FROM THE ARCHIVES | Single Pilot IFR (1992)

[Music] [Music] here we've got a t bar ii departure which will give me radar vectors to salzburg silver okay okay single pilot ifr there's a lot of that going on these days from beginners to experienced professionals instrument pilots are doing it all by themselves and quite safely we might add [Music] morning flight service this is cessna 529041 cessna skylane i got a weather briefing about 30 minutes ago and received all the no tams this will be a flight between tetoboro airport new jersey and zanesville ohio the aopa air safety foundation is convinced that single pilot ifr is a safe way to fly our purpose here is to point out problem areas and offer some suggestions to help you become a better safer pilot when you're flying ifr by yourself single pilot ifr is a demanding operation perhaps no type of flying requires greater skill and concentration imposes greater workloads and mental stress or exacts higher penalties for mistakes when you're by yourself you're the pilot the navigator systems manager the record keeper and sometimes flight attendant as well without a co-pilot instrument flying can easily become a conflict of system demand versus pilot capability the biggest single problem of single pilot ifr is a very simple one workload doing everything that needs to be done high density traffic areas and poor weather conditions can create workloads that exceed the loan pilot's capabilities once you're in the ifr system you must cope and cope well with whatever comes your way that's the four four one two four zero five q4 clear for ticker roger cessna 99441 cleared for takeoff [Music] there's some pretty fancy equipment available for instrument flying today but equipment alone is not the answer whether your airplane has all the avionics money can buy or nothing but basic instruments and radios good planning and preparation can make the difference between a pleasant flight experience and a nightmare of stress and confusion the problems of single pilot ifr cannot be solved by buying expensive equipment the key to successful single pilot ifr is planning ahead throughout this program we will emphasize planning ahead the very best way to make single pilot ifr safer and more pleasant this pilot has planned a relatively long trip and his weather briefing made it clear he'd have to go south of pittsburgh to avoid thunderstorms a smart move notice that he sketched the major weather systems on the flight planner as the briefer described them knowledge of the big picture is a vital part of planning ahead and helps to avoid surprises rather than try to read a totally unfamiliar chart at the last minute when things are really busy and you've just been cleared for the approach take a pre-flight look at the charts you might use at destination become familiar with the nav aids you'll need and do the same thing for your alternate airport a little study will pay big dividends later if a standard instrument departure procedure is published you might receive it as part of your clearance most sids are very simple with radar vectors to get you started and clearance direct to an enroute vor not long after takeoff but some sids require pilot navigation and the best time to figure it out is while you're still on the ground a sid will usually include the initial altitude and the departure control frequency so don't be surprised when your clearance comes through without these critical items check out the sid during your pre-flight planning so you'll know exactly what to expect tidabara clearance delivery this is cessna 529041 atlantic infield with papa instruments to zanesville ohio copying an ifr clearance is an important part of any instrument operation a good copy helps to get you in a positive frame of mind for the rest of the flight and that's especially important when you're by yourself you can make it easier by practicing every chance you get and by developing your own clearance shorthand no one can write down all those names and numbers as fast as a controller can read it it's another way to plan ahead and oh wait a minute looks like his clearance is coming through now are you ready to copy uh ready to copy niner four one four one is cleared to the zanesville ohio airport two departure as filed expect furtherance we know he's not going to find that piece of paper oh he'll get the clearance straightened out but only after admitting that he doesn't know what route he filed and the controller will have to read him the entire clearance time wasted for everyone frustration and embarrassment for the pilot not a good way to begin a flight this pilot could have saved himself a lot of trouble by using the rest of the flight planner he made great notes of his weather briefing and if he had filled in the blanks on the backside he would have had the information he needed when the clearance was issued many pilots like to highlight the planned route on the chart it's an easy way to find airways and intersections when you need to and it's another way of planning ahead [Music] it's very important for instrument pilots to get as much actual weather experience as possible but don't try to do it all at once fly your first few trips in vfr conditions then move on to some actual weather at cruising altitude and work gradually toward the goal of a complete ifr trip in clouds all the way attitude plays a very important part in your performance as you become more proficient you become more confident and you can also become complacent without frequent practice or recurrent training it's easy to reach a state where your confidence exceeds your capabilities the pilot who has planned ahead stops get their itis cold by having an alternate plan in mind and doesn't hesitate to use it getting there is important delaying or even canceling a flight is always a viable option and that decision must be based on the weather the aircraft and your own capability don't allow emotions to influence the go no go decision planning ahead especially for single pilot ifr includes an evaluation of the weather conditions with legal personal and equipment limitations in mind a good weather briefing should be continued throughout the flight you can get updates from several sources flight watch atis and automatic weather stations for example arrow five nine niner runway two seven wins two one zero one five