Winter Rant

[Doc]

Ah winter! I hate winter.
On the plus side, it's nice to see a couple of job ads. There are a couple of Navajo positions in the "jobs" forum. It's been a while, hasn't it.
Every year, a new batch of freshly minted pilots are thrown to the wolves of winter.
(the wolves of winter....I like that....it's mine!)
With winter, comes our two major nemesis, wing contamination, and darkness.
We're all pretty familiar with the former, but the latter can be just as insidious. We do more night flying in the winter. More night flying simply equals more of what are referred to in some circles as "black hole" arrivals and departures. Kid yourself not. These things can be very nasty. Personal limits must be made, and stuck to. Some bad habits must step aside to ensure a safe return at the end of the night. Night is the time of vampires and bats. Not Navajos, King Airs and the like.
Some tips for what they're worth. YMMV. These have worked for me.

The positive rate of climb. The most important instrument(for departure, go around of missed approach) on the panel on a dark starless night is the VSI. It must always be indicating a positive rate of climb. A good one. All she's got, captain.

The airspeed on a departure, or overshoot. Blue line. Or at very least, a speed that gives us the aforementioned very positive rate of climb.

No turns below 1000 feet after departure or a go around. This should be a bloody religion.

On arrival, leave yourself more space. If VFR, don't descend below 1000 feet unless you are established on final. No cutting it in tight. At lower levels, drift can be very confusing.

If IFR, have realistic limits. I know, your employer expects you to be using the published limits. With a two crew operation this is a reasonable expectation. But, brief for the overshoot (missed) and treat the landing as a bonus. Know, and brief on every approach to minimums for the overshoot. That's where the confusion will bite your ass. Anybody can land......it's the over shoots that cause trouble. Always have been. A low level missed approach requires more crew coordination than anything else I can think of? Don't start the approach expecting to land. Start it, expecting to miss. This can save your bacon.

Single pilot IFR. It's here to stay. I don't like it, but the regulator has never called me for my opinion. Go figure. If you are flying single pilot, you must make the odd adjustment on a dark and starless night. Raise your limits. No CAP min approaches for you! But, you must be realistic. I would suggest the old sliding scale of 700 and 3. 800 and 2. I was going to go 1000 and 1, but I believe a mile vis at night single pilot just isn't enough? Personally, I'd like you to stay home and enjoy a cold beer in anything less than 1000 and 3! Any of you operators reading this....1000 and 3, Okay? On an overshoot, or missed approach, single pilot, it's max power, positive rate, clean up and go up. Do nothing else till you're at 1000 feet AGL. Nothing else. Just climb! That's once the sun goes down. Lets get everybody home....every night.

I'm sure, I've missed a few. Lets ad some. More important, lets act on them and stay safe. Okay?

[thecaptain]

One thing I've always suggested to guys on arrival is to hit a fix if one is available. As in shoot an approach. There is nothing wrong using an extra few minutes up to arrive safely on the ground. It doesn't have to even be the very beginning of the approach but simply even a 5 mile fix will do . I try to always make sure when doing this too that I never have to turn more than 90 degrees to final. I treat night VFR as IFR approaches, that is, using a fix, being configured and on speed prior to turning final and maintaining a 3:1 ratio for the descent. Anyway... good post Doc. Night flying anywhere has to be taken very seriously.

[FlaplessDork]

Good tips. I might be doing Single Pilot IFR soon. The 200' 1/2 scares the crap out of me by myself.

[21_gun_salute]

Great post Doc!! I always love to hear the wisdom of (no disrespect) the old guys. Let's face it, if you made it this far, it's probably because you were smart enough to stay alive . I like your remark about personnal limitations. To me it is very important. When you start asking yourself "what the hell am I doing here" the stress ususally fogs your judgment and that's when you start making bad decisions that will eventually kill you. I'm not sure why some people push the weather, but oddly enough, as my experience grows the less I'm willing to fly in crapy stuff.

I don't do a lot of IFR with my currrent job so I will leave that to the IFR guys. But the basic rules I like to follow are: 1. if I am on the ground wondering if I should go or not because it's marginal, something is telling me I shouldn't be going. So I make damn sure to look deeper into what the weather is and what it's doing before I make the decision to go 2. When I am up there and start feeling uncomfortable, it means I have already passed my limits and it's time to find the nearest airport and land (at that time, I should already be on the ground, so I try not to get to that point). Just these two simple rules have saved my butt a few times. I don't have that much experience, but everytime I talk with someone that has less experience then me I always tell them "if you're not comfortable, DON'T DO IT" if you're unsure, ask someone. I fly a lot in areas I'm not familiar with and find local pilots to be very helpfull in helping me make decisions. Also, ask someone with more experience and listen to what they have to say.

Hope this will help some of the newer guys out there, Fly safe all.

[Salt]

Thanks for the tips Doc, well said!

[paydaymayday]

Night circling approaches: avoid unless absolutely necessary!

[ditar]

At the beginning of every flight I start with the assumption that I cannot go and then look for reasons why I can, instead of assuming initially I can go and then looking for reasons why I shouldn't. I find it far easier to justify saying no to a flight under marginal conditions this way.

