wing loading (lbs/sq ft) 4 4 . 2 Power loading (lbs/lb tht) 2.61 Noise level (EPNdB @1 nm) 8 8 Seating capacity 8 Cabin doors 1 Cabin width (in) 4 ’ 1 1 ” Cabin height (in) 4 ’ 4 ”

PERFORMANCE Max Cruise Speed (kts) 348 (at 26,400 ft.) Max Mach .70 Cruise Fuel Burn (gph/lbs) 162/1085 Best rate of climb, SL (fpm) 2 , 7 1 9 Max Operating Alt (ft) 4 1 , 0 0 0 Stall (Vso – kts) 8 2 Ldg Fld Length (ft) 3 , 0 3 5 Ldg over 50 ft (ft) 1,580

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 31 Lightning Strikes LIGHTNING A REAL THREAT? IN ALL, LIGHTNING STRIKES ABOUT 100 TIMES A SECOND AROUND THE WORLD. IS IT A REAL HAZARD FOR AIRCRAFT? By Bill Cox

It’s 10 p.m., and I’m standing on the deck of my hotel in Darwin, Australia, looking northwest across the Van Dieman Gulf and the Timor Sea toward Indonesia, watching the most spectacular, natural reworks show I could possibly imagine. No, it’s not a national holiday, Australia didn’t just win the World Cup and there’s no other special circumstance associated with the exploding sky. is is simply the nightly display of lightning that graces northern Australia throughout much of the summer. In fact, Darwin has become world famous for its light shows October through March. At only 12.5 degrees south of the equator, roughly as far south as Caracas or Manila are north, Darwin enjoys a warm, tropical, South Pacic cli- mate that’s nearly perfect for birthing thunderstorms. It’s such a popular spot for giant CBs that researchers come from all over the world to study the phenomenon.

Tomorrow, I will y through that same airspace from For better or worse, I’ve witnessed the anvil of the gods Darwin over Bali and on up the Indonesian chain to Sin- several thousand times in places as disparate as the Congo, gapore — or maybe I won’t. (I’m not a perfect idiot – some Brazil, Australia, the Philippines and the American Midwest. parts are missing.) Even several thousand pounds of turbine I’ve watched a solid black sky burst with instantaneous light thrust sometimes isn’t equal to the task of conquering the at midnight, slashing brilliant, zigzag displays of electrical mighty cumulo nimbus, at least not the ones that live in this discharge from horizon to horizon. neighborhood. e question is: How dangerous is lightning to an aircra in If one of the great joys of ying behind or between turbo- ight? e surprising answer is: Not very. prop or jet engines is splitting the sky at high Mach numbers, e most commonly anticipated hazard associated with a the tradeo is that you must do it in the thin air of the ight lightning strike turns out to be the most remote. Many pilots levels above 18,000 feet, exactly the place where the lords of expect a direct lightning strike on an aircra wing to ignite fuel thunder and lightning hold their parties. in the tanks and cause the airplane to simply explode.

32 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 33 Lightning Strikes

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at’s highly unlikely, though variations cloud-to-ground phenomena. ese vari- that matter. Yes, we’ve all seen storms rising of that scenario are suspected as contribut- ations in charge are caused by the friction well above FL370, but they’re relatively rare. ing factors to a handful of crashes in the last of air masses rubbing against the ground or Flying out of Wichita, Kan., a decade ago in 75 years. A DC-3 exploded in ight in front against each other. a Cessna Mustang, I leveled at FL410 and of witnesses back in the 1940s, a Lockheed e Earth is normally negatively charged. watched cumulo nimbus continue to build Constellation blew up in the 1950s and a When the positive charge inside a cloud be- well above 50,000 feet. Boeing 707 disintegrated in 1963, but most comes strong enough, it may discharge and All the numbers associated with lightning of the time, lightning has only been sus- attract an up-strike from the ground, caus- are Gee Whiz. At any given moment, some- pected, rather than identied, as a probable ing a brilliant ash of light, or horizontally, thing like 2,000 active thunderstorms are cause. e FAA suggests the last known to another cloud. Researchers have recorded devouring the sky around the Earth, most incident of a possible lightning-induced horizontal lightning emissions more than within 30 degrees latitude north and south airline accident occurred in 2010, an Aires 20 miles long, but many discharges occur of the equator. Each of these monsters can Airline 737 that crashed on an island o unseen inside a thunderstorm. discharge unfathomable amounts of electri- Colombia, South America. Lightning is most dangerous at middle cal energy, up to 30 million volts at 350,000 Here at home, perhaps the most famous elevations, 20,000 to 30,000 feet, simply be- amps, but because the associated lightning lightning display was oered in November cause cloud-to-cloud discharges are up to 10 is traveling at the speed of light, the damage 1969 when millions of television viewers saw times more common than cloud-to-ground may not always be critical. the Apollo 12 spacecra struck not once but bursts. understorms oen climb to 37,000 ough a typical ash between cloud and twice during launch (eectively putting to feet or higher, but maximum discharges ground may appear to be a single discharge, it rest the most pervasive myth about light- occur between about 18,000 and 32,000 feet. actually represents several thousand trips be- ning). Fortunately, the only consequence was at’s one reason turbine aircra are struck tween positive and negative poles. A lightning some electrical damage that reset, so Com- more oen. ey must operate in the ight strike, originating from a thundercloud hov- mander Pete Conrad continued the mission. levels for maximum eciency. ering 5,000 feet above the ground, may zap In order to understand the risks associat- Above 37,000 feet, the sky is most oen back and forth between the poles 9,000 times ed with a lightning strike, it’s important to clear and unrestricted. Temperature levels at in one-tenth of a second. Temperatures at the understand how the discharge is generated. about -67 degrees F, and humidity reduces core of this frenetic channel of energy may Lightning is caused by the dissimilar static to near zero. In other words, conditions reach 50,000 degrees F, but the duration of the electricity generated within a cloud, between become less favorable for the development ash is measured in microseconds, so damage one cloud and another, or the more familiar of thunderstorms or clouds of any kind, for is rarely as severe as the numbers suggest.

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FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 35 Lightning Strikes Visit us at NBAA Booth C14041 Thunderstorm in Marina Bay, Singapore One more small step.

