Ask a Flight Instructor

Posts Tagged ‘NASA’

This video presents practical information to help pilots avoid ice, detect ice, minimize exposure, and safely exit icing conditions during each phase of flight. The effect of icing on performance and handling is also discussed.

Realistic scenarios follow two pilots, Rona and Greg, from preflight planning through the approach and landing phases of flight. Rona is piloting an ice-protected light twin aircraft and Greg is piloting an unprotected single aircraft.

Read the rest of this entry »

This video provides information about ice-contaminated horizontal stabilizers. It presents a physical description of the tailplane icing problem, symptoms of ice contamination, and suggested recovery procedures.

This video is intended primarily for pilots of turboprop aircraft. It discusses ice protection systems, how ice accretes on the aircraft and symtoms thereof, the effects of ice on both the performance degradation and handling qualities, suggested recovery techniques from a roll or pitch upset and finally, the hazard of Supercooled Large Droplets (SLD).

Once a month in my email inbox I receive a safety bulletin from the NASA aviation safety reporting system, also known as Callback.  It summarizes and highlights selected reports from the NASA reporting forms.  Think of it as a “Not Top-10 Plays” of aviation.  NASA reporting forms is a volunteer system designed for pilots and other flight crew members to report aviation incidents that they have been involved in.  The ASRS monitors these reports to bring out deficiencies in the National Airspace System and training programs.  Also, NASA is obviously very interested in human factors study so this helps that program as well.  If you haven’t heard about the ASRS system, I would encourage you to read more here.

This month’s report was a entitle, “Out of the Ordinary” and made for some interesting reading.  I especially liked the story about the truck on the runway who realized that an airplane had just landed behind him! Reading it, made me think of this infamous video.

I would encourage you to subscribe to and read these reports.  I always learn a lot from reading other people’s mistakes and identifying ways that I could make the similar decisions that lead to these incidents.  Incidents and dangerous situations can and do happen to EVERY pilot and it is important to make sure these don’t lead to accidents.

I would also encourage you to submit NASA reports when incident’s do occur.  As pilots, we are often not fond of admitting our mistakes but it is important that we do, so that the community and regulators can keep an eye on trends in the industry.  NASA reports can help keep your certificate from suspension in very certain circumstances.  If the FAA is investigating a incident that might have resulted from a unintentional regulation violoation and discover that a NASA report was filed you may receive a waiver.  Read Advisory Circular 00-46D and FAR 91.25 for more information.