Margins of Safety: Low Altitude Maneuvering

[Music] low and slow just following the river sounds like a relaxed way to fly right but low altitude maneuvering isn't something to take lightly simply put low altitude maneuvering means maneuvering at an altitude that may not offer enough time or space to recover from a stall let's call this area the red zone in football the red zone is that last 20% of the field before the offense crosses the goal line it's where the margins for air are thin same with aviation it's that area where you should be focused on only one thing safely controlling the airplane let's be clear we're not saying the red zone is a dangerous place and should be avoided not at all in fact it's a normal part of flying traffic pattern offs Environmental Research VFR under a low cloud deck all occur in this zone it's just that flying this close to the ground requires extra vigilance and focus why is this important because more than 80% of the accidents involving stalls or spins have their origins in low altitude maneuvering it's important to remember that an aircraft stalls when the wing exceeds its critical angle of attack this angle is defined as the angle between the wings cord line and the relative wind that's all well and good but we can't see the relative wind and it's not necessarily opposite the direction the aircraft is pointing and that can get us in trouble low to the ground take go-arounds for example on descent we are typically flying at a high angle of attack in slow airspeed often using nose up trim to relieve control pressures this means the relative wind is not opposite the direction the wings leading edge is pointing if we decide to abort the landing and at full power the nose will want to rise abruptly sure the airplane will climb but because of the airplanes forward momentum even with the nose pointed up the relative wind takes a few seconds to catch up to the flight path it doesn't take much for that critical angle of attack to be exceeded this is also why high speed low altitude buzzing passes often don't end well the pilot pulls up abruptly to climb but inertia keeps the airplane moving forward even though the wing is pointed up the relative wind can catch up to the wing and it stalls too low to recover and too often these stalls come without the typical warning signs making turns while low and slow can also be problematic whether it's s turns on final a 360 in the pattern for spacing or that base to final turn it's important to remember a few details first you're already at a high angle of attack to maintain lift at a slow airspeed second when you turn the airplane once to descend due to some of its lift being diverted sideways this is not the place to pull back on the yoke to try to slow the descent that just increases your angle of attack even more and since you're operating close to the ground in the red zone it is also not the time to be distracted with anything except flying the aircraft this is how some pilots get themselves into trouble circling an object on the ground to get a better look as brought down more than a few pilots faster than they would have liked so what do we do the first step is to recognize when you're operating too low to recover from a stall or worse a spin a good rule of thumb is anytime you're below 2,500 feet AGL your focus needs to be on positive control of the airplane free from distractions including unnecessary chatter from your passengers second get to know the airplane you're flying understand how it handles at slow air speeds practice slow turns at a safe altitude so you get comfortable with them and know what power and control inputs are needed to maintain control practice go arounds on your basis so when you have to perform one proper technique is second nature and you're better able to deal with whatever made you abort the landing to begin with lastly remember that most low altitude maneuvering accidents start with pilots showing off if you're thinking of making a high speed low altitude pass to impress your friends remember that these events often end badly leave the high speed passes to the Air Show pilots and remember we all have a responsibility to represent pilots and GA in a positive light [Music]

Channel: Air Safety Institute

Views: 177,671

Rating: 4.9302325 out of 5

Keywords: airplane, airport, pilot, safety, risk management, decision making, flight plan, vfr, ifr, air traffic control, flight safety, safety tips, flight training, aviation safety, general aviation, aerodynamics, stall, wing, disorientation

Id: f6tbAu6nT98

Length: 4min 59sec (299 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 15 2016