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Jet fuel, like AvGas and other combustible protected cabin may notice the airplane has with everything associated with lightning, liquids, must be vaporized to provide optimum been struck, but there’ll usually be no major the unleashed candle power is a big number, power in a turbine aircra . Unlike AvGas that consequence other than hair standing on well beyond human comprehension. Unless achieves maximum volatility at 15 parts air to end and double scotches in rst class. a pilot is looking directly into the core of one part fuel, Jet A requires around 58 parts air High-tech composite structures don’t fare the bolt, however, chances are any ash to one part fuel to ignite most eciently. is so well. Many years ago, I was preparing for blindness will be short-lived. More than means even a direct strike on a wing tank is the ight back to California from the annual coincidentally, the FAA has never recorded unlikely to ignite jet fuel unless the tank level October Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. I an accident associated with ash blindness is extremely low or there are fuel vents trailing was loading my Mooney in a group hangar from a lightning discharge. fumes of Jet A. e FAA estimates that virtually and spotted a then-new Beech Starship, an Some pilots who y at night in the vicin- every airliner is struck at least once a year, but all-composite design, tucked into a corner, ity of thunder-bumpers believe that storms there’s most o en no damage or, at most, minor cordoned o with tape. No one else was are more active in the dark. at’s probably ash burns to composite components. around, so I snuck under the tape and ex- not the case, but lightning is certainly more All-metal aircra are relatively immune, amined the aircra . ere were several burn visible at night. (Does that mean the speed but the continuing trend toward composite areas where lightning had penetrated the of light isn’t as fast as the speed of dark?) construction in military jets and General wing. e folks at Cutter Aviaton told me the To mitigate some of the potential damage Aviation business aircra puts them more at owners were waiting for the FAA to examine of lightning strikes against aircra , the FAA risk. Fiberglass sailplanes may be the most the airplane before repairs were initiated. mandated static wicks to help dissipate any vulnerable as they’re lightweight and poorly Pretty obviously, any aircra may be subject buildup of static electricity back out into the protected from electrical discharges. Alumi- to electrical damage from a direct lightning atmosphere. num aircra generally are regarded as safe strike. e extreme high energy generated Lightning is denitely the most outstand- for passengers because the cabin acts as a may blow out even the best-protected circuit- ing manifestation of severe weather. Torna- Faraday cage, capable of absorbing as much ry, overloading any aircra system, frying the dos and hurricanes may wreak more havoc Available exclusively from as 200,000 volts without injury. A strike wiring so fast that circuit breakers don’t have a on the ground, but no pilot in his right mind will usually occur on an extremity such as chance to pop. It also may fuse some mechan- would deliberately challenge them. Light- a wingtip or a composite radar dome, ow ical or electrical components. ning associated with thunderstorms turns along the aluminum surface and exit harm- One obvious danger of lightning for out to be more spectacularly visible but also lessly out the opposite tip or tail. aircra operating in close proximity to more “sturm und drang” for airplanes in Crew and passengers riding in the thunderstorms is ash blindness. Again, as ight than real threat. Garner Field Airport – KUVA | 122 Howard Langford Drive | Uvalde, TX 78801 | o: 830-278-4481 | f: 830-278-7649 San Antonio International Airport – KSAT | 1770 Skyplace Blvd. | San Antonio, TX 78216 | 210-805-3188

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Garner Field Airport – KUVA | 122 Howard Langford Drive | Uvalde, TX 78801 | o: 830-278-4481 | f: 830-278-7649 San Antonio International Airport – KSAT | 1770 Skyplace Blvd. | San Antonio, TX 78216 | 210-805-3188 www.sijet.com/skystep flight training A CLOSEUP LOOK AT PREMIER JET TRAINING THE FLORIDABASED COMPANY NOT ONLY GIVES YOU TRAINING, BUT THEY’RE ALL ABOUT SELLING YOU TIME AND FLEXIBILITY. By Lyn Freeman I’m o en reminded of the story we’ve all been told, be it truth or urban legend, I don’t know. But it took place one Sunday a ernoon in a sleepy little ight school, where the 300-hour CFI was working the front desk. A gentleman came in the door and said he was visiting the area and would like to take his relatives on a ightseeing trip over the city. Could he rent a Skyhawk? “Well, sir, I’ll have to give you a standard check-out in the aircra , and I’ll need to see your pilot’s license,” the rookie CFI said. e gentleman pulled out his pilot’s license. It turned out he was a famous Apollo astronaut who had walked on the moon. It was a while before the young CFI could even speak. Recently, I visited Premier Jet Training (PJT) in Stuart, Fla., to investigate getting typed in a Cessna 525 CJ. I’m lucky to have taken lots of ight training over the years but, quite honestly, sometimes it’s a bit o-putting to take an instrument-competency check or a ight review with a CFI who has less total time than you have in le turns. I would absolutely be the rst to tell you I’m nothing special, but we all have likely had similar experiences where we’re like the astronaut asked to y with a pup.

38 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 39 flight training

When I crawled into PJT’s shiny CJ — simulator training and actual dual ying gets to rene what he/she’s learned in the yes, they own their own training airplanes in a real airplane, all designed to respond real world — in the air — ying one of — my CFI was Jim Lewis, a retired United to a cornucopia of ying and real-world PJT’s proprietary jets. at’s classroom, Airlines captain/check airman typed in training needs. at business plan oers simulator and then the le seat of one of more than 20 aircra with more than two huge advantages over the competi- the school’s jets. Lots of training organi- 40,000 hours! What an amazing opportu- tion. zations and independent instructors are nity, I thought to myself, to get to y with First, PJT owns its own eet of aircra willing to take you ying in your own and take instruction from this level of and manages/operates several others. In airplane for training, but few schools, if CFI. I don’t know that I’ve ever own with the hangar outside sits a Citation II and any, have their own jets to let you learn in. someone so qualied. the Cessna CJ I was interested in, plus an Or if they have a jet, they don’t have a sim, “Our instructors are an amazing group unusually nice Cessna Mustang. Premier and so forth. Not at PJT. of people,” PJT’s Josh Birmingham said. also trains pilots for the Cessna 650 series. A second reason so many pilots come “ey have thousands and thousands “Simulators and airplanes y dierent- to PJT is the school’s exibility. Pilots get of hours of experience, and they are all ly,” Birmingham pointed out. highly focused, precision training that FAA gold-sealed master instructors who Students come literally from around the exactly ts their needs. instruct because they love to, not because world to do their training at PJT because “We get a lot of pilots who’ve been to they have to.” they get world-class ground schooling, training programs at any number of the PJT opened its doors in 2013, and sometimes taught by a college professor big schools. ey’ve had to sit through a business has already doubled. Birming- (no kidding) and always taught by an 14-day training program because that’s ham describes the Premier program as unbelievably experienced CFI. en they what the FAA might require of a Part a Trained to Prociency model. is is get extensive training in a full-motion 142 school. ere are no short cuts, no business-speak for oering classroom, Redbird simulator, and then the student consideration given to pilots who already

Students perfect their skills in the simulator before ﬂying the actual jet.