because two five clear for takeoff one of these factors is most important resolve to respect whatever limits you set be ready and willing to change your plans before takeoff or at any time during a flight [Music] 91 205 is very specific about the minimum equipment required for instrument flight engine gauges the basic flight instruments attitude indicator heading indicator and so on but there's not much in the book about radio gear you can get along in the ifr system with only the basics but you'll be working a lot harder to make it happen and reducing workload will contribute more to the safety of single pilot ifr operations than anything else one way to reduce the workload is to use a good headset and boom mic the ability to talk at the touch of a button without reaching for a hand mic eliminates a major distraction the headset lets you hear and understand communications much better the headset boom mic combination provides so many benefits that we consider it an absolute requirement for single pilot [Music] operations communication radios with frequency pre-selection capability also help reduce workload because you can enter a new frequency as it's assigned and the previous frequency remains instantly available if you need it now you'll need something to write on because an instrument flight inevitably involves messages that need to be recorded there are knee boards lap desks notepads clipboards you name it try several and use the one that serves you best the last item on our list of essentials for single pilot ifr is an approach chart holder that puts the chart right where it needs to be directly in front of you this way the chart becomes just another item in your scan during the approach i've got the invoice in front of me we're missing two cases the morning i can't i can't wait until the morning i've got to go out fatigue is significant in single pilot ifr operations many pilots start out on an ifr flight at the end of a normal working day or fly well into the night so they'll be there when they want to be the next morning and when the demands of instrument flight are added to the wear and tear of normal activities fatigue can rob a pilot of judgment and capability this is a highly individual thing but when it looks like a single pilot ifr trip may test your fatigue level then fall back and regroup postponing the flight may be a smart thing to do pilots who don't fly frequently often have trouble staying current even the minimum standards prescribed by the regulations may not be enough to keep you as sharp as you need to be for single pilot ifr total pilot time and time in type must also be factored into this consideration it comes down to an honest appraisal of your own condition and capabilities if there are doubts get some instruction or spend some time in a good simulator to bring your ifr proficiency up to an acceptable level of all the things you can do before a flight to cut down on problem areas making sure there's plenty of fuel on board is the easiest when it won't compromise weight or balance limitations fill the tanks you never know when you'll come across an atc delay or unexpected weather or headwinds stronger than forecast sweating out a low fuel state on an ifr flight will not only build stress in the cockpit it involves other people pilots and controllers alike it's important to conduct a thorough pre-flight inspection of the airplane before any flight but this is especially true for ifr operations get out the handbook and check everything the manufacturer recommends if you have any doubt about the inspection status of any unit or system check the log books the pilot in command that's you will be held responsible upon entering the aircraft and before starting the engines put your flight bag where you can get to it easily and lay out all the charts publications and equipment needed for the departure phase make a functional check of all the avionics equipment including the marker beacon lights and then set up for departure use all the avionics you have on board and always consider the possibility that an emergency after takeoff could require an immediate return to the airport or force you to proceed to a take-off alternate during taxi check the heading indicator the vacuum system and the flight instruments don't accept anything less than a perfect airplane this applies doubly when you are renting don't forget that other people fly the airplane and they sometimes forget to report defective equipment check everything flying in solid ifr is a bad place to find out what isn't working ready 776 ready to copy 776 cleared to allen townsville after departure turn left 20180 copying an atc clearance seems to have a certain mystique about it but it shouldn't the items always come in the same order clearance limit route altitude and so on don't let yourself be rushed and when you're by yourself don't try to copy a clearance while taxiing the departure to a heading of 180 radar vectors broadway direct maintain uh 2000 expect 4 000 in five minutes departure 119.2 four two zero four on the score seven seven six read back correct win zero nine zero at one three altimeter three zero two one are you ready for taxi uh that's affirmative ready to taxi taxi to runway four once you have accepted the clearance made all the required operational checks and completed the before takeoff checklist you are ready for the final go no-go decision now is the time to prepare yourself mentally for a possible emergency during or immediately after takeoff don't start down the runway until you are satisfied that everything is go and you are ready for departure once airborne concentrate on aircraft control it's best to climb straight ahead to at least 500 feet while you get used to flying on instruments even experienced instrument pilots find that they really have to bear down on the basics of aircraft control during those first moments in the clouds here's a question for you what are the two most important things in instrument flying the answer is the next two things that are going to happen that's known as staying ahead of the airplane and it will definitely reduce the number of surprises if you can reasonably anticipate the next event and the one after that you will always be two steps ahead this requires a lot of planning some experience and practice but it's a goal worthy of your effort here's