[Doc]

Night circling approaches: avoid unless absolutely necessary!

Don't do circling approaches at at night. Off the menu. There are simply NO circumstances that would make one of these necessary. None. You are putting yourself in the very "place" we should stay away from. Oh, you can do them with a 1000 foot ceiling, but you would have just lined up with the other end in the first place. Night circling approaches are just about the most dangerous thing you can do in an airplane.
DO NOT DO THEM!!

[Johnny#5]

Great post, Doc...that season is here...

Another one I've reminded myself about is....cross-check them in a good scan but TRUST YOUR INSTRUMENTS NOT YOUR BRAIN!!

Climbing out into a black hole is IMC even if its SKC CLR - don't even bother looking outside.

Another one that has caused at least a couple accidents up north is where someone is say 20 miles back from the town in a VFR but dark night and they just continue descending visual because they have the town in sight the whole time....only to hit the ground miles short!

Its a similar reason to why night circling can be dangerous - when you're in that fuzzy zone of VMC/IMC (outside/inside).

[JayVee]

Very sage advice Doc. AMEN to establishing and maintaining a positive rate of climb. BEST rate to 1000 AGL before any turn, no matter if it's IMC or clear with a full moon.

This should be a sticky.

JV

[username:]

Good thread Doc.

Remember to check those NOTAMS! Check the runway surface condition before landing at any airport in the winter, especially at night!

If the runway lighting is ARCAL, at night, remember to click them on again on short final to be sure that aren't going to turn off on you during the flare!

[Lurch]

It's amazing how fast your skills can get rusty. I was coming home empty at the beginning of the week and I had to carry passengers at night the next day. I took a look back through my book and couldn't find any night flights since before April. I got back and joined the circuit and man was my first landing a bad one, off centerline, 3 pointer, slight bounce and not longitudinally aligned. I even noticed I was having to fight the black hole effect .

My second T/G was good enough passengers wouldn't complain but still not up to my standards by a long shot. It wasn't until the third and fourth that I was back to my standards.

I used to roll my eyes at having to go out and get current, but no more after the other night.

Lurch

[Four1oh]

Not to be picky on the VSI tip, but if you don't have a good scan on a black hole departure, you stand a good chance of killing yourself. To say the VSI is the most important instrument could have the greenhorns glued to it instead of maintaining their scan. Pitch is also crucial because of the acceleration illusions you experience, and so is roll and airspeed. They're all important, and things happen quickly as you rotate into blackness. The 1000' before a turn is great advice too, since it gives you time to fix a turning error.

[Invertago]

Thanks for the post Doc, I'm hoping to get into the IFR world soon myself and this was one rant that would do well relabeled as a mentoring thread.

[paydaymayday]

Night circling approaches: avoid unless absolutely necessary!

Don't do circling approaches at at night. Off the menu. There are simply NO circumstances that would make one of these necessary. None. You are putting yourself in the very "place" we should stay away from. Oh, you can do them with a 1000 foot ceiling, but you would have just lined up with the other end in the first place. Night circling approaches are just about the most dangerous thing you can do in an airplane.
DO NOT DO THEM!!

Perhaps an absolute minimum fuel situation?

Sure, it will be extremely poor decision making to get you to that position in the first place, but nevertheless - some pilots do find themselves there (and by then it is a moot point). Obviously, you should just avoid the development of the situation in the first place, but there are a few circumstances I can imagine this approach to be a viable option. Mind you, they are all rather dire.

[flyinthebug]

Not to be picky on the VSI tip, but if you don't have a good scan on a black hole departure, you stand a good chance of killing yourself. To say the VSI is the most important instrument could have the greenhorns glued to it instead of maintaining their scan. Pitch is also crucial because of the acceleration illusions you experience, and so is roll and airspeed. They're all important, and things happen quickly as you rotate into blackness. The 1000' before a turn is great advice too, since it gives you time to fix a turning error.

Four1oh.. Although I understand your advice is for the green guys/gals..Doc is on the money on this one. Yes, there is no replacement for a good scan.. but coming out of YSF at midnight on a tues night.. If you dont have a positive rate on the VSI, none of the other instruments are gonna matter. I would hope that flying schools still teach this and also teach how to maintain a good scan (while not fixating on any one instrument).. For me, my scan included extra looks at the VSI out of ANY black hole take off. If you dont give this instrument the respect it deserves, it can and will bite you HARD in the a$$. I agree not to fixate, but at the same time we do need to impress upon the younger crews, the importance of that instrument when doing a black hole departure.. that your PPL flight test examiner told you was the LEAST important instrument.. and to knock the glass out of the VSI if you loose your static source. Thats where the "green" guys/gals may get confused. VFR its a useless instrument.. IFR, it will save your life.


Fly safe all.