40 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 through again and again. “When those pilots learn about our approach, they Instructor Frank Harlow watches real time video enroll immediately, and they come back from the sim. year aer year aer year,” Birmingham said with a touch of pride. PJT also does RVSM training, ATP add-ons, high-altitude endorsements, single-pilot exemptions for the CE 500, mentor ight training, “try before you buy” opportunities and even private training at your location. PJT’s program is accepted by all major insurance carriers. is wildly popular idea of being able to construct training around your distinct, individual needs is pushing PJT out of its current location and into a new building more than twice the size of its current operating location. e facility will oer three dierent simulators (a CJ 1+, a Cess- na Mustang sim and a CE 500 simulator) and allow the company to train as many as 400-500 students a year. Premier is also developing a business plan to allow it to expand and operate at other have lots of experience,” Birmingham locations around the said. “But at PJT, as soon as a student has country. “Nobody is mastered a module, we can move on. And building what we are all our students are trained to ATP level.“ building,” Birmingham e exibility of PJT’s program has won added. “Maybe they praise from a number of pilots of varying don’t have a simulator, backgrounds. For example, if a student and they’re having to has lots of experience and is just now borrow one. And when stepping up to the third jet he’s owned, the it comes time to y, signicant experience he brings counts they have to borrow an at PJT and can greatly accelerate training airplane. Nobody is do- when compared to a Part 142 school, ing what we’re doing.” which have to plod along, covering every I had certainly inch of a training outline that maybe learned everything I hasn’t changed in 10 years. needed to know about Sometimes jet pilots with tens of getting my CJ type rat- thousands of hours need to get typed in a ing at PJT as opposed Cessna Mustang simply because they’ve to several of other been hired to y one. At PJT, they’re Premier’s Josh Birmingham traditional schools I’d not required to sit through a two-week investigated. I le con- program just to get a type rating in an vinced that I had gotten airplane that is innitely simpler than needs to learn to become a well-trained jet a program that was all about me, custom perhaps the B-777 they just retired from. pilot. PJT then builds a course that matches tailored around my particular talents and PJT takes the time to evaluate pilots’ skills that pilot’s personal needs. No time is skill level and administered by some of the and then sets up the training program wasted teaching pilots things they might most qualied ight instructors anywhere. specically for them. already have mastered. Consequently, PJT’s ose things impressed me the most. PJT also sees a number of pilots who are instructors become innitely more valuable “What we really doing is selling time,” transitioning into a pure jet aer ying a to the training pilot. Birmingham said. “You don’t have to spend simpler airplane, a Baron, Navajo or sin- PJT also does a big volume of recurrent any more time than what it takes to make gle-engine turboprop. Again, those pilots training. Pilots who have survived the you a safe, well-trained pilot. Leaves a lot are given personalized, individual attention long hours at a Part 142 school are oen more time for you to enjoy ying!” that assesses exactly where that pilot is in ready for something fresh and dierent, For more information about the programs terms of experience and what he or she not the same program they’ve had to sit at PJT, go to PremierJetTraining.com.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 41 perfect approach MAKE IT BRIEF HERE ARE THE COMPONENTS TO FLY THE PERFECT APPROACH By Thomas P. Turner

Getting ready for an instrument approach is one of the most complex tasks a pilot must master, yet it’s one where little guidance is readily available, especially to single-pilot operators whose contact with instructors and other pilots of the same type or class of airplane is limited to widely spaced training events. Most non-airline pilots bring the procedures they learned in the previous airplanes they’ve own to the jet cockpit, probably modied by experience and maybe a training event or two, but perhaps not much changed from their early days of single-pilot operation. e way you brief yourself for an approach may be little dierent from what you used in the Cessna 172 or Piper Archer in which you earned your instrument rating. And when you think that, in many cases, your instrument instructor was only a little more experienced than you at the time — and had little to no le-seat PIC cross-country time under instrument ight rules — it’s scary. Chapter 10 of the FAA’s Instrument Procedures Handbook does a superb job of reviewing the individual elements and considerations of ying an instrument approach. It’s a good review now and again for even an experienced turbine pilot. But the FAA does not provide a sample checklist with the 1, 2, 3 of brieng for an instrument approach. I researched and found no rm guidance on how to brief yourself for an instrument approach. A Google search reveals pages of links to material, some print, some video, all a little dierent and nothing denitive. I guess, by writing this, I’m adding another Google link to the options. But I want to relate at least one good way to brief an approach, based on the experience of pilots who do it every day. I’d also like to oer a technique I’ve learned and amended along the way that helps you cull the really important information from an instrument approach chart so you have exactly what you need to know — from nal approach course inbound through, and including, the missed approach.