a typical ifr departure to demonstrate just what we mean cessna 776 clear for take golf win 0-9-0 at 8 altimeter 3-0-2-0 contact new york departures when airborne roger cessna 65776 cleared for takeoff once cleared for takeoff this pilot has checked everything the next thing will be an engine check on the roll this pilot is prepared to land straight ahead if the engine quits new york departure cessna 65776 is with you climbing through 1200. the next step is contacting departure control this pilot is thinking ahead whether it's a climb or a turn he'll be ready direct broadway resume on navigation climb and maintain 4 000. okay 4000 direct broadway 776 and so it goes throughout the trip you can stay ahead of the airplane and avoid surprises by continuously updating the sequence every time a task is accomplished autopilots capable of flying approaches can be especially helpful in marginal weather conditions let the autopilot control the airplane while you monitor the approach but it's important to hand fly enough approaches to stay proficient alternating manual approaches with coupled approaches helps maintain your confidence in both kinds of operation and keep this in your mind when you're letting the autopilot fly they are mechanical devices and subject to failures and malfunctions don't ever engage in autopilot without knowing how to disconnect it right now every instrument flight becomes more relaxed when you are settled down in cruise the next two events are likely to be much farther apart and it's a time to plan even farther ahead you might need to recheck weather take another look at your fuel supply put away the charts you won't need for the rest of the trip a cockpit without clutter is usually the mark of an organized workload conscious pilot but just because things have slowed down a bit don't relax completely stay aware of your position and situation there are lots of ways to keep track of where you are in the airspace and knowing your precise position is invaluable if a problem shows up and you need to divert to the nearest airport in a hurry something's wrong here he feels like he's in a turn but the attitude indicator shows wings level turn needles way over to the right he's losing altitude this pilot is experiencing a vacuum pump failure and is going to partial panel to get this airplane back where it belongs if you're in actual weather when the pump fails you have an emergency so let the controller know new york center new york five to four uh like to declare an emergency it's gonna thank you failure uh requests the great effects for the airspeed of our airport cessna roger i understand you're declaring an emergency sullivan county airport 10 o'clock one five miles standby and checking the sullivan county weather their latest observation estimated ceiling 3 000 overcast visibility seven and uh you're clear to the sullivan county airport via turn left heading three one zero radar vectors to the ilist runway one five to maintain six thousand the failure of the vacuum pump on a single engine airplane is one of the most insidious problems the instrument pilot faces it doesn't happen often but when it does you've got to be ready disagreement of primary flight instruments may be your first clue although including the vacuum gauge in your instrument scan will probably alert you to the problem before the gyro instruments become unreliable regardless of when or how it happens the first thing to do is fly the airplane use your partial panel technique to stabilize heading and altitude then cover up the dead instruments with anything that's handy a business card a post-it a scrap of paper or a cover-up from your flight bag it's almost impossible to ignore the indications of the instruments you've depended on up until now so take them out of the picture this situation doesn't require a mayday but use the word emergency and request vectors to the nearest airport with good weather the response this pilot got was very favorable and you might have to settle for less in the real world but let the controller know and don't press your luck by trying to reach the original destination if there's a better choice nearby how do you know something else won't go wrong this is big time workload and major league stress a timely request and good training gives you the capability to reduce both in advance of leaving your cruise altitude you should begin preparing for the approach if your destination has an atis broadcast now's the time to listen and don't get too concerned about the entire atis message there are only two critical pieces of information at this point the weather conditions and the instrument approach in use remember that vhf reception increases remarkably with altitude you'll have that much more time to plan ahead for the approach partially obscured measures sailing 500 overcast visibility one latrius or fog if there's no atis available ask the controller which approach you should expect this is important information get it any way you can now's a good time to begin studying the approach chart get familiar with the nav aids involved the direction you'll be flying on final approach minimum altitudes the time from the final approach fixed to the missed approach point and the initial heading and altitude of the missed approach procedure think through the approach in terms of the next two events an approach procedure is the payoff for all of your experience in training and it's also very demanding it's been compared to flying into a funnel where the limits in all three dimensions keep getting smaller and where it's disqualifying if you touch the sides it's a situation in which pilot workload builds to its highest level but there are lots of ways to reduce that workload and most of them involve planning ahead for example it's the norm these days to be vectored onto the final approach course but be prepared to fly the full approach in case of radio or ground radar failure when you're handed off to approach control and issued a vector you don't need on-route charts any longer so put them away except for the ones you need to maintain positional awareness now's the time to set up the nav radios for the approach there's plenty of time to tune and identify and set the course selectors where you want them when you're established on the final approach course two events really come into play as