[nimbostratus]

If IFR, have realistic limits. I know, your employer expects you to be using the published limits. With a two crew operation this is a reasonable expectation. But, brief for the overshoot (missed) and treat the landing as a bonus. Know, and brief on every approach to minimums for the overshoot. That's where the confusion will bite your ass. Anybody can land......it's the over shoots that cause trouble. Always have been. A low level missed approach requires more crew coordination than anything else I can think of? Don't start the approach expecting to land. Start it, expecting to miss. This can save your bacon.

A very big +1.

Good post Doc.

[Brantford Beech Boy]

Don't do circling approaches at at night. Off the menu. There are simply NO circumstances that would make one of these necessary. None. You are putting yourself in the very "place" we should stay away from. Oh, you can do them with a 1000 foot ceiling, but you would have just lined up with the other end in the first place. Night circling approaches are just about the most dangerous thing you can do in an airplane.
DO NOT DO THEM!!

A nice thought Doc.
Unfortunatley for us in the higher lattitudes, that's all we got at most airports and it is night for 20ish hours a day.

BBB

[Doc]

Don't do circling approaches at at night. Off the menu. There are simply NO circumstances that would make one of these necessary. None. You are putting yourself in the very "place" we should stay away from. Oh, you can do them with a 1000 foot ceiling, but you would have just lined up with the other end in the first place. Night circling approaches are just about the most dangerous thing you can do in an airplane.
DO NOT DO THEM!!

A nice thought Doc.
Unfortunatley for us in the higher lattitudes, that's all we got at most airports and it is night for 20ish hours a day.

BBB

I hear ya. But, you're two crew, trained specifically to deal with just that. Darkness. But even you guys have to be careful out there. There are more hazards even for you guys in the north. Just make sure one guy's eyes are pegged on the dials on a circling. Calling altitude variations. If your head is "outside" make sure the other guy's head is "inside". At least you don't have to deal with the 300 foot trees they have down in YST!! And, dress in layers! Cheers.

[Rowdy]

Hey BBB are most of the guys still doing PMA's for the actual night approaches?

Hows the YGT skedevac these days? Sometimes I miss it... but only when its the typical west coast winter day and I'm stuck at 200ft with 80 on the tach and 20 hangin'.. okay fine, I just miss you

[Wburns]

Great Post Doc!

[Dagwood]

Great post.

One of my instructors always made his students make sure the flight was LEGAL and SAFE. Just because it is one doesn't mean it is automatically the other. Sure, for training everything is usually hunky dory, but not so in the "real world".

Night Circling approaches, Single Pilot IFR is legal. So is holding in icing. So is taking off when your destination is 0/0 and your alternate is 200/0.5. Doesn't mean we have to do it if it isn't safe.


Don't make today's flight your last!

[oldncold]

greeeattt post doc

here are my things


1/cold wx corrections all the time from oct til may and north of 60lat all ways

2/a planned decent from the flt levels so that ya hit the 10 mile fix if gpss
at the aircrafts or your company's holdin speed

3fly the 3to 1 rule (3miles per 1000ft) unless terrain pulbishes says otherwise.

4/ now you have done that landed picked up friehgt or pax //

review the departure procedure for the aerodrome this is critical in the mtns

and very important allways with all these new wind farms going up and towers . a wrong turn could make for a bad night .

if single pilot slow down do all the checklist items outloud if your in a ho no one is going to here ya anyway . .

5/ always have your own kit ( things that make like for your operation easier) with you ie toolbox with extra...

ifr never cancel the alerting service file an ifr itinary with 2hrs on the search that way if you are delayed in upper rbberboot ... and the indegiineus people s terminal is locked up tighter than bull's ass in june fly time. you won't set of the resuce system unnecessarily . then when you go below radar coverage or the airway or into uncontrolled airspace even if your dispatch pooches it sum will come looking for ya. cancel the ifr if ya want but not the alerting.

and remember people, going company note and canceling ifr also cancells the alerting . stay warm

[xsbank]

Believe it or not, one of the very best exercises to tune up your scan is steep turns. Whenever you have a lookout pilot, do a couple of steepies, left and right, 180 degrees and make your tolerances same as a ride: 5 degrees bank, 5 knots airspeed, 5 degrees heading. Don't stop the turn and go straight and level but roll back the other direction. 180 degrees will do. Also, once you get good at it, slow the entry and the exit down. Try it at different altitudes. Get PNF (if there is one) to call out anomalies but try and do it all yourself.

[Flying Low]

This easily ranks as one of the the top threads ever on AvCanada.

A few things I did flying the MU2 over northern Ontario...

Turn the lights down through out the flight as your eyes adjust. When you get to the destination you will have a little better field of vision when you transition to look outside the aircraft.

Turn the ARCAL lighting up to it's max setting initially and dial it back to med or lo once you are closer in.

As part of my shut down check once I had arrived all the instrument lights went back to full bright. Taxiing out for departure, the ARCAL lights are turned on med. This allowed me to see the runway lights outside but when I crossed the far end of the runway and all the lights vanished the panel was the only thing I could see. In the MU2 we established a wings level climb attitude and checked performance with the VSI and altimeter. Climb straight out to 1000' while cleaning up the aircraft was SOP.