42 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 43 perfect approach

I WANT a brieng A few items stand out as being of I asked a senior captain for a major prime importance: regional jet operator what his company teaches as an approach 1. Brief early; don’t wait until you’re brie ng. I gured these guys are close to beginning the procedure. ying what are essentially scaled-up business jets. (Bombardier has cor- 2. Brief during low-workload porate ties to Learjet and, of course, times, before Top of Descent, as its own large-cabin bizjets as well. soon as you have an idea of what Embraer is getting quite big in the approach will likely be in use. personal/business jet market too.) e regional jet crews are ying 3. If something changes and sometimes ve or six approaches you must brief the approach in a day into everything from major a high-workload time, such as international hubs to non-towered during descent, recognize this is little country airports where their going to be a potentially dangerous arrival and departure is the most distraction. In the two-pilot world, signi cant airport operation of the you can transfer control to the PM. day. ey y day and night in vir- In a single-pilot jet use the auto- tually all weather. So if anyone has pilot, but remember you are still the concept of an approach brief the Pilot Monitoring; you might “down” it would be these folks — transfer control, but you cannot and we can learn from them. delegate command responsibility, Aviation being a stronghold of to the autopilot. acronyms, I gured that the regional airline has a mnemonic for 4. e corollary to No. 3 is that, if approach brie ng as well. I was not you cannot actively monitor the disappointed. e airline in ques- autopilot while you are brie ng for tion uses the acronym WANT: for the approach in a phase of ight Weather, Airport/Area, NOTAMs when hazards are building (during and reats. descent, deviating around weather, Here’s the airline’s complete etc.), then tell the controller you brie ng checklist: need an altitude and a vector, or a holding pattern, during which you’ll Approach brie ng: Complete Weather prepare for the approach. I know it’s foreign to e pilot ying (PF) will conduct an ap- • ATIS many jet pilots, but tell ATC you’re unable to proach brie ng as soon as adequate informa- comply with the clearance you’re given until tion is available and while the pilot workload • Wind shear/gusty wind considerations and you have a low-workload pause to prepare. is at a minimum (before Top of Descent). limitations e acronym WANT identi es each cat- is regional airline approach-brie ng egory that must be briefed. Topics within • Low visibility taxi model is still somewhat vague and open to each category are briefed only as applicable, interpretation, but at least it provides some focusing on anticipated threats. Airport/area structure to what you WANT to review when If an IAP [Instrument Approach Proce- • Identify applicable arrival transition and looking at the myriad information splashed dure] is to be own in actual instrument expected crossing altitude across an instrument approach chart. conditions or night VMC, a complete approach plate brie ng must be conducted. • Terrain and CFIT threats for both the What’s really important? Electronic and/or visual guidance will be approach and missed approach procedure is all still leaves us pilots to determine used for all approaches when available. how to turn all the data on an instrument If the PF needs to study or set up the ap- • Expected runway information (minimum approach chart into information that we can proach procedure during a high-workload pe- landing distance assessment, length, surface use to y the procedure safely. Pilots who get riod, the PF may consider transferring control condition, approach lighting system, etc.) into trouble ying an instrument approach of the aircra to the PM [Pilot Monitoring]. usually do so aer they’re established on a It is recommended that FMS [Flight • Taxi plan transition and especially aer aligning with Management System] programming be ac- the nal approach inbound through landing complished before the brie ng. If a runway NOTAMS or the beginning of a missed approach. change occurs aer the approach brie ng reats Although you absolutely must review the has been completed, re-brief the approach • Discuss highest threat (e.g., crossing/speed entire chart and all its notes and cautions accordingly. restriction, CFIT, contaminated runway, etc.) during low-workload times (if possible,

44 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2

perfect approach before you ever leave the ground), there are is takes the information I need for the An enormous amount three pieces of information that are truly approach as I’ll y it this time, under current vital for you to extract from the jumble of conditions, and puts of mental work is information on the chart. You need these it in a quick-refer- involved in flying an three things in a simple format so you can ence format so that, approach as a single- review them at a glance from just outside the if I want or need to Final Approach Fix (FAF) inbound, without refresh my memory pilot jet. A structured having to re-extract them from all the notes, during the briefing system and warnings and cautions in the ne print of approach, I do not a low-tech way of the procedure. ose items are Altitude, have to pull it from Distance and Missed (ADM). Figure 1 all the data on the extracting what’s chart and re-do my important for today’s Altitude: e altitude at which you’ll y to decision-making and my math. My record of the FAF and the altitude for Decision Height, the altitude information for this approach is approach will make you Decision Altitude or Minimum Descent in ADM gure 1. an even more confident Altitude as appropriate for the procedure as and capable pilot. it is own that day. Distance: It’s 4.9 miles from the FAF information on my Post-It™ brie ng sheet as Distance: e distance from the FAF to the to the MAP. well, as in ADM gure 3. Missed Approach Point (MAP). is may Although it’s not as Why go to all this trouble in today’s elec- include intermediate step-downs and/or a vital to know this tronic world, when the GPS prompts you Visual Descent Point (VDP). for an LPV (or the autopilot) prior to heading changes approach as it is for, and tells you how to enter a hold? I do it for Missed: e initial heading and subsequent say, the LNAV, in all several reasons: navigation track from the MAP to the holding Figure 2 cases it’s good to x, and the altitudes including any restrictions. have a basic idea of 1. It puts all the decisions I have to make the distance as a crosscheck to other when preparing to y an approach on this Once you know ADM (Altitude, Distance navigation. If your nal approach ground particular day into a single place so I don’t and Missed), you know everything you need speed into the Kansas wind is about 120 have to make those decisions again later from outside the FAF through landing or to knots, you’ll cover this distance in about two when I’m rushed. the missed approach hold. and a half minutes. Knowing this, and running a timer (just like when you ew that 2. e physical process of writing it in this Scenario 172!) will help you avoid busting minimums. format helps cement it into my short-term Say you’re ying your jet into the Beech Fac- ADM gure 2 shows this addition. memory so I’m less likely to have to look at tory Air eld on the east side of Wichita, Kan., it any way. for a Monday morning appointment to take a Missed: My look at the latest Cessna product (yes, they’ll instructional 3. Although the avionics, altitude bugs and soon be building Cessna jets alongside King experience and the other reminders help me anticipate the Airs, Barons and Bonanzas in Plant IV at NTSB record action points, my low-tech little note allows Beechcra). It’s Sunday aernoon, and Beech suggest that pilots me to anticipate the anticipatory commands, Tower is closed. ATC tells you winds are from oen arrive at the for even better situational awareness. the south and to anticipate the RNAV (GPS) MAP unprepared to 19 approach. You call up the approach chart miss if the condi- 4. At the highest workload phase of ight, on your EFB (see gure). You go through the Figure 3 tions require. the beginning of the missed approach, my WANT checklist, and Approach clears you Brie ng the missed quick reference tells me exactly what I need direct to ILIBE and for the approach. What is a function of altitudes and directions. In to do — with my decisions already made, are the ADM items for this approach? this case, you’ll y climb to 3,000 feet straight under a much lower-stress condition. ahead to Deney intersection. If your Altitude: A quick glance at the chart tells approach has an initial altitude and then a 5. For those “What is it doing now?” mo- you that the nal altitude to the FAF is 3,000 turn, you can draw that on your Post-It™. If ments with avionics and autopilot, this is feet and the LPV minimums are 1,659 MSL there’s a complex, GPS- or FMS-programmed an excellent cross-check to let me know if I and three-quarters of a mile. A more detailed route, you might draw the initial portion up need to intervene manually. look, however, reveals that, when unable to to the point you’ll follow electronic guidance. obtain a local altimeter setting, minimums Another decision you should make during An enormous amount of mental work is increase by 36 feet and one-eight of a mile. the low-workload brie ng time is how you involved in ying an approach as a single-pi- e Decision Altitude for your LPV approach will enter a holding pattern should you need to lot jet. A structured brie ng system and a on this particular day, then, is 1,695 MSL. miss the approach. Why gure it out then and low-tech way of extracting what’s important I am a big fan of writing this down in a have to re-compute it in your head as you near for today’s approach will make you an even very simpli ed fashion on a Post-It™ note. the holding x? I write the holding pattern more con dent and capable pilot.