you start into the funnel go to the simplest possible instrument scan and tick off the events as they occur ok the localizer is alive our pilot knows that he can now descend to 1500 [Music] feet level at 1 500 feet here comes the glide slope next event will be crossing the outer marker into the neck of the funnel now and here's where it all comes together you'll use all of your instrument skills on an approach to minimum you'll be able to land at the end of nearly all your instrument approaches but don't ever assume that an approach will always result in a landing begin every approach with your mind already made up ready to execute the missed approach procedure if the runway doesn't appear on time you'll probably be able to see the runway well before you get there but now and then you'll need to follow the procedure all the way to the missed approach point either way breaking out should be no surprise and the pilot who has planned ahead will consider the landing as the next event in his sequence as visual cues begin to appear resist the temptation to make an immediate transition instead consider what you see outside as just another instrument to be included in your scan and gradually increase the amount of time spent looking outside some pilots choose to land out of an instrument approach with no flaps thereby eliminating a big pitch trim change others prefer to use full flaps and trim accordingly it's your choice but the important thing is to decide on a landing configuration and stay with it for all of your instrument work doing it the same way every time is a great way to reduce your workload at a critical time and standardization means that you'll always know what to expect the landing procedure has to be changed a bit on a circling approach because you'll probably have to level off for a short while as you maneuver the airplane onto the final approach once again practice is the key learn the power setting required to maintain level flight in the approach configuration while you circle then reduce power or use the wing flaps as necessary to complete the landing remember the rules require that you remain at mda until it's necessary to descend for a landing maneuvering at mda is always hazardous and the circling approach presents a unique problem for single pilot ifr operations you must keep the runway in sight as you circle and with no one to help that's a pretty tough job in a low visibility situation that requires almost constant reference to the flight instruments regardless of the circumstances whenever you sense a conflict between maintaining visual contact and aircraft control go around don't hesitate don't fight it go on the gauges roll the wings level and climb you can always come back for another try the circling approach in low visibility is an ideal environment for visual illusions and total spatial disorientation and it's even worse at night you might consider raising your personal visibility minimums for circling approaches by the way have you picked up the runway piper five niner niner new york approach turn right heading two two zero radar vectors to the localizer ils runway two three approach morristown okay right turn heading two two zero in septum localizer morristown five nine and under here comes the localizer looks like the controller is going to fly the pilot right through it piper five niner niner uh looks like we took you through the localizer there turn left heading one nine or zero radar vectors back to the localizer okay i think i can make that left to one nine zero four five ninety nine that's going to be some steep turn this pilot is going to have to roll into a steep bank turn back to the right too much come back to the left here comes the glide slope turn right too much below the glide slope pull up pull up okay let's hold it right there events like this can be avoided by situational awareness in the example the movement of the localizer needle but no clearance for the approach was a clue that the controller was not on top of the situation a query a gentle reminder at this point may have made a big difference after the oversight was noticed the controller requested a large heading change and the pilot suckered himself into a steep turn almost always a bad deal on instruments especially on approach and especially when there's only one instrument pilot on board things got progressively worse and if we hadn't stopped the world at that point there probably would have been an accident here's how it might have gone piper five niner niner looks like we took you through the localizer there turn left heading one nine or zero radar vectors back to the localizer okay 599 i think you got us in a little bit close could you give us another re-intercept piper five niner niner uh sorry about that turn right heading three zero zero climb and maintain two thousand as we radar vectors to sequence you for another approach okay right turn heading 360. when you recognize an extremely high workload situation shaping up one that might put you in over your head avoid it but if you find yourself in the middle of one do whatever you think is necessary to get out and above all else remember aviation's rule number one fly the airplane single pilot ifr operations account for a significant part of general aviation's activity it's just another way that pilots can make their aircraft more useful and efficient but nothing is free and as we've pointed out in this program there are some problems to be overcome at the top of the list is workload doing everything that has to be done and doing it in a timely manner the single pilot on instruments is sometimes faced with a monstrous workload but by planning ahead even the least experienced ifr pilot can cope of course planning ahead includes recognizing a situation with the potential of getting out of hand and exercising a well-planned alternate course of action single pilot ifr has been a safe way to fly for a long time and it can continue to provide a lot of satisfaction and utility for general aviation pilots who are willing to pay the price of admission training self-discipline and planning [Music] ahead [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Air Safety Institute

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Id: N4smrN6ApL0

Length: 31min 12sec (1872 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 25 2020