46 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 47 terminal forecast

48 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2 MOS IS BOSS A TAFLIKE FORECAST FOR MORE THAN 2,100 AIRPORTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND ITS TERRITORIES. By Scott Dennstaedt

As the old saying goes, what goes up must come down. When the weather is challenging, the last thing you want as you near the end of your ight on a long cross-country trip are worries about how well you planned your fuel reserves. at means, before you depart, you need to feel con- dent of the expected weather at your destination and alternate airports at the time you are expected to arrive. If there’s a terminal forecast (TAF) available, then you are golden. However, in the absence of a TAF, what aviation forecast are you going to use to help identify — with condence — the wind, ceiling, visibility and weather at your destination? You could use the area forecast (FA) along with AIRMET variables like pressure, humidity, temperature and wind. Sierra. e FA oen refers to local regions such as Meteorologists compile this information and other de- “far west” or “hill country” that tend to be unfamiliar rived data and display it on standard charts and diagrams to someone who doesn’t y frequently in that region. to make a forecast. ese models are certainly useful; Center Weather Advisories (CWA) can also help when however, they do not automatically produce a point fore- localized low IFR conditions exist. But CWAs are more cast for a specic town or airport as pilots would expect of an inight advisory rather than one you’d use during to see for preight planning. is is the job of MOS. preight planning because of their short lead-time and (See Image A on next page) duration (two hours). Not to worry, there is a solution for many airports that don’t have the benet of a TAF. MOS improves the forecast At the end last year, ForeFlight Mobile introduced MOS has actually been around for many decades, but a new forecasting tool to its ight-planning repertoire over the last few years it’s been making its way into the called MOS or Model Output Statistics. MOS can ll this aviator’s toolkit. In fact, here’s a website that a fair num- void. It oers a TAF-like forecast for more than 2,100 ber of pilots use. It’s a MOS forecast: www.usairnet.com/ airports in the United States and its territories. MOS gets cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi. right to the point and provides the weather guidance you Furthermore, MOS has been used, along with other need to minimize any surprises at your destination or forecast guidance, to help meteorologists produce point alternate airports. forecasts such as TAFs. MOS combines the “raw” model forecast data mentioned above with geo-climatic data, The point forecast removes any known systematic model biases (quirks that Forecasters rely on weather prediction models from the are known about the model) and attempts to improve National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration upon it, using a statistical method to produce an objec- (NOAA) and other agencies to make their forecasts. tive site-specic forecast that also attempts to quantify ese models provide forecasters with long- and short- uncertainty. Clear as mud? No? en, let’s look at an term guidance in the form of meteorologically signicant example.

FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 49 terminal forecast Fill an empty seat with hope.

Let’s say the model produces a forecast with a speci c pressure pattern over my home airport of Rock Hill, S.C., valid later this aernoon. We know that the pressure gradient (the change of pressure over a given Give a distance) drives wind. MOS looks at this pressure pattern and eectively compares this to similar patterns that have happened in the past (several decades or longer, cancer patient a lift depending on the observing station). Based on historical observations at Rock Hill that match this particular pattern at this time of day and year, MOS can spit out a wind forecast of 310 degrees at 8 knots, for example. on your next ﬂight. In other words, it oers a good grasp of the local eects at that airport, given certain meteorological conditions, including knowledge of how mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and other local features can make a dierence in the weather at the airport.

MOS is the boss in ForeFlight e real beauty of MOS is that it is designed to provide a site-speci c forecast for weather details that are important to pilots that include surface wind speed and direction as well as sky cover, ceiling height, surface visibility, obstruction to visibility and a variety of elements related to precipitation, including thunderstorm potential. Several avors of IMAGE B - On the left is a forecaster-issued TAF for Oshkosh, Wis., as shown in ForeFlight Mo- bile. On the right is ForeFlight’s automated MOS forecast for Oshkosh. Both are show valid at 10 MOS are available, originating from dierent p.m. CDT. There are deﬁnite dierences at times between these two forecasts; notice the lack of weather-prediction models. ForeFlight has a thunderstorm forecast in MOS. In this case, MOS provided a better forecast given that thunder- developed a proprietary algorithm that takes storms never impacted the Oshkosh terminal area during this time. the raw MOS forecast from NOAA and im- e other nice aspect about MOS is that not have a TAF, MOS provides some useful proves upon it to provide a TAF-like forecast it’s available for so many airports in the U.S. guidance about the expected meteorologi- that is simple and obvious to use within the At the moment, the NWS only issues TAFs cal conditions at those airports at the time ForeFlight Mobile app. It’s the same way for 666 airports in this same region. So if of your departure or arrival. Moreover, it you’d make use of a TAF. (See Image B) your destination or alternate airport does provides guidance out to three days in the Photography by Gabe Palacio by Gabe Photography

CAN Reya AJ Publications 8.5x11.indd 1 4/30/15 12:09 PM Fill an empty seat with hope. Give a cancer patient a lift on your next ﬂight. Photography by Gabe Palacio by Gabe Photography

Corporate Angel Network arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients in the empty seats on corporate jets. Since 1981, Corporate Angel Network, a not-for- profit organization, has worked with over 560 major Corporate Angel Network corporations including half the Fortune 100, to fly Bringing cancer patients more than 47,000 cancer patients to specialized closer to their cure. treatment and currently transports 225 patients each month. The process is simple. Corporate Angel Network does all the work. All you have to do is offer (914) 328-1313 an empty seat to a cancer patient on your next flight. www.corpangelnetwork.org terminal forecast future, which helps with planning beyond doesn’t have a TAF. MOS guidance is best the reach of a TAF or area forecast. used as way to ll in the blanks when the e MOS guidance you see in ForeFlight ocial forecasts don’t provide the details is updated every hour for most airports. At necessary. the moment, there are about 300 airports MOS cannot forecast multiple cloud that only update once every six hours. With layers as you see in a TAF. Except for an hourly update, MOS can pick up on and when the forecast is shown as clear, a sin- adjust to rapidly changing weather condi- gle xed cloud layer is the best MOS can tions much better than any other forecast. do. It cannot directly forecast showers in Of course, TAFs and the FA are issued by a the vicinity (VCSH) or fog in the vicinity forecaster and can be amended when Moth- (VCFG), nor can it forecast precipita- er Nature has a dierent plan. But you can tion intensity. Additionally, MOS cannot also rely on MOS to keep up with Mother forecast non-convective LLWS and no sig- IMAGE D - MOS can be displayed on an Nature’s new plan. nicant weather, both of which can appear airport-by-airport basis, but to assess the in a TAF. MOS is also unable to predict a widespread nature of the event, use the Mind the limitations variable wind. graphical depiction of MOS that’s available in the ForeFlight imagery. This is a categori- While ForeFlight’s MOS does an excellent Finally, MOS does not distinguish cal representation of ceiling, based on flight job most of the time, but remember it’s an between rain and drizzle. In ForeFlight, categories. A categorical forecast of visibility automated forecast. ere’s no human in any precipitation will be shown as rain is also available. the loop like a TAF. In ForeFlight, the fact or snow. While MOS can distinguish ceiling height and/or visibility graphically that it resembles a TAF’s decoded forecast between snow and rain, it can’t specically in this way is perhaps the best approach to shouldn’t sway you to use it as a wholesale forecast freezing rain, freezing drizzle or use MOS, especially for extended guidance replacement for a forecaster-issued TAF. ice pellets. In ForeFlight, “freezing precip- beyond 24 hours. (See Image D) In other words, it should never be used itation” is shown. (See Image C) is graphical MOS depiction added to replace a TAF from a legal perspective. to ForeFlight Mobile 7.1 comes from the If the airport has a TAF, that forecast Finding MOS in ForeFlight Global Forecast System (GFS) model and needs to be used to decide if an alternate e MOS forecast option is available to all is a close cousin of the other MOS forecast is required and for determining alternate subscribers with at least ForeFlight Mobile available in ForeFlight. Unlike the FA and minimums. Similarly, the area forecast 6.6 or newer. To nd it in the app, go to the TAFs that oer an absolute ceiling and pre- needs to be used as well if the airport Map view and turn on any airport layer vailing ground-visibility forecast, the GFS such as Flight Category. en simply tap MOS guidance uses a categorical approach. on any colored airport marker shown. is It uses familiar ight categories to include will trigger a popover window to appear VFR, Marginal VFR, IFR, Low IFR and for that airport. en tap the Forecast tab Very Low IFR (VLIFR). e color-coded at the bottom, and you’ll see a MOS (or legend that depicts these categories for the Nearest MOS) button near the top of the ceiling or visibility contours on the map popover. Tap the MOS button to reveal this is located at the bottom of each forecast. new forecast product. Areas depicted in black on the map are Strictly for convenience, if there isn’t a expected to be clear below 12,000 feet AGL MOS forecast for the airport, ForeFlight for ceiling and greater than six statute miles will show the MOS forecast nearest this air- for visibility. port instead. Keep in mind that the condi- You can nd the GFS MOS ceiling and tions forecast by the nearest MOS forecast visibility forecast hidden in the ForeFlight (or nearest TAF, for that matter) may not imagery below the CONUS weather in be representative of the weather conditions the USA collections. ese forecasts are at that airport. Similarly, you can view the updated every six hours. Perhaps the most MOS forecast from the weather tab in the refreshing aspect is that GFS MOS fore- Airports view. casts are available at three-hour intervals through the next three days. A wider perspective If you haven’t used MOS before, give it a MOS guidance can be displayed in Fore- try when you are contemplating your next Flight for specic airports, as mentioned ight. You’ll nd that it does a remarkable above. at’s perfect for drilling down for job providing you with useful avia- your departure, destination and alter- tion-weather guidance for some airports nate airports. However, to determine the that doesn’t exist with any other forecast IMAGE C - MOS can be found in ForeFlight in widespread nature of an IFR event, MOS available. the same way you’d look at a TAF. It’s located guidance can also be graphically contoured Scott C. Dennstaedt is a CFI and former NWS research in the airport popover under the Forecast meteorologist. He is also the Weather Scientist at Fore- tab. Also, you can find MOS in the Weather over a geographic area the size of the Flight. You can learn more about aviation weather by tab within the Airports view. United States. Displaying the categorical visiting his website AvWxWorkshops.com.

52 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2

danger of drones

e Consumer Electronics Association estimates 700,000 drones will be sold by the end of the year. Add that number to the estimated 300,000–500,000 already in use and, by New Year’s Day, more than a million UAVs could be in the air — the majority op- erated by someone without any experience or knowledge of the rules of aviation. Drone popularity has exponentially increased the dangers of their use to commercial and private aircra. Before 2014, reports of a close call with a drone were rare. Since then, close encounters between drones and manned aircra have soared, no pun intended. In the rst eight months of 2015, the number of close calls with drones reported by pilots rose from only a few to more than 700 close encounters. Close calls aren’t limited to the vicinity of airports where traditionally airplanes are the most vulnerable to drone interference during take o and landing. Dangerous encounters are happening far above the 400-foot restriction that operators of UAVs are required to follow, some as high as 12,000 feet. Here’s a sampling of incidents from the FAA Pilot Report in 2015:

• In La Verne, Calif., a Piper P28A northbound at 2,400 feet had to maneuver to avoid a UAV crossing in front of him.

• On the same day, near Johnstown, Penn., a Cessna C182, at 9,500 feet eastbound, reported a yellow UAV ap- proximately the size of a “dishwasher” as it passed 50 feet below, westbound on the right side.

• e pilot of a single-engine Piper P-28 reported making a “hard le bank” on June 20 to avoid colliding with a silver drone about 5,200 feet DRONES: WHAT’S THE REAL RISK? above Groton, Conn. • On Saturday, June 13, a C510 was four WITH THOUSANDS MORE DRONES TAKING FLIGHT ALL THE TIME, miles south of Charlottesville-Albe- THE SITUATION IS MORE THAN SERIOUS. marle (CHO) Airport inbound to By Pam Brown Runway 3 at 2,100 feet when the pilot reported a UAV pass below the aircra within 25 feet. e pilot said he didn’t Chances are — among the ugly sweaters and latest video games have time to make any evasive maneu- given as gis this holiday season — someone you know will be vers, adding, “ at was close.” gied an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) otherwise known as a In a majority of reports, pilots say the drone. Once exclusively used by the military, drones have now drone “just came out of nowhere.” And gone mainstream. For $100 or less, anyone can walk into Wal- that’s true. By the time the drone becomes Mart and, in no time, y one. visible at high altitudes, it’s oen too late

54 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2

danger of drones

Drones violated restricted air space over the White House and other sensitive locations four times in a three-month period this past year. In one of those incidents, a drone crashed on the White House lawn.

that the “demand for recreational drones has exceeded anyone’s expectations. For the most part, UAV users are new to the aviation experience and need some education as to the rules of the sky.” In this spirit, the FAA is sending represen- tatives in to retailers before the holidays to help those selling the UAVs educate buyers about the guidelines. e challenge for the FAA is to integrate recreational and commercial drone use with the rules already in place for manned aircra. In an address to the Aero Club, FAA Chief Michael Huerta said, “It has become apparent to all of us that we are at the dawn of a time when unmanned aircra are playing a growing role in world aviation. “Our responsibilities, as the aviation safety for the pilot to alter his course. Most of the time, recreational drone users were exempt regulator, demand we take a thoughtful ap- drones are too small to appear on radar or from any U.S. regulation, as long as operators proach when developing and implementing warning systems. followed safety standards. But government of- new rules. We are also mindful that we need Fortunately, there have been no collisions, cials underestimated the growth of the drone to move quickly to ensure these aircra are but Sen. Chuck Schumer, at a Congressio- industry, and stricter guidelines for UAVs were integrated into the National Air Space System nal hearing on UAVs, said “ e number of announced in the spring of 2015. in the safest manner possible.” near-misses is astounding. When a collision With a million or more UAVs soon requir- does occur, it will be catastrophic.” ose guidelines are: ing air space, the Department of Transporta- FAA spokesman Les Dorr added, tion and the FAA decided to fast-track a task “Depending on size, speed and mass, • UAVs may y no higher than 400 feet; force of government ocials, business people, unmanned aircra pose a hazard to aircra manufacturers and hobbyists to develop windshields, ight controls and other struc- • If within ve miles of an airport, UAV specic rules for registering UAVs and inte- tures.” ose studying the problem say, “It operators must have permission from grating this new evolution of aviation into the is just a matter of time.” Air Trac Control; existing system. e Unmanned Aircra Sys- Already, rogue drones are causing havoc tems Registration Task Force is to complete in the public-service sector, interfering with • Drones must be in sight of the opera- its recommendations by Nov. 20. e goal is medical-relief helicopters and reghters. tor at all times; to have the group’s recommendations ready Concerns about Homeland Security are to enforce by Dec. 18. increasing, too. Drones violated restricted air • UAVs can’t be own at night. As pilots, the chances of having an encoun- space over the White House and other sensi- ter with a drone are growing exponentially tive locations four times in a three-month pe- It’s evident from the recent pilot reports though, to date, there have been no accidents. riod this past year. In one of those incidents, a that drone operators either don’t know the Yet. If you see a drone while you’re ying, drone crashed on the White House lawn. rules or are not abiding by them. report it immediately to ATC and be vigilant In 2012, Congress asked the FAA to begin In testimony before the Congressional Avi- wherever you go. integrating UAVs into the national airspace, a ation Subcommittee, FAA Deputy Admin- For more information, go to https://www. project that was expected to take years. At that istrator Michael G. Whitaker acknowledged faa.gov/uas

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www.buildaplane.org MiPad u ELECTRONICS

Imagine having enough space on your iPad screen so that you can have both your en route weather and your navigation open at the same time. Or perhaps you could have your charts and your approach plates open on the screen at the same time. en imagine that both images were large enough for you to see and read clearly. at’s what you’re going to get when Apple starts selling its new iPad Pro in November. e iPad Pro has a screen that measures the same distance across as the iPad Air does high. is means that you can display a full iPad-sized image on the screen when it’s held horizontally, and still have enough room to display another full-sized iPad image next to it. Fortunately, the new iPad will support multi-tasking, which is the ability to run multiple programs simultaneously. is is what makes it possible to display two sets of images on the screen simultaneously. To accomplish this, Apple created an iPad with a 12.9-inch display that supports 5.6 million pixels. Apple executives said during the introduction of the iPad Pro on Sept. 9 that its engineers used some of the same hardware used on the Macintosh 5K display because the new iPad has similar resolution on its smaller display of 2732 x 2048 pixels. e new iPad Pro will have an anti-reective coating, which could make use in the cockpit somewhat easier. However, it’s worth noting that the iPad Pro is about 70 percent larger than an iPad Air 2, which means it’ll take up a lot more space in your cockpit. In addition, if you plan to use apps running side by side, the iPad Pro will need to be oriented in the landscape posi- tion, which means it’ll be pretty wide in your lap. Of course you can use it in the portrait orientation, which will display your charts the way you’re used to seeing them, except larger. e iPad Pro comes in three colors — white, gold and Space Gray — and in only three versions. ere’s a WiFi-only version (From front) iPad Mini, iPad Air 2 and the new IPad Pro with 32 GB of memory, another with 128 GB and a WiFi and Cellular model with 128 GB of memory. Only the WiFi and Cellular COMING SOON TO A COCKPIT model has built-in navigation, which can use both GPS and GLONASS. e version with cellular radios will work anywhere in the world (depending on the carrier you choose) NEAR YOU, THE IPAD PRO and supports communications on 20 dierent APPLE’S NEW IPAD PRO COULD GIVE YOU THE SCREEN REAL ESTATE YOU LTE bands as well as most analog and digital cellular systems worldwide. NEED TO MAKE FLYING WITH A TABLET MORE PRODUCTIVE, BUT ON THE Apple has signicantly amped up the OTHER HAND, IT’S PRETTY BIG. performance of the iPad Pro. It uses a new processor that gives this tablet performance By Wayne Rash Jr. that Apple says is equivalent to what you’d ex-

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FALL 2015.2 I CONTRAILS I 59 MiPad u ELECTRONICS

During the press conference, Apple executives said that the new A9X processor chip in the iPad Pro is faster than the hardware in 80 percent of the portable computers on the market today. e company used a number of novel approaches to reduce energy demands, including a variable refresh rate on the screen, so that the screen is only refreshed when there’s something happening in a region of the screen. e result is a 10-hour battery life under normal circumstances. e iPad Pro has four speakers engineered to produce signicantly more volume than current iPad models. It’s slightly thicker than the current iPad Air 2, and it weighs about the same as the original version of the iPad. e new iPad will ship with iOS 9, which is due out from Apple by the time you read this. e chances are pretty good that you’ll have the new version of iOS on your existing iPad before the Pro comes out. e availability of iOS 9 is important because that version will support the multi-tasking that’s coming on the iPad Pro. at means that app makers will have had plenty of time to update their soware to work with the new operating system. So your favorite apps for the cockpit will probably work ne, but you’ll need to conrm that before you depend on them. e ultimate question then becomes, how will all of this work while you’re trying to y? Will the iPad Pro be unwieldy because of its size? Will tracking multiple applications on the screen become a distraction? Both of those are important questions, and right now we don’t know the answers. When the iPad Pro ships in November those answers should become clearer. I think that the folks who make accessories for pilots will make yoke mounts and kneeboards designed to accommodate the larger size. Perhaps they will make devices that will allow the iPad Pro to switch from portrait to landscape orientation so, if you want to change things, you can. Until then, perhaps the best way to tell if the pect in a good desktop computer. It’s intended In the press conference, Apple showed size will be a problem is to borrow a Microso to be used in a work environment in addition users drawing precise lines on existing imag- Surface Pro 3 and see how everything ts. As it to the normal entertainment functions that es. Whether you can accomplish this while happens, the Surface Pro 3 is nearly identi- you probably already use on your iPad. To planning a ight remains to be seen. at cal to the iPad Pro in most ways that matter accomplish this, Apple has designed a new capability is up to the companies that make including multi-tasking, screen resolution, size keyboard that attaches to the long edge of the the applications you plan to use. Apple’s demo and weight. You should be able tablet and which provides a typing experience also featured users creating documents and to tell in short order if this is a t that’s apparently similar to that on some lap- making sketches. Whether this will work with for you. top computers. Apple is also o ering a stylus, the apps you’re using for your ight planning Wayne Rash is based near Washington, called the Apple Pencil, which can be used for remains to be seen because the designer of D.C., where he works as bureau chief and senior columnist for eWEEK. He detail work such as drawing lines that need to the app needs to make it possible. But at least, has been a pilot since 1968. He can be be precise. in this case, the hardware isn’t preventing it. reached at [email protected]

60 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2

centerline HAS YOUR ATTENTION TO PTS SLIPPED? By Neil Singer

One of the pleasures of conducting private-pilot certi cation check rides is interacting with student-pilots as they attempt to pull together all the myriad pieces of aviation lore they’ve studied so hard, for so long. Nearly everything they need to understand and demonstrate is brand new to them, and they strive earnestly to perform all the tasks and elements of the practical test standards (PTS) without the interference of poor habits formed by years of ight outside the tightly supervised training environment.

ese check rides provide for an interesting contrast to my ights have had ample time to point the aircra away from parked with more highly experienced pilots during initial and recurrent planes and would have been at a low enough speed to allow for a training in light jets. While the jet pilot has the benet of years of more successful outcome. experience operating high-performance planes and polishing their A lot of emphasis in the PTS is on procedures to help eliminate mechanical ying skills, it’s not uncommon to see that some basics possible runway incursions. have slipped as time away from the critical eye of a CFI passes. e FAA publishes a PTS for every certicate and rating that ex- • “Exhibits procedures to insure clearances/instructions are ists. ese documents are detailed roadmaps through the applicable received and recorded.” check ride, specifying in minute detail how every task from the pre- • “Uses a taxi chart during taxi.” ight inspection to shutdown must be performed if the applicant • “Utilizes procedures for eliminating pilot distractions.” is to pass the check ride. A read through the private pilot PTS is a valuable exercise for the long-time pilot who may have dried from It’s no wonder the FAA places such emphasis on runway-in- the optimal practices with which he or she started ying. cursion avoidance. e deadliest aviation accident in history Starting with the preight, do you “inspect the airplane with occurred when two 747 aircra collided on a runway in Tenerife, reference to an appropriate checklist”? You would have grounds Canary Islands. Yet again, as time goes on, I see pilots slip out of to unk a private pilot check ride if you don’t. Referencing a the habit of jotting down the taxi instructions received, having a checklist doesn’t necessarily mean reading it item-by-item; a taxiway diagram chart displayed during taxi, and ensuring that, once-over at the completion of a “from-memory” preight in- during taxi, the pilot’s attention is focused only on taxiing. Too spection can be invaluable at catching something overlooked. many pilots are setting up avionics, checking with the passengers, Moving into the aircra, do you “brief occupants on the use of and reading checklists while the aircra is moving. safety belts, shoulder harnesses, doors and emergency procedures”? Before takeo, the PTS expects the pilot to “clear the area” As pilots we are required to give a preight brieng to passengers, before moving onto the runway. I’ve personally witnessed ATC yet I oen see this given short shri. Imagine the plane has suered clear an aircra to depart with a 737 on a quarter-mile nal. a runway incursion on takeo, you are incapacitated, and the cabin Controllers are human, just like pilots, and subject to errors. is lling with smoke. Do your passengers know not just where the Yet some pilots blindly accept that takeo clearance implies the exits are located, but explicitly how to operate them? Did you point runway is clear, without a visual check to conrm. out exactly where the handle is, and any additional steps needed A last nugget of practical advice comes aer shutdown. e appli- for egress? In many jets the shoulder harness, when retracted, can cant should “conduct an appropriate post-ight inspection.” is is a be hidden under the headrest. I’ve oen cringed when I’ve briefed particularly common violation with owner/pilots. Once the engines a passenger on behalf of a client about the shoulder harness and are shutdown, the pilot’s mind is o things aviation and focused on heard, “Oh, I never knew that was there!” getting bags unloaded and ground transportation moving along. e taxiing section of the PTS is rich with elements I see slip Yet, if you’re remaining in a remote location for several days in experienced pilots. At the very start of taxi, a pilot should while on a trip, would you want to discover a problem with the air- “perform a brake check immediately aer the airplane begins cra at the start or the end of your planned stay? In one case, there moving.” Several years ago, a Citation CJ3 taxied into a parked is likely sucient time for a maintenance diagnosis and x; in the King Air because the crew missed that the brake-pump circuit other, a delayed or canceled departure is guaranteed. Five minutes breaker had been pulled and not reset. Had they performed a spent on a post-ight inspection of uids, lters, tires and potential brake check as soon as the aircra rolled forward, they would damage can head o hours, or days, of headaches.

62 I CONTRAILS I FALL 2015.2